GM is eagerly anticipating the Chevy Cruze to hit your Chicagoland Chevy dealership in a few short months.  In September, GM will find out if their newest entry-level car will be a hit.  Let’s hope so, since Chevy hasn’t had a ton of luck in this class in recent years.

The auto giant has decided to price this car about the same as the Honda Civic, since this model will be the Cruze’s biggest rival.  Both are excellent options if you need something small and affordable to get around in, but still crave some decent features.  The Cruze will start out at $16,995, which is about $400 more that the Civic.  GM is defending the price of the Cruze, since it has some additional basic features that will make it worth the extra cash.  For example, the Cruze will come standard with standard traction control, power locks, AC, and power side mirrors.  I would hope that AC is a basic feature and not an upgrade.  A humid summer in Chicago in a car without AC  does not sound like fun to me!

In addition, the Cruze features other outstanding features that will help make it a success on the market.  The Cruze Eco gets awesome gas mileage.   Less money at the pump means more cash for doing fun things that make life great!  The Eco option will get an estimated 40 mpg for highway driving.  And I thought my used Malibu Chicago got good gas mileage??  Another feature that will help the car operate efficiently and control use of gas are the tires that are ultra-low-rolling resistance.  Say that fast five times!!

The Cruze also has a very nice interior layout for its class.  The model I spied had attractive red and gray seating with the gauges laid out in a user friendly way.  The design on the control panel is very modern looking with silver accents, blue lighting, and easy operation with buttons on the steering wheel.

I truly believe that once this sedan hits Chicagoland Chevy dealerships this fall, it’ll be a hit from that new teen driver to the retired grandma who just wants something safe to drive her grandchild around in!