My New Cruze

"Stephen the Canuck" (StephentheCanuck)
04/13/2014 at 17:25 • Filed to: None

Well folks, I have a new car. A 2014 Chevy Cruze 1LT 6MT. I love this car. It had 134 kilometers on it when I took possession. My old Grand Am needed a new transmission and I really didn't want to put $2k into it and have something else go wrong on it in 6 months.

This car is amazing. I love it. I have ordered carbon fibre overlays for the Chevy Bowties, and I'm looking in to wheels.

DISCUSSION (41)

jkm7680 > Stephen the Canuck
04/13/2014 at 17:27

Very Nice! First order of business- Remove the hubcaps, Haha.

JR1 > Stephen the Canuck
04/13/2014 at 17:33

Quite a photo shoot. Always liked the Cruze nice pictures

Dunnik > Stephen the Canuck
04/13/2014 at 17:39

Grats! I like the Cruze, drive them at work. It easily blows the socks off most other cars in this segment in terms of handling.

I'm facing a similar dilema with my '02 Impala LS: tranny is starting to show the early signs of blowing up (after 260,000 original km) and I'm starting to think that rather than rebuild it, to get a new car. And rather than take my chances with a (better) used car, that I might buy new instead.

Did you trade your GrandAm in, or are you selling it privately? If it was a trade-in, can I ask how much they gave you for it? I ask because we're in the same car market (Ont.) and we have - had - similar cars.

Did you consider any other vehicles before purchasing the Cruze?

Jayhawk Jake > Stephen the Canuck
04/13/2014 at 17:43

Turbo?

Stephen the Canuck > jkm7680
04/13/2014 at 17:50

I don't mind these ones, but they will be coming off soon enough.

Stephen the Canuck > Jayhawk Jake
04/13/2014 at 17:50

Yessir. The 1.4L Turbo.

Stephen the Canuck > JR1
04/13/2014 at 17:51

Thanks. I took it for a drive and thought this church would be a neat spot to take pictures at.

Opposite Locksmith > Stephen the Canuck
04/13/2014 at 17:51

how do you like the engine? Is it tuned for a nice midrange?

jkm7680 > Stephen the Canuck
04/13/2014 at 17:53

I don't especially mind them either, they look nice.

Big Bubba Ray > Stephen the Canuck
04/13/2014 at 17:57

Very nice! Honestly, I didn't know they made the Cruze with a stick haha

I'm a big fan of the Cruze. My cousin was in her friend's Cruze when they were t-boned by some dingus who ran a stop sign going about 35. The car was totaled, but it probably saved her life. Very safe cars, IMO and for that, I'm thankful.

Stephen the Canuck > Dunnik
04/13/2014 at 17:59

They gave me $300, basically scrap value. The tranny needed to be replaced (had a shop look at it and it was filled with metal chunks), 224k kms on it, rust in a bunch of places, the horn hasn't worked in 3.5 years. So i wouldn't really have gotten much for it selling it privately. Though I did have two other dealers (Kia and Toyota) say they would have given me a thousand for it. Which I thought to be a little high. But GM had the loyalty discount of $750, which they increased to $1500 because of the Grand Am being a deceased GM brand.

I test drove a 2010 Kia Forte, liked it. I drove and almost bought a 2010 Mazda 3, which also wasn't bad. The Cruze was the roomiest and most comfortable to me, and it does seem to handle very well. And the engine and transmission are excellent too.

My girlfriend just picked up a '14 Cruze on Tuesday to replace her Sunfire, and I took a Cruze 6MT for a test drive when we were there, and I really liked it. They managed to get the numbers to work out well for me, so I picked up mine on Friday. We dealt with Ontario Motor Sales in Oshawa, and they were fantastic.

Stephen the Canuck > jkm7680
04/13/2014 at 18:01

My girlfriend picked up a Cruze that's identical, except hers is automatic and has a remote starter, so I have to do something to differentiate them. They are definitely not the worst looking hubcaps I've had.

Milky > Stephen the Canuck
04/13/2014 at 18:03

Going to have to bumper swap it when the refresh comes out.

Just kidding, good engine though & IMO different wheels will make a huge difference.

Stephen the Canuck > Opposite Locksmith
04/13/2014 at 18:03

I like the engine. It seems to pull pretty well through the 2k-5k rpm range. It seems to have enough power for cruising, city or highway driving, and even for some spirited driving. It gets better mileage than the 3.4L V6 in my Grand Am did.

Stephen the Canuck > Big Bubba Ray
04/13/2014 at 18:06

My Dad talked to a guy who worked for GM for a long time, and he said that the manual transmission in these cars is one of the best ones he'd ever used. I really like the stick in this, very smooth, and the gearing of it seems about perfect for it.

That's good to hear that she made it out alright. Safe cars are good. I never really looked into the safety ratings of it, but it's nice to hear it can stand up to the test in the real world.

Stephen the Canuck > Milky
04/13/2014 at 18:09

I like the looks of the blue rendering Cruze that I've seen floating around today a heck of a lot more than the pictures of the white one that is apparently the next generation.

If you've seen Dsscat's posts about the replica volk te37s on his nissan, I'm looking at rims similar to those.

Milky > Stephen the Canuck
04/13/2014 at 18:18

Dope …. well my the car gods bless you with many a fun mile ahead.

Dunnik > Stephen the Canuck
04/13/2014 at 18:23

If you had the six in there, we have the same tranny, I think, the 4T60-E . Metal chunks, joy. How long did it last before you started to notice the initial signs? Was it a gradual decline or was it sudden?

These loyalty discounts are pretty new, does everybody offer them now, or just GM and a few others? Does it work like I think it works, trade in a Honda at Honda, say, and you'd get a deal over some guy who trades in a GM for a Honda.

