My Superman (Chevrolet Cruze LT 2011)

SedatedDrive · 11th October 2011, 20:10

Go for a tire upgrade, Chrome6boy. More grip for those situations will always help.

Chrome6Boy · 3rd June 2015, 15:05

Hello everyone. I am resurrecting an old thread here. My car has now completed 100,000 kms. I am sorry for not having kept this thread updated.

My experience so far has been excellent. There was only one major issue which I will list below.

Around 50,000 kms the check engine light turned on and the car stopped. This problem was very sporadic and happened with no specific frequency. However the car would restart and would work normally after that.

So I took the car to Sundaram Motors Chennai to check it out. The service engineers were totally baffled, nothing showed up on their tests and everything was perfect according to their diagnostics. So I was asked to call them when the next time the car stopped.

I had gone for a weekend to Pondicherry with my family when this happened. I called the Chevy helpline, even though it was a Sunday Morning, the service guys came quite quickly and checked with their diagnostics tool once again. Once again they couldn't find out what the problem was. They said it was probably due to a sensor being dirty which they wiped with his thumb and voila the car started up once again without issue. He recommended the sensor be changed once I reached Chennai.

Sundaram Motors in Chennai changed the sensor even though they disagreed that this was the problem. However the problem cropped up again and once again nothing showed up on the diagnostics. I was at my wits end. The service staff were very courteous but unfortunately they were unable to help me.

I left the car there and refused to take delivery until they could guarantee the car wouldn't stop again.

They finally changed out the entire electronics in the car under warranty ( I was told it cost Rs.75,000). I was very happy with their decision and since then the problem never cropped up again.

In my eyes Sundaram Motors and GM have really stood behind their product and done exemplary customer service.

Other than this the car has been running like a dream. I am still on the original clutch, I have had to replace the tires twice, changed the brake pads a couple of times, replaced the rear shock absorbers.

I was offered an extended warranty last year in August for Rs. 8,000 which I promptly paid for.

The car has aged very well, interiors still look good especially compared to my Brother's Fluidic Elantra which is a year older. The car can still overtake most other cars on the highway

There seems to be no reason for me to replace it yet.

This has been my favourite car of all the cars I have owned in India so far. However I am now looking to buy an automatic. Even though almost 80% to 90% of my commute (Chennai to Ranipet which is midway on the Chennai Bangalore highway) is on the highway. There is a huge amount of sand trucks and college buses, so a lot of gear changes.

I have been bitten by the automatic bug and am looking at buying a car with the DSG in it. Luckily there are many cars with this option. Also driving the Cruze around in Chennai isn't a lot of fun because of its size.

I am thinking about buying the following cars by August 2016 (yes I love to do research

)

1. Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI (second thoughts because of the size and price 23L on road!)
2. Volkswagen Vento 1.2 TSI (No Polo unfortunately I need the boot)
3. Volkswagen Vento 1.5 TDI
4. Skoda Rapid 1.5 TDI
5. Honda City 1.5 CVT (I know this isn't the DSG)

The most important aspects for me in a car are

1. Accelaration and Torque - I don't drive past 110 KM/Hr very often, but I like to get there as fast as possible. I also love overtaking on the highway since I spend so much of my life on it.

2. Handling - I need to feel safe. My Palio 1.6 was the best car in terms of handling that I had, the Elantra was the worst. Cruze is just about acceptable.

3. Value - My Cruze cost 14.3 L on road, buying the same Cruze LT costs so much more in just 4 years! I can't accept this and am willing to go one segment lower as long as its fun to drive. I am alone 90% of the time in the car and both my daughters are young. So I don't need a car with loads of rear leg room or space for a 5th passenger.

4. Mileage - This has never been a factor for me previously but I have grown older and do realize our responsibility to the planet. If we can consume lower amounts of fuel while having almost as much fun, why not? The gap between Petrol and Diesel has really come down and I think this trend will continue what with the Government trying to do away with subsidies. So it doesn't really matter to me if the car is Petrol or Diesel.

I welcome your suggestions. Since I am only going to buy my car after a year, if you feel something good might be on the horizon I will gladly wait.

Thanks for reading!

Rohit_Quad · 3rd June 2015, 16:37

@ OP- I would suggest the VW Jetta 1.4TSi since you have said Octavia. It Should comfortably fit all your requirements and the turbo petrol would still give you that torquey feel, even though not as much as your cruze, but should be better than a NA petrol. And you wouldn't be going a level down as well which is the case of the Vento or the Rapid.

Chrome6Boy · 4th June 2015, 12:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rohit_Quad

@ OP- I would suggest the VW Jetta 1.4TSi since you have said Octavia. It Should comfortably fit all your requirements and the turbo petrol would still give you that torquey feel, even though not as much as your cruze, but should be better than a NA petrol. And you wouldn't be going a level down as well which is the case of the Vento or the Rapid.

