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Bought a brand new 2012 Chevy Cruze Eco... put 2200 miles on it in 5 days.

4053 Views 16 Replies 12 Participants Last post by  beeztee
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Hello! I went ahead and took advantage of the GM 0%, 0 down end of the year special and pulled the trigger on a 2012 Chevy Cruze "ECO" aka the CruzeMissile. I had previously owned a 1998 Lexus ES300 before this car, but I just love how this car has a turbo on it. I originally was shopping for a Honda Civic but the nearby dealer was pretty rude and wouldn't deal on a hand me down stripper 2012 Civic so I took a walk and went to the local Chevy dealership.

I went ahead and drove the car on an epic road trip to celebrate, and I was astonished at not only the performance of the little car, but the fact that it returned 38 MPG through the mountains and the little turbo never really left the car without any power. I made it from Houston to San Francisco for about 200 dollars worth of fuel.

Along the way, I went ahead and stopped by some of the nations landmarks, including Vegas, the Grand Canyon, and the Hoover dam, and not specifically in that order. I actually saw temperatures as low as 8 degree Fahrenheit during the trip.

The car came with the in-dash infotainment, custom leather seats, (Ice) and backup sensors. It was about 24K out the door for it.

Here she is on the showroom floor the night I bought her!



Happy customer!



Next to my moms 2010 Chevy Silverado LTZ (6.2 litre V8! 15 MPG!!)



Dashboard



Three days and 1500 miles(ish) later.



Grand Canyon Sunrise (8 degrees!)





Ghost town photo



More dust and dirt



Me in the grand canyon!




Fantastic car!
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Congrats on the purchase and great pictures. Thanks for posting.
Welcome to CruzeTalk and also on your new ECO. The fuel economy will improve for the first 5-10 thousand miles. Did you get the automatic or manual transmission?
Welcome to CruzeTalk and also on your new ECO. The fuel economy will improve for the first 5-10 thousand miles. Did you get the automatic or manual transmission?
I bought it with a automatic. I actually didn't know they came with manuals until after I bought the car. It really wouldn't have made a difference, because I was more concerned with having leather seats moreso then the transmission option. I already had my mind set on a Honda Civic but the Honda dealer was just really not wanting to deal with a leftover 2012 model that they had. They told me, quote, "If I didn't buy it, someone else will." So I told them good luck with that and went to look at the Chevy dealer. What really greased the deal was the downright literal, no BS attitude of the salesman. He showed me some models, and printed out the invoices and instantly applied the rebates. The ECO model I had was pretty well equipped, and was still cheaper then an LTZ they had on the lot. What I couldn't figure out was why the LTZ model cost more but had no NAV wherein the ECO model had EVERYTHING and was still 2K less out the door.
Great pictures! You have a great custom combo- leather seats in an ECO. The dealer must have realized how many customers want that and started having some made up to market them that way.

Looking forward to more great scenic pics of your Cruze!
Welcome and congratulations! Nice looking Cruze. Like others have said your fuel mileage will improve as the engine breaks in.
Congrats on new cruze you be more happy than with a Hondacivic.
It is aparent you really like the new cruze best wishs ,and keep on cruzing .
Great pictures! You have a great custom combo- leather seats in an ECO. The dealer must have realized how many customers want that and started having some made up to market them that way.

Looking forward to more great scenic pics of your Cruze!
The seats are fantastic. The ECO originally had cloth seats but I told the dealer I really wanted leather. They had a agreement with a local provider that could re-do the seats with leather. The best thing about it is that I could choose from 30 different custom shades. I almost went with Maroon, but then I found a light blue. They call it "ICE" but it just looks fantastic. It's more of an ivory and depending on the light that hits it the seats have a different shade. They mostly look white. I'll get some photos of the seats since I haven't taken photos of that yet.

The dealer added 895 onto the price of the car, which is honestly a smoking deal considering that it's all turn key. I once had a buddy with a 1995 Impala SS who paid 900 just to get new leather for his seats. That was just for the leather. He still had to turn around and do the labor himself, take the old seats old, striped them, put the leather on, re-install, etc.

In fact, here's another photo I have of the car. In the back window you can see the seats are a different color.

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Welcome! Congrats on the purchase. That really is a very nice looking car. I guess I'm a bit partial since mine looks almost the same, lol.

I had leather put in my Eco Manual aftermarket also. My dealer took it to a shop somewhere and had them do it. Definitely worth it IMO as it's much easier to clean. 38mpg is excellent fuel economy for an automatic Cruze.

The manual, however...

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Welcome! Congrats on the purchase. That really is a very nice looking car. I guess I'm a bit partial since mine looks almost the same, lol.

I had leather put in my Eco Manual aftermarket also. My dealer took it to a shop somewhere and had them do it. Definitely worth it IMO as it's much easier to clean. 38mpg is excellent fuel economy for an automatic Cruze.

The manual, however...


Wow. 54 is unbelievable. I didn't realize the manual was that effective. I still like the auto tranny though. If I was going for all out performance, I'd love the manual LTZ. I originally thought about putting a turbo on my little Lexus, but the aftermarket was really lacking for the 1MZ engine. It was a fantastic little car in most respects, but the moddibility just wasnt there. Looking back, its like this car is exactly what I wanted to turn that Lexus into, lightweight, with turbo and suspension. I didn't realise the LTZ came with a Watts link. That's a pretty serious piece of hardware.

I love the Eco, even though it has drums in the rear and no watts linkage. It serves the purpose and still drive fantastic.

I know this isn't a race, but I'm more then happy with 38 MPG. My original car made 25 HWY, and that was okay in my book so this car is practically paying for itself.

200 dollars Houston to San Fran is no joke. That's 2200 miles.
whose taken all you pictures?! a bipod :coolpics:
whose taken all you pictures?! a bipod :coolpics:
Thanks. Its actually an old school HTC Android G2 cellphone. I love the photos it takes. I get a ton of compliments on it. I still haven't upgraded because I love this phone.
I am jealous! Nice car, and you have my favorite cruze color. I think when I purchase my next cruze it will be a silver eco. I love my Silver Ice LS but the gas mileage really can't be over looked on those ECO. And yes I am wanting leather seats. Great photos by the way.
Very nice car and pics. Road trips are fun aren't they? Having lived in AZ all my life I've yet to go to the grand canyon. Think I'll do it this summer.

How much was the leather upgrade if you don't mind me asking?
Very nice car and pics. Road trips are fun aren't they? Having lived in AZ all my life I've yet to go to the grand canyon. Think I'll do it this summer.

How much was the leather upgrade if you don't mind me asking?
Not at all.

It was 895 rolled into the financing of the vehicle.
Congrats on your nice car! Welcome to the forum.
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