And the configuration, but also the type of body, the buyers of this car are very different. These are young people, for whom the main thing is the dynamics and appearance of the car, and they are not at all interested in how much space is in the trunk; and older people who put comfort and functionality first. Moreover, the former, as a rule, prefer a hatchback, and the latter prefer a more impressive sedan or station wagon with a large trunk volume.
What attracts buyers "Chevrolet Cruz"?
Reviews of the owners of this car mainly praise the comfortable ergonomic interior, good car handling (the car holds the road very well), as well as a very roomy trunk. Absolutely everyone who has ever driven this car as a driver agrees that all the buttons and levers are in place here, so finding the right one is not difficult, even if you are driving for the first time. But the Chevrolet Cruze engine causes a mixed reaction. And this applies to both 1.6-liter and 1.8-liter ones. For some, it is “stupid” even with a manual transmission in the maximum volume, while others believe that 1.6 liters is enough for a car. This difference in opinion is probably due to different driving styles. For those who prefer a quieter mode, 1.6 is quite enough, but if a person is used to constantly driving in the “gas pedal to the floor” mode, then 1.8 will seem rather weak to him.
Operation "Chevrolet Cruz" on domestic roads
Regardless of the modification chosen, this car has a ground clearance of only 14.5 cm. For a sedan, and even more so for a station wagon, this is a lot. But given the fact that our roads in some places are one big hole, it’s better to drive it more carefully. According to official data, this model has a clearance of 160 mm, however, absolutely all owners are unanimous that the manufacturer's data is overstated. In fact, the ground clearance is about the same for the Lacetti, the Ford Focus, and other sedans, including the Chevrolet Cruze. Owner reviews, however, rarely talk about problems that arise due to low ground clearance, but still you should not storm the curbs and famously slip speed bumps on this car, especially if it is a station wagon. You can, of course, try to solve this problem by replacing the standard 16-inch wheels with 17-inch ones, but this will not change the situation globally.
About the shortcomings of the Chevrolet Cruze
The Chevrolet Cruze has long been a good choice in the compact sedan segment. Pleasant appearance, thoughtful and comfortable interior, good build quality and good reliability made this car in 2010 and including 2014 the favorite of many practical citizens in Russia. All these pleasant and understandable to every motorist were offered to our buyer at a very reasonable price, from 500 thousand to 800 thousand rubles, plus or minus 50 thousand rubles back and forth.
Chevrolet Cruze competitors by class
Stylish Hyundai Elantra
Sports Mazda3
Kia Cerato
Honda Civic
Toyota Corolla
And two main competitors:
Ford Focus
And Opel Astra J
Which assembly of Cruze is better, Russian or Korean?
Cars of the 1st generation sold in the Russian Federation were assembled in the Republic of Korea and underwent SKD assembly in the city of Shushary, Russia. According to the rumors of many car owners, the Korean copy was assembled with better quality and had fewer problems during its operation. In fact, such an assumption most likely does not have any logical justification, since the SKD assembly itself cannot, for example, affect the quality of the same engine, body, transmission and other important vehicle components, because all cars come to the car factory with already welded, galvanized and painted bodies, assembled chassis, fully equipped with both engines and transmissions, with individual parts installed. All this is assembled together, like a designer, and then the car is ready for operation.
By this, we would like to emphasize that you can actually buy a used Russian-assembled Cruze without any fear, you need to take care more about conducting a standard technical inspection and checking the car in the car services themselves.
But still, let's list the main problems of the car, which allegedly occur only on the Chevy Cruze and the Russian assembly:
-floating engine speed at idle;
-inclusion of the first transfer with effort;
- play of the clutch pedal to the right - to the left;
-poor operation of some buttons, in particular, turning on the air conditioner and heated seats;
- not very high-quality fasteners of plastic parts.
Is it possible to find a new Chevrolet Cruze (J300) for sale?
To our regret, due to the current situation in the country in the automotive market, the company actually severed all relations with our country and stopped selling and not only selling, but producing its products throughout the Russian Federation. Therefore, at the moment, none of the official representatives of Chevrolet has at home. The only three Chevy models found at dealerships are the Chevrolet Corvette, Chevrolet Tahoe and Chevrolet Camaro. In this regard, it is worth being extremely skeptical about offers on the Internet for the sale of new Cruises. Be carefull. There is a good chance that they could be scammers.
