<object id="flashObj" width="486" height="412" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,47,0"><param name="movie" value="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9/1898242908?isVid=1" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="flashVars" value="videoId=111712962001&playerID=1898242908&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" /><param name="base" value="http://admin.brightcove.com" /><param name="seamlesstabbing" value="false" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="swLiveConnect" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9/1898242908?isVid=1" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=111712962001&playerID=1898242908&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="486" height="412" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" swLiveConnect="true" allowScriptAccess="always" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed></object>

Here's the thing about a car that produces 638 horsepower and 604 pound-feet of torque. These staggering numbers are superb ammunition for bench-racing, but reality tells us that of the few who can afford a $109,130 2010 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, far fewer can actually drive this car anywhere near its potential.

Chevrolet knows this.

Even as forgiving as the Corvette ZR1 is when it comes to handling, it makes enough power to demand specialized, exacting attention to the use of its throttle. And that kind of attention is something that's often beyond the capability of the very people who find themselves piloting one of these latent liability cases.

It is this knowledge that has motivated Chevrolet to integrate many of the subsystems already in use within the 2010 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 to create its new-for-2010 Performance Traction Management (PTM) system — an advanced, adjustable combination of chassis control systems designed to enhance the ZR1's performance in the hands of any driver.

What Is PTM?
As an evolution of Chevrolet's "Competitive Driving Mode," PTM distinguishes itself from the stability control software of every other model of the Corvette with its ability to deliver five different settings of electronic management. They range from PTM1 — which is tuned for a wet track and employs heavy use of the car's active handling system (stability control) — to PTM5 — which disables the Active Handling system and allows use of all available torque (though it requires the car's Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires to be up to temperature before it works properly). In between PTM1 and PTM5 are varying levels of power and stability management for varying levels of driving skill and experience.

Here's how it works. Once you push the stability control button twice, the PTM display comes up in the Driver Information Center (DIC). The Selective Ride knob then allows you to select one of the five PTM settings. Control of the Selective Ride system is then left to PTM, so there's no need to further choose between Tour or Sport modes. When activated, PTM manages the traction control, active handling (stability control) and launch control systems.

And it's stunningly good.

Using PTM
Nowhere is the system's effectiveness more amply demonstrated than while driving the car through the same set of turns, much as you would at a track day. We experimented with various settings and finally settled on PTM5, which was the quickest in terms of elapsed time and provided the most confidence to the driver. After a period of building trust in the system, we found ourselves using wide-open throttle early and often while relying on PTM to keep the car on the road. Learning this technique is part trial and trust and part blind faith, but once you're accustomed to PTM's capabilities, the results are truly remarkable.

That it can best the European cars on a racetrack with an amateur at the wheel is just an added bonus.

Having reached the point in the corner where we would under normal circumstances begin to carefully squeeze the throttle, we simply mashed our foot to the carpet and let PTM do its business. The result was the telltale blat of an aggressive cut of the ignition that limited the massive output of the 2010 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1's supercharged engine, nevertheless accompanied by useful forward thrust. PTM won't drive for you, but it removes the risk in throttle control, which is the most demanding skill required to effectively drive a car this powerful. If the ZR1 was well mannered before, now it's downright domesticated.

With all PTM management turned off, the ZR1 is a wholly different beast, one capable of incredible speed accompanied by the persistent suspicion that things might end in a ball of fire. And it's not that this car is unmanageable. It's quite good, actually, when one considers the available power. But it's better with PTM.

Measure It
PTM also proved itself in our slalom testing, where speed and driver confidence both took a substantial leap forward. We went a full 1.0 mph faster (72.8 mph vs. 71.8 mph) than with all electronic aids disabled. The rapid directional transitions required in the slalom are where PTM seems to do its best work. We say this because we were still able to beat the system on the skid pad, as lateral acceleration was better with PTM disabled, improving from 1.0g to 1.02g.

