Over my years as being an automotive journalist, there have been few cars that actually surprised me: The Porsche Cayenne; who would have thought that Porsche would make an SUV?! The Hyundai Genesis sedan; a luxurious car from Hyundai!?
This week I am driving the all new Chevy Cruze LT and I am surprised that not only is this car competing in the compact segment, it is a Chevy.
There has been so much hype surrounding this car at auto shows and on TV that I really tried to ignore it until I had a chance to drive the car for myself. Honestly, I was not really expecting much...
People are not buying a compact car simply as an inexpensive way to get them from point A to point B. With the changing economy and price of gas, more and more consumers are turning to compact designs as their main vehicle.
In this segment, you can find the likes of the Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Mazda3, Toyota Corolla and Hyundai Elantra and you can get them all for under $17,000.
Bob Lutz, former GM vice-chairman was quoted once as saying that “in the past, compact cars were seen by domestic automakers as a commodity that people drove because they couldn’t afford anything better…. This is the first time we have taken this segment seriously.”
This was very obvious with past GM products. As soon as I laid eyes on this Cruze, I immediately realized that he was darn right about the last part of his statement; this Cruze might be able to seriously take on leaders in this compact class.
One word seems to pop into my head a lot with the Cruze: solid.
The door closes with a firm feeling, the steering wheel is dense and all the touch points have a great feel.
The fit, finish and overall appearance of the interior I would almost describe as luxurious. Shiny black piano finish, chrome detailing and soft touch buttons make this interior really stand out. It would easily compete with some of the more expensive mid and full sized cars on the market.
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| I didn’t think I would fall for a domestic sedan. But I have! (Photo: Lacey Elliott/Auto123.com) |
This week I am driving the all new Chevy Cruze LT and I am surprised that not only is this car competing in the compact segment, it is a Chevy.
There has been so much hype surrounding this car at auto shows and on TV that I really tried to ignore it until I had a chance to drive the car for myself. Honestly, I was not really expecting much...
People are not buying a compact car simply as an inexpensive way to get them from point A to point B. With the changing economy and price of gas, more and more consumers are turning to compact designs as their main vehicle.
In this segment, you can find the likes of the Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Mazda3, Toyota Corolla and Hyundai Elantra and you can get them all for under $17,000.
Bob Lutz, former GM vice-chairman was quoted once as saying that “in the past, compact cars were seen by domestic automakers as a commodity that people drove because they couldn’t afford anything better…. This is the first time we have taken this segment seriously.”
This was very obvious with past GM products. As soon as I laid eyes on this Cruze, I immediately realized that he was darn right about the last part of his statement; this Cruze might be able to seriously take on leaders in this compact class.
One word seems to pop into my head a lot with the Cruze: solid.
The door closes with a firm feeling, the steering wheel is dense and all the touch points have a great feel.
The fit, finish and overall appearance of the interior I would almost describe as luxurious. Shiny black piano finish, chrome detailing and soft touch buttons make this interior really stand out. It would easily compete with some of the more expensive mid and full sized cars on the market.
 |
| Once again the word solid comes to my mind. It feels substantial to sit it and every corner and bend it takes delivers a planted and firm ride. (Photo: Lacey Elliott/Auto123.com) |