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Consumer Reports’ senior engineer: Cruze is “quite pleasant”
By Kalea Hall
LORDSTOWN
To achieve the Consumer Reports level of “Top Pick,” the Lordstown-built Chevrolet Cruze had to go through rigorous testing.
The Cruze was tested on the road by several drivers, then it was brought back to the Consumer Reports Auto Test Center in Connecticut where more than 50 tests and evaluations were performed. Consumer Reports buys the cars it tests.
“It’s pretty comprehensive,” said Gabriel Shenhar, program manager of vehicle dynamics for Consumer Reports. “We found the Cruze quite pleasant. It rides comfortably.”
The Cruze, a compact car, has a lot of “bigger car” qualities, Shenhar said.
“At the same time you get a good fuel economy,” Shenhar said. “In the end, it is at the top of the line of the class, at least for now.”
Shenhar called the results “big news” for Lordstown considering the Cruze’s predecessors, the Cobalt and Cavalier, “were pretty unimpressive to say the least.”
Consumer Reports announced its “Top Picks” for vehicles across all segments Tuesday. The Cruze’s 153-horsepower, turbocharged, four-cylinder engine, its roominess and gas mileage of 30 mpg city and 47 mpg highway were highlighted in Consumer Reports’ “Top Picks” report.
“The Cruze earned it fair and square,” Shenhar said.
The Chevrolet Cruze is built by 3,000 workers at the General Motors Lordstown Assembly Complex. It launched at the plant in 2010. To date, about 1.6 million Cruzes have come out of the Lordstown plant.
The Cruze is the first domestic compact car in more than a decade to receive the “Top Pick” title. From 2013 through 2016, the Subaru Impreza took the title.
“Their [Consumer Reports’] process is highly respected by every consumer imaginable,” said Glenn Johnson, president of United Auto Workers Local 1112, which represents the assembly plant workers at GM Lordstown.
“They do an unbiased and very professional job, so for our car to come out be as the leader, it speaks volumes not only for us, but the engineering and design team at General Motors.”
The Cruze’s final testing score from Consumer Reports surpassed that of the Toyota Corolla LE, which placed second in the category, and the Kia Forte LX, which placed third.
“To be able to receive what we did puts us steps ahead of the competition,” said Robert Morales, president of UAW Local 1714, which represents the fabrication plant workers at GM Lordstown.
The news from Consumer Reports came during a difficult time at the plant. In January, the third shift was cut, costing more than 600 jobs on the assembly side and about 235 on the fabrication side. GM cut the third shift to align its supply of the Cruze with demand. The trend away from compact cars also led to several weeks of production down time at the plant. In March, the plant is scheduled for a three-week shutdown.
On Friday, U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, in a letter urged President Donald J. Trump to assist the displaced workers at the plant.
“On inauguration day, while you spoke about America’s shuttered factories and the millions of workers struggling to find jobs, GM began the indefinite suspension of the third shift at their Ohio Lordstown Assembly Complex,” Ryan wrote. “I call on you to work with General Motors and reinstate these workers and provide financial security and stability to these men and women.”