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Auto writers are fairly accustomed to smiling nods and unsolicited comments of appreciation from complete strangers when we’re behind the wheel of sleek European tourers and hot-off-the-dime road demons. But the thumbs-up from the guy at the red light was puzzling. After all, I was driving a Chevy Cruze, a humble, five-passenger compact sedan barely into its second year...


View full sizePhoto by James Gaffney/The Times-PicayuneCRUZE'N THE STREETS: The 2012 Chevy Cruze has combined stylish good looks, sporty road handling and wallet-friendly fuel economy to become one of the most talked about compacts in the market today, with an entry-level MSRP starting at around $17,000. Below (top), blue luminescent driver's-side instrument gauges imbue the cabin with a contemporary luxury feel.

Auto writers are fairly accustomed to smiling nods and unsolicited comments of appreciation from complete strangers when we’re behind the wheel of sleek European tourers and hot-off-the-dime road demons. But the thumbs-up from the guy at the red light was puzzling. After all, I was driving a Chevy Cruze, a humble, five-passenger compact sedan barely into its second year of production.



I rolled down the window. He did likewise.



“That car is going to be the salvation of GM,” he said enthusiastically, adding, “I’m buying one in a couple of months!”



If any car deserves to be mentioned in the lead paragraph of the quasi-Cinderella story still to be written about GM’s near-unprecedented turnaround, it might well be the Chevy Cruze, already earning raves from critics and consumers alike while being compared to the titans of the compact/subcompact class: the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla, as well as upstarts like the Mazda 3 and Ford Focus.

View full sizePhoto by James Gaffney/The Times-Picayune

To untangle what for any automaker would be this almost dream-like sequence — pour every brain cell you have into producing a vehicle that embodies state-of-the-art design, technology and fuel efficiency and within two years find it compared to the best of the best — requires taking a step back in order to see the forest for the trees.



Last January when I reviewed the 2011 Cruze LT2 and, in June, its cousin the 2011 Cruze Eco and its near-hybrid fuel economy, I predicted good things for this model after putting both cars to the test in a variety of driving conditions and scrutinizing its cabin design and materials along with its optional turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder powertrain. The Cruze seemed emblematic of how GM finally was in it to win it — and consumers would be hearing a lot about his car in the future.



I had no idea it would be the same year.



Much ado about something

From the get-go, the 2012 model seems to avoid the sophomore jinx ­— Chevy played it smart by keeping changes to a minimum, focusing on what is making the Cruze much ado about something. For instance, they kept the optional turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine (a standard 1.8-liter four-cylinder is available in lower trims levels), mated to a six-speed automatic, which is key to making the Cruze a sporty runabout thanks to the 138 horses under the hood and 148 pound-feet of torque delivered to the front. (This feat seems all the more impressive considering four-cylinder engines historically have never been a GM strong suit.)



While the torque is never going to throw your noggin against the headrest, in manual-shift mode the DOHC Ecotech engine offers sufficient boost in low revving ranges to turn freeway onramps into pieces of cake. It’s only in higher revving ranges that the bantam powerplant, even with a turbocharger, begins to offer a noticeably tamer growl, while upshifting becomes a bit lurchy between 3,000 and 4,000 rpms.



Elsewhere, the brakes feel a bit spongy for our tastes. I wasn’t expecting Brembo-like calipers that can help stop a car like a fighter jet on an aircraft carrier, making those Invisalig

Tags: Chevrolet, is-featured

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RIGHT MOVES: How did Chevy's 2-year-old Cruze LT get so good sooo fast? was originally published by New Orleans Auto Reviews: Chevrolet. Read the full story by clicking here.