Anyone else let down by Chevy Cruze mpg?

[endurance]

Getting back to the original question for a second, I think this EPA page says a lot (click on the second tab, all years).

Of the top ten mileage cars of all time offered in the US, only three have been made in the last five years. At that, they take a lot of technology to get there with all three being hybrids. There is no question in my mind that those three are a hell of a lot safer and more comfortable than the others, which are mostly sub-2000 pound tin boxes with tiny motors. However, I'm not sure we have to go to the extreme of a 3,100 pound car to get safety and comfort. Who said I wanted comfort anyway?

I still think GM and many of the other manufacturers are missing the boat. There is a segment of the population that would still kill for a 50+ mpg car that skips some of the creature comforts and compromises somewhere in the middle on safety. Hell, people are buying Smart cars, so seriously, it's clear some people aren't focused on the safest car in the world. You stick a Honda motor in that Fortwo and I don't see why it wouldn't top 65mpg without even hypermiling it. For that matter, I'm not sure how in the hell something that small with a mere 1.0 liter engine can get mileage as low as 40mpg?

Anyway, I feel your pain. As I look at my options for my next car, the list is shorter, not longer than I had in 1990. The uber-high mileage cars of the 80s and early 90s are getting miled out and reliability still ranks high for me, so as I look at 2000 and newer cars, my pickings are slim. I'm just hoping some new options will appear on the horizon soon. Otherwise I might be forced into a Prius and that makes me sad.

[cfg83]

endurance -

While I understand your argument, I don't think it makes sense economically. For lack of a better term I think we are the "1 percenters", hence we are a niche market. If I am an auto manufacturer, I would look to modifying an existing platform into an "XFE" or an "ECO". That means inheriting a lot of the safety stuff that increases weight.

Also, it's not clear to me that Smart cars have been a success in the USA :

Four-door Smart car coming to the U.S.

The Smart brand has long been a money-loser for Daimler, and the brand's 2008 entry into the U.S. market has resulted in disappointing sales.
Despite fuel economy of over 40 miles per gallon on the highway, Smart sales peaked early, then plunged. So far in 2010, sales are running more than 60% below 2009, which was one of the worst years for sales in the auto industry.

On the other hand, I posted that the Cruze ECO has shed 200 lbs. Yes, that's not a lot, but if the ECO Cruze gets the same crash ratings as the Cruze "Regular", then it would make sense to migrate the ECO weight $aving$ across the platform because reducing variation lowers costs.

CarloSW2

[endurance]

I completely agree, with sub-$5/gallon gas, we're a small niche. However, I also recall car shopping for the GF who was in a 18mpg SUV in the summer of 2008 and having only a handful of options that were sub-$15k 30mpg+ cars that were in stock. There was a 180 day waiting list for the Mini-Cooper. While she eventually compromised on a used Protoge-5, because she hates the styling of Hondas (much like I hate the styling of the Prius), there's the potential for a flash market in a sudden spike in oil prices.

I agree, it's tough to keep a 40+mpg car on the showroom floor just for a few thousand units a year, but if you're the only game in town and you can ramp up production quick enough, you've got a hell of a winner. In the end, until gas prices go up and stay up, the population in this forum is not going to be happy with the choices.

As for the Smart Car, I think it's ahead of its time and we'll see them become the Geo Metros of the era (a small committed fan base that saw the real value).

[Fr3AkAzOiD]

Some of the places they may be saving weigh may also cause other side effects such as more noise in the cabin from thinner gauge steel, thinner windows, less sound absorbing foam under the carpet.

IF, things like what I listed above are what they changed then they may not want to change it across the entire line. If they did next thing there would be adverts form competiros aobut not buying "noisy" American cars.

Everything is a compromise and a change that would make one area better (like mpg) usualy causes something else to get worse (like road noise, tire grip, creature comforts, internal room, looks, cost).

