• The Cruze continues into 2012 with minimal changes.
• The Cruze features two new small-displacement four-cylinder engines; a 140-hp 1.4-liter turbo, or a 138-hp naturally-aspirated 1.8-liter. Depending on trim, a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed automatic transmission sends power to the front wheels. Available safety features include ten airbags, anti-lock brakes, stability control, traction control and anti-theft alarm with engine immobilizer. The Cruze can be equipped with features such as heated leather power seating, sunroof, remote start, satellite radio, navigation system and automatic climate control.
• The Cruze is Chevrolet's newest entrant in the highly contested compact sedan segment. It is based on a global platform that has been refined for America with an emphasis on fuel economy.

Among the 2012 Cruze models, the Cruze Eco delivers the best fuel economy. By the quality of materials, fit or function, it surpasses nearly all its competitors. Its steering is powered by electricity to save fuel. Its trunk is also one of the largest in a compact sedan. To achieve its superb fuel economy, however, the Cruze Eco sacrifices performance, resulting in slower acceleration, longer stopping distances, and poorer handling than the other Cruze models. Underway, the steering feels sharp, with decent feel.

The Chevrolet Cruze might be the smoothest, quietest compact offered in the United States. Its interior is one of the roomiest in its class, with acceptable space for four adults, and it's also one of the nicest.

Fuel economy is improved for 2012, and the list of standard equipment has grown longer, especially in the mid-range LT level. As with most cars in this class, the Cruze is front-wheel drive. Both the manual and automatic are 6-speed-transmissions, which is rare in this class. It's the best small car GM has offered in North America in decades.

Fuel economy for the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze is an EPA-rated 26/38 mpg City/Highway with the 1.4-liter engine with manual or automatic transmission. More important, it's among the best cars in its class. The automatic offers some high-tech features that help conserve fuel.

The 2012 Cruze is offered with a choice of two adequately powered engines: a 1.8-liter four-cylinder and 1.4-liter four-cylinder with a turbocharger. There are knee-protection airbags for front passengers, side-impact airbags for rear passengers, and head-protection curtains with rollover deployment. A loaded LTZ will crack the $26,000 barrier, however, at which point the Cruze makes less sense for many buyers, unless they seek a smaller, fuel-efficient car loaded with the latest features. Its aerodynamic features, including grille vanes that close at highway speeds, help it slip through the air more easily, and it weighs more than 200 pounds less than other models.

The Cruze LTZ comes swathed in leather and loaded with technology. Every Cruze comes with GM's OnStar telematics system, including a six-month subscription for automatic accident response and other services, a great safety feature. Otherwise, the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze is unchanged from 2011. The Cruze comes standard with a long list of safety features, including advanced electronic stability control, anti-lock brakes, and a full complement of 10 airbags. The Cruze LTZ is available with a full-feature navigation system, rear park assist, concierge services, premium Pioneer audio and remote starting. We think the midrange Cruze LT hits the sweet spot in this class.

Cruze is conservatively styled, to be sure, but in our opinion it's a well designed, handsome car.

In short, the Cruze deserves to be on the list for anyone shopping for a fuel-efficient economy car.

Launched as a 2011 model, the Cruze replaced the sturdy but boring Cobalt, and represented a great leap forward in technology, features and appeal. For that kind of money, the alternatives include larger, very nicely equipped midsize sedans such as the Ford Fusion, Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata or Nissan Altima. The Chevrolet Cruze is an excellent choice among compact sedans. The Cruze holds its own with all of them, and surpasses many in key areas. The Cruze was developed jointly by GM tech centers in Asia, Europe and the United States to battle compact competitors such as the Hyundai Elantra and Kia Forte, the best Volkswagen Jetta in years, and perennial leaders like the Honda Civic, Mazda 3, and Toyota Corolla. With the 1.8-liter engine the government rates it 25/36 mpg with the manual, 22/35 mpg with the automatic. The 2012 Chevrolet Cruze Eco rates 28/42 mpg with the manual, 26/39 mpg with the automatic.

The Cruze Eco is a slightly different beast, because it's designed to be Chevrolet's conventional-engine fuel economy leader. No, this compact sedan doesn't break new ground or wow with its curves. Wheels range from 16-inch steel with plastic covers on the base LS to spoked 18-inch alloys with low-profile tires on the loaded LTZ.

