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Coming Soon: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze

Samuel Spencer

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Sam is currently a fourth year Journalism major at the University of Cincinnati. He has been a lot technician at a Ford dealership since 2007, where... More

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1,474 views Jun 27, 2010

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Right now there are absolutely insane rebates on Chevrolet Cobalts. It seems dealers are trying to sweep them off the lots before their replacement arrives.

The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze is aimed to be the replacement for the Cobalt. Don't let the silly name put you off, this car is ready to completely wipe the mediocre Cobalt and Cavalier from everyone's memory.

The looks are two or three steps up the ladder from the Cobalt. The Cobalt's problem wasn't exactly being ugly. It was more a problem of bland styling. The Cruze does away with that by borrowing cues from one of the best looking cars Chevrolet makes: the Malibu.

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The interior is also a vast improvement over the outgoing Cobalt. The dash has much more appeal with its swoopy lines and blue dash lights. It brings many of the elements employed in the interior of the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox down to the small car segment. The most interesting part of the Cruze is what lies under the hood. There will no longer be the 2.4-liter Ecotec engine everyone has grown so apathetic to. Instead, the engine has dropped a liter of displacement and added a turbocharger in search for better fuel economy. There will even be a late-arriving Eco version of the Cruze that uses tires with less rolling resistance and "other technologies" (like what, Chevrolet?) to help increase fuel efficiency.

Chevrolet also made a big point to make the Cruze as safe as possible. They fit it with 10 airbags and automatic crash response as standard.

All of this does come at a price. Chevrolet claims the Cruze will be starting at $16,995, over two grand more than the current Cobalt. Does the hike in price mean a hike in excitement? The answer will be coming later this year.

[Chevrolet]