2011 Chevrolet Cruze Revealed Ahead of L.A. Auto Show

when ever any company puts out a press release in the middle of a weekend it just screams "we don't want this all over the knews" GM is famous for releasing bad news on weekends, like their financial reports. so it makes me think GM is not all that confident about the cruze i'm just not sure why, other then it'll be slower then the car it replaces and it's korean roots, but we already knew it was a deawoo, something is fishy. i do like small turbo'd engines however, so props to them for that, even if they're coming out with two engines with almost the same spec's on paper. they should drop the 1.8ltr and have two different tunes for the 1.4T, a standard tune for fuel economy and a hotter version that would atleast be faster then the current 2.2ltr.

I'm done -thankfully- with FWD transportation modules, but the Cruze appears to be a worthy and competitive effort. Gubmint Motor's big job will be convincing US consumers that they should consider it in the first place.

Is the 1.4L turbo upgrade the engine that gets 40 MPG?

It is a nice looking little car at least....better looking than a lot of Japanese small cars.

Given that the two engines are a mere 2 hp apart, I'm guessing that the 1.8 is being offered in a cheaper, entry-level version (assuming the 1.4T is more expensive to make/import in the US). Also, they're saying the engines will *include* these two, so that leaves the possibility of a more potent engine (the 2.0T going in the new Regal, maybe?) in the future.

So the turbocharged engine makes 138hp on full boil? I can only imagine what that will be like to drive out of boost.

"The much-heralded upgrade is a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder rated at - wait for it - 138 horsepower."

Um, this has been known for a year or so. When they first announced the engine they said it would make an estimated 140hp. It's designed for mileage, not performance.

xprojected:

the 1.4L is indeed more complex and expensive than the base engine. I would expect a high performance engine to come in an SS or sport model later. The 1.4L will be built in the US- it's one reason the car has been delayed until Q3 2010. They said they wanted both engines to be available at launch which suggests there have been delays in the production of the 1.4L turbo.

I'd drive a 140 horse car. Depends on the car's size. My old civic hatch had 108 hp. Shouldn't be a bad base engine here.

Based on the pics the interior layout is busy but I think it has the potential to impress shoppers in this segment - it certainly stands out from the competition in terms of design. GM's greatest challenge remains getting people into showrooms to even look in the first place, especially for a small car. If the quality holds up and the reviews are good this car sounds like it should be solidly competitive.

Is it just me, or does that interior put the Corvette's interior to absolute shame?

"GM's greatest challenge remains getting people into showrooms to even look in the first place, especially for a small car. "

That job wont be too difficult considering the success of the Malibu, Traverse and Equinox. Those vehicles prove Chevy can sell a competent vehicle in volume regardless of the underperformance of older models.

"Is it just me, or does that interior put the Corvette's interior to absolute shame?"

The car is 6 years newer. Are you surprised? The Corvette's interior is currently one of GM's oldest- in fact only the Cobalt's interior dates from the same era. Nothing GM designed for the 2005 model year can compete with what GM is releasing for the 2010 MY in terms of interior refinement.

Interior looks nice, but I'm disappointed with the looks on the outside. Then again I thought the Cobalt was/is a decent looking car so maybe I'm just off my rocker.

We have been seeing this car for over a year. The US version looks just like the versions sold in other countries. Its not as daring as the Civic but it certainly looks better than Corolla, 3 sedan, Lancer, Focus, etc.

The outside is ugly, particularly the front. It's almost as bad as the current Focus, and I think it will have trouble competing with the new Focus and Fiesta. Interior looks nice though, I hope the materials are decent.

This looks to be very competitive with the Corolla and Civic - better inside than both, and better outside than the Corolla, at least. The Civic shape is the most daring, and actually looks good to me.

This car apes a lot of bimmer styling in the trunk and sharp creases. Not my cup of tea, but mostly handsome.

Mmmmmm above average looking on the outside, and it does have a great looking interior.

I'm still not sure about the exterior...That black plastic triangle behind the rear window reminds me of the Avenger ::shudder::, but the interior looks excellent. I really don't get the whole two-engines-with-similar-power thing, and I can see customers getting pretty confused as salesmen try to explain it. It'll be interesting to see if they do an SS version.

the two engines will not acheive the same mileage. The 1.8 is cheaper to build, has less torque and is less efficient- it's there simply to give the car a low starting price.

These are the first interior shots I've seen. The exterior is well proportioned but unremarkable--but the interior styling really sets this car apart from the competition.

Likes:

- exterior
- 1.4T
- potential fuel economy

Dislikes:

- interior (similar designs are all around GM)
- 1.8 seems a bit weak in terms of peak power

"That job wont be too difficult considering the success of the Malibu, Traverse and Equinox. Those vehicles prove Chevy can sell a competent vehicle in volume regardless of the underperformance of older models."

1487, although the cars you listed are very solid and competitive offerings the compact segment has always been an area where GM has never really been able to fully compete. Unfortunately, no matter how good the Cruze is I think the Cobalt and moreso the Cavalier have already tarnished this cars image. With that said, I think this segment will be harder egg to crack for the Cruze.

As I've said before, Chevy needs to produce a small car that can build a (good) reputation like the Civic, Mazda3 and Corolla (yuk) have. Keeping that reputation positive is easier said than done as even the last generation Civic was not liked by many consumers and Honda enthusiasts because it was a "bean counters" car. Fortunately, Honda listened, admitted to severe cost cutting measures and even stated that they would never do it again. The 2006+ Civic proved that as it's a MUCH better car than the previous.

honda:

Before the Traverse Chevy had ZERO credibility or product in the midsize crossover market. Now the Traverse is the best seller. Before the current Equinox Chevy had little credibility in the four cylinder crossover market and yet the current model is selling so well they had to add a shift at the plant. Before the Malibu Chevy sedans only sold to rental fleets and "buy American" types. While the Malibu isnt a best seller its outselling its predecessor by a nice margin and is not relying on fleet sales to drive volume. Its not just about the segment, its about the strength of the brand. The vehicles I mentioned have strengthened the Chevy brand and now people will believe they can create a great compact car. The Cobalt has been around since 2004 and while its not a stellar car its a decent compact. The cavalier has been gone since 2004, its time to let it RIP. No one will care about a 7 year old Cavalier nameplate when the Cruze launches next year.

Yeah, they promised alot when the Cobalt came out, too. We'll see, but I'm not impressed...yet.

The cobalt was a huge improvement over the cavalier and its competent. It's interior is just OK and the car is a snooze to look at (sedan) but it gets all the basics right and has class leading hp.

Is there a coupe planned for this platform? If Chevy produced an attractive coupe with a good sport tune, it may win Honda kids over.