2012 Chevrolet Cruze User Reviews

Pros

Fuel Economy

Cons

No Cruise Control on LS

Purchased As New

Only owned it for about 1 month. I have liked the looks since they came out in 2011 but have never owned a new car due to depreciation and such. I thought I might buy a used one some day. The 2012 6 speed manual transmission brand new LS's were marked down in Las Vegas to under $15,000 so I jumped at the opportunity since I had $2,000 in GM Earnings and another $1,000 bonus cash - couldn't beat a sub $12,000 brand new Cruze. Flew to Vegas, purchased, and drove it home same day. So far I love it. I knew at the time that the LS's were not available with cruise control without an add on package so I'm having the steering wheel changed and cruise control installed at a local dealer. That adds about $400 but will be worth it. Has all the other options I wanted. So far about 37 on the highway and unknown around town as I don't drive around town much.

It has adequate power with the manual. If you drive it right you can have the power needed and drive it easy when you want that 35+ mpg on the highway. I've heard complaints about the 1,8L normally aspirated engine being underpowered with the automatic but I'm fine with the engine power the with the 6 speed manual. One thing I will say is the gears in the 6 speed are lower than I expected. Based on the dash shift light the driver is encouraged to shift into 6th at 40 mph for best fuel economy. I would have figured the 6th gear would not have been useful until 50-55 - a true overdrive. At 70 mph the tachometer registers between 2500 and 3000 rpms. You would think even better mileage could be achieved if 6th were more of an overdrive but I'm no vehicle engineer so there is probably a good reason.

Everything else is fine. I rated reliability as good based on other reviews since I have not had the car long enough to rate reliability. Safety features are better than most cars in the same class. The car is so quiet is very quiet, sometimes I need to utilize the tachometer when deciding when to let out the clutch when starting out from a stop, especially if I have the radio on - and who wouldn't with Sirius-XM!

Overall very happy with the Cruze...read morehide

Pros

gas mileage, comfort, looks. . this car has it all.

Cons

none

Purchased As New

i bought this car back in may and have about 23k miles on it. i had an old honda accord and everything just started falling apart. . i absolutely love this car it is very affordable in its class and has more bells and whistles than its competitors. i love the sound system the leather seats the controls are very user friendly and it gets phenominal gas mileage. i seriously do not have a single complaint about this car. everytime i get in the car a big smile just comes on my face. i absolutely love this car. if Chevy keeps making cars like this i will continue to buy american cars!...read morehide

Pros

Great fuel economy

Cons

Cup holders

Purchased As New

I traded my GMC Envoy in for this little guy and I can say one year later than I do not regret my decision one bit. I love this car! I feel like Im cruising in a sports car and the gas mileage is terrific!!!!

Pros

gas mileage

Cons

expensive oil changes

Purchased As New

I just got my 2nd oil change. It was 50 with a coupon at dealer. This time I went to wamart. I got motocraft synthtic blend and it was 36. Is this oil ok? Any comments?

Pros

Comfortable seats, quiet ride, smooth ride, nice interior

Cons

Too many gears? Is 6 speeds one too many in any car this size?

Purchased As New

I am not sure what Steve is talking about. We drove the Cruze, Elantra, Focus and Mazda 3. The Cruze far and away was the quietest inside and had the smoothest ride as well. I am thin and find the seats to be fantastic. The Elantra had the most rear seat room, but we have little kids and they fit just fine back there. The other big selling point for me was the 5 star crash rating. The Elantra was rated 3 stars for the front passenger. When I say that, I crossed it off the list. All of the above choices are good for varying reasons, but for us, the Cruze was the most adult of the small cars....read morehide

Pros

good gas mileage and easy to manuever

Cons

no cruise control or power seats

Purchased As Used

I bought a 2012 Cruze LS used with 7011 miles and overall I'm pleased with the car. The biggest complaint I have is that the LS doesn't have cruise control or power seats and you can't open the trunk without taking the key fob out of the ignition for some unknown reason. There should be a trunk control in the glovebox or on the dash somewhere and not just on the key fob. Otherwise I'm happy and the gas mileage is very acceptable....read morehide

Purchased As New

great standard options bst chevrolet in hingham ma. great sales and service dept great car for the money

Pros

Good fuel economy, Smooth, quiet ride, On par interior for the trim level

Cons

1.8 liter needs a little more "grunt."

Purchased As New

I drove my Cruze off the lot about about two weeks after a car show a stone's throw from the local dealership. My previous car was a '97 Chrysler LHS, of which I was, at least, the third owner. So, it was time for something else. I went into the dealership the week following said car show and saw what I was looking for. I test drove it just for the sake of doing so, and another week later I drove it off the lot. I've had it for almost 7 months and it's still always fun to drive....read morehide

Pros

Handling, quiet interior, responsive engine, 45 MPG hwy, 38 MPG overall (man.), large trunk

Cons

rr. drum brakes, no rear armrest/cupholders

Purchased As New

I have always avoided GM compacts. I looked at the 2012 Ford Focus and then the Cruze; I got the Cruze because of its roomier interior, much better outward vision, smooth responsive engine (turbo) and more reserved styling.

It is fun to drive, handles and accelerates well (in the lower gears), has a very quiet and refined nature, the controls have a precision feel, the paint is excellent, the body panel gaps are tight and consistent and it is getting great fuel economy. I like the styling, the forged aluminum wheels, and the lowered body with sport suspension springs. The manual transmission shifter is nicely weighted and has short throws. The extra cost nav screen is large with crisp colorful readouts, the optional Pioneer audio system is well worth the cost and the leather on the steering wheel and shifter is high quality. The backup warning works well and this is my first car with OEM foglights that actually light up the blind spots. A friend who drives a BMW 5 series asked to trade cars after he drove it. I have 10K troublefree miles on the car; not a single squeak or rattle. At $20K, this car is a very good value. I would buy it again.

This car is worth a test drive if you're looking for a car in this price range; I enjoy driving it everyday and I'm an enthusiast who owns several sports cars....read morehide

Purchased As New

I Love, love, love my 2012 Cruze. It is only 1 week and4 days I've had the car. I traded my 2008 Malibu for it. I call it my little malibu. It rides as good. I seem to be getting great gas mileage--not exactly sure how much yet. Can't say much more right now. It's too new