# 3200 mile long road trip complete in CTD



## TheDog (Mar 27, 2014)

I just returned from a much anticipated and highly coveted 9 day road trip from Portland OR to Scottsbluff NE and Spearfish SD. On the way East through Montana it was almost all Interstate driving with some nasty storms but from then on it was all good weather and a mix of highways and interstate.

My 2014 Diesel Cruze now has almost 14K miles and my lifetime MPG is 40. The trip was more like 42 MPG which was good considering how many miles were on delightfully empty 80 MPH speed limited WY and ID freeways.

Unlike some others, I haven't found the seats to be tiring even on long days. I do wish they were more generously proportioned but overall my 210 pound butt had no issues racking up a lot of time in them and my smaller partner had no complaints either. Though I like my 2010 Malibu's premium audio better than the 2014 Cruze Pioneer system, both are really very satisfying in terms of audio quality. The Pioneer system in the Cruze isn't very flexible in that it only sounds full and good from the front seats and if you adjust the fader much you loose a lot of volume but taken at close to factory fader levels and accepting that it is mostly there for front seat passengers, the sound quality, bass and volume available far exceeded anything I would use. 

My Link is a frequent source of frustration though mostly minor things. Sometimes navigation lady voice says turn left when the on screen indicator and reality are to turn right... One time during this trip I brought up a point of interest in a list but couldn't get it selected. It would highlight the entry when I selected it via touch or select button but wouldn't go to the next screen to allow me to start guidance etc. I ended up starting over and looking the same POI up via a different method (by name instead of category etc) and then it worked. Nav was used many times on the trip and for the most part it worked well and wasn't annoying. I especially like the settings menu where you can customize how much to fade out your audio when the prompts come on. I set mine to only moderately fade out the music and it seems less jarring and smoother to my ears.

Driving performance wise the car never disappointed. When I bought the vehicle I was really concerned about the Low Rolling Resistance (LRR) tires but between my own experiences and reading about other experiences on the internet I have come to appreciate these long lasting fuel saving tires. I cringe every time I have to drive on gravel since there is no spare tire but on this trip I probably drove 25 miles of well maintained gravel and had no issues. Amongst my friends I have a reputation for being a curvy road enthusiast and the Cruze is able and willing to cling nicely around all manner of curves though I don't think the steering communicates much back to the driver. Over long hours on the freeway, the Cruze CTD's extra quiet ride was a blessing. Though not discussed often, the CTD transmission definitely works to help with engine braking on down grades. Time and time again I could feel and see (tach) the transmission choosing 5th or even 4th on long downhill grades. I tend to like manually shifting on long hills but for the most part I wasn't accomplishing much different than what the car would do anyway except that the transmission seems to downshift when braking whereas I will engage a lower gear prior to needing the brakes. Bottom line, I expect a lot of CTD drivers will see unusually long brake pad life, especially for those who otherwise would never manually intervene in their transmission shifting.

One feature didn't work a few times (but worked a few times also) and that is the remote start. Similar to my Malibu, it seems like the list of parameters that have to be just right is substantial and overall the remote start seems a little moody.

Overall, this was the right vehicle for me and 1 passenger who wanted to cover some truly vast distances in comfort and at minimal fuel cost. Also, anybody who hasn't had a (preferably shoulder season) trip to the Black Hills should really consider it as an amazing road trip destination. Beautiful scenery, amazing geology, great hiking, fun fast and polite driving, inexpensive and very American wide open spaces make the Black Hills of SD and WY a repeat destination for me.


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

I am unlikely to see the black hills, but I do visit the Blue Mountains west of Sydney as often as I can and I can appreciate the scenery you have. You may enjoy the 3 sisters?
View attachment 117434


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## raffmanlt (Oct 4, 2014)

Awesome report, I agree with you totally except I have the regular stereo system which I think sounds great. Haven't tried it from back seat but I have had passengers say it sounds good. I was so disappointed in my link I don't even use it. I use my cell phone instead. The voice recognition while it's a sweet feature was frustrating, one on my android HTC phone is way better at understanding what you said. Navigation through Google maps I also found to work much better than mylink. Since day 1 the Bluetooth phone connection has been ok if I never kill the car. Often I have many short trips after restart Bluetooth connection would act up, usually sound from phone calls or sound from music playing from phone was ok but I would lose audio on navigation program. So now I connect phone via aux Jack.
The only complaint now other than the wiring being in the way is I can't get the sound volumes the same. To talk on phone I have to turn volume way up when phone conversation ends music playing or navigation giving you instructions suddenly blare s before I can turn it down!

