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I’ve not been on this site for some time. It sure looks and feels cheap.
Well seeing there is “nothing” on the horizon from GM in a compact econo car that has decent hp to weight we stopped and bought my wife a “2014” KIA Forte EX with a 173hp 2.0L engine in a sedan that hits the scales in under 2,800 lbs. Try doing that Chevy Cruze, what’s your hp to weight?
Now go read the specs at the KIA site. Maybe look at what comes standard on the Forte EX, look at the option list, look at how easy it is to spec out a car just the way you like it. Now price that against a Cruze with the same equipment standard and optional.
The Solstice is gone, and the ION stays for the time being. I’ll be looking at the Forte 5 door SX turbo come sept, and if not the Forte EX 5door.
So far GM you have lost another Pontiac/Saturn owner, and not because Pontiac or Saturn are gone. It’s because you have “NOTHING” I’d buy.
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Please read all the posts before they hit the reply button.
This thread will be about 2014 econo compact cars. It has nothing to do with mid size, sport cars or supercar wannabe’s. It’s not about subcompacts, trucks, boats or things that go bump in the night.Below is what I said in my first post titled “New Compact Car.” In that entire thread I did not mention or refer to Forte as a sports car, nor did I call it sporty. I did call it an econo car, and those that want to try and put words in my mouth or in the mouths of other posters, do it in a direct quote and not from memory.
With nothing on the horizon coming from GM with decent hp to weight in a econo compact we went out and bought my wife a 2014 KIA Forte EX 173hp 2.0L. Go look at the specs, go look at what the car comes standard with, go look at the options, go look and see how easy it is to spec out a car you’d like. Than build one and see what it would cost to have a Chevy Cruze dressed the same way.
After more years buying GM cars than most of you are old, we bought an import from Korea. A big step for me, it feels very odd to say the least. We were not looking for a compact performance sedan, nor were we looking for a luxury or near luxury compact sedan. AKA Caddy ATS or Buick Verano. We were looking for an economy car with decent hp to weight. We didn’t want less equipment than we had in the 2007 ION 2.4L. We found it in the 2014 KIA Forte EX. It has “decent” hp to weight. It comes standard with auto headlamp’s, backup camera, and much more. AUTO DIMMING rear view mirror was a must, and we didn’t have to buy a mosly unwanted pkg to get it. Now her remote can be put in a drawer and forgotten. We looked at many cars in it’s class and segment and for the money it is where we spent it. I hope it proves to be a good car. I don’t want to be taking it in for warranty work every six months.
Now for those of you interested go look at what the Forte EX comes with, add other options you’d like if any. When done be honest with yourself and put it side by side item for item and see if you can get a better deal. First for us it had to have enough hp to get out of it’s own way. Something the 2014 gas powered Cruze can not do at any trim level. But hey the Saturn ASTRA had the same problem so we never brought one home. I’ll not bring up other things the ASTRA did not have because without decent power it’s a moog point to me.Now to the Solstice…..that was my wifes go to work car as this Forte will be. After 8 years it was time for it to find a new home. Leather was rotting, was in need of a new roof, headlamps had the treatment a few times and needed to be replaced. It needed a few other minor things replaced. I’ll say it was a fun little car, no headaches with it at all. If GM was building a good replacement for it we’d have bought it.
With all that said I’m not beating the Chevy Cruze up. It’s just not a car we wanted for a number of reasons. GM is only building one car that I would buy, and one car that comes close.
That’s if we were looking to replace a third car we have.
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@RJION Well, a congratulations are in order for buying the Kia… I guess.
But I’m missing the point you’re trying to accomplish. Since you seem to cringe at the fear of having anything you didn’t say “put” in your mouth, I’ll use the following from your earlier posts.
You’re looking for a “compact econo car that has decent hp to weight”. Understood.
But then you say that “this thread will be about 2014 econo compact cars”, adding that the thread has “nothing to do with mid size, sport cars or supercar wannabe’s.”
And hence the reason for my question: what is it that you’re trying to achieve with a car that has a “decent hp to weight” ratio? The obvious answer, to me, is a high(er) level of performance… no?
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Copy and pasted that from another forum because the thread went to stupid and I thought it might do the same thing here. Cept here it seems the only subject that gets any play is about bringing back Pontiac.
