By Chris Haak

GM’s down-under subsidiary, Holden, is seemingly populated by car guys who get it.  Not only did they create the excellent Zeta large rear wheel drive platform that underpins the Commodore, Caprice, Calais, Chinese Park Avenue, and even (in modified form) the Cadillac CTS and STS, but the crew in Australia has concocted some outrageous derivatives.  The HSV-modified W427 comes to mind; it’s basically a heavily modified Pontiac G8 with the Corvette Z06′s 427 428 cubic inch 500-horsepower V8 under its hood, plus body, interior, and suspension modifications.

Granted, Holden proper didn’t concoct the W427, but you get the idea.  So my ears perked up when I read an article (on LeftLaneNews, via Australia’s GoAuto) that noted how Holden was working on a higher-performance Cruze flagship, to be called the Cruze SS.  SS carries similar weight in the mind of both Americans and Australians, though, so it’s not entirely clear that the rumored 1.6 liter turbo would be enough of a performance upgrade to warrant the designation.  The volume engine in the US Cruze is a 1.4 liter turbo, good for just 138 horsepower and 148 lb-ft of torque, and that’s just barely enough to move the car with anything approaching alacrity.

Continue Reading

By Chris Haak

If you ask automakers what the hot ticket is likely to be in the next several years, they might say that premium compact cars are a potential growth area.  After all, with gas prices approaching the $4.00 per gallon line in many parts of the US, uncertainty in the Middle East, and increasingly-stringent CAFE standards on the horizon, we’ll have more small cars in the new-car mix.

With more small cars, that means more variety in the style, powertrain, equipment, and even size.  Yes, there are varying degrees of small.  To some traditionalists, the Chevy Cruze is small; to a Smart ForTwo driver, the Cruze is a perhaps large, wasteful near-midsize car masquerading as a small car.  There are also now cheap small cars – like the base Nissan Versa, and small cars that are more premium – like the Buick Verano.  The Mitsubishi Lancer GTS reviewed here kind of falls into the middle of the spectrum.  It’s a cheap car with some premium features.

Continue Reading

By Charles Krome

The EPA fuel efficiency ratings for the 2012 Fiat 500 have now been announced, with the Chrysler Group’s much-hyped hatchback achieving 30 mpg city/38 mpg highway/33 mpg combined when kitted out with a five-speed manual and a line of 27/34/30 with a six-speed automatic. But as high as those numbers are, they represent somewhat of a disappointment given the competition.

Now, the natural choice of rivals here is the MINI hardtop, since both vehicles are small niche products that will claim a lot of their sales based on style, so here is how they match up against each other in some of the more relevant measures.

Continue Reading

By Chris Haak

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a nonprofit funded by member insurance companies, has released its top safety picks for 2011, and there are a large number of very safe vehicles on the road for the 2011 model year.  According to the IIHS, there were 66 winners (40 cars, 25 trucks/SUVs, and one minivan) for 2011, which is a significant spike from the 2010 model year, when tougher roof-strength standards cut the list to just 27 vehicles qualified for the award.  During the course of the 2010 model year, that number eventually grew to 58 vehicles as new models were introduced and existing models were enhanced.  For 2011, two of the 2010 winners dropped off the list and 10 new models were added.  The IIHS expects that throughout the course of the model year, additional vehicles will be classified as top picks as well.

The IIHS crash tests are far more rigorous than the NHTSA’s tests, and come to play with a different perspective than the government does.  The IIHS, as it’s funded by the insurance industry, wishes to minimize claims payments from accidents.  The means to get to that lower claim amount is to shame auto manufacturers into making vehicles that do a better job of protecting their occupants, and do a better job of protecting the vehicles from fender-bender damage.  So, while the motives are not entirely altruistic (and whose are, really?), the outcome means safer vehicles for all of us.

Continue Reading

By Chris Haak

The Chevrolet Cruze compact has been on the market in the rest of the world for over a year, and has done reasonably well for GM in markets like Australia and South Korea.  US production in Lordstown, Ohio began in July, and it’s slated to hit dealer lots this month.  The car is sold as a Chevrolet Cruze in Europe, a Holden Cruze in Australia, and a Daewoo Lacetti Premiere in South Korea, but the only visual differences are powertrain choices, design details like grilles and bumpers.  All sheetmetal is identical among the variants.  Overall, GM currently sells the Cruze in 70 countries worldwide.