Therefore, we advise that if you want to buy a Chevrolet Cruze, then you will have to take only a supported version of the car. Everything will depend on the year of its release, mileage and the very condition of the car. A car can have different types of flaws, both serious and not so much.
It is also worth taking into account and always remembering that a Chevrolet car was very popular with private taxi drivers a few years ago, it is still quite tightly operated by large taxi companies, and this becomes especially noticeable in St. Petersburg, where, along with classic cars that have already become taxi, like or, on the roads of the city you can still find Chevrolet Cruze station wagon cars.
The second part of car owners says quite the opposite, that the Cruze is a crude car, its first generation came out with a lot of childhood illnesses that turn into unpleasant breakdowns.
Let's go through the most common problems of the first generation Chevrolet Cruze car, both in the restyled version and in the pre-styling one.
Body
A fairly standard problem for all modern cars. Due to thin metal, dents can remain, even after not very strong contact with an obstacle or with another car.
Paintwork
In the wake of the body, the paintwork has also become thinner. Hence the disappointing conclusion, after a year and a half of operation, or after 30,000 km, small scratches and chips will abundantly shower most of the car body. Moreover, some of them will calmly reach the base of the soil.
But there were no cases of rust in these places (thanks to the galvanized body), but you need to know about it. A radical and quite expensive option - it is necessary. You can stick it on separate parts of the car, on the hood, on the wings. The only problem is that these scratches can appear in the most unpredictable places.
Chevy interior
Go ahead. . In appearance, all materials are tastefully selected, their quality is quite good if you take this segment of such cars. But even here the same total and forced economy has reached. The wear resistance of interior materials is not super-strong.
Very quickly, scratches can appear on the plastic, namely, on the doors, at the bottom of the torpedo. Minor abrasions and blots may appear on the plastic of the multimedia system itself, on its buttons. By 30 - 45 thousand mileage, the first scuffs may appear on the steering wheel.
Suspension
Some owners of these cars write on the forums that after a short operation they had some kind of knocks, for this it is enough to drive only a few thousand kilometers. As it turned out later, the knock could come from loose stabilizer struts, from levers or from shock absorbers.
To what extent this is true, we do not undertake to say, we do not know. Even if such problems actually occurred, they were most likely associated with a factory defect or with a very tough operation of the car.
Speaking of marriage. In the fall of 2015, the Chevrolet car company carried out a revocable company, which was associated with the marriage of the axle shafts installed on the cars. Due to the overheated part, serious damage could occur. Models of …-… years of release fell under that review.
Clutch
For vehicles with excessive pedal play may be observed (the pedal goes left-to-right). Although this is a trifle and not a problem, it is still unpleasant. Worse, when the car, at the moment the clutch is released when shifting gears (from first to second), starts to twitch like a neurotic, you immediately get the feeling that the engine is simply choking and it lacks traction.
There may be several reasons for this. One of the most common is a violation of the geometry of the clutch basket and, well, premature failure of the clutch disc. Everything usually happens due to factory defects, i.e. due to defective damper springs.
Sometimes such a reason was hidden elsewhere and it was solved by reprogramming the electronic control unit of the engine itself.
If the car has an automatic transmission, then it will be necessary to reconfigure the control unit itself.
Engine
The sound of running gasoline engines in some cars can be rough and resemble a characteristic diesel bass. Sometimes extraneous noise is added to this when it starts.
The reason is the failure of the intake shaft gear, which is made and made of low-quality material. Quiet operation of the motor will return the installation of a new gear.
Also, on some sites, we found advice that said the following - that removing the filter meshes on the intake and exhaust valves can increase. Such advice sounds suspicious and we would not advise you to seriously listen to it to the general conclusion.
Steering
Can present several unpleasant surprises at once. First, it may start to play, but it simply won’t work to pull it up, you will have to change the steering rack. If the steering wheel began to walk with effort, then it is possible to replace the hydraulic booster pump.
Also, during the operation of the steering mechanism, foreign suspicious noise may appear. Knowledgeable specialists say that if it comes from the steering mechanisms, then such noise can be stopped by replacing the high pressure hose.
