Anyone else let down by Chevy Cruze mpg?

[cfg83]

BrianAbington -

Originally Posted by BrianAbington

I forgot to mention... I saw a Cruze around town the other day...it does look bigger than a cobalt. I seem to remember reading that it is supposed to be bigger.

I like the tech on the ECO model especially the shutters for the lower grill.

Yes, it's definitely bigger. I think it follows the standard trend of US "compact" cars growing in size. Here is my favorite comparison, a 1990-1993 Honda Accord :

Honda Accord Production : 1990–1993

Wheelbase	
107.1 in (2720 mm)

Length	
1990-91 Sedan: 184.8 in (4694 mm)
1992-93 Sedan: 185.2 in (4704 mm)

Width	
1990-91: 67.9 in (1725 mm)
1992-93 Sedan: 67.1 in (1704 mm)

Height	
1990-91 Sedan: 54.7 in (1389 mm)
1992-93 Sedan: 52.8 in (1341 mm)

Curb weight	 2,728 lb (1,237 kg)

... And a 2011 Honda Civic :

Honda Civic Production : 2006–present

Wheelbase	
106.3 in (270 cm) (sedan)

Length	
176.7 in (447 cm) (sedan)
177.3 in (4503 mm) (2009– sedan)

Width	
69.0 in (175 cm) (sedan)

Height	
56.5 in (142 cm) (sedan)

Curb weight	
2945 (sedan)

For me the key numbers are the wheelbase and the curb weight.

As I get older I am considering bigger cars. Not a full-sized family car, but a mid-sized car. Something like the 1st gen Chrysler Cirrus/Breeze/Stratus (108" wheelbase, 3100 lbs). The Cruze fits the bill. I'm still a long way from buying a new car, but it's in my top-5 list.

CarloSW2

[cfg83]

Jammer -

Originally Posted by Jammer

...

I prefer the rear of a Cobalt Coupe with a spoiler with the standard round taillights, it reminds me a little bit like a 'Vette. I wish I could keep the rear end of my Cobalt Coupe XFE and combine it with the front end of the new Cruise- that would look nice I believe.

Yeah, I don't think the rear is a Cruze strong point either. I can't prove it, but I think it is a Korean design trend. Here is the Cruze :



And here is the Hyundai Elantra :



Here is my connection :

Chevrolet Cruze - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Underpinned by the front-wheel drive GM Delta II platform, GM said the Cruze was "developed by a global design and engineering team". Most of the design work was conducted by GM Daewoo, with Opel responsible for most of the engineering. This development program spanned over 27 months at a cost of US$4 billion. A total of 221 prototypes were tested in Australia, Canada, China, South Korea, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States

That's my theory and I'm sticking to it,

CarloSW2

[EdKiefer]

Originally Posted by cfg83

BrianAbington -



Yes, it's definitely bigger. I think it follows the standard trend of US "compact" cars growing in size. Here is my favorite comparison, a 1990-1993 Honda Accord :

Honda Accord Production : 1990–1993

Wheelbase	
107.1 in (2720 mm)

Length	
1990-91 Sedan: 184.8 in (4694 mm)
1992-93 Sedan: 185.2 in (4704 mm)

Width	
1990-91: 67.9 in (1725 mm)
1992-93 Sedan: 67.1 in (1704 mm)

Height	
1990-91 Sedan: 54.7 in (1389 mm)
1992-93 Sedan: 52.8 in (1341 mm)

Curb weight	 2,728 lb (1,237 kg)

... And a 2011 Honda Civic :

Honda Civic Production : 2006–present

Wheelbase	
106.3 in (270 cm) (sedan)

Length	
176.7 in (447 cm) (sedan)
177.3 in (4503 mm) (2009– sedan)

Width	
69.0 in (175 cm) (sedan)

Height	
56.5 in (142 cm) (sedan)

Curb weight	
2945 (sedan)

For me the key numbers are the wheelbase and the curb weight.

As I get older I am considering bigger cars. Not a full-sized family car, but a mid-sized car. Something like the 1st gen Chrysler Cirrus/Breeze/Stratus (108" wheelbase, 3100 lbs). The Cruze fits the bill. I'm still a long way from buying a new car, but it's in my top-5 list.