Continue Reading

By Charles Krome

GM’s OnStar technology has been around for some 15 years now, and its impact on the auto industry is hard to overstate. OnStar essentially kicked off the whole automotive telematics industry in 1996, blazing the trail for today’s ubiquitous nav and hands-free calling systems, as well as more comprehensive offerings like Ford’s SYNC.

It’s not just an expensive toy, either. The current OnStar system offers functionality that can be legitimately called “life-saving.” If you’re in an accident, for example, the system can automatically send emergency medical services to your location in minutes, even if you’re unconscious or can’t otherwise respond. And it can come in pretty handy when dealing with a range of less serious annoyances, from getting yourself locked out of your car to having it stolen. In the latter case, OnStar can track down your ride and then shut down power to its engine in some situations.

Continue Reading

By Brendan Moore

For those of you that gin up PowerPoint decks for a living, you know that most of the people that want those presentation decks also want an executive summary in the front of the deck.

So, in the spirit of corporate thrashing-around, here is the executive summary for the new Chevrolet Cruze: A huge quantum leap up and forward from the Cobalt it replaces; not the best car in its segment (although it’s a very, very good car in its class), but, probably the best-value car in the segment in terms of what kind of car you get for the money. Also, the Cruze is available in one iteration (CruzeEco) that returns 40 mpg in highway driving.

Yes, to continue in business parlance, Chevrolet would be the recommended supplier, and the Cruze would be the product that would score the highest after passing through a set of tough screening criteria.

Whew. All that business stuff is giving me sort of a headache. It’s a good thing I keep a bottle here in my desk at the office, right?

Okay, let’s move on with the review.

Continue Reading

By Chris Haak

GM China has revealed its 2011 Excelle GT sedan.  The new car, which is an Opel Astra with Buick-specific front and rear clips.  The new Excelle replaces the former Daewoo Lacetti/Nubria-based model of the same name, and is dramatically better.

The Excelle shares its global compact (“Delta II”) platform with the new Chevrolet Cruze and Opel Astra, and shares the same base engine as the US-built Cruze will have.  The base engine is a 1.8 liter four cylinder that produces 138 horsepower, and the optional engine is a 1.6 liter turbo four that produces 181 horsepower.  Both engines are mated exclusively to six-speed automatics.

Continue Reading

By Chris Haak

Many auto-industry watchers have been wondering the fate of several new models that never made public auto-show debuts in production form (or in some cases, in any form), in spite of being due for a refresh, either based on their standard life cycles or on previous announcements.  One of those mysteries will be answered Friday, when Chrysler finally officially reveals its 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, which has already begun production.

Another is the fate of the next-generation Honda Civic.  Honda’s cars typically have five-year life cycles, and the current Civic was launched for the 2006 model year, so should be all-new for the 2011 model year (meaning it’s due in fall 2010 according to the pattern).  John Mendel, Honda of America’s executive vice president, told Automotive News in an interview the reason why we haven’t heard anything until now:  the next Civic – the car’s ninth generation – has been delayed until sometime in 2011.  Mendel cited changing market conditions and tougher fuel economy and emissions regulations as the reason for the delay.

Continue Reading

By Brendan Moore

The first of two press days for the New York Auto Show occurs Wednesday (Autosavant will have three writers at this year’s show), and one of the cars debuting on the first day is the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco, a high-mpg car that GM hopes will attract buyers who want great fuel economy in a car without sacrificing creature comforts.

The Cruze Eco will get 40 mpg on the highway, according to GM, and it does that with the assistance of a feature unusual in the compact segment – automatic shutters in the lower front fascia that close when the car reaches a speed of 37 mph, much like an automatic spoiler on sports cars that raises when a specific speed is reached. An electric motor closes the shutters at 37 mph, and opens the shutters when the car’s speed drops to 34 mph. Continue Reading