Brake discs
In order not to raise the price of the car, the manufacturer also saved on. Due to the not very high quality of materials, under increased load and heating, the brake disc may wear out unevenly or simply change its geometry. This is solved by turning the disk or completely replacing the part that has become unusable. In this case, you can replace the original with its analogue. Many say that non-original spare parts are of higher quality.
In addition to the discs themselves, the ABS sensors can also be affected in the brake system. When road dirt gets on them, it simply clogs them and disables them.
Electronic sensors
Do not forget, in addition to ABS sensors, other electronic sensors can also have problems.
Outcome:
Despite the impressive list of the most common breakdowns and troubles that can happen to a Chevrolet Cruze car, in fact, it really has proven itself well as such an unpretentious, inexpensive to maintain and well-thought-out car in terms of maintainability. Spare parts for this first generation model will not be very expensive, as there are a huge number of non-original parts coming from Korea, and some of them, such as brake pads, simply do not fit other cars in the same segment.
➖ Dynamics
➖ Low ground clearance
➖ Fuel consumption
pros
➕ Comfortable interior
➕ Manageability
➕ Design
The advantages and disadvantages of the Chevrolet Cruze 2012-2013 sedan, hatchback and station wagon SW are identified based on feedback from real owners. More detailed pros and cons of Chevrolet Cruze 1.6 and 1.8 with mechanics and automatic can be found in the stories below:
Owner reviews
Chevrolet Cruz bought a new one in a car dealership and immediately felt that the engine power was not enough: 109 hp. barely pull overtaking at speeds above 60 km / h. Moreover, in 3rd gear, the automatic transmission picks up, and it is felt that the car understands what they want from it.
The radio screen is just a “barely luminous slot”. In the daytime, it is not informative at all. The tincture of the radio stations constantly goes away and you have to twist it every time you switch.
As for the pluses, here it is impossible not to note the modern appearance. I think for another 5 years it will definitely be beautiful and relevant. By the way, the modern design of the new models does not impress me.
The control of the car is well set up, and the car quickly responds to the reaction of the steering wheel. When driving long distances, the engine saves fuel, and consumption is approximately 7-8 l / 100km. The car goes confidently at a speed of 140-150 km / h, but at 160 km / h the engine runs at its limit and no longer accelerates.
Yuri, review about Chevrolet Cruze 1.6 (109 hp) automatic transmission 2010
Video review
Positive:
Ease and stability in driving, good throttle response and high-speed qualities, quite convenient and comfortable interior, spacious trunk, very good air conditioning and heating, elegant appearance.
The presence of automatic transmission provides a smooth ride, and the silent gear shifting of the car makes it indispensable for long trips in the city and especially on the highway.
In summer, he covered a distance of 1,000 km in 12 hours, fuel consumption was about 100 liters. With 4 passengers in the cabin, a full trunk and air conditioning on, a consumption of 10-11 liters per 100 kilometers is not a bad result at all). The car has very good depreciation qualities of the suspension.
Negative:
A car for normal roads, for country roads is completely unsuitable! A little low, and when landing in the cabin there is a feeling of tightness, although on long trips you don’t feel much fatigue even if there are 5 people in the cabin (due to the convenience of the seats).
Insufficiently good sound insulation and protection of the engine compartment from water and dirt (somewhere by 3-4 points and 5 possible). Also frustrating is the presence of arc loops in the trunk, which occupy a significant part of the usable volume. There is no electric folding exterior mirrors.
Review of the Chevrolet Cruze 1.8 (141 hp) at the 2012 Motor Show
The advantages of this model are:
— Convenience for tall people (up to 190 cm). The knees do not rest and there is a place for a passenger in the back, comfortable seats.
— Reliability. It never broke down, only the fuel system failed once, but even then I drove another 1,000 km on the highway until I got to the service.- Picky about gasoline, but, having gasped for a full 0.5-1 minute, the initial signs of "blockage" are treated.
- On the track at speeds of about 100 km / h, there is not enough speed for quick overtaking, still 20-30 horses (it must be borne in mind that I switch to 4th speed).
