2012 Chevrolet Cruze: Video Road Test & Review

The Chevrolet Cruze is a compact sedan that has given General Motors new life in the affordable car segment.  The four-door Chevrolet Cruze features attractive styling, solid fuel efficiency, and much more pleasant driving dynamics than previous small car efforts from Chevrolet.  The Cruze also comes with side curtain airbags that deploy along the entire length of the passenger compartment, side impact airbags front and rear, forward airbags, and knee airbags for the first two positions, and it features the OnStar telematics system, electronic stability control, and traction control.

The Chevrolet Cruze starts out in LS trim (MSRP $16,800), which provides air conditioning, 16-inch wheels, a CD player with satellite radio, power windows and door locks, and a trip computer.  Moving to the Eco trim (MSRP $19,325) adds a number of improvements designed to squeeze out a few miles per gallon, including lighter wheels, special tires and a aerodynamic tweaks to the sedan's body work.  The Cruze 1LT (MSRP $18,555) offers cruise control, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, Bluetooth connectivity and a USB connection for playing digital music files, while the 2LT edition of the car (MSRP $20,685) installs 16-inch alloy rims, a stiffer suspension system, rear disc brakes, heated leather seats with power adjustments for the driver, and remote start capability.  The top-tier Cruze LTZ ($23,190) is notable for its keyless entry, parking assistance, automatic climate control and 18-inch wheels.

The Chevrolet Cruze starts out with a 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine that generates 138 horsepower and 123 lb-ft of torque while turning in fuel mileage figures of 25-mpg city and 36-mpg highway.  A 1.4-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder is also available with the sedan, and it churns out the same horsepower as the larger mill but delivers a heftier 148 lb-ft of torque.  Fuel economy for the more robust turbo motor shows as 26-mpg city and 38-mpg highway, but in Eco trim these numbers get bumped up to 28-mpg around town and 42-mpg during highway cruising.  Both engines can be paired with the choice of either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission.

A list of cars similar to the Cruze includes the 2012 Honda Civic, 2012 Ford Focus and 2013 Hyundai Elantra.

See more details about the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze.