regfootball

one other thing to consider before getting too brutal on the Cruze as far as mpg. the Fiesta doesn't get as good as mpg as the Eco Cruze. If you adjust the best fiesta numbers to the larger 012 focus, as far as weight and power, i am not sure the Focus will get within 3-4 mpg if that, I am doubtful that the Focus will achieve much better mpg with the automatic than the Cruze does. I tend to think the LS automatic Cruze probably gets decent mpg.....

This just underscores the epic fail of mating the small engine to the automatic. A 2.0 gas DI with the auto would be a better match as would the 2.4. Now you also know why GM has admitted they will look at CVT for ths car. The cvt can drop that engine speed lower than what they have the 6 speed auto set at now. EPA tests can mislead. I don't think they test the cars at 75mph like people actually drive my cobalt sees a huge mpg drop from 55 to 65 and an even bigger drop from 65 to 75, small engines that work too hard burn more gas. In fairness to the cruze auto if it still turns close to 30 in city real world use, that is all one can expect. Few cars get over 30 real world city. Also the cruze gets about the same EPA Numbers as the cobalt. My Balt was rated 24/35 or 25/35. My combined is almost spot on bs EPA combined. I would expect the cruze combined EPA to be spot on as well. Note, the ECO is 28/42 and 33 combined. I have no doubts the 33 combined can be achieved. That is progress for such a solid car that is also fun. Look at the jettas ratings. Not great. Two cars I am aware of that have put up eye popping real world highway figures That are bigger thanthe cruze....the Subarus (legacy and outback) and the sonata. High thirties and sometimes touching 40. Both those cars are light and have bigger motors than the cruze. The Subaru with CVT runs just a tish above 2k rpm at 70+ mph. It's all about getting that engine speed down for real world highway mpg at speeds people actually travel. Gm really needs a better powertrain solution for the automatic equipped cruze if they want to have a more competitive car in that arena. It would probably drive better too. What they have is ok, but if the mpg is not benefitting then it's not the solution they envisioned.

I think that review was fair and also detailed. As far as the mpg aspect, my Eco test drive last week (see reviews), the Eco turns about 2100 rpm at 70 mph and the stick + turbo is sweet. It's matched well, unlike the automatic. The Eco IS the one to get. I have no doubts the Eco will see 40 mpg on highway trips. The Eco is lighter and no less quiet. The cruze = modern day grand am or alero. Sonic = cobalt.

Seeking to tap Dwight's knowledge here..... In terms of engineering and manufacturing costs and tradeoffs, technology vs. technology.....I want to throw these scenarios out there and welcome others to throw out some scenarios of competing powertrain details for evaluation..... Or also in terms of weight and design and performance. On the Cruze for example. The 1.4t does not have DI. Yet it has turbo. In terms of providing the most power and fuel economy for the projected sell prices, was the turbo "in lieu" of DI? i.e. was the turbo and DI about the same cost but the turbo provided more power and FE for the same price? Likewise, A car with a V8 and rear drive only or one with similar dimension but a highly charged turbo 4 with a performance AWD system. Can the weights be kept similar (does the 4 cyl save any weight to give back to the AWD system) if so is there a performance advantage to the 4 / AWD setup vs a strictly RWD + v8 solution. I am sure many questions like this could be brought up. Another that comes to mind is extra gears in the transmission, does it make up for the added complexity and cost.

If GM is to justify with a business plan, something like a Camaro, then they can't cannibalize it with too many other 2 doors within their own walls. Note how the Monte died when the Camaro came back. Another evolution is the fact that something like a Camaro actually is a luxury coupe nowadays, with its level of kit and refinement and price. So in a limited market, there can be only be so many offerings, or all (or most) of them fail to add to the bottom line. I'll be surprised if the Accord and Altima coupes survive. We may still have the Scion Tc, and the Forte Koups of the world. The Koreans might be the only ones who will be able to proliferate body styles in the future. And of course, the Germans, who seem to make endless versions of their models, seemingly without regard to demand (X6 as an example). Just curious to know if the "Accord" crosstour outsells the "Accord coupe"...that'd be all you need to know there.....