- Not enough USB for music from the speakers.Alexey Gerasimov, review of the Chevrolet Cruze hatchback 1.8 manual transmission 2014
Cruz without controversy looks just fine, aggressive, sporty. The design leaves no one indifferent. If Cruise were to have an emblem of some well-known expensive brand, then the fans of these brands would squeal with happiness. In short, the car is really beautiful!
The new 2013 Cruz immediately drew attention with its new instrument panel and screen-based audio system. Sitting in the car showroom in the car, I connected the phone via Bluetooth, turned on the music and controlled it from the steering wheel of the car, made phone calls and spoke on the speakerphone. I immediately liked this functionality, integration with the phone's phone book and so on. No hemorrhoids!
The climate control works without any complaints, but I do not use it in cold weather, because. it automatically turns on the air conditioner. As long as I have enough windshield heating. Most importantly, the club's forum is full of reviews about freezing and fogging of glasses. I was really afraid of this misfortune too, but I never faced this problem.
I immediately liked the finish. In principle, I don’t like the leather interior, because. it's cold in winter, you sweat a lot in summer. I think leather interior is less practical for myself.
Engine: 1.8, 141 hp, manual transmission. I don't like automatics. The engine is reliable and proven, the gearshift lever is small, convenient, light, it is a pleasure to drive it, it is located in the right place at hand.
The expense is:
- On the highway 6-7 l / 100 km at a speed of 90-100 km / h.
- On the highway 8l / 100 km at a speed of 120 km / h.
— Real mixed consumption is about 12l/100km.Handling on the track is beyond praise. I’m driving in a rut along the Ring Road and I don’t feel any hesitation or permutations! The machine feels the track, but the track does not affect the trajectory. The car goes smoothly and gently, all the bumps passes with due softness and confidence.
Review of the Chevrolet Cruze 1.8 (141 hp) with the mechanics of 2013
Three and a half years of operation of the car have passed, the mileage is 35,000 km, I just roll very little in a year, since the work is nearby, and the town is not that big. I would like to express my opinion about what I liked and what not during this time. Pros:
- First of all, it is of course the appearance. It is still relevant, the car looks modern.
- Of the breakdowns during operation, there were only headlight lamps, I changed them three times in each headlight. Exactly two years later, one fine morning, the car refused to start, did not install any signaling and rubbish. You turn on the ignition, everything lights up, and the starter sleeps ... All possible options were sorted out in my head. As a result, after half an hour a solution was found - a simple replacement of the battery in the key.
- The cabin accommodates 4 adults comfortably both in winter and in summer. The trunk is large, many people know about its disadvantages, I will not repeat myself.
- The engine is enough for a quiet ride, but the average consumption of 95th gasoline does not fall below 11 liters. I think this is a bit too much for a 1.6-liter unit.
- Small clearance, I have all the engine protection polished and there are already dents, and the thresholds here are made of iron of incomprehensible thickness, because. hushing the threshold is very easy, I managed to do it in winter with frozen snow!
- Also for the second winter, at an outside temperature of about -25 degrees, chrome flew around the volume control !!! Just by myself, without outside help! In the winter of 2018, the heating of the driver's seat spontaneously began to turn off. Lives his life...
The owner drives a Chevrolet Cruze sedan 1.6 (109 HP) MT 2014.
The design is aggressive, and the car looks very good. The cost, even by today's standards, is acceptable, and a car with low mileage can be taken relatively inexpensively. Spacious interior, enough space for everyone. If you try hard, you can fit quite comfortably (height is 185 cm, I sit quite normally).
Titanic trunk (if I used to carry something in 2-3 trips on Logan, now I can take it all away in one sitting). Omnivorous - eats both the 92nd and 95th. Low fuel consumption on the highway (only on the highway!).
Unfortunately, there are quite a few shortcomings, so I will list only the main ones:
1. Every 3rd car gets to the service with problems in the automatic transmission, and, as in my case, this can happen after 20 and after 10,000 km of run.
2. Riding in the city and spending a lot of time in traffic jams, get ready to unfasten well for gasoline. Incredible consumption, something in the region of 13-17 liters (on the track I got almost 6 liters).
3. Weak body, just a scratch, chip, crack.
4. Wide A-pillars - you need to drive very carefully, it is very easy not to notice a pedestrian.
5. Finishing materials leave much to be desired, it seems to be beautiful, but if you look closely, you understand that everything is very cheap.
