CRUZE DIESEL A HARD SELL
Compact sedan is competent but it is easier to recommend the gas version in terms of value
When it comes down to the car itself, the Cruze Diesel is completely competent, but it’s far from perfect and it’s far from being a ‘ best buy’ in its segment.
There is a huge selection of compact sedans on the market right now, but the 2015 Chevrolet Cruze has a leg up on the rest because it is one of only two in its segment that offers a diesel engine. In this respect, the Chevrolet Cruze Diesel has one natural competitor: The Volkswagen Jetta TDI. Fuel type aside, however, the Cruze Diesel’s biggest competition is the gas- powered Cruze, which has a lot more value.
The regular Cruze starts at $ 17,695, while the diesel model starts at $ 26,485. That’s a big price jump. So when picking between the two Cruzes, the first thing you want to know is if the diesel is worth the price premium.
The answer to that question depends on what you use the car for. If you do a lot of highway driving, the diesel- powered Cruze could be a good pick for better fuel economy ( diesels perform more efficiently at highway speeds). But the diesel is still hard to justify over the gaspowered model, especially because diesel costs more than gas right now.
Starting at around $ 23,890, the diesel option is available on lower Jetta trim levels and with a manual transmission, so if you want a diesel engine without the other frills, it’s available in a Jetta.
The Cruze Diesel is a loaded top- trim level car and comes with a bunch of other goodies ( although navigation and sunroof are still optional). It’s an all- or- nothing approach with Chevrolet when it comes to diesels, a strategy that I’m sure loses some customers to the Jetta, which is much more flexible with pricing and options.
Even when you take pricing out of the equation, the Cruze Diesel still has its issues. When it comes down to the car itself, the Cruze Diesel is completely competent, but it’s far from perfect and it’s far from being a “best buy” in its segment.
For starters, the Cruze Diesel is terribly noisy in the city. That’s not a deal breaker, but if you want a serene drive, the Cruze Diesel may not be the best pick. Once you get to the highway, the Cruze Diesel gets more hushed, but then the steering gets twitchy and doesn’t inspire confidence. I found myself over- correcting the steering often because it is so light, over- assisted, and barely provides any feedback at highway speeds. To be fair, this is quite common with budget cars, but for nearly $ 30,000, I expect better.
The Jetta Diesel feels much more refined behind the wheel, and its diesel engine is much smoother than the one powering the Cruze. The Cruze Diesel is rated at 151 horsepower and 264 pound- feet of torque at 2,600 r. p. m., so although it is more powerful than the Jetta Diesel, the Jetta’s 140 h. p. and 236 lb- ft of torque is available much earlier, at 1,750 r. p. m., which means better off- the- line acceleration. Regardless of the numbers, the Cruze Diesel had no trouble getting up to speed or passing slower cars.
The only downside of the Jetta is a wonky brake pedal. The Jetta’s brake pedal lets go too quickly, so you have to have it totally mashed to the ground at a stop light or you find yourself unintentionally creeping forward.
The Jetta TDI is also officially rated as having better fuel economy than the Cruze Diesel: 4.7 L/ 100 km on the highway and 6.7 in the city vs. the Cruze Diesel’s 5.1 highway and 8.7 city rating. My average during my week with the Cruze was about 9.3 L/ 100 km with mostly city driving.
The Jetta’s interior is classier and looks more expensive than others in its segment, although some may consider it dark and boring. The Cruze’s interior definitely isn’t boring, but it looks pretty standard for its segment. The dash is broken up by brushed silver- ish accents and trim pieces, which are a nice touch. They’re easy to keep clean and you can’t really see dust on them ( unlike the Jetta’s pianoblack trim, which gets super dusty).
The Jetta also has a bigger trunk ( 440 L vs. the Cruze’s 377 L), a better dashboard layout, and a more intuitive infotainment system.
The issue with the Cruze’s dash layout is that the touch screen is inset and too far back, making it difficult for the driver to use because he or she has to lean forward. The HVAC system and gauge cluster is cleanly laid out and easy to use, but the audio/ infotainment section of the dashboard has too many buttons for its own good. The result is a cluttered dash with a lot of useless, cheap- looking buttons you’ll never use, something that could be fixed with a better infotainment setup.
Interestingly, GM infotainment systems are run on a variation of the same MyLink system. The one on the Cruze isn’t user- friendly and requires some fiddling to figure it out; I blame the buttons. I much prefer the more user- friendly system and layout found in the cheaper Spark and Sonic. This may also be just a glitch, but the navigation system didn’t know where I was about half the time and gave me incorrect directions, which is disastrous for someone who is as directionally challenged as I am.
In the end, if you’re shopping for a Cruze, the gas- powered one is a better bet. It’s a perfectly competent car that is much easier to recommend and has more value than the diesel model.
Overview: Diesel engine makes the otherwise competent Cruze difficult to recommend
Pros: Diesel fuel economy and torque, compact size, perfectly competent
Cons: Noisy diesel engine, dash layout could be cleaned up, twitchy highway driving Value for money: Average
What I would change: Offer a diesel engine option without all the other frills, clean up the dash layout
How I would spec it: Cruze 2LT ( gas powered, has all the features I need)