2010 Chevrolet Cruze

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GM will offer a new 1.4 Liter turbo in the all new Chevy Cruze. Allowing it to get almost 45MPG on the highway.

This is pretty amazing news coming from a US company.
The Coblat replacement will be much cheaper than any Hybrid on the market and offer almost similar gas mileage. At least on the freeway.
That can only be great news for consumer. Ga will be over $5 a gallon by the time the Cruze comes out.
Not sure about horsepower yet, but VW does offer a 1.4 Liter Turbo in Europe with 168hp!
So it can be done.

With this engine and their 2.0 Liter Turbo with 260hp already in use in a few models, GM seems better equipped (for now) to respond to the amazing US customer turnaround.
Ford doesn’t seem to have any powerful small engines right now.
And Chrysler just has nothing….

Conversation 33 comments

  1. With all due respect, if you think Chevy will have a car that beats Honda or Toyota in fuel economy, you’ve been drinking GM Kool-Aid.

    GM promises. Honda and Toyota deliver.

  2. Well GM need to do something and something quick.
    They are losing 1 billion dollars a month.
    Bankrupcy is closing in and they cannot afford to stall or waste anymore time.

  3. 1.4L, direct injection, turbo, 2800lbs, EPA emission, crash safety…45 MPG is pushing it…It depends on how much low end torque they can squeeze for low RPM cruising (Cruzing? AhrAhr)

  4. Glad to see that GM is giving some of attention to their small cars. This looks damn good so far.

  5. The car looks good. Although I still think the window filler at the c pillar is inexcusable. That’ll be great gas mileage.

  6. Oh, please! Not another car with that dumb, painted “C” pillar to look like a rear quarter window.

    Hard to believe that the lousy looking Sebring has inspired both the new Mazda 6, and now this thing.

    Note to carmakers: Put glass where a quarter window makes sense and cancel your order for cheap black paint or plastic overlays.

  7. Why do you seem to think that gas prices will break the $5.00 by 2010? With the recent trends I would infer otherwise.

  8. Agree seems unlikely that it can achieve 45mpg US EPA rating (maybe that’s the Euro rating (which is typically 20% higher).

    Edmunds reports 40mpg highway which is more plausible.

  9. yep… toyota's taking over as the worlds #1 last year is as much as a curse as GM's dominance in the 80's – 90's.

    toyota (& honda) have become the 80's/90's americans, relying on its customer base, and the americans have been challenge.

    as a current import fan, bring it on. the better the fight, the better the outcome for us the consumer.

    just goes to show you, corporate america can do things the government cant, faster, cheaper… when it affects their bottom line, leaving the ultimate power to the consumer!

    just say no to government programs! let we, the people, decide!

    aren't free markets, democracy and the american way beautiful?

  10. “We will see about the low-end torque of this 1.4L…My weedeater has more torque.”

    Did you forget that it is turbocharged???

    Anyway, 45MPG is pushing it. I would expect about 10MPG less when it actually hits the market. I still do not see this vehicle being a viable alternative to the strong selling Civic or the bread and butter (boring) Corolla. If it were MY money I had to spend, I would get the Civic and never look back. You just can’t beat its resale, reliability, and overall package.

    I hope the GM accountants don’t cheapen this car up too much…

  11. The 2008 Cobalt XFE already beats Toyota Corolla for Highway fuel efficiency with 36 mpg and I believe thats with a 2.2L engine. So downsize the engine to 1.4L, improved gearing, aerodynamics and lower mass and 40 mpg is easy, 45 mpg could be possible. Modern turbo charged engines have great low end torque. The torque curve for the 1.4L turbo will be better than the current 2.2L. I assume they will keep hp low in order to use regular fuel and not premium. With direct injection I expect 140-150 hp will equal torque numbers at very low rpms. The Cruze will be very competitive if not the best in class and I expect some praise, perhaps another car of the year award.

  12. If the only problem with this car is the quarter “window” being plastic instead of an actual window, they’re on the right track.

  13. “Did you forget that it is turbocharged??? “

    Turbochargers work at high RPM…Low-end torque will suck.

  14. “Modern turbo charged engines have great low end torque.”

    Go to GM.com and look up the torque curve on the turbo DI 2.0L they use in the Cobalt and HHR SS….Low end torque out the wazoo.

  15. “I assume they will keep hp low in order to use regular fuel and not premium.”

    With Direct fuel Injection, you crank up the compression ratio and use regular fuel without predetonation…More HP.

  16. Even though the trend is that gas has dropped in the last few days, never take that for granted…

  17. The GM ecotec 2.0L DI turbo has 222 ft. lbs. at 1650 RPM…It is 150 ft. lbs. at 1000 RPM…That is quite a jolt aka, lag.

  18. “”Did you forget that it is turbocharged??? “

    Turbochargers work at high RPM…Low-end torque will suck.”

    You obviously don’t know very much. Browse some automotove websites and prove yourself wrong. VW/Audi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, even GMs own turbo Ecotec.

    Please do some research to prevent further ignorant comments…

  19. just goes to show you, corporate america can do things the government cant, faster, cheaper… when it affects their bottom line, leaving the ultimate power to the consumer!

    just say no to government programs! let we, the people, decide!

    aren’t free markets, democracy and the american way beautiful?

    Puhleeze. Spare us the Rush Limbaugh histrionics.

    GM, Ford, and Chrysler all but gave up on the mid-size and compact sedan markets. They put all their eggs in the SUV, gas-hog basket instead because those vehicles were cash cows. Big heavy frames with big gas-swilling engines are easy to make; nimble, thrifty, rewarding cars to drive aren’t so simple. Now the manufacturers are stuck scrambling to compete in two segments they virtually abandoned. Consumers have consistently bought Accords, Camrys, Civics, and Corollas in larger and larger numbers. The consumer spoke, but the big three didn’t get it. Instead they listened to the quickest buck.

    Oh, and next time you want to say no to government programs, think twice about putting unregulated beef, chicken, pork, and any other foods into your stomach. Or more to the topic of cars, thank some government regulations (like airbags and seatbelts) that may save your life in the event of a crash.

  20. I drove the HHR SS and the off-the-line power of the 2.0L is not too bad…1.4L at 2800 lbs., off-the-line power shouldn’t be too bad especially with a 6-speed…The DI and higher compression help the low-end a lot.

  21. Regardless all the competition is great for the imports it will make all cars better.

    What competition? If this thing is as lousy a competitor as, say, the Cobalt, that’s setting the bar quite low.

    Chevy’s Malibu comes closest to competing with the likes of Camrys and Accords, but I doubt Toyota and Honda are racing back to the drawing tables because of it.

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