Chevrolet Cruze 2.0 LTZ – Diesel variant tested in Bangkok
Reviewed in isolation, the Chevrolet Cruze is a decent product; but somehow it’s just not selling as well as expected in Malaysia. Naza Quest asks for less than RM102k for this Korean-imported C-segment offering, but most buyers still opt to shell out an extra RM10-15k for the established alternatives.
In Malaysia, the Cruze is offered in only one variant, the 1.8 LT powered by the 140hp/176Nm Ecotec petrol engine mated to a 6-speed slushbox. During our recent trip to Bangkok, we had the opportunity to examine the Cruze in an alternative format – with diesel power. Chevrolet spared a few units of the Thai-spec Cruze 2.0 LTZ for a 400km-long one-day drive from Bangkok to Hua Hin and back.
At 1.149 million Baht (about RM115k), the 2.0 LTZ is the highest-specced Cruze variant in Thailand, and as such, our test cars have a few features which we make do without in Malaysia – leather trim interior, cruise control, push-start button, rear fog lights, auto headlights, and Bluetooth connectivity. The Thais also get a petrol-powered 1.8 LTZ variant which comes with this level of equipment.
Under the hood is a 16 valve single-cam four-pot fed by direct injection and a variable geometry turbo. Displacing 1,991cc, the engine is rated to produce 148hp @ 4,000rpm and 320Nm @ 2,000rpm. We are already getting this engine in Malaysia with the Chevrolet Captiva, so our high sulphur diesel is not exactly a problem with it.
The 2.0 LTZ similarly gets a 6-speed automatic transmission like the petrol model, but with greatly revised ratios to accomodate a vastly different power band. Its final drive of 2.290 is significantly lower than that of the 1.8’s 3.722. As a result, we barely had to push the engine beyond 2,000rpm while doing speeds between 110 and 140kph on the highways.
In that aspect, the Cruze diesel provides a wonderful contrast against our 1.8 petrol. Although the petrol model is not exactly underpowered (some of our media colleagues disagree), you do need to give it a spank when overtaking. The diesel model on the other hand, picks up speed effortlessly and makes for a more relaxed and pleasurable driving experience.
Just like its petrol-powered sibling in Malaysia, the Cruze diesel is also amazingly quiet. Noise levels are not so much low as almost being non-existent; good enough to shame cars at twice the price. You get an idea of the level of sound-proofing in the car when you step out of the pin-drop silent cabin during idling to hear the diesel motor loudly clattering away outside.
Our media drive was conducted at a leisurely pace, so we were unable to examine the diesel Cruze’s behaviour at the extreme ends. Ride quality over poorly tarred surfaces was a little too busy for my liking. Assuming comparable handling characteristics with the petrol model, the Cruze diesel should prove to be an entertaining drive, though it won’t be causing too much problems for the Ford Focus TDCi, its main rival should it come to Malaysia.
And there comes the million dollar question – will the Cruze diesel be sold in Malaysia? The immediate answer is no, but we are betting that the folks at Naza Quest are contemplating this possibility, which would explain our presence at the media drive in Bangkok.
The diesel version feels vastly superior to the petrol model that we’re getting in Malaysia. Not only are equipment levels higher, the overall driving experience suggests that this car was designed with this engine in mind right from the start. There is no guarantee if the Cruze diesel will sell at numbers attractive enough to justify bringing it in, but considering how much better it is against the version we are getting, it is a gamble that Chevrolet might as well take.
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