First Drive: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze sails into new era of small cardom
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Actually, the Cobalt, while an underperforming lame duck, has been quite reliable, especially to most rental fleets. Just more evidence that reliability does not equate to a class-leader.
I think it's too early to talk about hypothetical reliability of two new products. There are so many variables involved, so many similar and divergent supplier bases, and so many hypothetical nuances that go into determining reliability for two entirely new products.
I think it's too early to talk about hypothetical reliability of two new products. There are so many variables involved, so many similar and divergent supplier bases, and so many hypothetical nuances that go into determining reliability for two entirely new products.
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Actually, the Cobalt, while an underperforming lame duck, has been quite reliable, especially to most rental fleets. Just more evidence that reliability does not equate to a class-leader.
I think it's too early to talk about hypothetical reliability of two new products. There are so many variables involved, so many similar and divergent supplier bases, and so many hypothetical nuances that go into determining reliability for two entirely new products.
I think it's too early to talk about hypothetical reliability of two new products. There are so many variables involved, so many similar and divergent supplier bases, and so many hypothetical nuances that go into determining reliability for two entirely new products.
Plenty of warranty visits to Chevy service dept.
The car had 30K miles on it and the ride felt and sounded like 130K.Dumped it and resale value stunk too.
Just our experience with this model but know of two others who have had issues with their Cobalts.
The Civic has a bulletproof reliability history.Chevy,no so much.
The cobalt sold well because it was cheap.
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Pictures are very nice - it looks like Chevy's gotten the message that small, efficient cars need not be cheap, ill-constructed pieces of tin. Time will tell. As Mike said, we've heard it all before - and many good intentions failed out on the assembly line.
Case in point, the Dodge/Plymouth Neon and the PT Cruiser. These were basically the same car with different bodies. Even Chrysler dealers admited the Neon was junk. They complained they couldn't make any money on the little garbage can because of the thousands of dollars in warranty work every sale represented.
OTOH, there was the PT. Assembled in Toluca, Mexico, rather than Belvidere, Illinois, the PT Cruiser sported a good bit better fit and finish, but the real difference was the platform - it was just about bulletproof. For some reason, the drivetrain and running gear assembled in Mexico was flawless. Local dealers complained that when they sold the vehicle, they never saw it again. (You just can't please some people!) Provided it recieved proper care and maintenance, these little wagons served faithfully for tens of thousands of miles without a stumble - unlike their Neon bretheran that seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time in the shop.
If Chevrolet can figure out how the folks in Toluca built the PT, they will have a real hit on their hands with the Cruze. You can engineer for performance, luxury, and/or style, but quality is installed on the factory floor.
Case in point, the Dodge/Plymouth Neon and the PT Cruiser. These were basically the same car with different bodies. Even Chrysler dealers admited the Neon was junk. They complained they couldn't make any money on the little garbage can because of the thousands of dollars in warranty work every sale represented.
OTOH, there was the PT. Assembled in Toluca, Mexico, rather than Belvidere, Illinois, the PT Cruiser sported a good bit better fit and finish, but the real difference was the platform - it was just about bulletproof. For some reason, the drivetrain and running gear assembled in Mexico was flawless. Local dealers complained that when they sold the vehicle, they never saw it again. (You just can't please some people!) Provided it recieved proper care and maintenance, these little wagons served faithfully for tens of thousands of miles without a stumble - unlike their Neon bretheran that seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time in the shop.
If Chevrolet can figure out how the folks in Toluca built the PT, they will have a real hit on their hands with the Cruze. You can engineer for performance, luxury, and/or style, but quality is installed on the factory floor.
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