2011 Chevrolet Cruze Review and Prices

By Chuck Giametta

2011 CHEVROLET CRUZE BUYING ADVICE

• The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze is the best car for you if you believe General Motors can build a world-class compact car.

• The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze is an all-new front-wheel-drive five-passenger sedan designed to get 40 mpg on the highway. Engineered to be sold in North America, Europe, Asia, even Russia, the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze essentially replaces the Cobalt compact in Chevy’s U.S. lineup. Highlights include a high-tech turbocharged four-cylinder engine, six-speed automatic transmission, and what Chevy claims are outstanding materials and assembly quality for a low-priced compact car. 
  

• Should you wait for the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze? Yes, particularly if Chevy can price it right. GM’s never had a hit selling one basic car globally, and Cruze uses a design that’s yet to prove itself in the marketplace. But GM has focused lots of engineering and marketing talent on this car, and it should realize Cruze’s true target is not the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, or Mazda 3, all of which have loyal fans who actually could afford more expensive cars. Rather, Chevy must price the 2011 Cruze to attract first-time or undecided buyers, those who’ll also be looking at the Hyundai Elantra, Nissan Versa, and especially at the all-new 2011 Ford Focus. The 2011 Focus, by the way, is also adopting a global design -- but one that’s already won plaudits.

2011 CHEVROLET CRUZE CHANGES

• Styling: Some buyers will choose the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze on price alone, but increasing numbers of value-conscious shoppers are demanding good looks and upscale features in their compact cars. Early reviews of the 2011 Cruze’s styling are mixed. Some see a contemporary shape that blends Chevy’s new signature single-bar grille with a body of attractive proportions and tasteful details. Others see a collection of tired cues, some of which – the arched roof in particular -- seem left over from GM’s Saturn brand. Looking like a winner, however, is the interior design of the 2011 Chevy Cruise. It’s inspired by the Corvette, Chevy says. But the more appropriate template is the midsize Malibu, whose two-tone hues and twin-cove dashboard are reproduced here on a smaller scale. Chevy promises outstanding fit and finish, and Cruze will need it to compete not only with Civic and Focus, but with the overachieving Hyundai Elantra and Kia Spectra. Dimensionally, the 2011 Chevrolet Cruise is fractionally larger than the Cobalt, itself one of the bigger cars in the compact class, though not one with a notably roomy passenger compartment. It’s essential that Cruze do better on that count. Finally, Cobalt came as a four-door sedan and two-door coupe. The 2011 Cruize launches as a four-door sedan and may add a four-door hatchback version in coming years.     

• Mechanical: Affordability and global adaptability dictate a conventional front-drive platform and time-tested suspension design, but that doesn’t’ mean the 2011 Chevy Cruise won’t innovate here and there. Exhibit A is a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine with variable valve timing. Chevy pegs it at 140 horsepower, a fine number given its small displacement. It’s with this engine Cruze promises highway fuel economy of 40 mpg. The other engine choice is a 1.8-liter four with continuously variable dual camshafts and an estimated 138 horsepower. Getting the most out of both engines is an available automatic transmission with six speeds, the number of ratios boasted by the best cars in the class, and two more than Cobalt ever provided.      

• Features: The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze base, LS, LT, and LTZ models. Each comes with antilock brakes, head-protecting curtain side airbags, air conditioning, a tilt/telescope steering wheel, height-adjusting driver’s seat, center console, OnStar assistance, and a folding rear seatback. Amenities like power windows, locks, and mirrors are likely to be optional on the base model and standard starting at the LS level. Same goes for features like alloy wheels, an antiskid system, and a steering wheel with audio controls. Chevy says Bluetooth phone and USB iPod inputs will be available. Also expect the options list to include a navigation system, audio systems with hard-drive storage, a sunroof, and perhaps leather upholstery; many of these features could be standard on the top-line 2010 Cruze LTZ model.

2011 CHEVROLET CRUZE PRICES

• Chevy was far from announcing 2011 Cruze pricing at the time of this writing, but the base model is likely to start around $16,000 with the LTZ reaching an estimated $24,000. Add another $1,000 or so to replace manual transmission with the six-speed automatic.

2011 CHEVROLET CRUZE FUEL ECONOMY

• No official fuel-economy numbers are available for 2011 cars, but it’s reasonable to expect ratings for the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze of something like 28 mpg city/40 mpg highway with the 1.4-liter turbo engine and 25/36 with the 1.8-liter. The choice of manual or automatic transmission shouldn’t make a major difference in fuel economy.

2011 CHEVROLET CRUZ RELEASE DATE

• The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze is due in showrooms starting in mid 2009. It’ll be sold alongside the Cobalt for a short period. The Cobalt sedan will be discontinued around June 2009, with the Cobalt coupe surviving perhaps into 2010. GM is building Cruze on several continents, tweaking the basic design  to local standards. North American-market Cruzes are assembled at GM’s plant in Lordstown, Ohio.

2011 CHEVROLET CRUZE COMPETITION

• Honda Civic: Sporty, efficient, roomy, and reliable, this has long been the gold standard for compact cars, and Honda is readying an all-new version for model-year 2011. Little info has leaked about that ninth-generation Civic, but a slight increase in size and power and even better fuel-economy is a safe bet. Meantime, the 2010 Honda Civic remains a must-see for any shopper in this class. It’s available as coupe, sedan, and a gas-electric hybrid sedan. Fuel economy ranges from 26/34 mpg to 40/45 for the hybrid; the sporty 197-horsepower Si versions rate 21/29.  Prices start around $15,500 and range to $30,000.

• Hyundai Elantra: A remarkable value among compact cars. Priced from under $15,000, every Elantra comes with a long list of standard features, including antilock brakes, heated power mirrors, and power windows and locks. These sedans and wagons from South Korea give up nothing in room or build quality to the top compact competition. About the only kink is a 141-horsepower four-cylinder engine that’s a bit buzzy in all-out acceleration. Fuel economy ratings are 24/33, and Hyundai’s warranty is among the industry’s longest. No major changes are in store for the Elantra until after model year 2012.      

• Ford Focus: Focus for 2011 finally segueways to Ford’s renowned European-engineering design. Expect terrific road manners, futuristic styling, and lots of advanced features. By contrast, the 2010 Focus is a holdover from an aged U.S.-born design freshened for model-year 2009 but still an also-ran for room, quality, and looks. At least prices are competitive. Focus has a 140-horsepower four-cylinder and fuel-economy ratings that top out at 24/35 mpg.