The Chevrolet Cruze is all set to get an automatic transmission on 10th January, 2010. The transmission will most probably be the 5 speed tiptronic unit from the Chevrolet Captiva. This will also enable GM to save costs as the Cruze shares the 2 liter diesel engine with the Captiva. If you’re wondering why General Motors is bringing in the Chevy automatic transmission so early, it is simply because customers have complained that the Cruze’s clutch is hard on the left leg. Though the Cruze has striking performance on the highway when the turbo can be kept spooled up, it requires plenty of gear shifts at low speeds in the city.
This is further amplified in slow moving traffic with the Cruze’s significant turbo lag making matters worse. So, GM has wisely decided to offer customers the option of an automatic transmission to make driving the Cruze a veritable ease. The Cruze with the new slush box will cost about a bit more than the manual geared version. This will bring the Cruze very close to the Skoda Laura’s (available in India) price territory which isn’t a good sign as the Skoda enjoys higher brand value (in India). That said, the Chevrolet Cruze’s 3 year free maintenance offer may tilt scales in it’s favor with Skoda customers dumping the Laura for the Cruze.
An interesting little vibe on the top secret problem with the clutch on the new Chevy Cruze. The hard clutch pedal causes shift problems because many people don’t have the leg strength to push the clutch to the floor, which disengages the clutch all the way for smooth shifting. This is the type of production issue that causes so many problems for car manufacturers in the first place.
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