2012 Chevrolet Cruze Eco 6MT - First Impressions

[sciphi]

I have a few thousand miles on it now, and wanted to update. The interior has picked up a few slight rattles that come and go. The dealer fixed the constant rattle in the dashboard, so that doesn't annoy me anymore. The rattles don't happen on smoother roads, or on slightly bumpy roads. All the roads I drive are awful, so that likely isn't helping matters.

The transmission is getting quite notchy already. Sometimes it gets better, other time worse. It's not temperature-dependent. It's going back to the dealer for some new MT fluid in a few weeks to try to cure the notchiness. It used to not mind being hustled, but now it doesn't like being hustled very much. Too bad the transmission is being a kill-joy, as the engine and chassis are right at home on twisty 2-lane roads.

The handling is pretty composed, even over rough roads. Mid-corner bumps don't seem to upset this car that much. Kinda surprising, considering it's a twist-beam rear suspension and MacPherson struts up front. Dial things up, and it responds well. It's no sports car, but it does handle quite well for a commuter sedan. The ride is comfy, too. It's not too soft and not too harsh. I'm quite pleased with the ride and handling.

The engine needs a turbo like fish need water. Without the turbo providing boost, the engine is gutless. Spooling the turbo is like giving Popeye spinach. All of a sudden there's a rush of power and the car just goes. Passing uphill? Downshift, put on the blinker, and go. It's got ample power from 2000 RPM onward, and makes enough at 1800 RPM to haul the car uphill in 6th without needing a downshift. Overall, I like the engine, and don't want for more power.

MPG-wise, I've been averaging right around 44 mpg in mostly hilly 2-lane highway driving. I do have my ScanGauge II hooked up, and do use it to drive for fuel economy when traffic permits.

I still like this car, and still would get it again. Even with the rattles and the transmission.

 

[hattaresguy]

Well at least its under warranty, they will straighten the transmission out. I'd push for a replacement.

 

[Nick R]

Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
Well at least its under warranty, they will straighten the transmission out. I'd push for a replacement.


Unless it fails completely I can't imagine any mfr would replace a transmission. Likely they will just replace the fluid.

 

[mechanicx]

I'd bet the issue is not internal to the transmission. It's probably something relatively simple like overfilled trans fluid (I think there is a TSB for that) or a shift cable that needs adjustment or the like. It's probably minor teething issues. I'm not sure how good the small dealer is at correcting them.

 

[Slick17601]

That's too bad on the shifting. I just turned 110,000 on my Civic today and I thought about how good it still shifts. The Cruze is high on my list when it's time for a replacement.

 

[sciphi]

Originally Posted By: mechanicx
I'd bet the issue is not internal to the transmission. It's probably something relatively simple like overfilled trans fluid (I think there is a TSB for that) or a shift cable that needs adjustment or the like. It's probably minor teething issues. I'm not sure how good the small dealer is at correcting them.


Exactly. That's my opinion. It's nothing major, just issues that need to be worked out.

 

[Rickey]

Sciphi

Greetings Sir,

I have the same car in 2011 flavor. Almost 10K on the odometer.
It is amazing how similar our experiences have been with these automobiles.

Wonderful MPG...Yes!
Good ride and handling...Ditto!
Good power from the tiny turbo engine....Hooray!
A few very minor rattles.....yes.
Transmission: a little less than perfect shifting when cold and in a hurry.....Yes.

Not a perfect car, but a very pleasant experience to drive.

It's almost "Mercedes quiet", and that seems to highlight any small rattles.
I can also hear most other vehicles exhaust etc. while "Cruzin" it's THAT quiet...really.

Cheers.

Rickey.

 

[sciphi]

Update: After just under 19k miles, I'm still liking the car. I've averaged about 43 mpg over those 19k miles. Best mileage I've seen has been 55 mpg when on a long highway trip. Worst has been about 36 mpg when it was fighting through a snowstorm. It's a comfortable, quiet car. In Eco guise, it is decently sporty, too. I recently had the chance to take the car to Watkins Glen International and do some paced laps. I had no problems keeping up with a late-model Mini Cooper S through the corners. Keep a little power on this car, and it tracks beautifully around a corner.

The problems I was complaining with earlier, such as the clutch, went away as the car broke in. It had its teething issues that got resolved, and I'm happy.

I'd still get this car, even after having spent 19k miles in the driver's seat.

 

[Sunnyinhollister]

There's a big difference between your 2012 Eco with the manual tranny and my 2011 LT with the auto. I average 32 to 33 mpg per tank driving conservatively 95% highway. Other than that, it has been problem free so far and I have 36k on the clock. Do you have a tune on it or is it stock?

 

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
I recently had the chance to take the car to Watkins Glen International and do some paced laps. I had no problems keeping up with a late-model Mini Cooper S through the corners. Keep a little power on this car, and it tracks beautifully around a corner.


Which day did you go to the Glen? I was there on Sunday with the Jeep, and saw a few Cruzes, so if you were there around the same time (12 - 1:30-ish), one of them could have been you.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
In Eco guise, it is decently sporty, too. I recently had the chance to take the car to Watkins Glen International and do some paced laps. I had no problems keeping up with a late-model Mini Cooper S through the corners. Keep a little power on this car, and it tracks beautifully around a corner.

Sounds fun! Glad to hear it handles well. Will it tighten the line a bit with dropping the throttle?

 

[ronbo]

Good write up. I'm a Buffalo boy and looks like the picture at the start of thread was taken at Whirlpool State Park.
I'm guessing the dealer is Paddock Chevrolet or Fuccillo Chevrolet.
I see the vehicle is parked on gravel which I find accelerates rust underneath, but it looks like you have a heavy base of it.

