CARSHAVA

The Cruze has been a homerun for Chevy, repeatedly appearing in the top of the sales chart for the compact class and giving the Toyota Corolla a run for its money as reigning champ of the segment's sales. (Through November, the Cruze was only down by 4193 units to the number-one-selling Corolla among all compacts.) It's no surprise that the Cruze has been popular with the car-buying public thanks to its best-in-class interior, handsome design, and good pricing. (In comparison, only the Hyundai Elantra and Mazda 3 are cheaper when similarly equipped, and by less than $1000.) The turbocharged four-cylinder is lively and peppy - especially around town - but the Cruze is not nearly as refined as the Ford Focus, nor does it feel as planted as the Focus, the 3, or the Elantra on the highway. However, color me impressed; it's quite amazing that this car came from the same company that was peddling the Cobalt in the same segment just a few short years ago.
There are two interior oddities: the fusebox opening is located only about an inch below the headlight switch, and I popped it open assuming it was a small storage cubby. Also, a green headlight icon for the daytime running lights remains illuminated in the instrument cluster unless the headlights are turned on.