The roofline arcs subtly from its steeply raked windshield through fast-sloping rear pillars, creating a generally sporty profile. It's finished with low-rolling-resistance tires on specially designed rims. Its wheels are pushed out to the corners of the car, with minimal overhang. As a result, the Eco tips the scales at 3,009 pounds, or 214 pounds less than the mid-level Cruze LT. Cruze Eco adds a host of aerodynamic tweaks, including some adapted from the Chevrolet Volt. Measuring 181.0 inches bumper-to-bumper, on a wheelbase of 105.7 inches, the Cruze is slightly larger than most of its competitors, including the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, and the all-new 2012 Ford Focus. The styling of the Chevrolet Cruze is handsome and nicely proportioned. These start with active grille shutters that close at higher speeds, blocking much of the grille surface when the cooling demands of the engine allow it, and smoothing air flow over the front of the car.

Cruze is more angular than other recent Chevrolet sedans, including the popular Malibu.

The Cruze is large, as compact cars go. The differences start with 42 steps intended to trim weight, right down the size and location of welds in the body.

In wintry weather we found the Cruze stellar, even with its standard all-season tires.

Overall, we'd rank the Cruze as a fine handling car.

The Cruze is available with two four-cylinder engines, and both have most of the latest control, durability and maintenance-reducing features, including fully variable timing for both intake and exhaust valves. If you step on the gas just a bit to gain speed around a dawdler, it will shift down one gear smoothly, deliver a moderate bubble of acceleration, and then find top gear again as quickly as it can. In such circumstances, the manual-shift feature is the preferred choice, and it works almost surprisingly well. It absorbed mid-winter potholes with the aplomb of a luxury sedan, without a lot of bounce-rebound-bounce, or anything close to mushiness or float. Though we haven't had a chance to drive one, experience suggests that there will be at least a slight payback for the higher mileage.

The Cruze Eco's outstanding mileage ratings will no doubt appeal to many compact drivers. And there is quite a bit of lateral grip in the upgrade, low-profile tires, so it holds the pavement nicely though a fast curve. The 1.4-liter four generates its power using a bit less fuel.

Interior comfort is one of them.

One important way the Cruze surpasses much of its competition is in its tight, ultra-solid body/frame structure.

The solid body also contributes to excellent ride and handling. Our complaint is more about how hard the engine is working in the process, and how you really need to keep it floored to get this car to go. Shoppers are encouraged to drive both the Eco and other Cruze variants before buying. So why the second engine? We're not sure either, but we can guess. That's rare in this class, and another contributor to Cruze's overall fuel economy. The Chevrolet Cruze is a product of joint engineering among GM tech centers around the world, and the co-operation shows in the way the Cruze performs. The Cruze automatic doesn't like to shift down more than one gear at a time, and it won't unless you floor that gas pedal. Those are the best Highway ratings for any compact with a conventional gasoline engine, and better than most subcompacts. We can't say that about its engine and transmission performance, however.

In many respects, particularly measured by interior comfort and overall refinement, the Cruze performs a class above the compact-sedan standard. And once it does downshift, it's most concerned with getting back up into sixth gear as soon as it can. As a full automatic, the transmission's shifts are positive and impeccably smooth. Chevrolet engineers have trimmed weight from the Eco's body by using thinner steel blanks and fewer, smaller welds in strategic locations. It may also be that, because the Cruze is so well sorted in other respects, it could handle a lot more power. It requires almost no effort to turn at low speeds, but resistance builds somewhat as speeds increase. The Cruze unibody has as much extra-high-strength steel in key locations as any car Chevy has built, according to engineers. The power comes on fairly low in the rev range, and then evenly all the way to redline. Traction control takes care of modulating the gas pedal.

The dissatisfaction comes for that percentage of drivers who more than occasionally like to accelerate full bore, or drive harder than normal commuter-grade travel, and not just because the Cruze is slower than most cars in this class.

The turbo engine generates the same 138 hp. Everything about designing a car is a compromise. It's one reason the Cruze Eco model is EPA-rated at 28 mpg City, 42 Highway, with the manual transmission, and 26/39 mpg with the automatic. More to the point, the solidly built body provides a solid foundation for a lot of good things that make Cruze pleasant to drive. The Eco's so-called green tires will be harder, less sticky, than those on other models, and that could adversely affect both ride and handling. The pedal can seem a bit grabby when first applied, but the driver gets the hang of things in short order. There is very little wind noise, and not much of the high-pitch mechanical or vibration buzz that can come across as white noise. Very little vibration finds its way into the Cruze cabin, and it's one of the quietest compacts we've driven, even with its little, hard-working engine. You don't have to wait until it's screaming at 6000 rpm for it to demonstrate any gumption.

Both transmissions have six forward gears.

