Driver's Seat: Chevy Cruze Eco: A competitive compact from GM

Chevy Cruze Eco: When gas prices cross the $3.50 mark heading north, suddenly we care about small cars again.

Base price: $18,175.

Marketer's pitch: We're going to lead the class.

Conventional wisdom: But doesn't GM makes sucktacular cars, especially compacts (remember the Vega, Monza, and Cavalier?).

Reality: This is not your father's Oldsmo - er, Chevy. Really.

At the pump: We'll start here, because this is what the Cruze Eco is all about. Highway mileage ratings of 37 m.p.g. for the automatic, 42 for the stick.

Unfortunately, in my mix of mostly highway driving around Chester County hills and into Philadelphia, I averaged 33 m.p.g. with the automatic and 35 with the stick. That was running about 65 average on the highways and not babying the gas pedal too much, but not driving like Teenage Scott did.

How did GM improve mileage? A 1.4-liter turbocharged engine. Six-speed manual or six-speed automatic ($925) with TipTronic shifting. Ultra-low-resistance tires. A shutter that closes part of the grille at highway speeds.

On the road: As the onetime owner of a Chevy Celebrity wagon, a Lumina, and a Pontiac Montana, I was braced for crooked dash panels, falling knobs, and rattles and squeaks. What I got was a nicely built, competitive compact. The General has learned a trick or two.

The six-speed auto could be called a little balky, especially before reaching operating temperatures, but this is a 1.4-liter engine pulling 3,000 pounds of car with six gear choices. All in all, it worked well.

The manual took some time to get used to, but after complaining about it to a mechanic friend, I took him for a ride and he said, "I don't know what you're complaining about; I could hardly tell you were shifting." The clutch is a little long, as are the gear throws, but the little shifter is sporty and fun.

But, officer, I didn't realize . . .: Officer, write the Cruze driver a ticket. The info center can be set to display speed in large numbers. And when you set the cruise control, it reads "Cruise is set at 55 mph." Of course, mine is never set quite that low. . . .

Sincerest form of flattery: I saw a magazine ad for a Honda Accord and did a double take, because I swore to Sturgis Kid 3.0 it was a Cruze. The Jetson-car round roof bubble popping out of the hood-to-trunk box doesn't excite me, but it's serviceable.

Ahh, comfy: GM learned how to make nice soft but firm seats in its larger models sometime in the mid-1990s, and it has applied this lesson to the Cruze. Not too firm, not too plush. And they feel larger than most buckets; the wings don't feel at all snug.

Friends and stuff: A cute little storage box on the dash might hold a few CDs or some change. A phone slot sits in front of the gear shift; a CD tray is in the console. It's great in the automatic but interferes with shifting in the stick. (But an alternative slot is available next to the cup holders.)

The trunk opening is really small in the Cruze's only body style, the four-door sedan. (I still can't understand why hatchbacks are considered uncool.) But it holds lots of stuff, and the rear seat folds down. A GM representative tells me it has a class-leading 15 cubic feet.

We filled the car up on a nice Sunday afternoon to visit the ChesLen Preserve near Embreeville. Two passengers and one Australian shepherd had plenty of room in the backseat.

Legroom was good for 6-foot-tall Sturgis Guest 1.0 behind the 5'10" Mr. Driver's Seat, and the standard cloth interior allowed cleanup of muddy paw prints with just a wipe after they dried. Legroom is better than in the Ford Fiesta, with a little more headroom, and certainly more space between passengers.

 "Hello, this is OnStar": I sooo wanted to test that button when I saw it on the rearview mirror. I did by accident, the first time I switched the mirror from day to night mode. The friendly voice answered on the second ring, and I felt reassured.

Cheapskates: $100 for a spare tire. A compact spare tire. Really? (Standard: A can of Fix-A-Flat and an inflator kit. I kid you not.) I guess some GM traditions die harder than others, like holding out extras for more cash. The Connectivity Plus Cruise Package adds $525 for cruise control, Bluetooth, steering wheel controls, and a few other niceties. Cruise control is not standard?

Other things: The LCD display shows you how the heating/AC is set up when you adjust it, which is a nice touch.

Where it's built: Lordstown, Ohio, maker of the Vega, Monza, and Cavalier.

Overall: The Cruze is definitely a contender, and mid-30s mileage is nothing to sneeze at. Still, the truly economy-minded who spend most of their time in traffic may be better served by a hybrid or doing a little more shopping.