“And hence the reason for my question: what is it that you’re trying to achieve with a car that has a “decent hp to weight” ratio? The obvious answer, to me, is a high(er) level of performance… no?”
Answer is …. the car has to have the power to get out of it’s own way. Something most compacts can not do. It’s not an ATS, it’s not a Speed 3, it’s not a Fucus ST. This is not a performance compact, but it has the hp to weight to pass on two lane blacktop without being stuck behind a mini van for 7 miles hoping for the room to make a move.
My question……….what in the world have you done to this place? It looks and feels cheap.
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“…the car has to have the power to get out of it’s own way”
Having owned a 2011 Cruze 2LT (with the 1.4L Tubo and 6-speed auto), I can definitively say that it can do just that. I never had trouble passing or “being stuck behind a mini van for 7 miles hoping for the room to make a move”. The fact that the engine makes peak power at lower RPM than a N/A unit was nice, as well.
So, it seems like your definition of being able to “get out of its own way” differs from mine, but over 23,000 buyers in May 2013 alone (in the U.S.) seem to agree with me:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2013/06/general-motors-u-s-sales-up-3-percent-to-252984-units-in-may-2013-by-the-numbers/On a slightly different note, the all-new Forte has substantially inferior ride & handling characteristics than the Cruze, despite its lighter weight and superior (on paper) power-to-weight ratio.
Here’s what it all comes down to: the Cruze launched in 2008 and is on the older side of the compact segment when compared to the competition. Even so, it still delivers best-in-class fuel economy, handling, safety ratings, and NVH levels, even though the engine range leaves something to be desired for the enthusiast (someone who considers P-W is an enthusiast). The all-new 2015/16 Cruze should bring an all-new, more powerful, and even more efficient engine range, while lowering the car’s curb weight.
As for your assessment on the GM Authority’s recent redesign, here’s a more appropriate and on-topic avenue to discuss that:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/forum/feedback-forum/ -
@Alex Well, a congratulations are in order for buying the Cruze… I guess.
On a slightly different note you should have at least read the reviews on the 2014 Forte seeing you have not driven it. The ride is near the same as the CRUZE while it is somewhat softer.
I rented the CRUZE on three occasions. First on a trip to the rolling hills of Pennsylvania and I needed to keep my foot to the floor 70% of the time to keep up with 85mph traffic. Second on a trip to northeast Ohio, where the car did just fine on the flatlands. Third on a trip to Minnesota where the car struggled on the hills of Duluth. I do not like the CRUZE for anything but a good flatland car. I don’t live in the flatlands. I don’t drive in the flatlands. Sorry I waited long enough for GM to put a package together on the CRUZE that I would buy. 2015 is to far away to see what “might” come.
As for my assessment on the GM Authority’s recent redesign, it was just a simple question. Not looking for more politically correct rhetoric.
So it truly comes down to my wife liked the Forte and she now has a Forte.
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Alex If you have been in and driven the Forte 2014 EX twice than your in need of removing your GM blinders.. Your assesment is so biased it’s unreal. Then to quote sales numbers for the month is childish. At one time Chevy sold more cars than Toyota now all of Gm doesn’t. The Cruze with the same equipment with much less hp to weight, slower 0 to 60’s, much slower 1/4 mile times, cost $3k more than the car my wife bought. Yes the Cuze gets better gas mileage as is. Yet does not offer an stronger engine to those that want it. KIA has taken the ball and they are running with it. The Fotre EX is not for everone, nor is the Cruze.
Twice rented non turbo and finally got my hands on a turbo in Pa.
Have driven my buddies wife’s Cruze turbo LTZ a half dozen timesHave also rented a FOCUS twice………now that car needs suspension tuning, and sound insulation.
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Mr. Luft the keymaster…………Here’s something you should “read”. As we all know you have not driven all the cars in the test and I’m guessing you have not driven the Forte as you stated. At least read this review by Motor Trend, and the many other reviews on the “2014” Forte. You’ll find there is not a bad one out there. We all know none of the reviews are 100% fool proof yet the 2014 Forte fairs well with everyone but you. Take your GM blinders off and be honest with yourself, and maybe you’ll start to see the world as it truly is.
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/1303_compact_sedans_the_big_test/viewall.html
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