AFSCME 3357-HOF'S BLOG

2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco Rated at 42 MPG Highway

Great, but look out for the Elantra

Chevrolet has announced that the EPA has rated the Eco model of its 2011 Chevrolet Cruz Eco at 42 MPG highway. It will be rated at 28 MPG city. GM is skilled at getting good highway economy ratings for its vehicles. Special aerodynamic enhancements and the 138 horsepower 1.4 liter turbocharged engine (and a manual transmission) are the special sauce that delivers the good MPG. The non-eco version of car with the same engine is rated at 24/36, the Eco with an automatic transmission is 26/37. The price of the Eco with destination is $18,895.

As it so happens, a couple of weeks ago, I had my first opportunity to go out and test drive cars in about two years. I had two primary targets, the Ford Fiesta, and the Chevrolet Cruze. I drove the Fiesta, and it was a nice little car. When I went to the Chevrolet dealer to drive the Cruze, Icouldn't get the attention of a salesperson, or any employee for that matter, for the 20 minutes I was in the showroom and out on the lot. They had two locked Cruzes on the lot. One stickered at $22,000+, and the other stickered at over $24,000. The Cruze may be a nice car, but at those prices, they're going to have to "put some money on the hood" to get buyers in the face of stiff competition. Also, if the idea behind the dealer cull was to enhance the customer experience, it certainly didn't work in my case.

For more information, check out this post at edmunds.com.

Picture Chevrolet via Edmunds.com