Straight-line testing using the ZR1's new launch control system also is impressive. In fact, PTM-based launch control is more advanced and effective than any of Chevrolet's previous launch control systems (think Camaro SS and Cobalt SS). Chevy's chassis engineers aren't quick to reveal details about the software's inner workings, but did admit that the system is using closed-loop feedback (probably by looking at the speed of front wheels vs. rear wheels and other data), which helps deliver the ability to dial in the power that goes to the ground in real time as it's happening.

Using PTM, the 2010 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 hits 60 mph in 4.0 seconds (3.7 seconds using 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip) and slams through the quarter-mile in 11.7 seconds at 127.0 mph. Once we switched off the PTM, our raw times were only 0.03 second quicker to 60 mph. When we corrected this data according to the weather and rounded to the nearest tenth of a second (as is our standard procedure), the time to 60 mph proved to be 3.9 seconds. With the corrections, the quarter-mile is essentially the same: 11.7 seconds at 126.7 mph.

This means that PTM is essentially as good as a driver who performs this test weekly on every car sold in the U.S. and has been doing so for 10 years. And in our book, that's pretty darned good.

Braking from 60 mph required 101 feet and came with the confidence one would expect of a brake system this advanced. In other words, it feels like it could operate at this load indefinitely.

(The above test data is marginally off the standard set by the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 we last tested. That test, however, was performed on a different surface with better grip.)

Same Old Good
Aside from the PTM, the 2010 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 is essentially the same ZR1 that's been around since its introduction in late 2008. Same supercharged LS9 power plant, same six-speed manual transmission, same carbon-ceramic brakes.

And these features bring the same value and speed to the table now that they did then, only their abilities are now enhanced by PTM. Even the massive 285/30ZR19 front and 335/25ZR20 rear Michelin Pilot Sport tires feel stickier when using PTM.

Thanks to the magnetorheological dampers of the ZR1's Magnetic Selective Ride Control, a supple ride is probably the ZR1's most attractive feature in everyday use. This smart, self-adjusting damping control allows the car to be driven daily as easily as it sets lap records. We never found a need to switch the system out of its "Tour" setting, which provides ample compliance and enough performance latitude to accommodate the occasional on-ramp blast.

Same Old Bad
Competition Gray wheels are available for the 2010 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, but so far we've only had a chance to spend time with cars that have the chrome wheels. Trust us, you want the gray wheels. Our test car's Torch Red bodywork is another new addition this year, one that we love.

Inside the cabin, the ZR1's disappointments are the same as the usual Corvette disappointments. While we have griped about the car's interior deficiencies with tiresome repetitiveness, no discussion of this otherwise world-class car would be complete without addressing them.

The seats are truly, remarkably and embarrassingly bad. And by bad we mean too soft, too unsupportive and too ugly. And the fact that we have now used the expression "noodly-ass seatback adjustment lever" three times in as many years of reviewing the Corvette says something of the General's lack of commitment to improving the Corvette in this respect. Even the optional leather package does little to move the quality needle toward acceptable. And the navigation system would be more at home in a museum. Plus, the interior stinks like petrochemicals whenever the car sits in the sun.

Thank goodness this thing is fast.

Summing It Up
Our test car came fully optioned including the 3ZR Premium Equipment Group ($10,000), which is equipped with leather interior, a Bose sound system, heated seats and other amenities as well as the above-mentioned chrome wheels ($2,000). Including the $295 dealer-installed pedal covers, the unavoidable $1,300 gas-guzzler tax and $950 destination fee, this 2010 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1's as-tested price totals $121,425.

That's still about $120,000 less than a Ferrari 458 Italia, but it's close to the surprisingly affordable (yeah, we know) base price of a Porsche 911 Turbo, which starts at $132,800.

Still, we'd guess a buyer of the 2010 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 would care as much about this cost/benefit analysis as he would about the ability of PTM to make it possible to drive the ZR1 to its limit. Because this car isn't made for comparisons to Italian or German exotics. Instead, it's about the chest-pounding bravado of a supercharged American V8 cranking out more power and noise than damned near anything else on the road.

