DIGITAL EDITOR ANDREW STOY: The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco has a lot riding on it, which makes the car that much more frustrating to me. It's good--surprisingly good, since I was not expecting to like the Chevy Cruze as much as the sportier (looking, anyway) Ford Focus. And this was a Cruze Eco which brought back memories of the Chevette Scooter and the Geo Metro XFi.
In short, the 1.4-liter turbocharged engine is a gem, and the six-speed manual to which it's mated is geared to take full advantage of what output is available. The only time I felt myself wanting more was when lugging it in second gear. Otherwise, I found this engine much better suited to the car than the Focus was to its normally aspirated, direct-injection 2.0-liter.