When the pavement dries and the road clears, the Cruze can be good fun to drive, though more so with the manual transmission, as mentioned. At a more urgent clip, the Cruze maintains the poise it exhibits in a blizzard, with nothing jerky or surprising in its reactions. It has earned the highest scores in government-mandated crash tests in Europe, and Chevy says it expects the same in the United States. It works great when you're going at a relaxed, fairly casual pace, but not so well when you really step on the gas. It's impressively smooth and reasonably quiet, even when working hard, and at 75 mph hour on the freeway, it's only turning about 2800-2900 rpm in top gear. Its power-steering pump runs on the electrical system rather than by drawing its power directly from the engine, and it's reasonably well sorted. Moreover, the noise passengers do hear is the sort that tends to be less obtrusive, like the crack of tires on pavement seems. The driver just steps on it, and the electronics allow the Cruze to accelerate as fast as it can accelerate, given the traction available. The shifts are quite quick, but still smooth, and the transmission will hold the chosen gear at fairly high rpm. The upgrade engine is actually smaller, at 1.4 liters, but it's equipped with a high-tech integrated turbocharger. They've probably trimmed some of the sound-insulating material, and all that could affect the Cruze's excellent structure and noise and vibration control.

Perhaps more significantly, the Eco's weight-reducing measures could influence overall performance, and not from the safety perspective.

The automatic, though, has a similar bi-polar character as the engine. Even without a fully independent rear suspension, something that can make cars of this type jittery and prone to bounce in the rear, the Cruze's ride is nearly flawless. It does produce an additional 23 lb-ft of torque, but that in itself doesn't seem enough to offer a choice. It isn't perfect, but the Cruze moves Chevrolet to the front of the small-car pack. No real complaints about the brakes either. On paper, it accelerates from 0-60 mph in the high 8-second range, which is not quick but probably quick enough for most drivers. Perhaps to maximize fuel economy, Chevrolet engineers seem to have programmed it to always seek the highest gear mechanically possible. The 6-speed automatic is technically advanced for a conventional torque-converter automatic in this segment, with GM's ActiveSelect manual-shift feature and a control program that unobtrusively puts it in neutral when the car is idling, even when the gear selector is in Drive. The Eco may prove at least a bit less responsive than other Cruze models. The nicely controlled body motion that helps in sloppy conditions applies on warm, dry pavement as well, at much higher speeds. We'd guess that maybe 80 percent of typical drivers will be satisfied with its performance in daily use.

The 6-speed manual transmission works fine, with a firm, smooth, shifter and gear ratios well suited to maximizing the limited power. But if the road opens up through the countryside, with nice curves that mean slowing fairly hard and then speeding up again, the automatic is less co-operative. Cruze's powertrain isn't glaringly weak, but it's not one of the highlights in its dynamics portfolio. In total, this compact leads the pack in ride quality, but it isn't sluggish. Its lithe, balanced quality helps the Cruze on slippery roads, because if the driver is reasonably smooth, there won't be any squats, dives or side-to-side body swaying that can shift weight, upset traction and make the car harder to manage, as if there were a giant bowling ball rolling around in its shell. That, too, helps save fuel. We found the 1.4-liter turbo engine does an adequate job of propelling the Cruze. The anti-lock brake system (ABS) manages full-panic stops nicely, and smoother, steadier braking quickly becomes a breeze. The base engine displaces 1.8 liters, producing 138 horsepower and 125 pound-feet of torque. The electronic stability control helps the driver stay ahead of the game, and it rarely lets anything get to the point where the Cruze might spin or swap ends. The steering is also fairly quick, to the point that a driver might have to correct and re-adjust the car's trajectory through a curve, because the wheel was initially turned too much.

GM's so-called favorite button is handy, even if it takes a bit of mental adjustment to shake preconceptions about conventional AM/FM presets.

Storage space inside the Cruze is adequate, if not overwhelming.

The leather upholstery that's optional is thick, yet supple, and stretched tightly over the seats.

The steering wheel is thick and grippy; with the optional leather, it feels great in the hands. In fact, it's rationally laid out and easy to learn. It's unique, and visually inviting. Published figures rank Cruze at the top of the class in front hip room, but the center console is on the wide side. The Chevrolet Cruze is roomy inside, with ample dimensions in most directions. There's plenty of fore-aft travel for drivers well over six feet tall, with even more front headroom. They turn with a satisfying feel that conveys the amount of adjustment just by the amount of movement. This button allows the driver to cycle through five pages of six preset stations. Those in back will have to rely on the center dome light, because there are no reading lights, either. With 15 cubic feet of volume, the Cruze trunk matches the best in class, with substantially more room than what's available in the Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla (12.5 and 12.3 cubic feet, respectively).