I need to make a trip to the area you mentioned.


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## MilTownSHO (Oct 9, 2013)

While I purchased this car for my commute, I have come to almost look forward to taking it on a long road trips.

The car's interior is so quiet and you can drive for hours and hours without having to make a stop. Honestly I usually have to stop for a restroom break long before I run out of fuel.

I have only done a 1200 mile road trip in mine, but the car performed flawlessly. I do sometimes with the car was a tad bigger as I prefer a full size sedan, but for just two people it works great.

I did myself start to get a little tired with the seats, I wish there was a little more bolster into the sides at times.

And as far as SD, I miss that place! My grandparents had a place in Corona, SD and it was so peaceful, you could see the stars for miles. I used to love that you could drive forever and not see a sole, then when you did most folks would wave!


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

That was a really great review! Says volumes about how well designed and assembled the small car is.

Thanks for taking the time......I too am a roadie and love reading about others travels.

Rob


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## diesel (Jun 8, 2013)

Nice writeup. I have a couple comments - first on brakes. I downshift manually whenever I have an opportunity and although it doesn't slow the car down as much as a gasoline engine, it's just fine. I will probably get way over 100K out of my brake pads. Also for the remote start, I do notice it fails once in a while (maybe 5% or less of the time), but if you have a CEL, it will fail 100% of the time.


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

diesel said:


> Nice writeup. I have a couple comments - first on brakes. I downshift manually whenever I have an opportunity and although it doesn't slow the car down as much as a gasoline engine, it's just fine. I will probably get way over 100K out of my brake pads. Also for the remote start, I do notice it fails once in a while (maybe 5% or less of the time), but if you have a CEL, it will fail 100% of the time.


I have never heard that said before? If I use manual override in my diesel I have to be careful or the petrol cars behind me will run into me. With 2.0L and a compression of 16.5 to 1 engine braking is really good.


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## diesel (Jun 8, 2013)

Aussie said:


> I have never heard that said before? If I use manual override in my diesel I have to be careful or the petrol cars behind me will run into me. With 2.0L and a compression of 16.5 to 1 engine braking is really good.


I wonder if there is something different about yours - maybe the transmission and the way it behaves or something?


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

diesel said:


> I wonder if there is something different about yours - maybe the transmission and the way it behaves or something?


Have you driven a petrol Cruze? I have a 1.5L Hyundai no turbo (higher compression) and weight 2,000lbs and engine braking is terrible compared to my 3,395lb Cruze diesel. Diesel vehicles are known for their engine braking ability. I have the 6T45 transmission in mine.


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## MilTownSHO (Oct 9, 2013)

I think it's funny people talking about manually downshifting all the time to brake.

Unless I was in like Colorado on a steep long decent and worried about overheating my brakes I will never bother with it.

I just let the car do it's thing. I had to get the automatic since there is no manual option (obviously), so I might as well sit back and not worry about it.


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## q2bruiser (Jun 8, 2014)

diesel said:


> Nice writeup. I have a couple comments - first on brakes. I downshift manually whenever I have an opportunity and although it doesn't slow the car down as much as a gasoline engine, it's just fine. I will probably get way over 100K out of my brake pads. Also for the remote start, I do notice it fails once in a while (maybe 5% or less of the time), but if you have a CEL, it will fail 100% of the time.


Why would you rather wear the tran clutches than the cheap break pads?


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

q2bruiser said:


> Why would you rather wear the tran clutches than the cheap break pads?


I agree but the claim was that the diesel had poor engine braking and you don't need to drive manually to know that this is not accurate.


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## TheDog (Mar 27, 2014)

MilTownSHO said:


> I think it's funny people talking about manually downshifting all the time to brake.
> 
> Unless I was in like Colorado on a steep long decent and worried about overheating my brakes I will never bother with it.