Thanks for your suggestion, but as far as I could see, the TSI is not available in an automatic. Also the cheapest TSI costs arount 19L on road in Chennai which seems a little over priced to me.

Rohit_Quad · 4th June 2015, 14:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chrome6Boy

Thanks for your suggestion, but as far as I could see, the TSI is not available in an automatic. Also the cheapest TSI costs arount 19L on road in Chennai which seems a little over priced to me.

If you have an Auto on your mind, why not consider the Ford Fiesta 1.5 DCT. I am a Ford fan boy and i feel you need a TD a Fiesta to feel it's handling capabilities. I also heard it was one of the cheapest auto diesels out there. Not as powerful as the VW but not as pricey too

. Ford maintenance has become quite easy on the pocket these days and i'm sure they have some good discounts going too if you hackle.

Chrome6Boy · 5th June 2015, 11:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rohit_Quad

If you have an Auto on your mind, why not consider the Ford Fiesta 1.5 DCT. I am a Ford fan boy and i feel you need a TD a Fiesta to feel it's handling capabilities. I also heard it was one of the cheapest auto diesels out there. Not as powerful as the VW but not as pricey too

. Ford maintenance has become quite easy on the pocket these days and i'm sure they have some good discounts going too if you hackle.

Thanks for your suggestion. I have stayed away from the Fiesta until now because of the apparent lack of acceleration. But I guess in the real world it might not matter as much, my brother had a very good experience with his Ikon 1.3 petrol back in the day. I will give it a test drive real soon.

xtremeshock · 5th June 2015, 11:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rohit_Quad

If you have an Auto on your mind, why not consider the Ford Fiesta 1.5 DCT.

As far as I know there is no Ford Fiesta Automatic anymore leave alone a Diesel one.

I feel for your requirements A VW Vento/Skoda Rapid DSG should suffice, plus their are awesome mod-tunes already out there, pumping up the power. Take a test drive and decide.

BR

Chrome6Boy · 6th June 2015, 11:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by xtremeshock

As far as I know there is no Ford Fiesta Automatic anymore leave alone a Diesel one.

I feel for your requirements A VW Vento/Skoda Rapid DSG should suffice, plus their are awesome mod-tunes already out there, pumping up the power. Take a test drive and decide.

BR

Sounds good! I have already driven the Rapid DSG and liked the car a lot, however the Rapid 1.5 DSG review states the following with regards to aftermarket mods. So I am a little apprehensive about it.

Quote:

The big news with the 2014 Rapid isn't the 1.5L diesel as much as the DSG automatic gearbox is. The transmission on offer is the familiar DQ200 7-speed DSG, and not the 6-speed DQ250 used with bigger diesels like the Octavia, Jetta & Superb. This dry-clutch type DQ200 is mated with smaller engines that develop up to 250 Nm torque...the exact torque rating of the Rapid (the wet-type 6-speed DQ250 can handle more torque). Since this is the max torque that the DQ200 is friendly with, we advise Rapid / Vento DSG owners to avoid aftermarket performance remaps.

xtremeshock · 6th June 2015, 14:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chrome6Boy

So I am a little apprehensive about it.

Definitely opt for an extended warranty, definitely worth it for a car with DSG.

Also, mod Experts like Petes have done extended research on modding, as long as you tell them you want better driveability and reliability am sure they will give you the exact mod for it. Plus as others have already said before that these re-maps rarely show during regular servicing.

In the end of the day its your car and you will be driving so do what pleases you

Chrome6Boy · 8th July 2016, 17:12

My Superman was unfortunately drowned in the Chennai floods.

After many attempts at fixing it in local garages with no success, we had to shift it to Sundaram Motors. Their estimate was for close to 10 lakhs while the car's IDV was only 5.72 lakhs.

After lots of negotiations the insurance company agreed to 85% of the IDV to which we reluctantly agreed.

I have purchased a Vento TSI highline as a replacement.

11th October 2011, 20:10	#46
SedatedDrive BHPian Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: North America Posts: 270 Thanked: 141 Times View My Garage	Re: My Superman (Chevrolet Cruze LT 2011) Go for a tire upgrade, Chrome6boy. More grip for those situations will always help.
	() Thanks