The fact that it can best the European cars on a racetrack with an electronically aided amateur at the wheel is just an added bonus.

The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.  (Source: Edmunds.com)

There's a particularly trite and overused phrase we've heard so often we no longer respond when someone utters it: "You can't judge a book by its cover." And it's baloney, too. War and Peace is a tough read because it has so many damn pages, is old and weighs a lot. Cats for Dummies is something less than high art and will not soon become a major motion picture.

But a lesser-known corollary to this adage actually works: "You can't judge the profound changes in the capability of a heavy-duty pickup truck by the freshness (or lack thereof) of its sheet metal and interior."

Haven't heard that one? Jim Mikulec, GM's lead development engineer on the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD project, puts it another way: "Everything that's changed is under the skin. Everything that's important is under the skin."

Falling Down
Just four years ago, the 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD dually defeated Ford Super Duty and Dodge Ram HD trucks in our straight-up fight of strength and towing capability. Despite an aging interior, it won largely on the strength of its 6.6-liter Duramax turbodiesel V8 engine and class-exclusive six-speed Allison automatic transmission. In 2007 GM gave its HD pickups a long-overdue body and interior redesign to go with these then-impressive mechanicals, and for the next couple of years the Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD twins stood atop the pile.

But the competition would not stand for this. Neither would they sit idly by or take it lying down. We're not sure what it looks like when you're not standing, sitting or lying down, but it apparently involves lots of engineers and money.

Dodge engineers countered first by upping the displacement of the Cummins turbodiesel from 5.9 to 6.7 liters in 2007 and replacing the archaic four-speed automatic with a much-needed six-speed a year later. For 2010 they added new sheet metal and a long-overdue crew cab to the lineup, and the Ram HD vaulted to the front

It's nothing less than an organ transplant, with stitching so expert we can't see the Frankenstein seams.

Ford's brainiacs leapfrogged ahead mere months later after introducing a revolutionary 6.7-liter PowerStroke V8 turbodiesel and a brand new six-speed automatic to handle the new mill's 390 horsepower and 735 pound-feet of torque. The 2011 Ford Super Duty got a final cherry on top in the form of significant upgrades to the interior electronics.

In less than a year, the Chevrolet Silverado HD tumbled from first to worst. Enter the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD.

Skeletal Reconstruction
Looking at it, the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD seems little different from 2010 versions. The bodywork and interior are essentially unchanged because GM focused its engineers and money on the areas where the Silverado HD lagged behind the competition: payload and towing capacity.

But the GM brass didn't want to merely improve their 2011 Chevrolet and GMC HD trucks. They wanted them to have best-in-class towing and hauling performance, or as Chief Project Engineer Mark Cieslak told us, the goal was to "take the segment."

To accomplish this, carryover bodies would sit atop a completely new frame and suspension designed to support class-leading ratings for GVW (gross vehicle weight) and GCW (gross combined weight).

The resulting clean-sheet frame is built from rails that are both taller and wider, and you won't find any open c-sections because this frame is now fully boxed from end to end. The rails themselves feature more gradual bends, and the crossmembers are stouter, more numerous and tend to be welded in place instead of riveted.

It has paid off big-time. The resulting structure is 92 percent stiffer in bending and nothing less than 500 percent stiffer in torsion than the outgoing frame.

Suspension Beef
A frame like this permits the use of a suspension that can handle higher loads and absorb impacts more efficiently, and GM has taken full advantage with clean-sheet designs for both the HD's front and rear suspension.

In front, the 2011 Silverado HD retains its fully independent double-wishbone layout and the built-in ride and steering advantage it provides over the solid-axle competition. But all of the pieces are newly designed and significantly beefier — the single exception being the stabilizer bar's drop link.

The lower control arms are stouter while the upper control arms, now forged from steel instead of stamped, have been moved upwards to a high-mount position. Heftier torsion bar springs, revalved shocks and dual urethane bump stops allow the front gross axle weight rating (GAWR) to increase to 6,000 pounds on 4x4 versions, a move that allows GM to offer the snow-plow prep option on any 2011 Silverado HD or Sierra HD 4x4 model, regardless of engine choice.