The rear seat isn't fancy, but it's roomy and impressively supportive.

There's a power point for rear passengers on the back of the console, but no air vents. It's easy to cycle through the choices with a toggle on the turn signal stalk, and just as easy to set preferences for automatic vehicle locking and the like. Sound deadening measures result in quiet operation. The outside passengers, though, will find plenty of headroom and decent legroom, with enough space under the front seats to easily accommodate large feet.

The center stack of switches looks great, though a bit complicated at first blush.

The rear seatbacks fold easily to expand truck space, but the bottom cushions are fixed, so the expanded surface is not entirely flat.

The trunk offers plenty of space. Climate controls are at the bottom. Larger drivers who drive with their legs splayed may find their outer thighs or knees rubbing on the dash or door panel. Other switches are pushbuttons, with entertainment and information high, between the dash vents and just below a large display screen. Overall, the Cruze cabin delivers an excellent balance of quality, coziness and space to breathe. The cushions for outboard passengers are carved, countered and bolstered almost as much as the front seats in some inexpensive cars. The downside is that the third space in the middle is narrow and flat, and not well suited for anyone past age seven or eight. The fabric used for the door inserts matches that used on the seat cushions, and it flows from the doors across the bottom of the dash. The fold-down center rear armrest stops exactly at the height of the armrests on the doors, so elbows can rest evenly. The glove box is fairly spacious, but the console box is fairly small, with enough room for an MP3 player when it's plugged into the port inside. The seams join with tighter tolerances than those in many other cars, including some of those a class or two above. There's an on/off master switch and a big cancel button, sandwiching a thumbwheel that flicks down to set or add speed, and up to resume or reduce speed. Again, it's impressive in a compact. It can keep a phone, wallet or remote stored out of sight, and it's lined with rubber to minimize sliding. The height of the pass-through space limits the size of objects that will slide through, and there are no tie-down points to easily secure something that might turn into a weighty projectile in a sudden stop. The tachometer is located on the left and the speedometer on the right, with smaller fuel and temperature gauges in the middle. The textiles and plastics are rich, appealing and nicely grained, and the metallic trim looks good. There's a single, large pushbutton to cycle through all the various airflow-direction options. Underneath the smaller gauges, a digital display shows current gear, direction of travel, and a host of options for vehicle or travel information. You can drive better with knees closer together, anyway, a position that's better for braking and downshifting.

Gauges are big and crisp, illuminated with ice-blue LED lighting. But rather than being organized by AM, FM or another frequency band, each page of favorites can store any station available. The optional power controls for the driver are just as easy to use, and the tilting seat bottom has more range, from steep angle to nearly flat, than one finds in some luxury cars. The wheel tilts and telescopes in all models, and we applaud Chevrolet for adding redundant audio controls on its right spoke on all but the base LS. There are two cupholders in the center console. There's a handy covered bin in the dash above the center stack. This is really a four-passenger car. About the only thing not up to snuff is some hard plastic at the bottom of the door pillars, and while no one will look at it much, it's stands out as sub-par because everything else is so nice. The front-seat adjustments in the Cruze allow occupants to find the right spot quickly and easily. If anything comes up short, it's width. The cabin is finished nicely with quality materials. The opening is large, and the trunk lid parks straight up and well out of the way. There are four large, primary knobs for volume, tuning, fan speed and temperature, each ringed with a nice rubber surround.

Cruze is near the top of the class for the look, fit and feel of the materials inside. The armrest has decent cupholders for those in back, but storage space is limited to fist-sized bins at the bottom of the doors and map pockets on the front seatbacks. The cruise-control switches on the left spoke are the best in the business. The local traffic feed from satellite is thrown in for good measure. The pockets at the bottom of the front door panels are decently sized, but the hard plastic generates an annoying sound when a CD case slides forward under braking. There are hooks for a cargo/grocery net just inside the trunk opening. Conventional thinkers can still set each page to AM, FM or satellite, if that feels better. That means you can store an AM news or talk station in the same page as your favorite satellite TV channels and FM music stations, enabling quick switching among them. The headliner is form fit with a soft, sturdy knit material, and it's only the outer layer of five in the roof's insulation. With the RS appearance package, they're trimmed with chrome and covered with bezels that make them pop even more in darkness.

J.P Vettraino filed this report from Detroit; John F. Katz reported from south-central Pennsylvania. The Cruze LS and Cruze LT offer the best value. It falls off a bit in power or engine performance, and it gets pricey at the high end of the model range. Measured by features, mileage and ride-handling balance, or interior noise, space and quality, the Cruze matches or beats the best.