Repair-It

http://www.motortrend.com/news/2016-che ... A4BDEE72C4

Kind of like the Malibu. Solid choice, probably not driver's choice (but not driver's last choice), and maybe the quietest of the class.

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

Going with their headline, some of the selling point of the Cruze is the connectivity. Which actually may be a sneak peak of what differentiates future cars.

Chevrolet ditched the multiple power plants available in the previous generation Cruze, instead settling on the capable 1.4-liter turbocharged I4. Rated at 153 hp at 5600 rpm and 177 lb-ft from 2000-4000 rpm, the Cruze won’t have the most potent powerplant in the class, but it isn’t at the bottom of the pack either. The turbocharged engine is mated to either a six-speed manual or the six-speed torque-converter automatic. There will be a diesel, and maybe a future performance package, but Chevy was tight-lipped about the particulars.

Future performance package? They really need to do this. I don't expect a full blown Focus RS competitor but something at least as good as the old Cobalt SS would certainly be a start.

I guess this sums up the 2nd gen Cruze:

The compact car world is brimming with brilliant performers that also manage to sip fuel. Chevy delivering a Cruze that's competitive with the newest Civic does say a lot about the Detroit-based automaker. However, "competitive" is as far as it goes -- the Cruze won’t blow anything out of the water.

With a hatchback and a diesel on the way, the Cruze lineup will get interesting over the coming years. In the interim, the 1.4-liter turbocharged Cruze fits the bill for folks who need a small and efficient car with a lot of bells and whistles. Those seeking a more dynamic driving experience might be disappointed

This doesn't mean it is a failure - being competitive is not failing. But it's also not leading. Having a diesel and performance variant in the lineup may help.

I hate to say it, but if GM doesn't make cars that people want that do not use the small block, they are going to be almost as screwed as they were last time gas went up. Their current line up is only really great where they offer the small block. Their cars are all lack luster unless you just want something that looks decent. The Cruze, Malibu, and Impala all look ok for what they are, but are not really winning in performance areas. Toyota already has the market on cars that get from point A to point B without excitement.

All of GM's great vehicles still depend on the small block. The Camaro, the Corvette, and their great trucks. Everything else is middle of the road. Knowing that gas prices will rise, I don't understand this marketing strategy. Ford is actually much better postured with their Ecoboost technology, even if it is in marketing alone, it is better than nothing.

Why are they so afraid of a small to mid sized performance car? If they had more focus on AWD like Ford does(not more Ford Focus LOL), maybe they could make RWD performance variants. I find it hard to believe that if there was a AWD Malibu or Cruze that they couldn't make a RWD performance car out of that.

billgiacheri wrote:Toyota already has the market on cars that get from point A to point B without excitement.

Bread and butter cars are so competitive now that everyone sells a good amount of cars. While looking for sales numbers, I did find this which may be of interest for other purposes (total model production over all generations): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_a ... s_by_model

Civic: http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2011/01/ho ... gures.html
3: http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2011/01/ma ... gures.html
Corolla: http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2011/01/to ... gures.html
Elantra: http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2011/01/hy ... gures.html
Cruze: http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2011/01/ch ... gures.html
Focus: http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2011/01/fo ... gures.html
Sentra: http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2011/01/ni ... gures.html

Some Excel math reveals some stats for average annual US sales:
Civic: 299,421
3: 108,303
Corolla: 299,818
Elantra: 205,380
Cruze: 243,555
Focus: 208,377
Sentra: 138,560

The market is dynamic and there are more to sales than objective vehicle characteristics. Therefore, you cannot engineer a car based on sales trends and expect exact results. Everyone shouldn't build a Corolla. Everyone shouldn't build a 3. Although cars like the Cruze may not be as stupid as you think, straddling the line between total boredom (can you really out-Corolla a Corolla?) and the dynamics leader, the 3, which is a sales laggard. The Focus looks good here as it also drives pretty well and is far ahead of the 3 in sales. But then again, the Elantra, which is merely ok, does almost as well. The Civic may as well lay right on top of the Corolla for sales but they are not at all interchangeable as far as the way they drive.

Like I said, it is not formulaic.

In the case of the Corolla and Civic, I'd say the results are more "I need a small appliance from a trusted brand that is affordable and gets good mileage." It is of little consequence that the Civic and Corolla drive totally differently to an enthusiast. By the way, these are all affordable and get good mileage.

billgiacheri wrote:All of GM's great vehicles still depend on the small block.

That's just not true.

Malibu is a good car (it should sell decently). The Impala IS really good. The Cruze will sell pretty well as it has before. Buick has a decent lineup. Cadillac ATS, CTS. The non-small block versions are very well regarded.

I'd also rephrase that because the small block isn't a crutch - it helps make vehicles like the CTS-V and Corvette/Z06 what they are. In the trucks, they are an engineering solution that is very effective.

The engine isn't the only thing they offer - this isn't the 90s anymore. By vast majority, engines don't sell cars in 2016.

It is funny that the ford outsells the Mazda 2 to 1, considering that it is the same car except the Mazda looks and drives a little better.

The numbers may be closer when you look at sales to individual consumers: http://gmauthority.com/blog/2015/06/it- ... to-fleets/ I almost never see a 3 in a rental fleet.

Yeah I guess I don't know the non-fleet numbers for any of these cars.

That is a great point, I don't think I have ever seen a Mazda3 at a rental facility.

Let me just spell out the point about fleet sales: when discussing how popular a car is, typically you'd discount fleet sales. Non-fleet sales, then, would indicate how many people electively purchased the car.

Cruze Premier:
http://www.motortrend.com/news/2016-che ... 6D9CA202B2

This is all pretty positive. It is a good car and they'll sell a bunch. I wouldn't say it is hands down the best in the segment but you can make a case for it depending on your needs.

Chevrolet is getting better at small cars. It may be a segment that is losing favor to small crossovers, but GM’s designers and engineers recognize that a lot of customers are still in the market for a compact car, and they don’t want to make compromises.

Encore anyone?

The new Chevrolet Cruze makes a good first impression—not something that could always be said of a Chevy compact car. The warm two-tone interior of our 2016 Cruze Premier four-door sedan test car is downright inviting and belies the fact that this is still considered an entry-level car. The Cruze is nicely loaded with one of the best infotainment systems in the business, heated seats and steering wheel, remote start, and a seamless stop-start system. Consumers might be pleasantly surprised with how much they can get for less than $25,000.

Not bad.

At first blush the interior is quite stunning. You have to look closely to find a few fit and finish mishaps and some stitching that got slightly off course.

Check.

Power comes from a turbocharged I-4 that generates 153 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque. Our tester went 0-60 in 8.2 seconds, finished the quarter mile in 16.3 seconds, and took 113 feet to brake in the 60-0 test.

It was fun to drive—enough that we pushed it far enough to get a little squirrelly on one curve of a canyon road. The suspension was very responsive and sopped up everything. Only side note: vibration on a stretch of undulating highway.

I would presume both the Focus and 3 would out-perform this but the athleticism it does have is above average, with the refinement and features at the same time.

Fuel economy is middle of the pack at 28/38.3/31.9 mpg city/highway/combined in Real MPG testing. The Cruze does come with start-stop technology, which saves fuel while idling. It is extremely smooth; there’s no reason to turn this one off.

Not segment-leading but perfectly acceptable.

GM can claim one of the best infotainment systems on the market. It has a large, modern-looking screen, it’s intuitive, and it taps into Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

This is also important.

Rear passengers in the Cruze are treated well with heated seats

Nice!