The beefiness extends to the braking system, where 14.0-inch cast-iron brake rotors replace the 12.8-inch units used last year. To ensure proper caliper clearance, this move dictates a minimum wheel size of 17 inches instead of 16 inches. Optional 18- and 20-inch wheels are also on the menu.

Back-to-back drives in the Silverado HD against a Ford F-350 on the open road clearly demonstrated the ride comfort of the Silverado's independent front suspension with its relatively low unsprung mass. But that we expected; it was the brakes that gave us a pleasant surprise. Turns out Chevy engineers didn't like last year's long, soggy brake pedal any more than we did, so they made welcome improvements to the pedal ratio and the hydro-boost assist characteristics to improve response.

Payload Payoff
Out back, the leaf springs are now 3 inches wide, up from 2.5 inches before. The projecting forward half of the springs has been shortened to make the leaves asymmetrical front to rear, a move that reduces axle windup at launch. Urethane rear bump stops replace hard rubber ones, and every mounting bolt in sight has been upsized.

The result is a 1,175-pound increase in rear GAWR from 8,200 to 9,375 pounds. This plus the aforementioned front-end improvements allow a hefty 1,600-pound GVWR increase to 13,000 pounds.

The latter now equals the Ford F-350's GVW rating, but Silverado curb weights tend to be lower, leaving a larger surplus for payload. The top payload of the Silverado 3500HD, the so-called "1-ton" truck, is 6,635 pounds, 1,380 pounds more than last year. Ford's F-350 tops out at 6,520 pounds. In all, Chevy has five 3500-series models with payloads topping 6,000 pounds. Ford has one.

It's much the same on the "3/4-ton" side, where the max payload of 4,192 pounds is one of 13 Chevrolet 2500HD configurations that are rated to carry more than 3,100 pounds. Ford's F-250 offers one such rating. (Ouch.)

Weight Underway
That's the payload side, but it takes more than a stout chassis to support increased trailer weight. As good as the 6.6-liter Duramax had been in the old truck, 365 hp and 660 lb-ft of torque wasn't going to cut it against Ford's new 6.7-liter Super Duty turbodiesel.

No worries. Chevrolet powertrain engineers found another 32 horses and 105 lb-ft, allowing the revised Duramax 6.6-liter turbodiesel to best the Ford's output with a class-topping 397 hp and 765 lb-ft of torque.

The 6.6-liter displacement and 16:1 compression ratio are unchanged. The output increases come instead from a new set of 30,000-psi piezo injectors, a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system and, more to the point, careful tuning of the engine calibration and turbo-boost map to meet new diesel emissions regulations and testing methods.

Like most other modern clean-diesel emissions technologies, the SCR system injects tiny amounts of the increasingly familiar diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) to react in the SCR catalyst, reducing NOx in this case by some 63 percent. The Silverado's new DEF tank holds some 5.3 gallons, enough for 5,000 miles.

A same-sized variable-nozzle turbo is used, but it's been altered to provide a computer-controller engine braking function, not unlike the system that recently appeared on the Ford Super Duty diesel trucks. Chevy's version differs in that it has an on-off switch and utilizes four maps to optimize performance in the four possible combinations of cruise control on-off and tow/haul on-off.

Through it all, GM claims the new Duramax is up to 11 percent more fuel-efficient than last year's model. Heavy-duty pickup trucks aren't subjected to official fuel economy testing, but GM claims a 680-mile highway range on a 36-gallon tank of diesel. That works out to 19 mpg — unofficially, of course.

It all adds up to a significant increase in the 2011 Silverado's GCWR, the limiting factor when it comes to towing capacity. Last's year's GCWR topped out at 23,500 pounds, leaving 16,500 pounds of maximum 5th-wheel towing capacity. This year's GCWR leaps to 29,200 pounds, dragging the maximum tow rating along with it to 21,700 pounds, a convenient 100 pounds more than the Ford F-350 Super Duty.