3rd June 2015, 15:05	#47
Chrome6Boy BHPian Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Chennai Posts: 495 Thanked: 1,335 Times	Re: My Superman (Chevrolet Cruze LT 2011) Hello everyone. I am resurrecting an old thread here. My car has now completed 100,000 kms. I am sorry for not having kept this thread updated. My experience so far has been excellent. There was only one major issue which I will list below. Around 50,000 kms the check engine light turned on and the car stopped. This problem was very sporadic and happened with no specific frequency. However the car would restart and would work normally after that. So I took the car to Sundaram Motors Chennai to check it out. The service engineers were totally baffled, nothing showed up on their tests and everything was perfect according to their diagnostics. So I was asked to call them when the next time the car stopped. I had gone for a weekend to Pondicherry with my family when this happened. I called the Chevy helpline, even though it was a Sunday Morning, the service guys came quite quickly and checked with their diagnostics tool once again. Once again they couldn't find out what the problem was. They said it was probably due to a sensor being dirty which they wiped with his thumb and voila the car started up once again without issue. He recommended the sensor be changed once I reached Chennai. Sundaram Motors in Chennai changed the sensor even though they disagreed that this was the problem. However the problem cropped up again and once again nothing showed up on the diagnostics. I was at my wits end. The service staff were very courteous but unfortunately they were unable to help me. I left the car there and refused to take delivery until they could guarantee the car wouldn't stop again. They finally changed out the entire electronics in the car under warranty ( I was told it cost Rs.75,000). I was very happy with their decision and since then the problem never cropped up again. In my eyes Sundaram Motors and GM have really stood behind their product and done exemplary customer service. Other than this the car has been running like a dream. I am still on the original clutch, I have had to replace the tires twice, changed the brake pads a couple of times, replaced the rear shock absorbers. I was offered an extended warranty last year in August for Rs. 8,000 which I promptly paid for. The car has aged very well, interiors still look good especially compared to my Brother's Fluidic Elantra which is a year older. The car can still overtake most other cars on the highway There seems to be no reason for me to replace it yet. This has been my favourite car of all the cars I have owned in India so far. However I am now looking to buy an automatic. Even though almost 80% to 90% of my commute (Chennai to Ranipet which is midway on the Chennai Bangalore highway) is on the highway. There is a huge amount of sand trucks and college buses, so a lot of gear changes. I have been bitten by the automatic bug and am looking at buying a car with the DSG in it. Luckily there are many cars with this option. Also driving the Cruze around in Chennai isn't a lot of fun because of its size. I am thinking about buying the following cars by August 2016 (yes I love to do research ) 1. Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI (second thoughts because of the size and price 23L on road!) 2. Volkswagen Vento 1.2 TSI (No Polo unfortunately I need the boot) 3. Volkswagen Vento 1.5 TDI 4. Skoda Rapid 1.5 TDI 5. Honda City 1.5 CVT (I know this isn't the DSG) The most important aspects for me in a car are 1. Accelaration and Torque - I don't drive past 110 KM/Hr very often, but I like to get there as fast as possible. I also love overtaking on the highway since I spend so much of my life on it. 2. Handling - I need to feel safe. My Palio 1.6 was the best car in terms of handling that I had, the Elantra was the worst. Cruze is just about acceptable. 3. Value - My Cruze cost 14.3 L on road, buying the same Cruze LT costs so much more in just 4 years! I can't accept this and am willing to go one segment lower as long as its fun to drive. I am alone 90% of the time in the car and both my daughters are young. So I don't need a car with loads of rear leg room or space for a 5th passenger. 4. Mileage - This has never been a factor for me previously but I have grown older and do realize our responsibility to the planet. If we can consume lower amounts of fuel while having almost as much fun, why not? The gap between Petrol and Diesel has really come down and I think this trend will continue what with the Government trying to do away with subsidies. So it doesn't really matter to me if the car is Petrol or Diesel. I welcome your suggestions. Since I am only going to buy my car after a year, if you feel something good might be on the horizon I will gladly wait. Thanks for reading!
	() Thanks

3rd June 2015, 16:37	#48
Rohit_Quad BHPian Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 209 Thanked: 349 Times	Re: My Superman (Chevrolet Cruze LT 2011) @ OP- I would suggest the VW Jetta 1.4TSi since you have said Octavia. It Should comfortably fit all your requirements and the turbo petrol would still give you that torquey feel, even though not as much as your cruze, but should be better than a NA petrol. And you wouldn't be going a level down as well which is the case of the Vento or the Rapid. Last edited by ampere : 3rd June 2015 at 16:45. Reason: Formatted Post
	(1) Thanks

8th July 2016, 17:12	#55
Chrome6Boy BHPian Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Chennai Posts: 495 Thanked: 1,335 Times	Re: My Superman (Chevrolet Cruze LT 2011) My Superman was unfortunately drowned in the Chennai floods. After many attempts at fixing it in local garages with no success, we had to shift it to Sundaram Motors. Their estimate was for close to 10 lakhs while the car's IDV was only 5.72 lakhs. After lots of negotiations the insurance company agreed to 85% of the IDV to which we reluctantly agreed. I have purchased a Vento TSI highline as a replacement. Last edited by Chrome6Boy : 8th July 2016 at 17:17.
	(2) Thanks