# Diesel Cruze for replacing Jetta TDI?



## sdboers (Nov 10, 2015)

G'day,
New member here - first post. I've been a long standing VW diesel driver - with great results on longevity and fuel efficiency.

1993 diesel Golf retired at 395,000km
2001 diesel Jetta retired at 485,000km
2010 diesel Jetta still going at 400,000km

So - with 400,000km on my current ride, who knows if VW will even be able to sell another diesel by the time I need to replace it. Who knows if I'd want it? I want to break a half million km with it, but I need to research a replacement and plan as if it will die tomorrow.

My questions becomes - is a diesel Cruze a viable replacement for me? My first concern is longevity over everything else. Second place concern is fuel efficiency. No point saving money on fuel, only to replace the vehicle every every 100,000km...

As you can see - I'm a high mileage driver averaging around 70-75,000km a year. 90%+ of that is highway driving - where the diesels excel and the hybrids are just gas cars with batteries as heavy cargo.

Interested in your opinions. No better source than current Cruze owners! Would you buy it again if someone gave your money back?

Sean.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

The CTD hasn't been around that long. Also, there is no North American diesel Cruze for 2016.


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## sdboers (Nov 10, 2015)

G'day,
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the european version of the diesel Cruze has been around for some time longer than in North America?

Yeah - read that on the 2016. Apparently 2017 (late 2016) will see the introduction of a new 1.6L diesel instead of the 2.0? In the short term - I can still put my hands on a 2015.

Sean.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

sdboers said:


> G'day,
> Correct me if I'm wrong, but the european version of the diesel Cruze has been around for some time longer than in North America?
> 
> Yeah - read that on the 2016. Apparently 2017 (late 2016) will see the introduction of a new 1.6L diesel instead of the 2.0? In the short term - I can still put my hands on a 2015.
> ...


Correct on both counts. However, the North American diesel is not the same as the diesel sold anywhere else in the world.


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## pacolino (Aug 1, 2015)

sdboers said:


> G'day,
> New member here - first post. I've been a long standing VW diesel driver - with great results on longevity and fuel efficiency.
> 
> 1993 diesel Golf retired at 395,000km
> ...


Sean, it's a beautiful vehicle in all aspects, i had same questions before I decided to go with CTD, i already have 6000km with it and runs perfectly, i was a huge admirer of vw-audi but in time i've changed my perception, please keep in mind that this particular vehicle it's actually an Opel and its engine is made in Keizerslautern Germany. If you stick with its oil specs and fluids I am sure we'll breack the half milion barrier, welcome to the forum. There is a member here who actually reached i believe 140,000km, Diesel. 

Sent from my LGMS631 using Tapatalk


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## Gator (Jul 14, 2013)

I have 92000 on my Cruze Diesel and avg 50 mpg. I'm happy with the car.


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## pandrad61 (Jul 8, 2015)

GM has put great effort into the cruze in north America, it offers better feel of luxury and more thought in the making of the car then VW. Vw is 100% pulling out of diesel market any way in favor of electric so now more or less you will be stuck with chevy in the next 5 years


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## JRB'sOilburningCruze (Feb 25, 2015)

I have a 2014 that just turned 20k miles. So far it has been a good car. Smooth, quiet, and very fuel efficient. Compared to VW longevity not really sure... I know the VW diesel tends to be on the reliable side. The rest of the VW most likely will fall apart around it. The GM 2.0 Diesel has been used in Europe for several years, and seems to be pretty reliable. The engine does have a timing belt so that maintenance expense will have to be budgeted for. The emission control system is pretty complex, and the sample size is very small for those that complain on the board, but some have experienced problems with sensors and the DEF tank. So far mine has been good to go. GM went with an Aisin 6 speed transmission. Same transmission as they put in some of the small Cadillac SUV's. I think the car was well thought out, appears to be engineered well and GM has come a long way with fit and finish. I have a 35 mile commute (One way). I do hit some stop and go traffic. My commute, with traffic, I average 37-41 MPG. The best MPG I've hit over a 50 mile run was 48.9MPG. It has not gone on an extended interstate trip as of yet. It will be in December, looking forward to see how it does on an extended highway trip.

Another thing to consider is there are a gazillion gas Cruze's on the roads and the dealers are pretty familiar with them. The CTD is pretty uncommon and I wonder if the dealers will gain enough experience to properly troubleshoot and work on these cars over the long haul. As we all know there are good dealer service depts and some that are clueless.