the younger set today was more raised on the smaller performance cars, and I think in general like a little smaller car for performance than the massive Camaro these days. Your comment about the Genesis having the size figured out is pretty close to true. Although I would say a 3 series coupe is more what that up and coming younger set would say is the correct size perf car. and even then some of those want a 1 series or God forbid, something more like a riced up Civic or a Mini Cooper. The Mustang to me still is a valid size dimensionally but I even think that may have to shrink a touch to survive / thrive in the market 5 years from now. the younger set today was more raised on the smaller performance cars, and I think in general like a little smaller car for performance than the massive Camaro these days. Your comment about the Genesis having the size figured out is pretty close to true. Although I would say a 3 series coupe is more what that up and coming younger set would say is the correct size perf car. and even then some of those want a 1 series or God forbid, something more like a riced up Civic or a Mini Cooper. The Mustang to me still is a valid size dimensionally but I even think that may have to shrink a touch to survive / thrive in the market 5 years from now.

a little bit of a tangent, but i think with regards to the corvette, i think it will matter more for them to add a performance all wheel drive option to the car, instead of them dicking around with moving the engine to the back.

sometimes people are so brand conscious, and maybe haven't bought a new car before. the VW rep is what you say, but they may be so hung up on brand, and not actually savvy, cognizant, or experienced enough buying vehicles to be objective enough to see whether it has been watered down. It's like someone who might buy Levi's at Target. They aren't getting real Levi's. The tag says they are, and all they really care about is the tag. So it is pretty much as you say. VW is really smarter than you think, they think they can identify the exact things they can decontent and still meet a precisely debated level of performance or quality on things like the handling, suspension, etc. But they still are across the board lowering their standards while trying to ride their brand equity. It's exactly a short term grab.....but its also a long term strategy. Knowing that there will be global consolidation and brands will die, other brands will become elite and that is what VW wants. Share = ability to rise to one of the top 5 groups. They are being aggressive about it and quite honestly know a large portion of that share rests on price. They probably feel they couldn't impact their quality as dramatically, or take their performance to a whole nother level. SO the last denominator to fck with is the price. And the marketing. I am actually the perfect example. I do like the current Passat. Every time I shop I look at the Passat, but in comparison to what I end up with it tends to be a bit out of reach. I am not saying the current car is a bad value. It's not. It's just a bit higher on the price level than it would take to suck in more buyers. But the car is so nice that they cannot drop the price. It's just like Walmart who forces their suppliers to come up with a product they can sell for 'x amount' to 'this group'. Last fall for my daughter's school i wanted to get her a pencil sharpener. Cash is tight, I am fine mormally buying one for 20 bucks because i know it will last. Instead i got her a cute pink one from walmart for 5.50. It was a name brand, but obviously a cheapened version built for a marketing event. So normally I am shopping things like Malibus and Fusions and Altimas class. The only way the Passat can fit there is to revert to the LCD. VW just thinks their version of the LCD will still be more desirable either by actually preserving SOME of its German character (rather than none) or simply by brainwashing the masses (marketing) into thinking its a German car with a real advantage. In my case, now a Passat IS attainable to me as it is a car I would consider over or aside any of those cars. VW also has heritage in the past as cheap $h!boxes anyways. 'People's car'? So to some extent its not like they haven't built their brand on that before. It's just too bad they have to give up a lot of the progress they made in being 'premium'. There are plenty of idiot shoppers out there though that won't notice stuff like the terrible plastic inside the Jetta, etc..... Or the Jo-Ann fabrics...LOL i almost spit my drink out on that one. That was funny.....LOL Part of me thinks VW is intentionally citing ridiculous sales goals. Even if they proclaim 800k units, I think they will be pleased as punch with 500k units, if it means other competition is taken out of the equation or badly bloodied.

most snow ever in december, january sucks too. the snow is still several inches over the top of my mailbox. to top it off, the cold hit this week. i hate this place. the cold weather sucks. i am tired of snow. i am tired of freezing my ass off. cold and snow takes whatever $h!ty mood you are in and just amplifies it to the nth degree. i'm 42. my whole life i have been around the f--king tundra. it's just crap. i don't want to live the rest of my life in this sht. good places to move to in arizona, advise.

To me, the best part is that regal and lacrosse are both good cars but unique. It's nice that you can choose from the two and both are good. Buick in the past was about getting a premium car for an accessible price. I think to some degree they are back to that now again. The turbo is not unrefined. I don't understand the rags picking on the turbo.

yawwwwnnnnn

I really didn't think the base regal was unrefined. Compared to most midsizers.....drive some of the garbage out there, the regal is a peach. The turbo is really nice.