Well I was in Wyoming and Montana and there were several 6-10 mile 6% down hill sections and one 10% one that was great to go down with almost no braking. Really though the default behavior in the Diesel is pretty good at helping out with braking. I don't remember the 1.4 gas engine transmission helping out much but probably didn't drive those rentals on any really big hills.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

TheDog said:


> Well I was in Wyoming and Montana and there were several 6-10 mile 6% down hill sections and one 10% one that was great to go down with almost no braking. Really though the default behavior in the Diesel is pretty good at helping out with braking. I don't remember the 1.4 gas engine transmission helping out much but probably didn't drive those rentals on any really big hills.


My ECO MT would have been in 3rd with the engine howling going down those hills. Engine braking simply isn't in the ECO MT's vocabulary. Thanks for the writeup - Chevy hit it out of the park with the CDT.


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

Aussie said:


> Diesel vehicles are known for their engine braking ability.


they are known for their lack of engine braking ability, hence the need for add on exhaust/compression brakes

cruze diesel dont have either.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

MilTownSHO said:


> I think it's funny people talking about manually downshifting all the time to brake.
> 
> Unless I was in like Colorado on a steep long decent and worried about overheating my brakes I will never bother with it.
> 
> I just let the car do it's thing. I had to get the automatic since there is no manual option (obviously), so I might as well sit back and not worry about it.



Come to SW Wisconsin, you will appreciate the compression braking on some of our steep grades. The 1.4T auto with the cruise set will downshift automaticly on hills once your speed goes over 3MPH from what you have it set at. However it only down shifts 1 gear. On anything 6% grade or over this is not enough(not that 4th gear is all that much better). Most of the large hills around here I have to be down two gears & ride the brakes half the grade it I don't want my speed to increase 5-20mph. 

If the 2016+ cruze 1.4T is not better in this respect, I will not buy it. Kinda scary, especially in winter to gain so much speed downhill if you don't ride the brakes. I should test out a diesel cruze and see how much better it is on hills, I suspect the larger engine is better suited to the weight of the car.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Haha yeah, I dropped down 3000 ft in ~6 miles this weekend. My car was holding itself around 40-45, but 3rd gear was screaming around 3500-4000 RPM trying to hold it back, and I did have to get on the brakes here and again.

Yeah, diesels aren't known for engine braking. I wonder if the increased engine braking comes from the bigger engine size itself...or from some valve timing tricks the Cruze plays to create a bit of an exhaust brake.


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

boraz said:


> they are known for their lack of engine braking ability, hence the need for add on exhaust/compression brakes
> 
> cruze diesel dont have either.


If your Cruze diesel has poor engine braking it must have some serious problems and I would be complaining to GM about it. Mine has a 2.6 to 1 final drive and will hold speed in top gear better than my previous Commodore with a 3.8 V6 and a 3.08 rear axle ratio and it had a 5M gearbox. It was the same weight as the Cruze as well.


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## raffmanlt (Oct 4, 2014)

diesel said:


> I wonder if there is something different about yours - maybe the transmission and the way it behaves or something?


Correct me if I am wrong but I think Australia cruze has a different diesel engine and transmission than we do in north america. They had their diesels long before one was available for us and while still derived from fiat it was a different motor than the luz we have -- I think if I remember correctly.


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

raffmanlt said:


> Correct me if I am wrong but I think Australia cruze has a different diesel engine and transmission than we do in north america. They had their diesels long before one was available for us and while still derived from fiat it was a different motor than the luz we have -- I think if I remember correctly.


You are correct, there was originally a single OHC engine with 110kw and 320nm torque. The series II engine I have is duel OHC with 120kw and 360 nm torque. For the point of this discussion we could be talking about a VW diesel for all it matters. A diesel engine runs much higher compression than a petrol engine or the fuel would not ignite as it would not get hot enough. Therefore high compression equals better engine braking which is why diesel hold speed better on down hill driving unless there is a problem with them.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Aussie said:


> You are correct, there was originally a single OHC engine with 110kw and 320nm torque. The series II engine I have is duel OHC with 120kw and 360 nm torque. For the point of this discussion we could be talking about a VW diesel for all it matters. A diesel engine runs much higher compression than a petrol engine or the fuel would not ignite as it would not get hot enough. Therefore high compression equals better engine braking which is why diesel hold speed better on down hill driving unless there is a problem with them.


