2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco

Pros: Steering and handlind, comfort, hands free wireless options, aesthetics, fuel economy, size of vehicle and layout, interior ie dash-steering wheel-instrument panel, (manual) great spacing between gears and engagement, engine bay clean and presentable ie e

Cons: slight acceleration lag when changing gears with a manual trans, mediocre stereo system,.

Summary: Overall this car is very presentable and everything seems to be of descent quality. I traded my Jeep Wrangler to get into this car because I left the Active Duty Army to re-enter the college life and my concern of the economy and fuel prices. In doing so, I have less pay and lots of commuting leaving this car the perfect choice.

Interior
I have been impressed with this vehicle overall considering I wasn't expecting much of an economy car. The cabin of the vehicle is cozy and I feel right at home. If you have any desire to carry luggage around, the trunk is spacious and the back seats drop down allowing space from the trunk into the interior of the car. Cabin noise is also good, there is very little to no noise while cruising down the interstate. The shifter and steering wheel look very nice being that they are wrapped in leather. My model came with the cloth charcoal seats, nothing special here other than they come with full adjustments ie roll forward and backwards (F/B), slide F/B, lean the seat F/B and boost the seat height up or down; all of which are manual controls on my model. Operating the seat function is pretty straight forward.

Exterior
The eco model looks like a very sharp car from the outside with its angular jet-fighter styling. GMC has been designing some gorgeous body styles lately, in particularly their Chevy and Cadillac line-ups. The Chevy Cruz Eco and other models are no acception. Even the chrome rims that come on the eco model are gorgeous. This car looks good in silver with tinted windows.

Performance
The engine by no means is designed to be a racing power-house, it's a frugal fuel-sipper and I have no complaints. Even with being frugal on fuel, the motor is not under-powered by any means. I did expect better gas mileage than 33/4 MPG highway and city considering my 1999 for escort was able to get similar fuel mileage. You get a substancial 3 to 4 MPG gain if you "cruze" around with the AC off. Being in FL, I only do this during the Fall where I have the added benefit of cooler temperatures and better MPG from not running the compressor. Handling feels natural and aggressive on this vehicle. However if I were to complain about something, it would be the lower RPMs have very little torque until you give the turbo a chance to spool up. This can make shifting aggravating at times making for an exaggerated un-smooth acceleration between shifts in lower RPMs; you'll need to see for yourself. Also, if you are considering a hybrid for fuel economy, I would recommend this car considering it is a straight forward turbo-charged motor compared to the new and extremely complex systems coupled with their electrical power-train. I have to say in regards to maintenance and getting parts, more is not better which is what you get with a hybrid. They are still not in their prime leaving few mechanics up to the job of a quick and easy repair of a simple motor design.

Hands Free System
The hands free microphone is the best I've used or seen on a vehicle. Everyone can hear me clearly when I make calls. My old 2010 VW Jetta TDI had the hands-free, but I didn't use because people had trouble hearing me during calls.

Summary
Overall I am very satisfied with my purchase. I wrote this quick review to fend for this car since I think it deserves the credit. If this vehicle didn't deliver, I'd be one of the first to tear it apart in an all out review. But for now, it's been an enjoyable experience 5k miles later in a 6 month period. Thanks for stepping up the game Chevy and delivering a quality product for the budget conscious.

Updated on Oct 19, 2011

I must agree with the other response to this review. My Chevy Cruze Eco averages 34MPG city/highway under regular to agressive driving conditions and can get 40 MPG on the highway easily with passengers on board and A/C running. I can only see this guy getting this kind of MPG with an over-loaded car, pulling a trailer and being hard on the gas; typical of a Lexus owner I suppose? The Lexus 250h goes for $40k roughly. Spend the $19-21K on the Eco and probably spend $10k-15k in fuel over the life of the vehicle and you still pay less than what you would for this guys Lexus. I can go on, but I think we get the point hear.