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## LiveTrash (May 24, 2015)

Great car. I got it fresh off the factory line. It was diverted from its intended dealership to my local dealer. I've heard of some people having problems with theirs that have been sitting on dealer lots for long periods of time or have just gone out for short runs and that isn't good for the emissions system. If you decide to go with the diesel Cruze, that is a minor detail in my opinion to watch out for.

As I said, got mine fresh off the factory line back in August of 2014. A little over a year of ownership and I now have 21,000km with my only problem being a sidemarker light that randomly broke and fell out of the bumper. I've kept up on my oil changes and really that's the only thing that's been done to it so far in terms of regular maintenance. I'm on the same factory filled tank of DEF fluid and it doesn't seem like I'll need to top that up anytime soon. I went on a road trip with it earlier this year (mostly highway) and my highest was 58MPG highway. I drive it a little harder in the city sometimes where I am mostly taking it around now and I am getting a little under 40MPG. I became slightly concerned after reading all of the problems people were having with their diesels after driving them mostly in the city. As you mentioned you will be doing mostly highway driving so it won't be a problem. I personally haven't had any problems with it being a city driver for the time being. I have a gauge for it to monitor regens and as long as those complete their proper cycle, it seems to keep it happy.

The transmission is definitely the most manual feeling automatic transmission I personally have ever driven and probably ever will drive. I really like the way it feels, have become very used to it and honestly would hate to give it up!

The diesel comes standard with the more premium package such as the leather seats and alloy wheels which really makes it a premium feeling car and comfortable and stylish to drive in my opinion. The options I went for in mine was the crystal-red tint coat, cocoa leather interior, convenience package (auto-dimming rearview mirror and illuminated vanity mirrors), and the safety package (blind-spot monitoring and backup-sensors).

Overall it's a pretty powerful and fun to drive economy car that I'm sure you'll enjoy should you decide to pick one up. I think I enjoy driving mine just as much if not more than the day I got it.


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

the body and interior have been around a long time, millions of cruzes
the trans is solid and proven, used in dozens of models
the motor is solid and proven, see europe

the emissions is unproven....mix of good luck and bad luck on here...mostly good, but some catastrophic failures indeed
dealers and higher ups dont know how to fix the emissions, parts arent readily available, etc....


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## pandrad61 (Jul 8, 2015)

> The transmission is definitely the most manual feeling automatic transmission I personally have ever driven and probably ever will drive. I really like the way it feels, have become very used to it and honestly would hate to give it up!


the only thing i would say anoyes me is that in second gear it slips the trans because you can feel it shift to second and hit a certain rpm then lock up. feels like im keeping my foot resting on the clutch.


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## diesel (Jun 8, 2013)

sdboers said:


> G'day,
> New member here - first post. I've been a long standing VW diesel driver - with great results on longevity and fuel efficiency.
> 
> 1993 diesel Golf retired at 395,000km
> ...


Welcome to the forum! I have 142K miles on mine and it continues to be a reliable daily driver (not perfect, mind you). I have written up my detailed experiences once I hit 50K and 100K and posted them on here if you want to read my detailed reviews. I would recommend the car to anybody.


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## sdboers (Nov 10, 2015)

diesel - I will definitely read your detailed reviews. Thanks you for the note.

everyone - Thank you very much for your feedback. I appreciate the real world views.

If anyone is interested - here is the short list of what I would consider if my current ride retired tomorrow:

Jetta TDI: Hard to turn your back on experience. My VW diesels have been literally bulletproof. Great car despite the unethical behaviour of the company. I would consider a newish used one, or a new one if they are selling again.
Cruze TD: I love diesels. I took one of these for a ride - fit and finish were nice, ride was great. Cost is similar to the VW. This is literally the only diesel passenger car alternative to a VW. Chevrolet needs to jump up and down and make some noise on this. They can pick up a lot of disgruntled VW owners over the next year. Crying shame they won't have a 2016 model. Terrible choice in hindsight...
Chevy Volt: This one is a bit of a wild card for me, but I'm very intrigued by the technology and the economics. My commute distance would fit within the electric range of the vehicle (most of the time), and I have access to free charging at work. The big unknown for me here is longevity.
Mazda 3 GS: This is the cheapest car on my list, but it has a pretty nice feature set, and decent mileage numbers for a gasser. A 500,000km car? Hard to say, but Mazda's new unlimited mileage warranty (3yr / 5yr) provides a bit of a safety blanket if I chose this route. https://www.mazda.ca/en/warranty/mazda-unlimited-warranty/ . That would essentially turn my 5 year powertrain warranty into a 400,000km warranty.