While true I suspect the CDT has significantly less engine braking than the Holden diesel. It's a tradeoff necessary for high MPG cars - you have to be able to coast.


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

obermd said:


> While true I suspect the CDT has significantly less engine braking than the Holden diesel. It's a tradeoff necessary for high MPG cars - you have to be able to coast.


When going down hill with my foot off the gas my instant fuel readout shows 0 L per 100km fuel use. Our major roads a hillier than the ones in NA so ultimate fuel consumption would be a bit higher.


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## Slammed2014Eco (Feb 13, 2014)

obermd said:


> My ECO MT would have been in 3rd with the engine howling going down those hills. Engine braking simply isn't in the ECO MT's vocabulary. Thanks for the writeup - Chevy hit it out of the park with the CDT.


Agreed, whenever I go up into the mountains on i70 with all those steep grades I have to ride the brakes lol @@


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## raffmanlt (Oct 4, 2014)

Aussie said:


> You are correct, there was originally a single OHC engine with 110kw and 320nm torque. The series II engine I have is duel OHC with 120kw and 360 nm torque. For the point of this discussion we could be talking about a VW diesel for all it matters. A diesel engine runs much higher compression than a petrol engine or the fuel would not ignite as it would not get hot enough. Therefore high compression equals better engine braking which is why diesel hold speed better on down hill driving unless there is a problem with them.



I agree about diesels have more engine braking but also manufactures can also alter the valve timing to change how much they have. I am not sure how they do it but I drove semi trucks for years and they also had what was referred to as a jake break that was just an engine brake but you could select how many cylinders you wanted to use depending on the hill. My understanding was it altered the timing of the exhaust valves to produce increased resistance. I read with the pickup duramax diesel when they introduced engine braking they used the variable geometry turbo to increase exhaust braking when engine braking was desired.


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

*raffmanlt* Engine braking has been around for many years, I once spoke to an owner driver when it first became popular and he told me that while it did reduce engine life by 20% the brakes lasted 3 times as long with the use of it. With the cost in the 1970's of $2,000 for a brake reline on an 18 wheeler it worked out over the life of the engine as quite a big saving in total running cost.


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## raffmanlt (Oct 4, 2014)

Aussie said:


> *raffmanlt* Engine braking has been around for many years, I once spoke to an owner driver when it first became popular and he told me that while it did reduce engine life by 20% the brakes lasted 3 times as long with the use of it. With the cost in the 1970's of $2,000 for a brake reline on an 18 wheeler it worked out over the life of the engine as quite a big saving in total running cost.




That's true and years ago the trucks came with a handlever brake that only locked trailer brakes. Some trucks still have this. Some people that owned trucks but not trailer used these to slow down so they were not wearing theirs out.


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## diesel (Jun 8, 2013)

I've never destroyed a transmission yet by engine braking, but I always get well over 100K on brake pads. Anyway, the Mercedes GL350 Bluetec, in contrast to the Cruze diesel, has tremendous engine braking. It's very specific to the vehicle. My Cruze diesel does not have very good engine braking at all. It's night and day between the two cars.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

Aussie said:


> Therefore high compression equals better engine braking which is why diesel hold speed better on down hill driving unless there is a problem with them.


Every diesel truck I have driven has much worse compression braking than their gas counterparts(exact same trucks, same trans and gearing). Remember a diesel uses variable air fuel ratio not a throttle, that's the reason they aren't as good and need supplemental engine brake in larger trucks. 

Engine braking - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Engine Braking


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Slammed2014Eco said:


> Agreed, whenever I go up into the mountains on i70 with all those steep grades I have to ride the brakes lol @@


Coming down US-285 is a blast. In fact, US-285 from Bailey to C-470 is a blast to drive in the ECO MT. You want speed build up even in third gear try westbound out of the Eisenhower tunnel and Vail Pass.


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## Slammed2014Eco (Feb 13, 2014)

obermd said:


> Coming down US-285 is a blast. In fact, US-285 from Bailey to C-470 is a blast to drive in the ECO MT. You want speed build up even in third gear try westbound out of the Eisenhower tunnel and Vail Pass.


