So, yeah.
I needed to replace/rehome my 2005 Dodge Ram. 15mpg was just not working for the commute, and I wasn't hauling stuff anyway (bought it last year when I thought I was going to be buying a house). I ran my numbers and read the reviews and it came down to the Cruze, Focus, or Jetta TDi. FeeDub dealer wasn't interested in my trade (not that I can blame them) and the Focus wasn't as well-equipped as the Cruze for the same price. I drove an Eco and loved it, but the LS was a better fit for me payment-wise. I drove it as well and found it suited me just fine, despite the lack of turbo, cruise, and power seats. Took all of 3.5 hours from arrival at the dealership to signing the papers and driving away; most painless dealership experience ever. For comparison, buying the Ram was a two-day nightmare and it turned out they hadn't even inspected the thing before putting it on the lot.
Anyway, the new ride: 2012 LS, 6MT, ice blue metallic (which everybody comments on how beautiful it is), 25 miles on the clock when I first fired her up and 32 when I took her home. Some of the reviews said the front seats were narrow, which worried me as I'm kind of, uh, wide, but I love the fit. The 1.8 revs nicely and the trans is smooth, and she has more than enough grunt to deal with idiotic Phoenix traffic. Still getting used to the fairly limited iPod controls, but that's minor.
So far, I absolutely love my Cruze. The only projects I have in mind are the steering wheel swap to enable the cruise control, and maybe installing a sub. Otherwise, it's perfect. Chevy knocked this one right out of the park.
I needed to replace/rehome my 2005 Dodge Ram. 15mpg was just not working for the commute, and I wasn't hauling stuff anyway (bought it last year when I thought I was going to be buying a house). I ran my numbers and read the reviews and it came down to the Cruze, Focus, or Jetta TDi. FeeDub dealer wasn't interested in my trade (not that I can blame them) and the Focus wasn't as well-equipped as the Cruze for the same price. I drove an Eco and loved it, but the LS was a better fit for me payment-wise. I drove it as well and found it suited me just fine, despite the lack of turbo, cruise, and power seats. Took all of 3.5 hours from arrival at the dealership to signing the papers and driving away; most painless dealership experience ever. For comparison, buying the Ram was a two-day nightmare and it turned out they hadn't even inspected the thing before putting it on the lot.
Anyway, the new ride: 2012 LS, 6MT, ice blue metallic (which everybody comments on how beautiful it is), 25 miles on the clock when I first fired her up and 32 when I took her home. Some of the reviews said the front seats were narrow, which worried me as I'm kind of, uh, wide, but I love the fit. The 1.8 revs nicely and the trans is smooth, and she has more than enough grunt to deal with idiotic Phoenix traffic. Still getting used to the fairly limited iPod controls, but that's minor.
So far, I absolutely love my Cruze. The only projects I have in mind are the steering wheel swap to enable the cruise control, and maybe installing a sub. Otherwise, it's perfect. Chevy knocked this one right out of the park.