Review of the Chevrolet Cruze station wagon 1.8 automatic transmission 2013
The Chevrolet Cruze car was first released to the Russian market in 2008, but to this day the design of this car remains in trend. It belongs to the C-class. It has in its configurations engines of 1.6 l, 1.8 l, 1.4 l turbo, with boxes: a six-speed automatic, five-speed mechanics. Like all cars, the Chevrolet Cruze has its pros and cons.
Advantages of the Chevrolet Cruze
First of all, this aggressive exterior design. His look is truly excellent. A massive bumper, by the way, protected from below by rubber pads to protect against bumping into a curb, which, in principle, can be removed if desired, a beautiful headlight shape, a large radiator grille - all this gives a presentable look to this car.
Let's take a look at the interior. In the cabin, too, everything is quite worthy, quite decent plastic, not very expensive, but not cheap either. Lots of room ahead. The driver's seat is adjustable in both vertical and horizontal planes. The steering wheel has a comfortable ergonomic shape, with ledges for the thumbs. It is also adjustable in two planes.
The back of the Chevrolet Cruze is also quite comfortable, your knees will not rest, even if your height is above 180 cm, a good view into the side glass, there is a convenient armrest with cup holders, a cigarette lighter. Even in the minimum configuration, there is an audio system, power accessories, four airbags, and in the LT and LTZ trim levels, the MyLink infotainment system with Bluetooth, a multifunction steering wheel, in addition, a rear-view camera is installed in the maximum configuration.
Seat heating has three levels. There is a capacious glove compartment, which is closed with a key, plus a small glove compartment for small items on top of the panel. The trunk has quite impressive volumes of 413 liters in a hatchback, 450 liters in a sedan, 500 in a station wagon. There is a full size spare tire.
Reliable chassis, taken from Opel Astra G, in front of the MacPherson with hydraulic bearings, though a little expensive to maintain, a reliable beam in the back.
Chevrolet Cruze crash tests showed pretty good safety results, and this is the most important indicator when buying a car.
Among other things, the price is quite tempting - the maximum configuration will cost you a little more than one million rubles. And don't forget what kind of C-class car it is.
Now for the cons
Massive bumper overhang lowers ground clearance. In this car, it is only 160 mm. External handles protrude beyond the body and in bad weather they are immediately splashed with mud, water with sand also flies from under the rear wheels right onto the bumper. The radiator grill has large cells through which small gravel flies and there is a danger of breaking through the radiator of the air conditioner, it is necessary to install an additional mesh.
The trunk and gas tank hatch can be opened with a key, it is not possible to open it from the passenger compartment. The washer tank is next to the electronics, there is a chance to fill it. Motors, in principle, are reliable, but phase shifters often fail. In addition, the 1.6 liter engine is rather weak for such a heavy car and does not give Cruz enough zeal, and this engine also has a timing belt instead of a chain.
Chassis, as we have said the road to maintain. Calipers on the front wheels often knock. Let's go to the salon. There are minor shortcomings, but nevertheless we will describe them. The seats do not have lumbar support, which will be uncomfortable on long trips. When folding the rear seats, a step is obtained, which is not always convenient. The armrest in front extends, but is not fixed and goes back under the arm. Small rear view mirror.
The disadvantages of the Chevrolet Cruze include the fact that the reverse gear does not turn on the first time on a manual transmission. Noise isolation is also not up to par with this car. Also, Cruz has a weak dipped headlight, an unlit area remains near the car. Single-zone climate control, if you really find fault, after all, the C-class.
The results of the above
In conclusion, we will write that after all this car is in demand in our market and now for a reason. From everything considered, we note that the minuses remain minuses, but much more pluses. Yes, it loses to German C-class cars, and the Japanese ones are likely to bypass it, but the Chevrolet Cruze is much more affordable at a price. Its bright design, both exterior and interior, can compete with other brands of its class even after years. Yes, perhaps some will find Cruz too simple, but others will say that the simpler, the more reliable.
Many cars that appear in the world of technology with great expectations and the belief of manufacturers in a happy future turn out to be obviously raw and unfinished cars with unstable quality. It is about such a proposal of the American brand Chevrolet in the Korean version and the Russian assembly that we will talk about today.
