Can't get a decent sized photo to upload so here's the link to Chevy's site with pics. http://www.chevrolet.com/cruze-compact-car/exterior-pictures.html
On January 10, I got a 2017 Cruze Premier RS Hatchback in Orange Burst Metallic. I've had my eye on this car for a few months and the lease offers in January were absolutely incredible so I finally made the move. The car has every option and stickered for $29,860. That's pretty steep but the lease programs made the price a non-issue. I love the look and especially the color! Here are my thoughts so far.
The good:
Quiet, refined and feels like a vault. My previous car was a 2014 Mazda 3 Hatch, which I loved, but the Cruze is definitely quieter and smoother; less engine buzz and less road noise. The handling is a little more relaxed but the difference seems pretty negligible. Despite being down 31 horsepower compared to the 3, the power feels the same and the transmission doesn't seem to get hung up holding onto first gear for the sake of fuel economy.
I love the look. The exterior styling is striking and to my eye, the Hatch totally fixes the frumpy rear styling of the sedan. The orange color stands out too, which I love. The interior styling is mostly good with top notch materials on the upper doors and dash. The leather is also high quality and not as cold as the Mazda's leather.
The features. Wow, this thing has a lot of cool stuff; heated steering wheel, heated rear seats, all of the advanced safety equipment, a fantastic infotainment interface and plenty of storage spaces.
The bad:
The 18" wheels & tires that come with the RS package look great, but offer very little cushion on Michigan's rough roads. My Mazda had the same problem and that car suffered plenty of tire and rim damage while I had it. I'm trying to be more careful with this car but really wish the RS package had a 17" option.
The interior. Like I said, it's mostly good but the lower plastics on the console and doors are too shiny to my eye and are of much lower quality that the upper plastics. The center console also has an economy car appearance to me. The rear door armrests are ridiculously tiny and one's elbow actually falls onto the door pull rather than the armrest itself. GM also placed the power window switches in the door pulls and my kids constantly lower the windows accidentally. The cargo area is higher and narrower than the Mazda. I've had to lower the seats to fit things that the Mazda held without folding the seats.
The features. The car is a bit of a mish-mash of great features and missing features, especially compared to the Mazda. No leather wrapped shifter, has a foot-operated parking brake, only one USB port, no LED tail lamps, no articulating headlamps and tiny sun visors.
There are always trade-offs and overall I'm really happy with it. I'm especially glad GM is finally offering this car as a Hatchback and hope it does well!
On January 10, I got a 2017 Cruze Premier RS Hatchback in Orange Burst Metallic. I've had my eye on this car for a few months and the lease offers in January were absolutely incredible so I finally made the move. The car has every option and stickered for $29,860. That's pretty steep but the lease programs made the price a non-issue. I love the look and especially the color! Here are my thoughts so far.
The good:
Quiet, refined and feels like a vault. My previous car was a 2014 Mazda 3 Hatch, which I loved, but the Cruze is definitely quieter and smoother; less engine buzz and less road noise. The handling is a little more relaxed but the difference seems pretty negligible. Despite being down 31 horsepower compared to the 3, the power feels the same and the transmission doesn't seem to get hung up holding onto first gear for the sake of fuel economy.
I love the look. The exterior styling is striking and to my eye, the Hatch totally fixes the frumpy rear styling of the sedan. The orange color stands out too, which I love. The interior styling is mostly good with top notch materials on the upper doors and dash. The leather is also high quality and not as cold as the Mazda's leather.
The features. Wow, this thing has a lot of cool stuff; heated steering wheel, heated rear seats, all of the advanced safety equipment, a fantastic infotainment interface and plenty of storage spaces.
The bad:
The 18" wheels & tires that come with the RS package look great, but offer very little cushion on Michigan's rough roads. My Mazda had the same problem and that car suffered plenty of tire and rim damage while I had it. I'm trying to be more careful with this car but really wish the RS package had a 17" option.
The interior. Like I said, it's mostly good but the lower plastics on the console and doors are too shiny to my eye and are of much lower quality that the upper plastics. The center console also has an economy car appearance to me. The rear door armrests are ridiculously tiny and one's elbow actually falls onto the door pull rather than the armrest itself. GM also placed the power window switches in the door pulls and my kids constantly lower the windows accidentally. The cargo area is higher and narrower than the Mazda. I've had to lower the seats to fit things that the Mazda held without folding the seats.
The features. The car is a bit of a mish-mash of great features and missing features, especially compared to the Mazda. No leather wrapped shifter, has a foot-operated parking brake, only one USB port, no LED tail lamps, no articulating headlamps and tiny sun visors.
There are always trade-offs and overall I'm really happy with it. I'm especially glad GM is finally offering this car as a Hatchback and hope it does well!