M/T: 2016 Cruze first drive

[kevm14]

Ah, this is good: 2,952 lbs curb weight.

[kevm14]

http://autoweek.com/article/car-reviews ... dailydrive

I think this does sum it up, though:

This is a better Cruze than the old one, no doubt. That’s the good news. Bad news: The whole time I was driving it I couldn’t help thinking I could get a GTI or Mazda3 for this price. No-brainer.

The new Cruze is good-looking. It sort of looks to me like a smaller Malibu; I like the new Malibu’s shape and the Cruze is one of the better-looking small cars.

It drives like a bigger car. That’s a compliment -- I’m talking about refinement and fine chassis tuning -- it’s stable and comfortable. It’s also relaxing; it likes a leisurely pace rather than hustling: The turbo-four is about average in terms of acceleration. Part of that is likely the auto trans; it upshifts quickly for better mpgs. The good news is there’s good torque down-low for buzzing around town.

The steep windshield makes the interior feel bigger, and the materials are for the most part fine. I was particularly impressed with the seats.

For now, again, no way I get this over a GTI (or any other Golf for that matter) or the Mazda3.

But Raynal is right. For the money, you can get a more engaging driver, especially if you aren’t dead-set on a sedan. To an enthusiast (or even semi-enthusiast), I’d probably recommend the VW GTI, the Ford Focus ST or a Mazda3, in something like that order, before the Cruze even entered the conversation.

There really isn't anything here for a car enthusiast. They should still work on a higher performance variant though.