Chevy Cruze diesel, manual 6spd

Now that my '03 Jetta wagon is at 338K and requiring increasingly more attention as components understandably deteriorate, I am looking for a replacement. On paper the Chevy Cruze w/ 52mpg hwy miles intrigues. And they've added a hatchback which I'd prefer over the sedan for the additional carrying capacity.
The problem: there aren't any around to test drive, at least in the northeast according to a salesman in an Arlington, MA dealership. Is there anyone that can offer me their opinion on the car, especially how it compares to the VW TDI?

cruze

Test drove one that was automatic. Thought it was a good car but the interior on the one we test drove felt really cheap and the radio sucked.If you get one go with leather and upgraded radio.

Well, it doesn't look like I'll be test driving one soon. I checked in w/ another dealership this time in Attleboro, MA and his response echoed the one in Arlington. "none on the lot, and the nearest one (w/ my specs of 6spd manual, and diesel fuel) is 500 miles away."
Not one (new) Cruze diesel with in 500 miles! Pitiful, but perhaps indicative of Americas' lack of love for the diesel. A quick check of the amount of cars sold in Europe shows 25 - 73% of new cars sold are diesel powered there (2015 data.).
Not that Chevrolet stands to cash in on a tsunami of VW diesel refugees, but they shirley lost my biznez.
Now to continue the search for another VW diesel.

Thats crazy i have 13 within 200 miles of me but i was looking for automatic.

Crazy yes!

2013 tdi fan said:

Thats crazy i have 13 within 200 miles of me but i was looking for automatic.

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BIZARRE....
I realize there are many gasser Cruzes about, but are you sure all those Cruzes were diesel and manual 6spd?

I was looking for diesel with automatic.Yes they were all diesel and automatic as my search criteria was automatic excluding manual.

There are some available in MA. https://www.cars.com/for-sale/searc...Id=28112&yrId=35797618&yrId=30031936&zc=02902

I drove one and wrote an article for our blog: https://idpartsblog.com/2017/09/11/chevrolet-cruze-gen-2-diesel-review/

I liked the car a lot. If I didn't have a '15 GSW in my garage I'd consider a hatch.

I am still amused that the cruze can pass the emissions test and VW can't do it. Makes no sense. What is the matter with the VW management. Cheating cost over 20 billion and their reputation,all the management should be out the door without the rich walking away money. Probably going to the slammer is justified.

showdown 42 said:

I am still amused that the cruze can pass the emissions test and VW can't do it. Makes no sense. What is the matter with the VW management. Cheating cost over 20 billion and their reputation,all the management should be out the door without the rich walking away money. Probably going to the slammer is justified.

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Oh, VW could have easily designed the emission system to pass, an actual no-brainer. Instead VW chose to cut corners to save money because a fully compliant emission system would have added a LOT more money to production costs and MSRP. This gave it's engines a little more HP and higher mileage over the competition.

They DID pass "the test". Just that the test was easily cheated. And now the authorities know, and the test has been changed. There is no reason they could not have passed the test all the time, without cheating, they just chose not to.

Pretty sure my 2.1L Sprinter was caught cheating, too, as they are NLA here for 2017. I think they tried and failed to pass the new enhanced testing. The V6s are still available, after jumping through some hoops. Glad I got mine when I did.

Some gasoline fueled engines have been under scrutiny, too, along with pretty much all the diesels. The whole system has been given a new look, as clearly the manufacturers have been cheating the system, but just not in such a huge fashion as VAG has been.

I’m not sure I’d ever consider a Chevy as ANY replacement vehicle. I guess I am lucky enough to have picked up a new 2015 Golf this year. But if mpg’s are your concern, then I guess your options are limited to some unfortunate vehicles.

oilhammer said:

Some gasoline fueled engines have been under scrutiny, too, along with pretty much all the diesels. The whole system has been given a new look, as clearly the manufacturers have been cheating the system, but just not in such a huge fashion as VAG has been.

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GM got in trouble way back in the '90s when the EPA discovered that the Northstar V8 engine (IIRC) would fail the emissions test if you turned on the air conditioner.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

There are some available in MA. https://www.cars.com/for-sale/searc...Id=28112&yrId=35797618&yrId=30031936&zc=02902
I drove one and wrote an article for our blog: https://idpartsblog.com/2017/09/11/chevrolet-cruze-gen-2-diesel-review/
I liked the car a lot. If I didn't have a '15 GSW in my garage I'd consider a hatch.

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Now how did two car sales men at Chevrolet dealerships in MA miss this
Thank you IBW for the heads up...which I will pursue.

Because they wanted to sell you what they had on hand. They assume that you, like most Americans, are impulse buyers, and will gladly cave to the immediate satisfaction of driving a new car home THAT MINUTE, and can be persuaded into buying something they really do not want, let alone need. Happens all the time.

oilhammer said:

Because they wanted to sell you what they had on hand. They assume that you, like most Americans, are impulse buyers, and will gladly cave to the immediate satisfaction of driving a new car home THAT MINUTE, and can be persuaded into buying something they really do not want, let alone need. Happens all the time.