Sean.


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## diesel (Jun 8, 2013)

sdboers said:


> Mazda's new unlimited mileage warranty (3yr / 5yr) provides a bit of a safety blanket if I chose this route.
> 
> Sean.


interesting. Only US companies offering that are Bentley, Rolls Royce and Ferrari that I know of.


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## pandrad61 (Jul 8, 2015)

> Chevy Volt: This one is a bit of a wild card for me, but I'm very intrigued by the technology and the economics. My commute distance would fit within the electric range of the vehicle (most of the time), and I have access to free charging at work. The big unknown for me here is longevity.


i vote against it. in 10 years what will become of the battarie packs? will cost 10,000 to replace and car will be worth 9,000


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

While the original plan was for the new generation Cruze diesel to come out in 2017, that was before the whole VW scandal. (The second generation gas Cruze comes out mid-2016MY, so the diesel is only a half-year behind.) I think it remains to be seen if the damage is limited to VW or if it will taint all diesel cars. While I'm sure high-mileage drivers will continue to look at diesel, I think the ecological-minded drivers are likely to be pulled toward the electrics and plug-in hybrids.

You might do well to keep the volt in mind, as that may be where the crowd is going. That would give you more part and servicing options.


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

pandrad61 said:


> i vote against it. in 10 years what will become of the battarie packs? will cost 10,000 to replace and car will be worth 9,000


prius batteries are under $2000


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

There is a member somewhere on here who came from a TDI, went to a CTD, then went back to a TDI and then came back to a CTD. 

So you wouldn't be the first (or second) TDI conquest.


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## sdboers (Nov 10, 2015)

diesel said:


> interesting. Only US companies offering that are Bentley, Rolls Royce and Ferrari that I know of.


I couldn't find the diesel Ferrari...


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## Sperry (Aug 3, 2013)

85,000 miles so far , still love to drive the car.. 1 bad wheel hub sensor in the first month but no problems since.. Smallish back seat but I have a larger vehicle for passengers..


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## CruzeDan (May 17, 2015)

Timing was terrible for Chevrolet, with this VW diesel scandal they could have defiantly made some headway into making the Cruze diesel mainstream. As for the topic, I love mine, but I haven't had it that long, it doesn't have 5,000 miles on it yet. I haven't had any issues at all, my driving is mixed on a day to day basis, but I do try to take it on highway runs when I can. It gets 33 MPG daily, 50+ on the highway. I don't really monitor regens or worry to much about the car, I just drive it. I have interrupted a handful of regens with no issues yet. My brother and father are GM technicians, and both have had one Cruze diesel in their shops for sensor issues. One belonged to a bus company and was used to transport kids, so who knows how it is being cared for, the sensors were soot covered. The other needed the rear sensors in the exhaust pipe, they looked clean when my bro took them out. My father spoke to the engineers at TAC, and they have stated that the diesel was designed to operate pretty clean, and that regens shouldn't be an issue, you should never have to take the car to the shop for a manual regen unless there is an issue with the car. As for your situation, I would either try to get a 2015 for cheap (if you can even find one) or try to hold off for the new second generation Cruze diesel, it looks nice, and the engine will be even more efficient. As for the worry about GM discontinuing their diesels, Mark Russ has stated that there is no way they will change any of their plans, the Colorado diesel will be coming soon, and will help GM in spreading their smaller diesels. Cadillac is also still bringing diesels to their lineup. The second generation Volt also looks like an awesome car, do not know if you can get one where you are, we have some here in NJ already, but they won't be sold in all 50 until late next year.


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## Su8pack1 (Apr 17, 2014)

21,000 miles, so far, so good. I few times back for sensor repairs and that's all.


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## diesel (Jun 8, 2013)

CruzeDan said:


> regens shouldn't be an issue, you should never have to take the car to the shop for a manual regen unless there is an issue with the car.


This took some investigation and observation to figure out, but there is about a 30 second window (for me, every 900 miles or so) right before a regen starts, when the car gears up for a regen. You can see it on a scangauge as a drop in manifold absolute pressure (or negative boost). If you happen to shut the car off right in this window (VERY rare, but it happened to me) the observed grams of soot can jump quickly when you shut the car off (in my case, it went from 22-35 immediately which is beyond the manual regen threshold). This is before the regen indicator turns to a "1". It's the one flaw in the regen design as far as I am concerned, but again happens so rarely that it really isn't a concern. It didn't happen to me until 115K miles, so it may have something to to what that too. That being said, I am still on my original DPF and it's working fine still.


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