2011 Chevrolet Cruze: production version of the new Cruze hatchback

Chevrolet has dropped a bomb on the compact car category with the Chevy Civic. Unfortunately, Chevrolet had to change the name to the Cruze because the moniker already belonged to Honda. A similar issue played out when Kia introduced the Civic but had to change the name to the Forte after they realized the trademark error they had made.

Assuming you haven't bought a Forte because you're simply better than that, if there's a vacant spot on your driveway for a compact car, at the head of the competition are the Honda Civic Sedan and the Chevrolet Junior Civic (Cruze) in its four door incarnation.

When price is what matters, the 2011 Civic's base price tag is over $1000 off that of the Cruze. Honda's official website has the base price of the Civic Sedan at $15,805. Chevrolet's official web property has the base price of the Cruze at $16,995. This is a significant price difference in the wrong direction for Chevrolet. Typically, the reason for buying a vehicle from the Big 3 is price not quality. Now, you're still getting poorer quality with the Chevrolet product and you're paying a grand more for it.

Chevrolet Cruze active safety features are - Anti-Brake System with Electronic Brake Force Distribution (ABS/EBD), SRS dual airbags, Electronic Stability control, disc brakes with front ventilation and rear wheels with brakes of solid drum and so on. The passive safety features include - height adjustable front seat belts, side impact beams, and driver seatbelt with warning lamp, pretension front seat belts, knee protector, central locks and child locks.