Trailer in Tow
The proof, of course, is in the towing. We didn't get a chance to drive on our familiar desert test grade, but we were able to make back-to-back comparisons to a similar Ford F-350 diesel with equal 9,000-pound trailers attached.

In short, Ford and Chevy have themselves a horse race, and Chevy seems to have a slight advantage. Both towed the admittedly lightweight trailer up the admittedly short grade in an equally relaxed manner at part-throttle, but the Chevrolet 3500HD got off the line a tad quicker and ultimately produced less diesel rattle on the steeper sections.

But the rolling terrain of western Maryland was good for demonstrating just how superior the downhill grade logic of the six-speed Allison transmission really is, especially with the exhaust brake added into the mix. The Ford Super Duty was good, but the Silverado HD felt better.

But these conditions weren't particularly challenging or definitive. It wasn't hot, the grades weren't steep or long and, most of all, the supplied trailer didn't bring either truck close to its considerable limits. These heavy-duty machines deserve nothing less than a full rematch on home soil. Don't worry. We're already making plans.

Unfinished Business
We recognize that GM made a logical business decision when it focused its attention on the skeleton and guts of the 2011 Chevrolet 2500 and 3500HD trucks. And we don't really have a problem with the old exterior of this new truck. Minor tweaks to the bumper, grille and hood have made a good-looking rig even more handsome.

But the interior, it needs help. The 2010 Ram HD is all-new in this regard, with a very handsome cab adapted from the universally praised Ram 1500's interior. The 2011 Ford Super Duty's cab isn't particularly new, but the basic design is sound and it is aging quite well thanks to the addition of a very clever new instrument panel and the much-praised Sync infotainment system.

By comparison, the Chevy and GMC interiors are built well enough, but there appears to be a lot of wasted space. Also the switchgear is small, particularly on the center stack, with lots of same-sized buttons in close proximity. Tiny air-conditioning icons highlight our growing need for bifocals, and the control switch for that excellent exhaust brake has a status indicator light that's impossible to see in daylight. There's room for improvement here.

But Still...
There is no denying that the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD is a great truck. The things that matter most in this segment — engine, chassis, suspension — have been thoroughly upgraded under the skin. It's nothing less than a heart-lung-brain-skeleton transplant, with stitching so expert we can't see the Frankenstein seams.

An LT-grade Chevrolet 3500HD 4x4 dually starts at $42,885. Add the Duramax diesel engine and Allison transmission ($8,395) and the price rises to $50,880, about $500 less than a Ford F-350 XLT dually 4x4 with a V8 diesel and six-speed automatic. Dodge Ram 3500 SLT prices reside in the same ballpark.

For the time being, at least, the 2011 Chevrolet 3500HD can boast the largest towing capacity, the highest payload and the healthiest engine output in the 1-ton segment. But that's sure to change when the competition throws yet more engineers and money at their respective trucks. After all, as another over-used saying goes, "This is war!"  (source: edmunds)

DETROIT — Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga may have been robbed of a perfect game on Wednesday night after a blown call by an umpire, but he was handed the keys to a cherry red 2010 Chevrolet Corvette today for what the automaker called a "great performance."

GM North America President Mark Reuss showed up at Comerica Park on Thursday to present the car to Galarraga prior to a game against the Cleveland Indians. Galarraga got the keys — and a standing ovation.

"The way the pitcher had handled the incredible events deserved to be recognized regardless of what record books would ultimately show," said GM in a statement attributed to Reuss.

The car was on the field, behind home plate, as Galarraga handed the lineup card to Jim Joyce, the umpire whose blown call cost Galarraga a spot among the baseball elite who have thrown perfect games. A tearful Joyce admitted that he erred on the call at first base with two outs in the ninth inning on Wednesday. "Pitcher knows it was a perfect game," trumpeted the headline in the Detroit Free Press on Thursday morning.

GM recounted the dramatic turn of events during the controversial game in a statement.