CarloSW2

right, that is were I made that comment, the Cruze wheelbase , wheel track and weight are all bigger than Cobalt .
They had Cruze on Autoweek this weekend and it looks like nice vehicle and step up from the Cobalt model .

[Jammer]

Wow, after seeing video it almost seems as if there is more room inside a new Cruise than a new Volt. Still when I parked my Cobalt xfe next to the 2011 Cruise, at the dealership, the size difference seemed to mainly be due to the newly designed front-end. The front has that wrap-around design of other cars and is large, so I guess GM figured they had to make that front "Bow-Tie" larger than the T.M.s normally seen on other brands too. It's like they wanted to make sure nobody confused it for a Honda or Toyota is the feeling I get. But I am only speculating.

[cfg83]

Jammer -

One thing I like about the rear taillights is that they are "connected" to the slope of the rear roofline :



Ton's of cars do this these days. Honda Accords come to mind. The first one I noticed was my 1997 Saturn, which was a small reason why I bought it :



The Cruze is more evolved than the Saturn. The Saturn is closer to a straight line while the Cruze is part of a curved arc.

My question to all of you is, what was the first car to do this?

CaloSW2

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by cfg83

Jammer -

One thing I like about the rear taillights is that they are "connected" to the slope of the rear roofline :



Ton's of cars do this these days. Honda Accords come to mind. The first one I noticed was my 1997 Saturn, which was a small reason why I bought it :



The Cruze is more evolved than the Saturn. The Saturn is closer to a straight line while the Cruze is part of a curved arc.

My question to all of you is, what was the first car to do this?

CaloSW2

hmm... I sure am not any kind of expert car guy, I fix computers for my $$.. So my stab at your question is only A GUESS....

"My question to all of you is, what was the first car to do this?

MY WILD GUESS IS: The Volkswagen Beetle??

Well I tried..... thats likely wrong given my limited knowledge of cars.

Cheers

[cfg83]

Jammer -

Originally Posted by Jammer

Wow, after seeing video it almost seems as if there is more room inside a new Cruise than a new Volt. Still when I parked my Cobalt xfe next to the 2011 Cruise, at the dealership, the size difference seemed to mainly be due to the newly designed front-end. The front has that wrap-around design of other cars and is large, so I guess GM figured they had to make that front "Bow-Tie" larger than the T.M.s normally seen on other brands too. It's like they wanted to make sure nobody confused it for a Honda or Toyota is the feeling I get. But I am only speculating.

Yeah, VW emblems are HUUUUGE these days. I think the nose of the Cruze is closely following the Chevy design language. The full-size Malibu came out before the Cruze, so the Cruze copied it. Here is an example :



The above images are not to scale because the Malibu is bigger.

When I go to the car show in LA I will measure the bow-ties on each car.

I kind of like this one because it is SF Giants Orange and Black :



CarloSW2

[cfg83]

Jammer -

Originally Posted by Jammer

hmm... I sure am not any kind of expert car guy, I fix computers for my $$.. So my stab at your question is only A GUESS....

...

MY WILD GUESS IS: The Volkswagen Beetle??

Well I tried..... thats likely wrong given my limited knowledge of cars.

Cheers

Hmmm, the Beetle. I never thought of that. My brain was thinking about "boxy" car designs from the early 1960's forward. The classic beetle gets the slope from "popping out" of the rear fender, which is a continuation of the rear roofline :



CarloSW2

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by Jammer

It's like they wanted to make sure nobody confused it for a Honda or Toyota is the feeling I get. But I am only speculating.

Brand image is a far greater consideration for car manufacturers than aero.
Hence the huge grilles on lots of modern cars.
Then they block off these grilles from the inside to reduce the impact of the grille on aero

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by cfg83

One thing I like about the rear taillights is that they are "connected" to the slope of the rear roofline :

Ton's of cars do this these days.

It's an esthetics thing that only helps if the rear roofline slopes gently.

No such aero help here