Cruze or Focus? That’s like asking would you rather have heart disease or cancer.
Cruze or Focus? That’s like asking would you rather have heart disease or cancer.
@clinebarger is right on with this assessment of the Cruze. My 2014 1.4T had 150,000 miles on it when it got totaled. The engine, trans, and body were very good, but the plastic cooling parts were weeping in a couple places and the PCV valve placement was just beyond stupid and expensive to replace. I have owned an 2008 Corolla, 2010 Civic, and the 2014 Cruze (kids cars) and I vastly preferred driving the Cruze over the other two. The Cruze was much quieter and smoother. My daughter still owns the Civic and it just keeps going and going with zero troubles.The 1.8L N/A & 1.4L Turbo engines in the Cruze need plastic coolant parts about every 60-80K miles, Most of these meet their end because coolant loss causing severe overheat.
The 1.8L has a Timing Belt.
The 1.4L/T has PCV issues that can crop-up.
The 6T35E/6T40E transmissions run hot requiring frequent fluid changes.
Replaced quite a few turbos on 1.4L's
I own a 71,000 mile '15 Cruze 1.4L/T that I bought really cheap, Replaced all the plastic cooling parts & Performed 2 drain & fills with Dexron VI.
Seems to be a decent enough vehicle, Just got to keep an eye on it!!
If you want a low maintenance compact......Get a 1.8L Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic.
If going this route - only buy new and with plenty of warranty. These 1.0L are good engines when they run (in a properly sized vehicle that is), but they are known for melting pistons, overheating issues, fuel pressure issues as miles rack up, and early ones had issues with coolant hoses being routed wrong or being made from incorrect materials. Lots of conflicting information online, so not 100% sure which one is more of a culpit (routing vs material), but regardless - an issue with cooling hoses does exist in the early ones. And as a cherry to top off the pie - Direct Injection only... "Loss of engine power and serious valve damage is commonplace on higher mileage EcoBoost engines. The EcoBoost engine features only direct fuel injection with no fuel to naturally clean leading to a build up of carbon on the intake valve stems, which restricts airflow."Focus with the 1.0L ecoboost. They were offered with a 6 speed manual or a torque converted automatic. Really neat setup.
If going this route - only buy new and with plenty of warranty. These 1.0L are good engines when they run (in a properly sized vehicle that is), but they are known for melting pistons, overheating issues, fuel pressure issues as miles rack up, and early ones had issues with coolant hoses being routed wrong or being made from incorrect materials. Lots of conflicting information online, so not 100% sure which one is more of a culpit (routing vs material), but regardless - an issue with cooling hoses does exist in the early ones. And as a cherry to top off the pie - Direct Injection only... "Loss of engine power and serious valve damage is commonplace on higher mileage EcoBoost engines. The EcoBoost engine features only direct fuel injection with no fuel to naturally clean leading to a build up of carbon on the intake valve stems, which restricts airflow."
How long have you had yours to rack up 230k miles?The issue with the 1.0L is the lack of parts for that motor/trans in the US for the focus. OEM parts for common issues were becoming rare when I got rid of mine last Nov but the only common issues I've heard of on the 1.0L were the two wet belts (timing and oil should absolutely be changed every 100K as I found out) and the dual mass flywheel. The purge canister replacement was a common thing too - I had to replace mine ~4 times in 230K miles - luckily only $40 and 30 mins to change but not replacing this can cause the fuel tank to collapse in itself and then becomes a $3000 issue.
The coolant line connectors are definitely weak though. I broke several trying to replace the thermostat housing.
Plus side is, if you manage to find an automatic 1.0L focus, it's a traditional 6-speed auto from Europe and not the horrible DCT. Minus is a 2005 F150 towing a camper and 5 bikes on the back will accelerate faster than you lol.
How long have you had yours to rack up 230k miles?
Lots of time on the highway I assume?~ 6 years, October 2015 until the factory timing belt broke in September 2021. I got lucky it broke at my mom's house 600 miles away from my home. Was still on the factory rotors too lol.
Lots of time on the highway I assume?
Seems like GDI-only engines experience less GDI-related issues if they are mostly highway driven, but daily driven examples or short-tripped examples seem to need a clean up every 60k-100k like clockwork, assuming no intake-spray products are used regularly to aid with intake valve cleanliness.
It's not the same money.If you can get a Focus without the DCT, I'd say go with that. But I'd still rather buy an older Corolla or Civic with the same money.