Though I do wish for more XFE or ECO versions of current cars and if they are going to put out cars that us 1%ers would be buying then I would like for them to push the envelope a bit more then they have in the past. Making a large car a hybrid and then giving it a rating of one mpg better is not going to fix anything.

Though I am hopeful of some cars to come.

[cfg83]

endurance -

Originally Posted by endurance

I completely agree, with sub-$5/gallon gas, we're a small niche. However, I also recall car shopping for the GF who was in a 18mpg SUV in the summer of 2008 and having only a handful of options that were sub-$15k 30mpg+ cars that were in stock. There was a 180 day waiting list for the Mini-Cooper. While she eventually compromised on a used Protoge-5, because she hates the styling of Hondas (much like I hate the styling of the Prius), there's the potential for a flash market in a sudden spike in oil prices.

I agree, it's tough to keep a 40+mpg car on the showroom floor just for a few thousand units a year, but if you're the only game in town and you can ramp up production quick enough, you've got a hell of a winner. In the end, until gas prices go up and stay up, the population in this forum is not going to be happy with the choices.

As for the Smart Car, I think it's ahead of its time and we'll see them become the Geo Metros of the era (a small committed fan base that saw the real value).

110% agreement. The Cobalt XFE tweaks were design-delivered in about 6-months, but long after the gas-price increase had damaged GM sales. With a little foresight it could have been a "niche bragging point" for the last 5 years if they had funded it in the salad days of SUV sales.

As I like to say ad nauseam, I *wanted* to buy a new Saturn Ion, but it had worse MPG than my current S-Series. All I wanted was equal-or-better MPG (but they wouldn't give it to me). Give me that and I would have lived with other flaws that came with the car.

CarloSW2

[EdKiefer]

The good thing going for Cruze is it gets great mpg but at same time is full featured car for its class and while hybrids get better mpg they also cost a lot more .
I think for overall market this could open it up for Chevy, as it would appeal to wide market segment

Now onto high eco compacts, all chevy (GM) needs to do is uses the same tech of the Cruze (meaning powertrain) and use it in that Aveos its light, small and with similar small turbo/6 speed trans should got into mid 40's an above mpg .

[nmgolfer]

Chevy blew again with the cruze...

Its what 800 lbs heavier than a highly safe and uber reliable Yaris (which gets re-uped in 2012)... The new Huyndai Accent (verna model in Korea slated for US in 2012) has a direct injected 1.4 l and will get better mileage (44 so they say). Toyota is rolling out an affordable 60 mpg hybrid in their Scion line. Ford has the focus... Sigh... yet another Detroit disappointment...There's only one reason to opt for it that I can see... "buy american pseudo-patriotism"

But hey... its government motors... what else would you expect.....

[Frank Lee]

What? Lighter is better?

[endurance]

Originally Posted by cfg83

110% agreement. The Cobalt XFE tweaks were design-delivered in about 6-months, but long after the gas-price increase had damaged GM sales. With a little foresight it could have been a "niche bragging point" for the last 5 years if they had funded it in the salad days of SUV sales.
...
CarloSW2

Well, there's the answer that I hadn't thought about. Develop a car everybody wants (civic-like generic small car features) with a cheap, stripped down model with a tiny engine that gets kick-butt mileage (underpowered in the eyes of the US consumer today), then when the price of gas tops $4/gallon, you can keep your assembly line flowing, just ramp up production of the stripper/high mpg model and you have a winner waiting in the wings. In the meantime, us ecofreaks will have an option we can hunt down or special order.

In 02 I had every intention of buying a Civic HX, but there wasn't a single one in the Denver Metro area with a 5-speed (all were CVT (transmission that still doesn't feel/sound right to me)). I kinda wish I would have ordered one in hindsight, but then again, the car I ended up with was totalled within three years anyway. Such is life.

[Thymeclock]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

What? Lighter is better?

Hmmm. I think I heard this somewhere else recently.