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 would I change? Offer a diesel engine option without all the other frills, clean up the dash layout
How would I spec it? Cruze 2LT (gas powered, has all the features you need)
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. The Cruze Diesel’s biggest competition, however, 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 ask yourself is: “Is the diesel 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 Cruze diesel could be a good pick for better fuel economy (diesels perform more efficiently at highway speeds), but the diesel is still very hard to justify over the gas-powered model, especially because on top of the more expensive engine, diesel fuel costs more than gas right now.
Required Reading: To diesel or not to diesel? The pros and cons of diesel vs. gas
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 for you. The Cruze Diesel is a loaded top trim level, and the engine comes with a bunch of other goodies packaged in (yet navigation and a sunroof are still optional). It’s an all-or nothing approach with Chevrolet diesels, a strategy that I’m sure loses some customers to the Jetta, which is much more flexible with pricing and options.
And 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 dealbreaker, 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 very 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 also 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 rpm, so although it is more powerful than the Jetta Diesel, the Jetta’s 140 hp and 236 lb.-ft. of torque is available much earlier on in the rev range at a low 1,750 rpm, 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: The Jetta TDI is rated at 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 it can be considered 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 piano black trim, which gets super dusty).
The Jetta also has a bigger trunk (440L vs. the Cruze’s 377L), a better dashboard layout, and a more intuitive infotainment system.
The issue with the Cruze’s dash layout is that the touchscreen is inset and too far back, making it difficult for the driver to use because they have 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 the most user-friendly, and it requires some fiddling before you 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 myself.
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 much easier to recommend and has more value than the diesel model.
The Specs
Type of Vehicle Front-wheel-drive compact diesel sedan
Engine 2.0L turbocharged diesel four-cylinder
Transmission Six-speed automatic
Power 151 hp, 264 pound-feet of torque at 2,600 rpm
Brakes Four-wheel disc with ABS
Tires P215/55R-17
Natural Resources Canada Fuel Economy (L/100 km) 8.7 city, 5.1 highway
Price (base/as tested) $25,295/$29,775
Destination charge $1,600
Standard Features 17-inch alloy wheels, heated front seats, remote starter, leather seats, 10 air bags, OnStar, Bluetooth, AM/FM/CD audio with 7-inch touchscreen, 6 speakers, USB port, auxiliary input, air conditioning, power windows and mirrors, cruise control, remote keyless entry, tilt and telescopic steering, six-way power driver seat, and more
Options Sun and sound package ($4,485), enhanced safety package ($885), Chevrolet MyLink with navigation ($795)