 

[sciphi]

Originally Posted By: rslifkin
Originally Posted By: sciphi
I recently had the chance to take the car to Watkins Glen International and do some paced laps. I had no problems keeping up with a late-model Mini Cooper S through the corners. Keep a little power on this car, and it tracks beautifully around a corner.


Which day did you go to the Glen? I was there on Sunday with the Jeep, and saw a few Cruzes, so if you were there around the same time (12 - 1:30-ish), one of them could have been you.


I got onto the track about 1 PM this past Sunday April 21st. Black Cruze with foglights.

Originally Posted By: IndyIan

Sounds fun! Glad to hear it handles well. Will it tighten the line a bit with dropping the throttle?


Yes, mashing the accelerator in a lower gear will tighten the line. It's pretty hard to get the inside wheel to spin, so power application mid-corner works well.

Originally Posted By: Sunnyinhollister
There's a big difference between your 2012 Eco with the manual tranny and my 2011 LT with the auto. I average 32 to 33 mpg per tank driving conservatively 95% highway. Other than that, it has been problem free so far and I have 36k on the clock. Do you have a tune on it or is it stock?


It is running a Trifecta tune. I can't leave well enough alone! 95% of the time I leave it in the daily driver/"eco" mode that limits the boost to factory levels. The "sport" mode is fun. It's got much more aggressive throttle response, fuel, and boost settings, so it really hauls the car around. I don't do much sustained driving in "sport" mode since I don't need that much power to drive the speed limit, and the aggressive throttle response makes efficient driving difficult. Most of the time I'm in "sport" is when passing in short passing zones, or merging into heavy traffic, situations where having lots of power comes in handy. Definitely a worthwhile purchase in my book!

I got the car at Joe Basil Chevy in Depew. We wanted to explore areas of the Falls we hadn't, so we found ourselves downstream a little bit!

The car's rust-proofed with Fluid Film into every cranny on the underside, so it's somewhat protected.

 

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted By: sciphi

I got onto the track about 1 PM this past Sunday April 21st. Black Cruze with foglights.


You were probably in the same group as I was then. I was in the black Jeep with amber fog lights and kinda noisy exhaust that ended up right in front of the pace truck in the middle of the pack.

Have you poked around the tracktimephotos.com site? They've got shots up of every car from that day (found a couple of the Jeep in run group 12).

 

[sciphi]

It was so socked in with fog I couldn't see more than 300 feet ahead. We stopped several times to let the fog clear since it was very difficult to see. I was bummed to say the least.

 

[rslifkin]

Ah. You must have been the group before me then, as the fog was lifting pretty well by the time we got out there (went from can't see 100 ft to almost clear in about 2 minutes while we were waiting in the staging lines). They didn't stop us at all on the track, and I hit 80 a couple of times.

 

[sciphi]

Bummer! I'll definitely have to make my way back the next time they do one of those events! I had a lot of fun putting the car through its paces, but left feeling that it had far more on tap.

 

[rpn453]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
Originally Posted By: IndyIan

Sounds fun! Glad to hear it handles well. Will it tighten the line a bit with dropping the throttle?


Yes, mashing the accelerator in a lower gear will tighten the line. It's pretty hard to get the inside wheel to spin, so power application mid-corner works well.


I think he was asking how well it would transition toward oversteer on throttle lift.

That's some great mileage. I would definitely test drive this Eco model if I were in the market.

 

[sciphi]

Originally Posted By: rpn453
Originally Posted By: sciphi
Originally Posted By: IndyIan

Sounds fun! Glad to hear it handles well. Will it tighten the line a bit with dropping the throttle?


Yes, mashing the accelerator in a lower gear will tighten the line. It's pretty hard to get the inside wheel to spin, so power application mid-corner works well.


I think he was asking how well it would transition toward oversteer on throttle lift.

That's some great mileage. I would definitely test drive this Eco model if I were in the market.


With stock engine power, this car doesn't exhibit much. Maybe a hint when letting off near the horsepower peak. GM did a good job of minimizing torque steer and oversteer with this chassis. When running the "sporting" engine tables, it's much more noticeable when letting off after full throttle. Enough so where it requires a minor correction to keep the line. It surprised me to require correction. Although, comparing next to nothing with some is going to make the "some" that much more pronounced.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
Originally Posted By: rpn453
Originally Posted By: sciphi
Originally Posted By: IndyIan

Sounds fun! Glad to hear it handles well. Will it tighten the line a bit with dropping the throttle?


Yes, mashing the accelerator in a lower gear will tighten the line. It's pretty hard to get the inside wheel to spin, so power application mid-corner works well.


I think he was asking how well it would transition toward oversteer on throttle lift.

That's some great mileage. I would definitely test drive this Eco model if I were in the market.


With stock engine power, this car doesn't exhibit much. Maybe a hint when letting off near the horsepower peak. GM did a good job of minimizing torque steer and oversteer with this chassis. When running the "sporting" engine tables, it's much more noticeable when letting off after full throttle. Enough so where it requires a minor correction to keep the line. It surprised me to require correction. Although, comparing next to nothing with some is going to make the "some" that much more pronounced.

Well, that sounds good that it will tuck the nose a bit. When you get driving harder sometime, its nice that just letting off the throttle does something for you if you come into a corner too hot or apex to early. I guess with ABS and stability control, hitting the brakes mid corner when you are too quick for your line isn't that scary, but I like just to have the back end rotate with a "panic" throttle chop with my car with no aids. I guess the mosport DDT is pretty tight so all this happens in 40-65mph corners, I don't know if I'd want to be so sideways at 80+ on a big track like Watkins Glen

Maybe if the run offs are big and smooth

Which they don't seem to be at the glen...