After collecting certain opinions and feedback from the owners of the Chevrolet Cruze car, we decided that this proposal has more disadvantages than positive aspects. Therefore, today your attention is invited to an anti test drive of the Chevrolet Cruze and a description of the main disadvantages of this car.
Model release history - the first flaws are already here
In 2012, the Korean branch of General Motors announced the release of a completely new car, which was supposed to replace the Chevrolet Lacetti in the model line - a fairly outdated sedan. It was a sedan in the same class with a rather interesting appearance of the Chevrolet Cruze. As it turned out later, it would be better if the Koreans continued to produce a reliable and beloved worldwide budget car Lazetti.
Cruz's early buyers were victims of beautiful design and a rather striking brand name. Then they did not have the opportunity to read the anti-test drive of the Chevrolet Cruze and determine what weaknesses are in the car. But with a detailed study of the history of preparing the model for release, one could find such weaknesses:
- the car’s equipment was taken from the Hyundai concern, and at the time of the release of the model, the engine was already 10 years old;
- the gearbox also migrated from another Korean concern, and earlier it became famous for the poor inclusion of some gears;
- the steering and suspension were virtually unchanged since the Lacetti, which meant equally budget-friendly ride quality;
- given the large dimensions of the car, the manufacturer could offer a larger trunk, and there is very little space for rear passengers.
Here is the C-class, which the Korean company developed in haste. This has been the main reason for Chevrolet Cruze sales failures to date. Already all potential buyers have access to the list of shortcomings of the Cruze, because sales of the car in 2014 fell significantly. Moreover, the cost has become higher, which turned buyers towards other brands.
Let's start with a little photo review:
The most important disadvantages of the Korean Chevrolet Cruze in the Russian assembly
Of course, we cannot throw all the stones at the Korean company's garden. It is worth scolding the assembly, which is produced at the plant in St. Petersburg. Interestingly, in Europe, where the car is delivered directly from Korea, most of these problems are absent in the car.
If you add all the flaws received by the car in the Russian assembly, an incredible number of flaws will be collected. The most common Chevrolet Cruze problems that every second car owner talks about are as follows:
- floating engine speed at idle - a noticeable flaw in the electronics or the unit itself;
- problems with the box - the first gear is engaged with effort on many models;
- incredible backlash of the clutch pedal to the sides;
- poor operation of the buttons for turning on the air conditioner and heated seats;
- terrible fixing of plastic on the front panel.
There is a lot of information that the upper visor above the instrument panel practically disappears and knocks terribly when traveling on branded Russian roads. Such problems simply kill the image of the corporation and make buying a car impossible for an experienced and selective buyer.
It is worth saying that the Chevrolet Cruze showed itself from the worst side among the majority of Korean-made foreign cars. This car has not just old technology and rather modest technical indicators, but also the lack of the banal quality that we expect from foreign brands.
Prices and engine - two more disadvantages of the Chevrolet Cruze
In the cabin today you will be asked 668 thousand rubles for the basic version of the Chevrolet Cruze. The equipment is relatively good, but the money for this car is simply huge. Hatchback will cost even more. Interestingly, the manufacturer offers a lot of additional equipment for immodest money.
The car engine is clearly not worth the money that is asked for it. A 1.6-liter power unit with a capacity of 109 horsepower today is unable to surprise buyers spoiled by excellent technology. The machine, which is offered 30 thousand rubles more expensive, also does not please with its characteristics. The main disadvantages of the technique are as follows:
- outdated units that are not able to show good performance;
- increased fuel consumption due to old engine technologies;
- insufficient power, especially for a station wagon;
- high cost of maintenance and repair;
- the reliability of the engine and other components of the Chevrolet Cruze is questionable.
This is how the anti-test drive of the Korean Chevrolet Cruze sedan showed the main shortcomings of this proposal. If you're still willing to go out and buy this car, then the only advantage is the beautiful design - you liked it very much.
Summing up
The anti test drive of the Chevrolet Cruze showed the true shortcomings of this car, which many buyers talk about. However, let's not forget about those hundreds and thousands of drivers who were satisfied with the Korean sedan. It’s worth mentioning right away that exchanging an old domestic car for a Korean Cruze will be an excellent option for a driver.