Cruze eco gets it right!

for phone, duh, already knew that. i even said the car had the connectivity package. chevy's bluetooth does not stream audio like the ford's and some of the others. audio. not phone. did you not see where i said 'bluetooth audio media stream'?

the character of the coupe is so much more badass, and the normal CTS dash while classy, looks a bit tame. something a bit more adventurous and racy and not so horizontal and plain while not 'needed' could really enhance the badass nature of the coupe. JMO. whatever the case, the lack of the rear center armrest is plain and simply unconscionable, on any car over 15k in MSRP.......

new ECO tested 2011 Cruze Eco. Taupe Grey, black interior, connectivity and cruise pack. MSRP around 20k. 6 speed MANUAL + turbo. simply..... THIS ONE GETS IT RIGHT. Regardless of your evaluation on the outcome of the turbo and automatic, after driving the ECO I just say its a revelation. The strengths and assets of the turbo engine are extremely well utilized. The benefit of the small zinger are fully realized here. The turbo engine and manual trans are dance partners that can pull off each step without a misstep, they work beautifully in concert. THis is not a forced marraige of two dancers who each may be individually great dancers, but together, cannot be partners. This, works well. At least to this point, this is the way to buy the Cruze. A few things. One, apparently the Eco is supposed to be louder and have less sound deadener? THat was not apparent to me. The trunk liner looked thinner, but the interior noise level seemed no different to me. THe unique rear suspension of the Eco manual actually gives you back some trunk space, and an area to keep the milk bottles from flying around without a net. And of that unique rear suspension, I really did not notice any detrimental effect on handling. The Eco is as sharp as the others as I have tested. Same reflexes, same ride. Of course, I was not driving it on a track like the buff books do. Commuters won't know any difference, nor will they care. If anything the liveliness of the turbo + manual maybe makes you want to quicken the steering a bit to take better advantage of the sporty suspension. The soft Assurance tires seem to help a tiny bit with the suspension harshness, but they are not floppy tires. There is zero penalty in my mind to the suspension 'downgrade' on the Eco manual. I had a big wheelspin event getting going, so perhaps the low resistance tires may be a tad slick on damp or wet. But we definitely know the engine can really break the tires without a lot of gas. As for the Eco wheels, they are nice to look at. Sort of plain, a nice finish, but they don't look like 'expensive' custom wheels. I sure hope they are not more expensive to fix when your wife does a curb job with the car. The subtle exterior differences of the Eco are almost not noticeable, but the air dam and spoiler do look good on the car. Regarding the shifter and clutch, all I can say is similar to the LS but better by some. The clutch is really nice. The shifter knob is wonderful. I typically don't like to fondle the knob but in the Cruze, it's allowed. It could just have been because the car was new but finding gears and moving through gears had some stiffness and obstacles the first few times. Once you figured it out, it felt really nice. For a GM car / compact to have this much quality in the shifter and clutch is really a nice change. Its so fun. The gear spacing is really good. Zero complaints. You can always find a good gear to be in. Only a couple times did i catch the engine flat footed, but only a tiny bit and even then, a simple shift which is easy to do solves the problem. End drama, move on. If anything I am so much liking in particular 5th and 6th gear. 5th is perfect for in town freeway cruising. 6th is very close to 5th, but drops the rpm just that little bit extra to maximize benefit on those long cornfield cruiser state romps on flat interstate. The engine pulls and keeps up just fine in either 5th or 6th. Engine rpm at 75 mph in 6th was a ridiculous 2200 +/- and the car was dead silent while doing that. Moving through the gears stop to stop was the best part. It is fun having full control and access to the turbo, rather than letting it try to decide for itself. The torque band just works so much better with the stick and the benefits of the turbo motor are just so much more realized. It really is quick and is totally the right amount of power and plenty of it for this type of small front drive car. I can't imagine really wanting more power, although more power is always nice...in no way would i ever have remorse. Engine is liquid smooth, idle to redline. No drone, not loud, no NVH issues at all. No one would have any idea whatsoever that this is a turbo. Zero lag. NADA. None. This is like night and day compared to my Cobalt in so many ways, it's like 20 years of progress. Not even the last Jetta and GOlf 5 cyl. I drove have the same total satisfaction of this turbo +manual setup. The Golf dare i say feels junky in comparison. The LS manual is decently good but this is a serious value added upgrade over that, even. More than worth the difference in price. There would be no need to wait on the Focus if you wanted to buy this car. The turbo + manual in the Eco package brings out the fun. 33 mpg combined and 28/42 is such a hardship to pay for this. This really is a nice car. Check one out if you have a chance. 99% complete happiness, no complaints. I wish this car had bluetooth audio media stream (side note) like my Ford does. I know you can plug in your phone, but wireless streaming would be nice as would sunroof option and heated seats on the Eco.