"The 27th and final batter, Jason Donald, hit a routine ball in the hole between first and second base," GM said. "Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera fielded the ball and threw to Galarraga, who stepped on first base, apparently before Donald touched the base and was called safe. Galarraga kept his cool, returned to the mound and retired to record a one-hit, 3-0 shutout, throwing just 88 pitches."

GM stopped short of adding to the chorus of media and fans calling for Major League Baseball to reverse Joyce's call.  (source:  inside line)

Amid the financial mess that has become General Motors, we're told that the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze is coming our way, one more piece of GM's constantly improving product portfolio. Despite GM's financial drama, the Cruze refuses to get sidetracked. Good thing, because GM needs this new small car to have a firm footing in markets around the globe, including the U.S.

The Cruze sedan is being delivered to customers in European markets right now, and it has been on sale in Korea as the Daewoo Lacetti Premiere since late 2008. It will also be sold as the Holden Cruze in Oceania. Our several drives of the bowtie-badged Cruze with a variety of powertrains and transmissions in northern Spain have shown us that GM has at long last become a global thinker and planner like Honda, Hyundai, Toyota and VW.

The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze replaces the Chevy Cobalt, which ends production in its plant in Lordstown, Ohio, early in 2010, but this is much more car than the Cobalt was ever planned to be. The Cruze has handsome exterior work, while the interior is impressively good for big people, and the car also looks and feels better than the price should allow.

Going Global
Known internally as project J300, the Cruze is the very first GM car to be planned from its green light back in late 2006 as a totally global model. It's taken GM awhile to set up something as brilliantly cost-effective as this car, but it's finally here and there is now no looking back. Here's hoping it's not too little, too late.

Engineering for the J300 project has been headquartered in Germany at GM Europe's headquarters in Rüsselsheim, Germany. All design work has been led by the international team in Incheon, South Korea, at the former Daewoo facility, with designers Dave Lyon and Taewan Kim presiding (love the BMW 3 Series-style taillights also found on the recently sexed-up Citroën C5). Cruze production is cranking full steam at a plant in Bupyong, South Korea, and will soon also rev up in St. Petersburg, Russia, and Shenyang in China.

With today's globalized perspective, all this makes the Cruze GM's most significant car ever. Provided economies in key markets pick up in timely fashion, annual worldwide sales of the Cruze could easily top 1 million vehicles. The best year for worldwide Chevy Cobalt sales came in 2005 with 148,949 sales; the total dipped to 118,349 in 2008. The Cruze has been given the task of exceeding these numbers in the U.S. alone.

The image of the car depends on the market you're talking about. In Southeast Asia (and perhaps in China as the Buick Cruze), it's a family's dream car. In Korea or Russia and Eastern Europe, it's a solid midmarket player, a clear notch above the Korean brands or VW-based Škoda. In Europe and Australia, the Cruze is the smart, well-finished alternative with big-car room and small-car practicality. For us in North America, the Cruze needs to steal customers from the Japanese, the Koreans, and from the Ford Focus.

Is It the Hit It Needs To Be?
If we're to go by our industrious driving over two days, the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze measures up to expectations. The Chevrolet people tell us that the Cruze as it sits on the new Delta 2 architecture (shared with the Chevy Volt and the next Opel Astra) incorporates lots of lightweight, high-tensile-strength steel. Our driving over lots of different surfaces shows that structural rigidity is noticeably better than the Cobalt's Delta 1 architecture.

While the new platform's front suspension struts and rear torsion-beam axle are fairly basic work, they are feeling finer than anything we've ever experienced under a Cobalt. This could be due to the Cruze's stretched wheelbase (2.4 inches longer), slightly wider tracks, plus optional 17-inch tires. The Cruze unsurprisingly doesn't steer like a BMW or Infiniti, although it doesn't feel out of the ordinary, with a strong on-center response. Understeer is, however, less than on the generation of cars the Cruze replaces worldwide.