We're actually going up into the mountains this weekend, so I'm not sure if we are going to take the Eco or the CTD lol wife gets car sick so I'm gonna assume she will want to take her CTD since she hates driving in the manual


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

Slammed2014Eco said:


> We're actually going up into the mountains this weekend, so I'm not sure if we are going to take the Eco or the CTD lol wife gets car sick so I'm gonna assume she will want to take her CTD since she hates driving in the manual


I don't know if this applies to your wife but I have found that I never get carsick when I am driving, but when I am a passenger I need to be looking out of a window all the time while moving. Trying to read, even a map is a disaster.


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## Slammed2014Eco (Feb 13, 2014)

Aussie said:


> I don't know if this applies to your wife but I have found that I never get carsick when I am driving, but when I am a passenger I need to be looking out of a window all the time while moving. Trying to read, even a map is a disaster.


Yea, she's pretty similar and can't drive the manual so she's SOL there. I know she definatley can't read or do anything like that tho lol I'll have to check on the window thing.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

My wife sleeps or does needlework when I drive. Otherwise she gets car sick even on a straight interstate.


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## raffmanlt (Oct 4, 2014)

Diesel wow that is a lot of miles on your brake pads! Where I will be driving and the fact that I want max mpg I for one am very happy that the cruze diesel engine braking is not as good. I get best mpg by looking way down the road and if light changes coasting as long as I can. In a semi with 80,000 lbs pushing you down a hill your life depended on starting slow in a low gear and using as much engine braking as you could. Otherwise your brakes heat up and may catch fire and you can lose them all together a time or two thought I would have to use the runaway ramp. As for car I will coast as much as I can and brakes don't cost much to change.


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

raffmanlt said:


> Diesel wow that is a lot of miles on your brake pads! Where I will be driving and the fact that I want max mpg I for one am very happy that the cruze diesel engine braking is not as good. I get best mpg by looking way down the road and if light changes coasting as long as I can. In a semi with 80,000 lbs pushing you down a hill your life depended on starting slow in a low gear and using as much engine braking as you could. Otherwise your brakes heat up and may catch fire and you can lose them all together a time or two thought I would have to use the runaway ramp. As for car I will coast as much as I can and brakes don't cost much to change.


light load


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

All this debating about diesel V petrol engine braking can be easily settled, drive both type of car to a straight road with duel lanes put them in 3rd gear at 40mph drive side by side and at a given signal lift off the gas, debate settled once and for all. Remember the diesel is a heavier vehicle to start with, so a clear win will be impressive.


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## raffmanlt (Oct 4, 2014)

I just took a short trip not as long as yours but it was a road I have traveled off and on for 35 years. What struck me was not only was the trip quieter and smoother than what I am used to but on the hills the diesel went up them effortlessly without needing more throttle and without shifting down. Also there was one curve that normally if you have cruise on all my other cars would suddenly accelerate or shift down right as your going into the curve. It gives you an out of control feeling and you normally hit the brakes to turn off the cruise. This time it did not lose speed going in and maintained speed all of the way. That combined with the fact the cruze seems so planted it was very comfortable going into and through the curve.

I was a little disappointed in mpg since I had it tuned it seems like mpg is better than stock. On this trip I got 44.5 mpg according to dic however although it was mostly highway there were at least 14 stop signs and 3 small towns to go through. So considering that I would say the after tune mpg is at least as good as it was before the tune and it seems it might still be a little better. The mpg in the cruze takes a dive anytime you have to slow down or stop.

The seat was comfortable enough I am hoping it gets better with wear and tear, kind of like breaking in a leather saddle or baseball glove.


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## raffmanlt (Oct 4, 2014)

oh another thought, if it happened to do a regen then that would be really good. i wish there was a way to know.


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## q2bruiser (Jun 8, 2014)

raffmanlt said:


> oh another thought, if it happened to do a regen then that would be really good. i wish there was a way to know.


There is. If your vehicle is tuned, do a control study with the tune in and with the tune out.


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## raffmanlt (Oct 4, 2014)

q2bruiser said:


> There is. If your vehicle is tuned, do a control study with the tune in and with the tune out.


no i was saying i wish there was a way to know when it was doing a regen. I have already tested with and without tune as well as i can in the real world with all the variables. When i get a chance to do a long highway only trip i will be able to compare better.


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