Chevrolet Cruze versus Volkswagen Jetta

Chevrolet Cruze is one of the best launches from Chevrolet in India. It has helped Chevrolet get back into the game and recover their lost share in the market. It brings excellent features and performance and hence resulted in good sales for the company. One of the recent launches from another well known global manufacturer Volkswagen who is expanding its network in India has recently launched the face lifted Volkswagen Jetta. We compare two excellent cars from the segment and help you find out which one of the two is the best of the lot. Keep reading to find out more about the cars that you like the most.

Looks and design:

Chevrolet Cruze brings a muscular design which appeals to the masses owing to its modern and contemporary design elements. Chevrolet has a very good job building the Cruze and has brought a design which is sporty and aggressive. It has sleek and sharp lines and comes with a well designed front end with its two tier grill and a large Chevy bow tie. It has stylish alloy wheels which give it an overall sporty character. The rear is in proportion with the front and looks like it’s been designed to complement the overall looks of the car. The Chevrolet Cruze has been well constructed and the fit and finish is also very good.

Volkswagen Jetta has been face lifted recently and looks fantastic in its new avatar owing to its clean, classic and almost timeless design and understated styling elements. It has a large VW logo upfront on the chromed grill. Jetta has large and sharp looking mildly smoked headlamps and day time running lamps and the rear is also well designed with beautiful tail lamps. The overall looks of the car is sporty and it has multi-spoked alloy wheels which add a bit of aggression to the looks. Volkswagen has paid attention to detail and have done an excellent job with the build quality; it is solid and the fit, finish and paint quality is top notch.

Looks overall – Chevrolet Cruze – 8/10
Looks overall – Volkswagen Jetta – 8.5/10

Interiors – design, space and features:

Chevrolet brings plenty of space inside and has ample leg and head room for tall passengers. It feels spacious and roomy and the comfortable seats give excellent lumbar and thigh support to the driver and all of its 4 passengers which the car will easily accommodate. It has plenty of modern features such as electronic climate control, rain sensitive windscreen wipers, advanced stereo music system which sounds very good and parking sensors. Chevrolet Cruze has dual tone dashboard and leather upholstery which looks elegant in form. It has ample storage area for your items and includes center armrest with storage and illuminated glove box and a boot space of 280 liters for all your luggage carrying needs.

Volkswagen has spacious interiors which feels airy and has a solid German build quality to it. Jetta also has height adjustable seats for the driver which is a 12 way electrically operated unit and it brings very good plastic quality. It has comfortable seats for passengers and offers excellent lower back and lumbar support. The air conditioner does an excellent job as far as keeping the interiors cool. It offers modern stereo sound system which sounds great. The in-car ergonomics is very good and is built keeping the driver in mind. There is ample storage space inside the Volkswagen Jetta and it has total boot space of 510 liters which is plenty enough to carry your travel luggage.

Interiors overall – Chevrolet Cruze – 8/10
Interiors overall – Volkswagen Jetta – 8.5/10

Engine – performance, power, torque, fuel economy, smoothness:

Chevrolet Cruze is only available with a powerful diesel engine option and it pumps out a total of 150 BHP at 4000 RPM and peak torque of 320 NM at 2000 RPM. It brings plenty of performance and has oodles of low end torque which makes it easy to drive in the city. The smooth and slick gearbox is a 5 speed manual transmission unit which does a great job as far shifting gears is concerned. The clutch is not too heavy and will ensure a comfortable drive in the city. The engine is response and will welcome spirited driving. Chevrolet Cruze has been rated by ARAI to deliver a maximum fuel efficiency of 17.3 kmpl.

Volkswagen Jetta brings a powerful 2 liter CRDi engine which is a 4 cylinder unit producing a maximum power of 138 BHP at 4200 RPM and maximum torque of 320 NM from 1750 to 2500 RPM. It brings plenty of torque in the low-medium rpm range and the engine is rev happy and will easily rev beyond 5000 RPM. The gearbox is a Direct Shift Gearbox unit and brings smooth and slick gearshifts. The Jetta is a mile muncher with excellent highway performance and also comes with an automatic transmission variant. Volkswagen Jetta has been rated by ARAI to deliver a maximum fuel efficiency of 19.39 kmpl for the manual transmission variant and the automatic transmission variant is rated to deliver 16.36 kmpl.

Engine overall – Chevrolet Cruze – 8.5/10
Engine overall – Volkswagen Jetta – 8/10

Suspension – Ride, comfort and handling:

Chevrolet Cruze has a well tuned suspension setup which provides great balance between comfort and performance. It is firm and agile and has very sporty handling characteristics without being too firm and bouncy for the passengers seated inside. It has good ride quality which ensures a smooth ride on bumpy roads and smooth roads alike. Chevrolet Cruze is a fun to drive car on the highways and the disk brakes help it in slowing down to a stop quickly. It also brings ABS and EBD to further aid the driver in improving the stopping power of the car. Cruze is a powerful car and has excellent highway manners.

Volkswagen has given a very good suspension setup to their new Jetta. It brings a multi-link suspension unit and ensures an excellent handling package owing to its overall chassis and suspension setup. It has a good overall comfort to performance package and provides a comfortable ride even though the suspension is set on the firmer side. It manages to absorb all the bumps and undulations on the road and ensures a smooth ride. Volkswagen Jetta has sharp brakes which do a very good job of slowing down the car which is very well capable of doing high speeds easily. It brings ABS + EBD and also multiple Airbags for passenger safety.

Suspension overall – Chevrolet Cruze – 8/10
Suspension overall – Volkswagen Jetta – 8/10

Value for money – sticker price, standard features:

Chevrolet has done a fantastic job with the pricing of the Cruze. It is a new sedan which has been creating waves in the market and has seen excellent buyer response. Chevrolet Cruze is a fantastic product and has seen excellent response from the market. Chevrolet Cruze price (ex-showroom Delhi) starts with the base model diesel Chevrolet Cruze LT at 12.03 lakhs, middle variant Chevrolet Cruze LTZ is priced at 13.60 lakhs and the top variant diesel Chevrolet Cruze LTZ AT is priced at 14.44 lakhs. Chevrolet can further take this product forward by providing excellent after sales and service which is bound to further attract potential buyers to the Cruze.

Volkswagen Jetta is available at good pricing and starts with an ex-showroom Delhi price of 14.93 lakhs for base variant Volkswagen Jetta 2.0L TDI Trendline, Volkswagen Jetta 2.0L TDI Comfortline is priced at 16.40 lakhs, Volkswagen Jetta 2.0L TDI Highline is priced at 18.05 lakhs and the top variant Volkswagen Jetta 2.0L TDI Highline AT is priced at 18.90 lakhs. Volkswagen is one of the biggest passenger car manufacturers in the world and is known for their value for money cars which offers excellent build quality and performance. The Jetta brings all its values and more and offers good value for your money despite being higher priced than most of its counterparts.

Value for money overall – Chevrolet Cruze – 8.5/10
Value for money overall – Volkswagen Jetta – 8/10

Verdict:

Chevrolet Cruze is a fantastic car and brings so much within in good price range. It has all the modern features and is quite a looker and brings plenty of performance for those looking for a car for spirited driving. It is also an excellent car to drive on the highways and will also serve well if you preferred to be chauffeured around. Volkswagen Jetta in its latest avatar is also another wonderful car in this segment. Volkswagen has been providing good service and is quickly expanding its after sales network so that it can have a wider reach and cater to more of its customers easily. These are the things to look for if you are planning buy either of these two great cars from the segment today.