I've only driven automagic Cruzes, but the Tiptronic seems standard, and it's actually pretty responsive for what it is. It has a nice engine note too, seems pretty rev happy, and thus it sounds good on the downshifts. I close my eyes and I swear I'm driving an older Honda.

It was the Forte that made me go, like lots of people, "Whoa. This is a Kia?!?". It doesn't seem as balanced as the Cruze, but it also seemed much, much faster. But the Kia interior is still pretty basic, the Cruze's is much nicer, especially the seats.

Stephen the Canuck > Dunnik
04/13/2014 at 18:57

I think the one in the Grand Am had the 4T45E. I'm not sure though. It started slipping a bit in November around 210k, then at about 222k, there was a decent banging noise and then it was slipping a lot worse.

From what I understand they often have a competing brand vehicle you can get a discount too. So if i brought a GM to Ford for a trade they would give me a bit. But the loyalty discount works out pretty well, and I didn't realize that they would give a bigger discount for a departed GM brand.

The automatic seems to be pretty good in my girlfriend's Cruze. Though it hasn't been put into manual mode yet. They do sound pretty good.

I've been pretty impressed with the newer Kias I've seen out and about, but that was my first time driving one. The things that it came with surprised me; heated seats, bluetooth, and some other stuff, and it was the base trim. I think the Cruze is more comfortable, and I think it handles a bit better. I do agree on the Cruze's interior being nicer.

Stephen the Canuck > Milky
04/13/2014 at 18:58

Thanks, and that's the plan.

Dunnik > Stephen the Canuck
04/13/2014 at 19:10

Thanks for the info!

wcampbell33 > Stephen the Canuck
04/13/2014 at 19:59

I have a 2012 in the same config as your car. There is a tune out there for the Cruze that improves the car quite a bit. Turbo spools a little earlier with the tune, redline is raised 300RPM, and my gas mileage has improved by 2mpg since I had it done.

Stephen the Canuck > wcampbell33
04/13/2014 at 20:39

I'm guessing you mean the Trifecta tune? I would like to get that after a CAI and cat back exhuast. The problem is I have this on lease, so I don't think I can do too much to it

Hooker > Stephen the Canuck
04/13/2014 at 21:04

Welcome to the Cruze club! Membership papers are in the mail! I love these cars. I have had three of them. Mostly because I get bored and trade too often. Currently have a 2013 ECO auto. It had a ton of money on the hood when I wanted to trade and I missed it so much. They are very good little cars. I feel like they are very well balanced. Very comfortable but handle with confidence. Congrats and I hope you have many years of happiness!

Stephen the Canuck > Hooker
04/13/2014 at 21:10

3 of them is pretty good, considering they've been around 4 years (I believe).

Thanks, and I plan on many years of happiness with it.

Hooker > Stephen the Canuck
04/13/2014 at 21:13

I trade way too often. I effectively could have had the first one paid for twice by now but I get bored. It's a bad habit I am trying to break. The current one (even though it is the one without the manual) is my overall favorite.

wcampbell33 > Stephen the Canuck
04/13/2014 at 21:19

I went with one from IPF since their tune is much better than Trifecta. I've had the tune for about 12k miles and it has been flawless. I'm thinking of doing a CAI at some point too.

Stephen the Canuck > wcampbell33
04/13/2014 at 21:32

I haven't heard of the tune from IPF. Link? I'd like to do some research on it. 12k miles on the tune should be plenty of time to test it. Flawless is good. There seems to be plenty of room in the engine bay for a CAI.

Stephen the Canuck > Hooker
04/13/2014 at 21:33

Well if it's your favorite, then maybe it will break the habit for you. I couldn't see going through cars that quickly.

Hooker > Stephen the Canuck
04/13/2014 at 21:35

That would be nice. I would like to have that extra 400 per month to use. Maybe pay down the house or something.

Opposite Locksmith > Stephen the Canuck
04/13/2014 at 21:37

I'd hope it did! Being way newer and less than half the size, albeit boosted.

My 4 cyl turbo gets 12 mpg city, but that's cuz it's a Subaru

Stephen the Canuck > Opposite Locksmith
04/13/2014 at 22:22

And it's probably got quite a fair bit more power than mine!

Stephen the Canuck > Hooker
04/13/2014 at 22:23

Yeah, that would definitely help out.

Jayhawk Jake > Stephen the Canuck
04/14/2014 at 00:06

Nice! Same engine in my Sonic. Get a trifecta tune, it made the Sonic feel like an entirely different car

Stephen the Canuck > Jayhawk Jake
04/14/2014 at 05:57

I'd like to at some point.

Opposite Locksmith > Stephen the Canuck
04/18/2014 at 14:47

365hp/420tq, she drinks premium like a mother effer, but no regrets making her that way!

Stephen the Canuck > Opposite Locksmith
04/18/2014 at 19:42

I'm sure the grin on your face would be leave no room for regrets!

Opposite Locksmith > Stephen the Canuck
04/18/2014 at 19:49

Get the trifecta tune! You'll enjoy it.

But getting a stage 1 tune is what gave me the disease with my wrx. You've been warned

Stephen the Canuck > Opposite Locksmith
04/18/2014 at 20:21

I have it on a lease, so I suspect a tune is not acceptable for now. But I have some ideas.

If I had the funds, I would be hardcore into that disease.

wcampbell33 > Stephen the Canuck
04/18/2014 at 23:22

Here is a link for IPF. They did the tune on my previous Camaro before I bought a new one. They offer tunes for a bunch of GM vehicles and the results have been good from what I have see from them. http://www.ipf-tuning.com

Stephen the Canuck > wcampbell33
04/19/2014 at 06:00

Thanks. That's something I'll have to consider.