The Cruze stole the Sebring's top, and is better for it

"Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available" (whoistheleader2) 02/22/2020 at 13:00 • Filed to: Chevy Cruze, chrysler sebring, Oppositelock

2

26

These two cars share something. And that something is the entire roof!

Both the Cruze and the Sebring have a much maligned black piece of trim that crudely imitates a window behind the rear quarter glass. Both cars have a single chrome strip below the window that continues into the black plastic. This is bad, since it looks cheap.

On both cars, the roof is high and curvaceous, terminating in a stubby trunk. This is good, since it creates an airy greenhouse and gives the car a signature characteristic.

Really, you could say both cars were built for the same job, only the Cruze was successful and the Sebring was steaming garbage. I know which one I would take. Oh wait, I already have.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 02/22/2020 at 13:04

4

Well.... well... maybe the Sebring didn’t want it’s ugly ass top back. I mean “less is actually more”— it can be a thing.

I’d say it’s the rare case where BOTH parties are better looking for the theft.

Textured Soy Protein > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 02/22/2020 at 13:07

4

B oth of these cars are egregious examples of DLO Fail. The Cruze’s overall shape and design is generally normal and in offensive compared to the mess that is the Sebring. But the C-pillar is still garbage.

ranwhenparked > Textured Soy Protein 02/22/2020 at 13:13

4

The dumbest thing was when they facelifted the Sebring into the 200 and tried to minimize the appearance of the fake window by gluing a chrome "200"  badge to it. Somehow it never occurred to them to just get rid of it entirely.

SiennaMan > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 02/22/2020 at 13:16

0

I agree that the Sebring is better as a convertible in a number of ways. That said, were there generations of the Sebring?  I don't remember the front end looking like that..

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > SiennaMan 02/22/2020 at 13:18

1

Sadly, I found all those cars so forgettable that I forgot... Must have been multi-generations. The drop-tops were a staple of Maui rental car fleets for many years.

It’s possible it didn’t have a platform connection to the sedan.  I think Toyota played that game with the Solaris “twins”-- wherein the convertible wasn’t even built on the same platform.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Textured Soy Protein 02/22/2020 at 13:22

0

The stupid piece of plastic is actually one of the only things I don’t like about my Cruze. All the rest of the design is pretty underplayed and, dare I say it, classy. Well, except for the rear 3 quarters view, which for some reason just looks bad. 

nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul > SiennaMan 02/22/2020 at 13:47

0

Thats a 2nd gen pre facelift. 

dogisbadob > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 02/22/2020 at 14:00

2

Hi

NinetyQ > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 02/22/2020 at 14:21

1

The sedan version of the Cruze never made much sense to me. The hatchback looks way better and is presumably more practical, so I can only assume the sedan exists to appease boomers who refuse to have a hatchback because those were cheap crappy cars in the early ‘80s.

But, today I learned that there are Cruze enthusiasts out there. I only drove one once when I had our TourX in for service at a dealership, and it was fine, but I didn’t care for it. Granted, that was a second-gen. Still, as someone who also dailies a mid-’90s GM product, more power to you for liking something other car enthusiasts turn their nose up at. 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > dogisbadob 02/22/2020 at 14:24

3

On the contrary, I say that is not an improvement, though I appreciate the photohack. I just think it should have been a window, since that pseudo hof mei ster kink is far too common. 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > NinetyQ 02/22/2020 at 14:29

1

M y review is at the bottom, but here is why I like mine:

Great reddish orange color

Really nice interior

Bluetooth calling

$4,900

Really, the Cruze is just a small car designed to appeal to people who want a big car. The (good looking) sedan never really lacked practicality to me, though the first gen didn’t come as a hatch in the US (the second gen should have been hatch only since that is the only good looking variant). Of course it isn’t exactly a corner carver, but you would be surprised how good of a cruiser it is, even with 4 passengers and luggage.

dogisbadob > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 02/22/2020 at 14:35

2

Too bad they never made a 2-door Cruze, as I think that profile would’ve looked very good as a 2-door

Also, the first-gen Cruze hatch, the one we didn’t get, looks a lot like the Hyundai Pony, Korea’s first mass-produced car, which is appropriate given GM likes doing retro shit

NinetyQ > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 02/22/2020 at 14:40

1

The price is hard to argue with. I just would rather pay similar money to buy an older car that is nicer from the start and with no higher mileage. We bought our ‘05 Subaru Legacy GT (we have 3 cars at the moment since we just got the TourX to replace the LGT recently) for $5500 in 2015 with under 100k on the odometer. Granted it is thirstier and drinks premium fuel, but it’s such a nice car to drive.

I don’t want to talk shit about a car you love, so I hope this doesn’t come off the wrong way, but since we’re talking about it, I’ve just always felt the Cruze, especially the first-gen, looked badge engineered and cheap. I hate the front end styling on Chevy s of the era (continuing to now, though they’re mostly less dumb looking now). The side profile reminds me of cheap Kias from the 2000s, and the stubby trunk just seems like a silly afterthought since people cling to sedans over hatchbacks (which is why they didn’t have them for the first-gen here). It may have been practical enough for you, but having the hatchback would have been even more practical.

Again though for full disclosure, my daily driver for the past 14 years (with other cars coming and going along the way as secondary or fun vehicles) is a 1996 Pontiac Grand Prix coupe, and there are all sorts of criticisms to be made about that. lol. 

ranwhenparked > dogisbadob 02/22/2020 at 14:40

1

That looks fine to me, I have no idea why the designers thought it needed that plastic triangle

CB > NinetyQ 02/22/2020 at 16:00

1

Well shit, that’s a name I haven’t seen in a while. Glad to see you back!

Brettster > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 02/22/2020 at 22:10

1

I had A big problem with the roofline on the Sebring… that’s why I bought the convertible. LoL

fintail > Textured Soy Protein 02/22/2020 at 22:41

1

I think I’ve chatted with y ou about it, DLO fail can really trigger me.

And maybe not a surprise, GM stuck with it:

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > NinetyQ 02/23/2020 at 00:47

0

The first gen was probably one of the most competitive small cars GM ever made, but still a small cheap car. BUT, the interior actually is a genuinely nice place to be. I intended to go the old car route, but it was just way to nice to turn down unless you can't live without leather.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > dogisbadob 02/23/2020 at 00:49

1

You are not alone in that thought. The rear trunk proportions is at least 90% of why people hate on the Cruze, and a coupe or hatch would  improve this. Also, Daewoo and Opel designed, so the South Korean influence is not imagined.

Nibby > NinetyQ 02/23/2020 at 09:58

0

hi babe

NinetyQ > Nibby 02/23/2020 at 10:06

1

Textured Soy Protein > fintail 02/23/2020 at 10:47

1

Yes, the CT5 is terrible for this reason. It could be the most amazing car ever to drive but that pillar trim is a hard pass.

Nibby > NinetyQ 02/23/2020 at 11:26

1

fintail > Textured Soy Protein 02/23/2020 at 13:10

0

And I suspect the market will agree. I don’t think I’ve seen one on the road.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > fintail 02/23/2020 at 17:50

1

The only excuse the Cruze has is that it already feels way nicer than its price would suggest. A Cadillac? Obvious c ostcutting? Get out!

fintail > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 02/23/2020 at 19:22

1

Cruze seems like a decent enough value.  Caddy, well, I don’t want to spend 50K+ and look at that DLO fail.  If I want a Caddy sedan for that money (or less), I’d find a CPO CT6, which is a much better looking car.