2012 Chevrolet Cruze LT 1.4 turbo I4

Summary:

Underrated vehicle. Keep the oil fresh

Faults:

- Sunroof position sensor replaced at 5000km under warranty.

- Water crossover outlet leaked and replaced at 150,000km. Easy 30 minute DIY. $25 part and flushed and replaced coolant at this point.

- Valve cover gasket leaked on exhaust manifold. 20 minute DIY and $80 replacement part from dealer.

General Comments:

This was a great quality vehicle for my wife and I. We kept up on the standard regular maintenance and it served us well. Overall build quality was solid and incredible for a small car. A 10 fold step up from the wife’s previous 2006 Pontiac Pursuit. Whisper quiet cabin with the right tire selection. Excellent control on snowy and icy Canadian roads, and very comfortable for a car purchased brand new for under $25k. Lots of power to handle its own on the roads, great on fuel, and very little wear on braking, suspension, and chassis components at the 165k km mark.

The only downside is the plastic cooling system components, but that’s been something we’ve been seeing on vehicles for a long time now.

This car still had 30% brake pad life left on original factory pads at 165,000kms. All suspension components were original and still tight, and the first alignment was performed at 165k and was a minor toe adjustment (Canadian winter roads). I never even had to change a single light bulb with this thing. These are exceptionally easy cars to work on yourself if you understand the basics.

Just a great overall vehicle which can be picked up relatively cheap now. Excellent winter vehicle which could give our Outlander and Avalanche a run for their money if the winter tires were installed. Started right up no matter the temperature.

Just be wary of one where regular maintenance and care was neglected. Regular oil changes are an absolute must with these cars, especially the turbo models. Synthetic oil and every 5-7000km.

The car gets a bit cramped with 2 kids if you are over 5’10” and have car 2 seats.

We upgraded to an Outlander to accommodate our growing family. Sad to see it go, but no use keeping it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th January, 2022

2012 Chevrolet Cruze LTZ RS 1.4 turbo

Summary:

The Cruze is a fantastic little car

Faults:

The paint job on this car leaves something to be desired. I take good care of my cars, but no matter what, I seem to find a small new ding in the paint every couple weeks.

No other problems to report so far!

General Comments:

Great gas mileage! I get about 28/30 MPG in the city and 40 MPG on the highway.

Haven't owned it that long, but so far this car is exactly how it should be. The interior is very well equipped and surprisingly quiet. Even with the RS package, this car rides smooth and is very comfortable.

The engine has plenty of power, but sometimes when driving along, if you have to step on it, it can take a little bit longer than it should to accelerate. The turbo works great and can throw you back in your seat!

Overall, I'm very happy with this car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 7th June, 2014

5th May 2015, 16:36

A family member had the 2012 turbo version. The turbo just went out at 61,000km, and the GM dealer want $1980 + tax to replace (the part was $500 + labour $1500).

There's no recall on the 2012 version of the turbo. The 2013 and 2014 have a recall.

24th Feb 2016, 23:05

Regular oil changes are critical, not just on this turbo charged car but all modern cars. Toyotas suffer from sludge, Mazda ultra compression engines need very clean oil, and Hondas also fail because of oil. Engines that give great gas mileage need clean high quality oil; skip that and things get expensive.

5th Mar 2017, 17:22

When you see a turbo in a car use, only synthetic oil. Also if you were driving the car hard, let it cool down one minute before shooting off the engine.