It’s crazy to think it’s been almost a week since I said goodbye to the Chevy Cruze:
(picture from Cruze specs site on chevy.com)
Dropping off the car at the dealer wasn’t my LAST duty as a Chevy girl. It wouldn’t have been fair to drive around in the Cruze for a month without giving a full rundown of my thoughts on the car. To help me do so, the lovely folks at Gotta Love Chevy NEO asked me the following questions on my experience:
Did driving the Chevy Cruze change your mind about owning a Chevy? Would you put Chevy on your shopping list now?
My first car ever was one of these:
That would be a Chevrolet Corsica. Oh, the memories I have from driving around Parma in that car. There aren’t enough blog posts in the world, my friends.
As previously mentioned, I’m a proud Chevy owner as bought my “I’m a big girl now and have a full time job” car in 2006:
(picture from Cobalt specs site on chevy.com)
Interesting to think if I was making that same purchase now, I would have ended up with a Chevy Cruze! Seeing as Hans previously owned a TrailBlazer and is currently driving a HHR, it’s pretty safe to say that we’re a Chevy family! As our family grows (don’t get excited people, there aren’t any little PIPs on the way), I foresee us trading in the Cobalt for a more “family friendly” car – perhaps a Chevy Traverse? Only time will tell!
Would you recommend the Chevy Cruze to your friends? Did you get any feedback from your friends?
I would definitely recommend the Chevy Cruze to my friends, especially those looking to purchase their first car. As for feedback from loved ones:
- Every single person commented on how much room they had in the Cruze. My friends and family were surprised by the amount of space in the interior – both front and back seat areas – compared to my Cobalt.
- My passengers appreciated the heated seats, although the powerful Cruze got really hot very quickly! Make sure to adjust your thermostats accordingly people!
- The placement of the lock & unlock buttons on the main console (under the radio & heating displays, instead of on each door) was not my favorite feature placement. I’m a bit OCD when leaving my car, wanting to hit the lock button on my way out as well as hitting the key ring lock button. I missed having the locking function on the actual car door.
- My brother loved the XM, especially all the news channel live feeds.
- Surprisingly, I get better gas mileage in my Cobalt compared to the Cruze. In the Cruze, I averaged just under 24 miles per gallon. In the Cobalt, I average 27 MPG. I have no explanation for it – just noting it for you, interested reader.
What were the three best things about your Chevy vehicle in order of importance?
- The hands-free Bluetooth: as I described in my Keep Your Hands On The Wheel & Off Your Phone post, I fell in love with this feature. I don’t think I can go back to talking on the phone while driving without it.
- The amount of cargo space and trunk opening gap: The best improvement on this end of things is the gap opening of the trunk. The Cruze’s gap is SO MUCH BIGGER than the Cobalt’s. I could actually fit much larger objects in the Cruze because I had the opening to get them in the trunk. Check out my Girls Gotta Shop post for the video on just how much room I had back there!
- The heated seats: December in Cleveland equals the start of a cold, long winter. While I loved how speedy the seats headed up, I actually found Another Use For My Cruze’s Heated Seats when I fell on an icy patch of sidewalk – it was like having a built-in heating pad in the car!
Want to know what other features I really enjoyed? Check out my posts over at the Gotta Love Chevy NEO blog on all the features the Cruze has to offer:
- From Hot Yoga To A Hot Car: the Cruze is just as warm as Nishkama Yoga’s studio thanks to the remote start!
- Showing Love For The XM Satellite Stations: The XM feature was loved by all members of my family!
- Road Trip!: The turn-by-turn navigation feature from OnStar was helpful on our road trip to Columbus
- OnStar Holiday Fun: I HAD to know where Santa was on Christmas Eve! Yes, I’m a five year old.
- A Musical Goodbye: In our final moments together, my Cruze & my iPod got me through the separation.
Make sure to “like” Gotta Love Chevy NEO on Facebook to keep tabs on all the future Chevy girls & their adventures around the CLE!
Again, a HUGE thank you to the Northeastern Ohio Area Chevy Dealers for an amazing experience. The entire PIP family thanks you for a rockin’ month in the Chevy Cruze!
Disclosure: The Gotta Love Chevy NEO program is being sponsored by Northeastern Ohio Area Chevy Dealers . They gave me a 2011 Chevy Cruze to test drive for one month and blog about my experience. Through this program, I was asked to complete missions, and was provided with gift cards to do so. My thoughts and opinions are my own.
Good recap! Mine will be up tonight. I would like to test the backseat of your Cobalt, I’m surprised that the Cruze has more back seat room! Chevy was so fun to work with for the Girlfriend Getaway Program and I know more about Chevy than I ever had before!
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