Hi! Figured I'd join my car's make-specific forum this time around, for a go-to place.
'08 Yaris was totaled on the way to Gram's 80th party in Upper Michigan; Cruze has blown it away in every aspect so far over the first ~3 weeks.
The only things I'm not the most fond of: rear seat room, tiny center console, *slight* tranny hesitation at times (to be expected with ANY 4 cyl, imho), and that ridiculous dash carpet (how's THAT actually supposed to stay nice after 5 yrs or so?! haha)
I'm approaching 600 miles; didn't use cruise, avoided flooring it for the most part, and "challenged" the engine for the 1st 5 hundo suggested "beak-in" period (even though everyone I've talked to said new cars are beyond that and are fine right away.) Plopped in the K&N, nice mats, good sunshade (actually keeps temp down more that I thought), and picked up a few misc creature comforts.
Next plan is to get 3M tinting to the MN legal max & 3M chip on the front clip, probably from Sun Control (place the autobody shop I work for trusts our cars with.)
Thought about a programmer too, for toning the engine down and eeking out the best possible mpg, but will need to spend some time here looking through stuff first; no sense in doing it unless I'll get 4-5 mpg more.
Anyhoo, Cruze is an awesome car for being near-entry-level; not without it's flaws (they ALL have them at this level.) If you need a solid & strong build, great mpg, and looks/colors that are cool enough without screaming at everyone like an attention-starved high-schooler, this is a great car! The technology is really impressive with the touch screen option too. I spent 3-4 weeks researching all of the cars in the pack with the Cruze, and over-all, sure, the Dart (supposedly a huge hassle in winter) or Veloster (awesome look but zero rear-view visibility) might be the fastest; Honda & Toyota still have the reliability name-sake insta-purchases on lock-down; and Hyundai & Kia have made big strides; for the "practical" consumer who's main objective is to save $ while getting to work & back, yet have just enough of a power option to have some fun here n' there--the Cruze is seemingly the best over-all.
'08 Yaris was totaled on the way to Gram's 80th party in Upper Michigan; Cruze has blown it away in every aspect so far over the first ~3 weeks.
The only things I'm not the most fond of: rear seat room, tiny center console, *slight* tranny hesitation at times (to be expected with ANY 4 cyl, imho), and that ridiculous dash carpet (how's THAT actually supposed to stay nice after 5 yrs or so?! haha)
I'm approaching 600 miles; didn't use cruise, avoided flooring it for the most part, and "challenged" the engine for the 1st 5 hundo suggested "beak-in" period (even though everyone I've talked to said new cars are beyond that and are fine right away.) Plopped in the K&N, nice mats, good sunshade (actually keeps temp down more that I thought), and picked up a few misc creature comforts.
Next plan is to get 3M tinting to the MN legal max & 3M chip on the front clip, probably from Sun Control (place the autobody shop I work for trusts our cars with.)
Thought about a programmer too, for toning the engine down and eeking out the best possible mpg, but will need to spend some time here looking through stuff first; no sense in doing it unless I'll get 4-5 mpg more.
Anyhoo, Cruze is an awesome car for being near-entry-level; not without it's flaws (they ALL have them at this level.) If you need a solid & strong build, great mpg, and looks/colors that are cool enough without screaming at everyone like an attention-starved high-schooler, this is a great car! The technology is really impressive with the touch screen option too. I spent 3-4 weeks researching all of the cars in the pack with the Cruze, and over-all, sure, the Dart (supposedly a huge hassle in winter) or Veloster (awesome look but zero rear-view visibility) might be the fastest; Honda & Toyota still have the reliability name-sake insta-purchases on lock-down; and Hyundai & Kia have made big strides; for the "practical" consumer who's main objective is to save $ while getting to work & back, yet have just enough of a power option to have some fun here n' there--the Cruze is seemingly the best over-all.