# Obsverations After a Month



## Mikeske (Jun 19, 2012)

I have had my diesel Cruze for a month and here are some of the things I have notice

One is the first thing and a habit I have a hard time unlearning is the fact that I usually drive are 325 miles and start looking for a gas station as it has been a habit not to get below a quarter tank of gasoline, I drive in the part of the country that has plenty of stations but I learned years ago to always avoid letting the tank get below a quarter tank to preserve the fuel pump in the tank. I can now go at least 500 miles which is quite a bit longer then I have ever gone before with a tank of fuel.

The 2nd thing is I am amazed how quiet the car is with XM shut off and windows closed this car is so quiet that there is very little noise that enters the cabin, you literally can not hear the engine at all, after driving a 1994 Plymouth Acclaim for 18 years and 298,000 miles that sounded like a banshee at full song when driving I am so happy as I have a problem with my left ear and to have a nice quiet car it is so nice.

The third thing is my 2012 Cruze that I traded in I did not particular care for the automatic shift quality of the car as it had rather rough shifting, the diesel transmission should be offered across the board in all Cruze's as it is a vast improvement and no I will not go back to manual shifting as I would tire of the car rather quickly as I just want to get to my destination without having to row a shifter if I am caught in bumper to bumper traffic which is fairly common in the greater 
Seattle area that I do have to frequently go into.

The 4th thing I think is the fact that Mylink should be standard equipment across the entire Cruze line up (including the LS model). It is the easiest computerized system I have ever seen and has excellent response and is easy to use and understand even for this 55 year old brain that at times is stuck in the analog age. I do not even need my 13 year old grandson to explain how to use the system as he did when I had my old PC and he got me to look at a Apple computer.


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## jpm84092 (Jun 23, 2013)

I have had mine for 2 months and have observed the very same things; uber-quiet, smooth shifting on the automatic, and helpful infotainment system. I liked my 2011 Cruze ECO, but the Turbo D is the better car hands down. As for fuel economy and tank filling, I too like to top off at just about 1/4 tank give or take. On a trip from Salt Lake to Milwaukee, I topped off 20 miles West of the Wyoming-Nebraska border and topped off again at 1/4 tank (give or take) in Des Moines Iowa; just over 550 miles. The total mileage for that trip (~ 3000 miles) was 50.1 mpg. And - the motor is not broken in yet.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Finally, a Cruze that will give us ECO MT rowers something to shoot for. Well done to both of you.


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## blk88verde (Apr 30, 2011)

Nice reports! GM seems to have done a great job with the ECO D.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

I'm surprised that Acclaim wasn't rusted completely out after that many years.

I agree, the Aisin transmission in the diesel is WORLDS better than the GM tranny in the 1.4.

I think the thing that impresses me most about the diesels is the incredible fuel economy that owners are reporting without even really trying that hard. And then there's a seemingly huge rush of power when you press that pedal on the right.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

I would love to see what I could get with a cruze diesel auto, with my 2012 1.4T automatic I have had numerous fill ups above 43mpg, which is 5mpg above the window sticker hwy mpg rating. Think I could easily get 50+ mpg highway.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

spacedout said:


> I would love to see what I could get with a cruze diesel auto, with my 2012 1.4T automatic I have had numerous fill ups above 43mpg, which is 5mpg above the window sticker hwy mpg rating. Think I could easily get 50+ mpg highway.


You're doing a lot better than me! My high HWY MPG numbers always fall very quickly once I do even a few miles of city driving.


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

jblackburn said:


> I'm surprised that Acclaim wasn't rusted completely out after that many years.
> 
> I agree, the Aisin transmission in the diesel is WORLDS better than the GM tranny in the 1.4.
> 
> I think the thing that impresses me most about the diesels is the incredible fuel economy that owners are reporting without even really trying that hard. And then there's a seemingly huge rush of power when you press that pedal on the right.


My diesel has the 6T45 transmission and it appears to be as smooth as the Aisin, I wonder if the extra torque smooths out the changes?


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Aussie said:


> My diesel has the 6T45 transmission and it appears to be as smooth as the Aisin, I wonder if the extra torque smooths out the changes?


Torque? No. But a lower input shaft speed (from the torquey, low-revving nature of a diesel engine itself) generally makes for smoother transitions between gears. 

And they probably got the programming down better. Slowing down the shift speed and letting up on the throttle prior to shifting decreases shift shock as well. For instance, compare the behavior between a Toyota Camry V6 and a Nissan Maxima with the same (old 4-speed) transmission. The Camry backs off the throttle just prior to the shift to decrease the torque on the input shaft (just as you would do with a manual transmission) and you can feel a slight pause in acceleration in between gears while it engages the clutches and switches gears. The Maxima changes gear very quickly, with a "thunk", but no noticeable pause in acceleration.


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

jblackburn said:


> Torque? No. But a lower input shaft speed (from the torquey, low-revving nature of a diesel engine itself) generally makes for smoother transitions between gears.
> 
> And they probably got the programming down better. Slowing down the shift speed and letting up on the throttle prior to shifting decreases shift shock as well. For instance, compare the behavior between a Toyota Camry V6 and a Nissan Maxima with the same (old 4-speed) transmission. The Camry backs off the throttle just prior to the shift to decrease the torque on the input shaft (just as you would do with a manual transmission) and you can feel a slight pause in acceleration in between gears while it engages the clutches and switches gears. The Maxima changes gear very quickly, with a "thunk", but no noticeable pause in acceleration.


I have noticed that when I give it a bit off the line the shifts seem almost like in a manual, but on light throttle it is hard to know what gear you are in.


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## Mikeske (Jun 19, 2012)

jblackburn said:


> I'm surprised that Acclaim wasn't rusted completely out after that many years.
> 
> I agree, the Aisin transmission in the diesel is WORLDS better than the GM tranny in the 1.4.
> 
> I think the thing that impresses me most about the diesels is the incredible fuel economy that owners are reporting without even really trying that hard. And then there's a seemingly huge rush of power when you press that pedal on the right.


The Acclaim was never exposed to road salt in the winter or that manner much snow. Since I live in a temperate part of the country that is known for its rain the car was driven in the rain in the winter and so it had a sound body with no rust. The Acclaim is still be driven around our town by a mechanic that I know. He has done one thing to the car and that was get it repainted and for a car nearing 20 years old looks pretty good. I never had to go into the V-6 engine as it was strong and well maintained. I always maintained that the acclaim was crude but effective in its mission to get from point A to B reliably.

I really like the economy of the diesel engine in the Cruze V-6 power when on the on ramps to freeways and really good ride.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

That's great to read Mikeske! I am so glad that you are enjoying your Cruze Diesel. Please let me know if you ever have any questions.

Jackie
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## Mikeske (Jun 19, 2012)

Jackie so far the Cruze is and has been reliable and running great. I had the LS for a year and it was a good car and I learned what a good car the Cruze is. I at this time have to still learn all the features that the Diesel has and so far I doing great with it.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

That's awesome Mikeske! I am pretty sure that the Cruze Diesel will be my next car. Did you ever post a picture anywhere on the forum? I would love to see it. 

Jackie
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## sdmfer (Jul 31, 2013)

Pssst..... Jackie drives a Jetta TDI.  

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


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