2011 Chevy Cruze Configurator Goes Live

24/36 for the turbo, not 26.

This car is only 5" shorter than a Kizashi and that car weighs 3300-3400lbs I believe. This is probably the largest compact on the market. The Sonata weighs over 3300lbs with automatic and other options. Base weights are all but irrelevant. C&D compared Sonata to Accord and Legacy and the Sonata was a whopping 20-30lbs less than the Honda.

@arumage: the Delta II platform is fairly standard in weight when paired with a torsion beam suspension. I had the chance to drive the Cruze in Mexico, and it weighed about the same as the previous Chevy Cobalt.

In the US & Canada, GM decided to use the rear suspension from the new Vauxhall Astra across the Atlantic, and placed more emphasis on making the Cruze feel more upscale.

It'll likely handle well, but we'll see if it'll be sluggish.

No sunroof? Not on any trim?

$100 for a spare on the lowest trim? Does anyone else do this?

The 2LT and the LTZ trim have the sunroof as an option.

I think it is getting more and more common for cars to come with sealant and an inflator rather than a spare. Not a great idea in my book.

It weighs less than a Jetta, the added weight equates to better safety, better and more solid ride. Does suck away from mpg a bit but I'd prefer a solid car rather than a light, cheap feeling car.

Oh yeah, they added sound deadening for the US market- more weight.

The LT weighs 3100lbs so I would guess the LTZ is about 3200lbs. The ECO should be lighter than both.

I don't trust the jetta at all- it got several inches longer but lost weight vs the last model. I'd bet they shaved that weight in sound deadening and decontenting.

10 airbags and lots of standard features plus sound deadening and a body structure capable of acing crash tests adds up. No one shops for cars based on curb weights- only auto journalists spend a lot of time on that subject.

@1487:

Edmunds tested a Limited Sonata. As tested curb weight was 3,288 lbs. That makes the difference a bit more than 100 lbs. between comparable models. You're right about people not shopping cars based on weight, but weight plays an important role on factors that people do shop on, such as fuel economy. The Cruze only manages 2 mpg better city and 1mpg better than the Sonata and is likely to be behinds 2012 Focus and 2012 Elantra in fuel economy. While the Cruze is bigger than either of the other two, the difference is likelly to be marginal.

I've have to wait til I see one in person. It must be bigger then I think to weigh that much.

I though it was to be a small car.

Wow!

I just configured a fully loaded LTZ. $27,005.00. Really? Granted they arent going to sell a majority of these fully loaded but I can think of many other cars in that price range. I'll take a Mazda 3 GT hatch for starters.

3100-3288 is nearly 200lbs difference. IL didnt test the SE sonata with the larger wheels which C&D did test- that model was over 3300lbs.

The cruze isnt much smaller than the sonata really, they trunks are almost even.

ECO will definitely beat the sonata in mileage at 40 vs 35.

$22,245 is the lowest price possible when configuring with a sunroof. Sure that MSRP, but WOW, the Cruze is overpriced when the options are added!
$15,658 is the price of a new 2010 Corolla S automatic with sunroof today at Carmax, Chevrolet better be prepared to slap the highest incentives in the class if they want to be competitive.
$23,485 when I added RS pkg., Pioneer stereo pkg., and spare tire.
ROFLMAO! You could buy a Camry LE automatic with sunroof and still have $4K left over.

@moparbad
But, then you still have a CAMRY.

@cubbybear1

Yes, you still would have a Camry which has a superior retained value and lower ownership cost than a Chevrolet Cobalt, which is the only current predictor of future performance of the Cruze.

+1 cubbybear1, camry=no soul and you can always buy a lower end model of a larger car for what a higher end model of a smaller car costs. It works that way with every brand out there and just about every car out there. That is like saying "I can buy a 2000 sq ft house in the projects for what a 1000 sq ft house costs in a gated high end community, that 1000 sq ft house is a joke"

early reviews have the Cruze blowing away the other small cars mentioned in ride, quite and handling. If it does all that it will be worth it. The corolla is boring, boring, and boring and (I haven't looked because from what I've heard they are boring) I doubt they are offered with as many higher end options as the Cruze. I don't even ever hear anyone throw out the Corolla name when comparing small cars anymore.

How's the remote start work on the Mazda3 GT? What? It doesn't have it? How big is the dumb grin on the front of the Cruze? What? It doesn't have it? How's the 6 speed transmission in the Corolla? What? It doesn't have it?

If everyone was looking for the same thing in a car then everyone would drive the same car.

It starts at under 17. If you have to have a cheap car with a sunroof then it probably isn't the car for you. You can compare it to every car made with a sunroof but it still doesn't mean that Chevy won't sell any.

tmanz

Does anyone really care about remote start,so called dumb grins or 6 speed gear boxes in this price range? Not likely.

Early reviews say the Cruze is a pleasant car to drive but so is the Cobalt.

I had high hopes (big fan of small cars) but now think next generation Cobalt.

Big rebates and rental cars will keep volumes up. Those who care about cars will been still shopping Ford, Honda and Mazda.

Nice try but once again GM is not serious about small cars.

Eh, I'll check it out when an SS option is added. I love compacts, but I have no interest in a non-performance oriented compact at this point.

@ arumage - 3000 lbs or so seems pretty normal for a car on the larger end of the compact class these days, sadly. The Sonata is definitely on the light end of the mid-size class, and there is still closer to 200 lbs of difference. The Cruze is right on the line between compact and mid-size, certainly larger than the Cobalt.

@sniperruff - my NC Miata doesn't have a spare. My dad was shocked that a car could actually be sold without one, but there you go.

Anyway, I hope this works out for Chevy. I hate the name, and this is more Corolla-ish than I'd care for, but that's what most of the motoring public seems to want.

"early reviews have the Cruze blowing away the other small cars mentioned in ride, quite and handling. "

Really? How about some links to show how the Cruz "blows away" the competition?

The new Chevy Cruze is bound to be a success in the US. It is a great combination of style and quality (http://www.2011chevroletcruze.com for reference). Nearly 40 MPG and the low MSRP will also help jumpstart the Chevy Cruze's success.

You guys are joking, right? No manual transmission except on the low buck LS model (on which you can't get anything - sunroof, fog lights, etc. - and you can't even get it in red. Furthermore, you have to pay extra to get it in black. You also get to pay extra (on all models) for a spare tire and a few more bucks for a front license plate bracket. You can get the LT and LTZ in red but you have to pay extra. What is all that about? Betcha the Cruze fails. It may be a decent car, but it is competing in the compact segment against Civic, Corolla, Mazda3, and a host of good Korean cars. If Ford has its stuff together on the new Focus, things will be even tougher. The Cruze will end up just like the Cobalt - big news at introduction and ho hum a year or two later. By the way, where does the 40 mpg talk come from? Everything I have seen shows 36 highway for the 1.8 engine and upper 30s for the 1.4 turbo. More hype?