ocnblu

I'm not sure, Mr. Dart. This is again a snapshot of the 186.4 mile return trip home from the beach with relatively easy sailing and comparatively few stop-n-go hassles, which eat fuel. I stopped for a few red lights each in Cambridge, Easton and Elkton MD, Willow Street, PA, and a couple of stop signs, but other than my pit stop, it was steady Cruzing all the way. I did read that changes were made to the 2012 LT models to enhance fuel economy numbers... but I thought they involved the automatic version. Is it an Imperial gallons thing? Not sure bud.

Well I usually only compare knobs in the locker room, but here goes: I think the Eco might not have a leather-wrapped one, it appears to be urethane. And you have a green orb around your 6th gear that's missing from mine.

More little things I like: all four taillamp elements light up at night. Gives a Genuine Chevrolet vibe to those behind me, as opposed to the single lamps on all FWD Impalas and recent Malibus. Also, the little grip handle on the underside of the trunk lid for closing, neater than leaving fingerprints on the top side of the lid to close it.

My earliest automotive memories involve my parents' 1966 Marina Blue Chevelle Malibu Super Sport 396 4 speed. So I guess a RWD midsize sport coupe would qualify as my Adam. Camaro, Mustang and Challenger are all pretty big relative to today's car size spectrum, so where does that leave me? Adamless I spose.

The Buick 3800 was an excellent engine with terrific economy and longevity. The 60-degree pushrod V6s were known for excellent fuel economy in the real world. Their replacement is no better in economy and might be worse in ease of service and maintenance costs over the life of the engine. I say competitive pressure is the reason behind the change, not superior function of the engine. A six-speed Hydramatic likely could have produced better mileage in concert with the old-tech pushrod V6s than the 3.6. They were already at least on par with the 4-speed.

"GM only uses the pushrod because they were too broke to replace it." What a load of horse$h! this statement is. They've kept it because it works. Superior performance, economy, ease of service, and lower maintenance costs are HALLMARKS of the smallblock engine.

STICKS ARE MORE FUN THAN SLUSHBOXES! had to say it...

Me neither. I am all for simplicity, correctly engineered, over complexity (or even "different") to get the same result. The 1.4t will be much easier to service for customers down the road than any hybrid or full electric. After my skepticism died with a test drive, I am now a fierce advocate of the Chevrolet Cruze for a list of reasons. I wish the parent company would give us more bodystyles of this great car... coupe and 5-door hatch spring to mind quickly. I also think if diesel fuel remains more expensive than gasoline, a diesel Cruze might face an uphill sales fight against real-world mileage of the 1.4t... although I still think a diesel in the car is a good idear.

GOR JUS... Marry me!

Maserati should keep the Ferrari engine. Nobody expects a reliable Maserati... they should stay true to character.

Mary Magdalene

The GM pushrod V8 is superior to the DOHC V8s in those other cars. The Northstar is gone. The Mercury Marine-built 90's ZR1 powerplant is a distant memory. They just don't provide enough benefit v. their complexity.

I'll wait until the tank is near empty to refill it, as I always do, and I'll post the results. That'll be my cross-check. Unscientifically, if my car has a 15.6 gallon tank, and it is showing 3/4 full after 186.4 miles, that translates to 47.794871 MPG by my calculator here on the desk.

I took the display at its word. Didn't do any cross-checking, except for looking at the fuel gauge itself, which is unscientific (you can see the fuel gauge above the display on the right side, it reads 3/4). The route home consists of highway speeds of 65 mph and 55 mph (I went about 65-68 in the 65, drove 60 mph in the 55), rural 2-lanes at 50 and 55 mph, and finally suburban roads of 40 and 25 mph. I stopped at several red lights, and made one pitstop in Northeast, MD to buy a bottle of water and to pee. Maryland travel is all flat land, but when I hit the PA border, it becomes hilly. On the downhill and approaching red lights, I put the car in neutral and let it coast, as I did with the Fiesta. That's the extent of my hypermiling. Going uphill, I maintained the speed limit. I'm sure the average will go down considerably as I finish the tank out, I have some errands to run in the next 2 days and then it's back to work on Tuesday. I'll do math when it's time to fill the tank again, that'll check the car's accuracy. The Ford Fiesta's display was spot-on every time I did my own math, I would hope GM's is as accurate. What else would you like me to do to cross-check, Rj? Is there something I can do now, besides refilling the tank?

sisters

Waitin' for my camera batteries to recharge so I can get a photo to post. Average speed takes a quick dive when idling at red lights.

Took my first road trip today in the 2012 Cruze 1LT 1.4t 6-speed manual, headed down to (bare-) Assateague State Park about 9 miles from Ocean City, MD. Stopped at WaWa in Ocean City to begin my trip home and filled the car with gas, then accidentally reset the average MPG along with the trip odometer... so I was starting from scratch. I took it as an opportunity. I traveled 186.4 miles from there to my garage... and averaged 47.8 MPG!!! And this is with 700 miles on the engine. Talk about being amazed and delighted, this car just blows my mind. And I emerged from the trip without fatigue, the comfortable seats and quiet, smooth ride kept my ass from aching. Willie's Roadhouse on XM kept my hands on the wheel, not on the radio. Volt? More like static at twice the price. Prius? I scoff at your nerdishness. Leaf? It's September, soon time for you to wither and fall.

Congratulations! And the colour sounds cool, I haven't seen a Corey Green Silverado yet.

Best wishes to ya, Mr. Doane.

Went to (bare) Assateague State Park today near Ocean City, MD. Beach parking lot was packed. I rode a couple of rows and sawr a spot! As I positioned myself to turn in... I noticed a tiny automobile taking up half the spot... a Grigio Fiat 500! So I kept on searching...

Well reg, it is a major step up from its forebears and clearly a more luxurious ride than the little Ford it replaced. Folks at work think it looks big, Malibu-sized (they also think I should have a rollbar installed and should wear a helmet). It is classified as midsize by the EPA. I love the surge of torque it has. I can be in a much higher gear much sooner than I could in the Fiesta and still feel that pull of the little 1.4t. The Ford needed to be wrung out to extract power, but that didn't hurt its fuel mileage apparently. I've been slogging back and forth to work in it so far. The average MPG over 300+ commuter miles has slowly but steadily risen to 32.8. A road trip is in order to get that number up. I'm already ahead of the EPA's urban mileage rating. There are some things I'll have to consult the owner's manual about. I'm still learning some of the features and controls. So far though I'm happy to be back in a GM vehicle. It seems well thought-out, with a solid, controlled ride. LOVE the fact that all 4 windows go all the way down (rear windows disappear into the door... I remember when the 78 A-bodies came out, the rear windows didn't open AT ALL!) and with one touch of the buttons. Gets fresh air into the cabin quickly. Only the driver's window is one-touch close, though, seems right in case of passengers hanging their noses or other appendages out the window.

Thanks for stepping in, Lamar. I've been somewhat in a fog lately. Still in pain and a court date coming up on Tuesday.

Hunky dude I went to school with would only purchase SAABs with over 200k miles, said they were most reliable then. Of course, that was back in the day, not sure what he's driving now. I've heard the same said for Volvo 240s.

He's my hero.