The base model Cruze will be equipped with a 1.8-liter inline-4 rated at 140 horsepower and 130 pound-feet of torque. Later on, an optional turbocharged 1.4-liter inline-4 will be available, which produces 140 hp and 148 lb-ft of torque. The Cruze weighs 2,844 pounds with the manual transmission and 2,899 pounds with the auto, so both are lighter than the current 2,991-pound Cobalt. We think this is a great thing, even though we're giving up 10 hp and 20 lb-ft of torque compared to the current Cobalt's engine, and can expect acceleration to 60 mph to be no quicker than 9.5 seconds.

The optional six-speed automatic transmission is a first in this segment, but the 1.8-liter base engine we get is a bit underwhelming, as any slight incline on the highway results in an old-school tug of war between 5th and 6th gears if the transmission is left in Drive. (What'll it be like with five passengers and luggage then?) Meanwhile, the standard five-speed manual is always good because its ratios mesh better with the power curve, and 5th gear is overdrive enough to make highway cruising, Cruzing. If North America gets the six-speed manual transmission that's being discussed, all the better.

Living Space Every Day
By the measurements, the Cruze passenger cabin tops the competition while also looking swell and managing to keep exterior noise from the wind, tires and motor from pestering occupants. We felt compelled to ask the product people right away whether the supportive front seats are optional. Same for the natty, soft-touch fabric that upholsters the dash. All standard, they say.

Rear passengers in a Cruze are also treated better than in any other car in this class, with 39.4 inches of headroom in front and 37.9 inches in back. Rear-seat legroom in back is tremendous at 36.1 inches. Rear shoulder room measures 54 inches, 5 inches more than in the Cobalt. We adjusted the driver seat to our 6-foot frame and jumped in the back. The space is worthy of an Impala, a real improvement as the Opel Astra-based Cobalt has always been desperately short of rear-seat space. Both ingress and egress are notably upper class for this market segment, with large door openings and an overall height of 58.2 inches, 2.7 inches more than the Cobalt.

The trunk of the Cruze is tops in class with 15.9 cubic feet of cargo capacity. In Europe, the Cruze will have a 60/40-split folding rear seat, but the U.S. model will get a cheaper one-piece folding seatback with a pass-through, although the 60/40 seat will be an option.

This Is Year Zero for the New Chevrolet
After all the calculations are done, the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze should provide comfort and space and build quality never before seen in this segment at this price. A U.S. model of the base Cruze with manual transmission should start with an MSRP of around $15,500 (unless some way is found to sell it for the magical $14,999), and then about $1,500-$2,000 more will be tacked on for the LS, LT and LTZ trims.

After the Cruze is set on its way, the tiny Spark will be introduced in Europe in early 2010, followed by the next-generation Aveo to slot between the Spark and Cruze in mid-2010. Soon after the global passenger car lineup is complete, then comes the Delta 2-based Orlando crossover with available seven-passenger seating, arriving in North America at the start of 2011. Soon after that, the Opel/Vauxhall Insignia and Chevy Impala will be combined into one world car.

For now, we like what we see and hear and drive with the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. We do hope, however, that a Cruze SS with the 260-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4 arrives without too much delay. And maybe a Cruze Sport, with a turbocharged, 170-hp version of the 1.8-liter engine. There is a hatchback version in the plans for Europe as well, not to mention some talk about an electric Cruze based on the Volt chassis.

While Chrysler has failed to find a way to update or replace the retro-styled PT Cruiser, we can definitely see this as a forthcoming replacement to the Chevrolet HHR. The Volt MPV5 is slightly larger than HHR, but fills a similar market niche. While Chevrolet hasn't announced a firm production commitment, it wouldn't be surprising to see the MPV5 built in both conventional and ER-EV forms to help jack up GM's light truck CAFE numbers. The roomy interior will likely find a bigger audience than the smaller Volt while still yielding a 32 mile electric range, and if we had to guess, we'd see the Orlando-inspired plug-in EV hit the market by 2013.  (source: autoblog)

Click Here to print your coupon!