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Impulse really? on a $25K item, maybe a 1%er, but not I!

You'd be surprised. Americans want their new cars NOW. They want to go to a dealer, pick a car from inventory, leave their old car, and drive the new one home. Dealers know this and stock and negotiate accordingly. They typically would prefer not to deal with people who want something specific.

For example, our local BMW dealers order all new BMWs, with the exception of M3s, with AWD and automatic transmissions. If you want a RWD manual, you'll have to wait for it. Perhaps months. They know most customers will cave and get what they have in stock.

And it's not just 1%ers. Lots of people do this, including a lot who can't afford to.

Art van Law said:

Impulse really? on a $25K item, maybe a 1%er, but not I!

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Yes, really. Lots of people. I have some dealer experience, and have been in the automotive field for a long time and know LOTS of people at dealers.

This is why the repo lot at the local auto auction is always jammed full. ALWAYS. 365 days a year.

Art van Law said:

Impulse really? on a $25K item, maybe a 1%er, but not I!

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When we bought the wife her Passat, we test drove some cars and did some minor negotiating during the morning (Wolfsburg Vs SE, 2.5L Vs 2.0 turbo, financing & rebates, and other small stuff). We went home for lunch and I made some phone calls about what I could get for her Camry as we were selling it outright. Once we figured out what we were going to do with her old car we called the dealership back and closed the deal. We were back at the dealership by 3PM, chose the car and finished the haggling by 4PM, got approval for VW Credit (.09%) and signed the loan papers by 5PM, and drove the car home by 6PM.

We later found out the salesman was crushed when we left for lunch. He thought he really blew the deal somehow when we said we were going to think about it and left. He thought we said that as just a ploy to leave. We were only gone 3 hours. We found this tidbit rather amusing. This is as close as I have ever come to an impulse buy on a car, and this really wasn't an impulse buy because we had made the decision to buy a car.

I have impulse purchased a new car a couple times, I am sad to say. BUT, I was able to afford it at the time, and I was not "upside down" on any trade ins or anything like that.

In both cases, I ended up not having that vehicle for more than a year. One I had 3 months, and sold it outright at a loss. Expensive lesson. And it meant that I also had to sell another car and use its profits to come out in the black when I was all said and done.

Makes me sick even thinking about it. Youth.... it leaves an aftertaste.

I have a 2014 gasser Cruze with the 6-speed. I sure hope the gearbox used with the diesel is better than the one my gasser has.

additional comment IBW?

belome said:

I have a 2014 gasser Cruze with the 6-speed. I sure hope the gearbox used with the diesel is better than the one my gasser has.

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IndigoBlueWagon drove one (see reply #7 in this thread) and wrote: "We drove the six-speed manual, and gearing seems appropriate, although 6th is noticeably shorter than in a VW TDI." Nothing negative was gleaned from his review of The Drive. ...although he might want to speak directly to your concern belome.

Impulse buy on a $25K item so foreign to my way of thinking and acting, but I stand enlightened!

I'm a believer IBW, BKmetz, & oilhammer.

I thought the shifter on the Cruze I drove was very nice, at least as nice as the manual in my GSW. I was impressed with it.

Oilhammer and IBW are right. Americans readily allow themselves to be sold something they didn’t really want because they can have it NOW. Even if it’s a $70k truck.

How many folks have walked on to a car lot, any car lot across the country as you did asking for a particular model or color or transmission, only to be told we don’t have that but I do have a great deal on this “such and such” vehicle that is an upgraded model.

And we say? “Sold”

I think most Americans think differently of their cars than us enthusiasts. They get one, use it for a few years, and swap it for another. So if they have to "settle" it's not as big a deal.

It took me over a year to find IBW. And even then I didn't really want crank windows and no sunroof. Little did I know at the time, those were advantages. But I've kept that car far longer than most people would. And my previous cars I owned for 8 and 7 years, respectively. My wife drove her Toyota Previa for 10 years until an accident claimed it.

If you're going to neglect what you buy and trade it in 2 or 3 years, what does it matter if it doesn't have the features you want? And many people just think about the amount of the monthly payment, not the actual cost of the car.

Back in the summer of '97 the wife was getting tires so she went across the street to the Dodge dealer to nose around.

When accosted by the salesman she said we wanted a short bed Diesel. Condescending schmuck asked why would you want a big engine like that in a short bed?

You can guess where we didn't order the above truck with a manual. Now if he had said sorry, Dodge doesn't make that truck it wouldn't have been as bad other than his not knowing his product and Dodge's '98 line.

Interesting concept on the cruze, Anyone knows how the emissions are implemented? Does it have a similar system as the jetta TDI, with re-generations etc?
Like the idea of diesel but if i have to put up with interrupted cycles and "Excessive NOS on cat" codes I rather cut my arm off.

All diesels that meet current emissions standards have DPFs, Catalytic converters, and use Adblue, and all have regen cycles. It's really not a big deal.

Maybe I should wait for the Mazda Skyactiv-x engine

I was told by a colleague this morning (don't know where he read it) that the Cruze diesel will be automatic only after 2018.