So I bought a 2011 Chevy Cruze....

[Uncle Snake]

First off it seems much bigger on the inside than it looks. At least the front seats..... I've got about 450 miles on it so far and am averaging 34.5mpg. It is VERY quiet inside for a compact car, and much quieter than my '99 Accord. The stock stereo is a hair better than adequate as the tweeters are iffy...... The 6 speed standard tranny is fairly crisp although I usually skip 3rd and 5th on my way to 6th. Onstar is kinda cool and xm radio is the same as it's always been. So far I'd say a 7 out of 10 for a $17k compact car. -Jake

[cbr_chick_nh]

[Garandman]

I think they are well proportioned. Not a trendsetter but a handsome design that should age well.

[zxme]

Neighbor has one and he loves it.

[Danz19899]

sharp looking car . . . talk to me in 100k i'll see what you think

I despise GM but damn that thing is nice looking

[Garandman]

sharp looking car . . . talk to me in 100k i'll see what you think

I despise GM but damn that thing is nice looking

Our 2005 Express has been back to the dealer once - because they offered a free oil change.

[wylee]

Very interested in hearing what your longer term fuel economy is compared to other cars you've owned. 34.5 mpg would really suck for me, but I could easily get 38 mpg (42 with a very light foot) out of my Corolla 5spd when other people bitched about not breaking 30 mpg. If it looks like I could get 43+, I may buy a Cruze. The Sonic looks promising but it sounds like the Eco 6 speed drivetrain will only be available in a pretty pricey trim.

I sat in a Cruze LTZ, with leather and power seats, in the showroom when I was at the dealer getting my AC charged last month. I was REALLY surprised with the generous legroom. If the ECO has the same legroom without power seats, it would be a huge upgrade in comfort from the current Honda and Toyota offerings.

[KawiSmurf]

Uh...whoa...

Chevy Recalls Cruze After A Steering Wheel Falls Off

[Woodsy]

Trade in before 50000

[Rossco]

Uh...whoa...

Chevy Recalls Cruze After A Steering Wheel Falls Off

Chevy has already hired a PR spokesman to take care of this.

It's this guy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgrX7...eature=related

[KillBill]

The Cruze always catches my eye on the road...nice choice

[Uncle Snake]

It's got a few cool features. Tire pressure, 10 air bags, and oil life read outs are nice. I ordered floor mats and mud guards yesterday and Michelle hosed it down with Scotch Guard too. I'd heard about the wheel coming off....... Oh well, shit happens. No real scheduled maintenance until 100k miles and the 1st oil change is 7-8K miles. So far I like it.

[Uncle Snake]

So I traded the Cruze in on a 2014 Jetta Sportwagon two weeks ago. Cruze had 128k on it and still going strong but I had some issues the dealer struggled with and I was losing confidence it in.

Engine overtemp warning came on randomly and just restarting the car would clear it most of the time. New thermostat finally fixed it. First dealership never thought to check that...... Replaced the heater core 4-5 times as I would get a fine mist on the windshield after extended time on defrost. Never fixed it.....

Bottom line for me was that that the car was designed to make a great first impression and that was it. Every few months I noticed that I "liked" the car less and less.

As for mileage it averaged out over my ownership tp 32.2mpg with a lifetime average speed of 57mph. So pretty much all highway miles. I set cruise control on 70-72 mph most of the time. GM said to expect 36,pg on the highway, never saw it,

It is a cheap Chevy with some bells and whistles.

The JSW seems awesome! We'll see how it holds up. 2.5l 5speed as they would not sell me a TDI. Averaging 33.3mpg so far......

[Gixxer]

A 2011 should be quieter than a 99, even if it is comparing Government Motors to Honda.

But I have been curious about these models.

Edit: posted this after reading your first post, not your most current.


Did you get a smoking deal on the Jetta cuz dealerships are just glad to see a customer with all the diesel cheating chatter?

[Uncle Snake]

Decent deal. I didn't have a lot of bargaining power as I had a low value trade in and the JSW had just come in while I was out test driving a Mazda. There were ZERO TDI's for sale and this was the lowest mileage used VW wagon on the lot at the time. I test drove and committed to buy before the car before it was detailed. Luckily it cleaned up like new. It had been owned by one of the service writers at the dealership so the records and Carfax were up to snuff.

The one AMAZING aspect of this car is that it was built in 2014 and there is not ONE fucking USB port in it..... There will be soon though.

[Gixxer]

I like wagons, the Volvo 240 being my fave. What Mazda were you test driving?

[Uncle Snake]

Decent deal. I didn't have a lot of bargaining power as I had a low value trade in and the JSW had just come in while I was out test driving a Mazda. There were ZERO TDI's for sale and this was the lowest mileage used VW wagon on the lot at the time. I test drove and committed to buy before the car before it was detailed. Luckily it cleaned up like new. It had been owned by one of the service writers at the dealership so the records and Carfax were up to snuff.

The one AMAZING aspect of this car is that it was built in 2014 and there is not ONE fucking USB port in it..... There will be soon though. ..

MX3 Wagon.

[sedanman]

My 2009 Cobalt has 193,000 on it. Nothing but regular maintenance.

[Gixxer]

My 2009 Cobalt has 193,000 on it. Nothing but regular maintenance.

Proof there's an exception to every rule?

[Garandman]

We have two Cruze Turbodiesels and one Cruze Eco (same car with 1.4L gas turbo) in our company fleet. The TD's have a DEF system.

The TD's are averaging right around 40mpg and the Eco 33 in mixed city/highway driving all during business hours.

Took a TD on a trip to MD and averaged 48.7mpg without doing anything special. We've averaged as much as 54 on a highway tank.

We've had Chevrolets, Fords, Honda, Nissan and Subaru in our fleet. Not one of them needed any repair under 100K. The most expensive repairs, by far, are the Hondas due to their rusting upper suspension components. They pretty much all take replacement wheel bearings and drive axles between 115-150,000 along with brakes, tires etc.

The Cruze is extensively redesigned for 2016. They are made in six countries around the world and sell in big numbers: 15-25,000 a month in the US.

Of all the Infotainment/Nav systems I like theirs best.

[Stromper]

Being some one who buys new then runs them to death I am a little gun shy of any USA product

I have had good service from my Ford Van as its still going at 15 years and 125K miles, it also has had front end problems after 30K
that remain a mystery after bushings joints etc.

[Uncle Snake]

Everyone that I've spoken with via bluetooth from both vehicles insists that the JSW sounds better. Still can't believe not one fucking USB port.....

[e30addict]

Germans focus their money on engineering. Americans on infotainment.

[TheIglu]

Germans focus their money on engineering the most complex solution to the simplest problem. Americans on infotainment.

Fixed.

[Uncle Snake]

JSW Update:

I've put 30k miles on the JSW so far, now at 57k, and just had to replace the front sway bar end links. Other than that I've averaged approx 36mpg almost all highway.

My gf drove it last spring and the next thing you know we're trading her '08 Civic in on a '14 Jetta Sedan SI. Very nice little car and the 1.8t with man. 5 speed is peppy. It seems to get a little better mileage than my wagon.