considering VW sold 1200 Passats last month, regardless of how nice its interior is, it just sort of tells the tale that it wasn't contributing to it being a sales success, more folks expected it on the CC, or went the easy route and bought a cheaper competitor and lived with what they had. Basically VW probably just said the Passat interior as it is cost way too much for them to go down the price ladder. But it would have been nice to keep a little more of its snazzy character. I just know the new Jetta's plastic and door panels (especially the lower trims) is just plain dreadful. I hope the bottom trims of this Passat do not resort to dumbing down the trim so much.

no, to me the CTS MKS comparo is relevant as they sometimes cross paths in price. basically i doubt the CTS is worth as much as the price (V series excluded).

mpg. why do you not have the bridges of weir leather? tell us what u think of active park assist. go find a g8 to drag race. seat comfort, front and rear. last question "would you buy this car over a CTS 3.6"

while we're on the subject of gas. My cobalt is netting 27 mpg right now with this $h!ty cold weather. I want to note also that gas is over 3.20 here now. A few weeks ago my cobalt cost 25 bucks to fill. now its 35 or more. ANYWAYS. Also, the government tells me or requires actually that the gas I buy is ethanol blend. a blend of 10% ethanol. Curiously, when I put non oxygenated, non ethanol, small engine gas in the car, i get 10-15% better mileage. I spend a little more. in any case. I use 10% more gas for the same miles driven. Which is the same percentage as the ethanol. So in essence, I am forced to spend an extra 10% on fuel to buy the ethanol i didn't want to go the same miles. I am forced by the government to buy ethanol each time but it has no benefit to me, only cost.

could be a generational thing. over time, the newer masses have been conditioned to believe that government intervention is required for the world to be whole. That its needed in every aspect of life. To some degree we can thank the educational elite and the media for a lot of this. If it (constant presence of govt) were absent, the Kumbaya state of the numb minds would no longer exist and people would be left to think with common sense and with a sense of looking out for themselves. thus, it guarantees not only the 'worth' of government and need for it to remain, but the masses believe it needs to grow. so really, these new gas cans / caps are socialism and government oppression in its finest form. "You need these gas cans!!!!!!" Not only do we have the need for government to continually show up at the party and continually tell us they need to be omnipresent, we also have an increasing frequency of the State of California being a PMS attention whore narcissist Diva, too. It's kind of like a union, over time, they brow beat you into thinking you can't live or function without them.

didn't wanna uck with it considering when you want to cut your lawn, just fill the damn tank, and get going. the good old fashioned spout and vent worked fine. after that, i had no desire to try to play around with it. The fact that the spout is not flexible is a major hassle. When i pour gas into my mower and blower, i love the flexible spout because i don't have to tip the can much, and i can use the flexible spout to direct it nicely and still be able to see into the tank. Not having the flexible spout is not something i want so i chose not to bother with it. Especially on my 4 cycle weed trimmer. the tank is small and in order to fill it you have to be very careful in balancing the trimmer when you set it down so the tank and opening are at the exact right angle so gas flows in, does not overflow, and you can visually see how fast you fill it. It is absolutely imperative that you have great flexibility with being able to tip the gas can as little as possible, since it will literally fill up in a few seconds even with a trickle flow.

wife ran out of gas a mile from home one cold ass night last winter. she was forced to buy a gas can at the gas station by the offramp which she stalled since the copper helped her. a new, 10 dollar, 2.5 gallon gas can I didn't want or need. little did i know, this summer, the first time i used it, I try to get gas to pour out of the fhiopjo[pjoinouuuuuucking spout and DAMMIT how the f@#k does this piece of $h! work? Still haven't been able to figure it out. Whenever I need to pour gas from it, i take the flex spout off my other gas can. I pour the gas, I put that stupid piece of $h! back on. It's actually a f@#king hazard to try to pour gas with that new piece of $h!. Camino, I completely feel your angst on this one.

yeah but at two litres, anything that stifles maximizing the effects of your combustion........