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here an ad, there an ad, everywhere a Cruze ad

by on 10. Feb, 2011 in Blog, Raves and Reviews, video

They Chevy Cruze has been all over the place lately.  One, I am driving one.  So right there it’s kind of a big deal (I kid. I kid.)  But seriously it’s been everywhere.  Or maybe it just seems that way since I am driving one…like once you get something all of a sudden you feel like that something is everywhere.  Does that happen to you?

Well they really have been everywhere and it’s not just me.  Did you watch the Super Bowl?!  (If you didn’t you can go to the Chevrolet You Tube channel and view all their big game ads not just the Cruze ones.)  If you did watch it though, you would have seen a few Cruze commercials.

I don’t know if I need my Facebook updates read to me but the idea is better than reading them on your phone while driving (which I have totally never done.  hands at 10 and 2 at all times and maybe sometimes 3 to change the radio station but that’s it. )

It’s no mini Darth Vader commercial which the Cruze totally could have done considering the remote start–which is right up there as my favorite feature of the car right along with heated seats.

And then this is the whole tie in with the Glee pheonomenon.

So make a date today

to see the USA

and see it in your Chevrolet.

And this ad has been around a while but it’s kind of the coolest thing I have seen in a while.

What would make this the best thing ever….remote start from your phone!

You’re welcome Chevy!

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Let’s talk about satellite baby, let’s talk about you and me

by on 04. Feb, 2011 in Blog, Featured Bloggers, Raves and Reviews

When I purchased my last car, it came with Sirius free for a year.  They hooked me in and I have been loving it for the last 5+ years.  I actually can’t live without it (I even recently downloaded the app for my phone so I can listen at work too—-I am a convert) My car’s radio doesn’t have the fancy display where it shows the name of the channel, the artist, and the name of the song.  My current radio just shows the channel number and that’s it.  It’s bare bones, basic.  But it’s satellite.

the Cruze's fancy display

The Cruze has XM and the fancy display.  And while I know they are now the same company, they don’t have exactly the same lineups.  And actually, I kind of like the XM better than the Sirius. Except if this was my car, I would have to pay the extra for the Best of Sirius package.  I can’t live without my Howard Stern.  He’s been a staple in my life since high school.  My dad and I used to listen to him as we drove from the southwest side of Cleveland to the east side on my way to school–about an hour in rush hour traffic.  Actually Howard might have sparked “the talk” from my dad.  Yeah, that might have been a weird trip to school…moving on.  Still love Howard though and I miss Artie.

Channels I know and love from Sirius—standard on XM too:

  • 80′s on 8
  • 90′s on 9
  • Lithium
  • First Wave
  • The Coffee House
  • Hits 1 (happens to be know as 20 on 20 on XM)
  • Shade 45—never listed to it really before but I am loving it

New to me channels on XM I am loving:

  • Mix XM 22
  • Kiss FM
  • Music Summit
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to Pittsburgh and back in the blink of an eye…with a trunk full of goodies

by on 02. Feb, 2011 in Blog, video, Videos

This past weekend I made a trip out to Pittsburgh to hang out with some friends..and to visit Ikea.  Since I recently purchased a house, I need stuff to put in the house.  And lots of it.  So a trip to Ikea was not just something fun, it was 100% necessary.  I left early Saturday morning and was back early Sunday morning (You might be able to tell in my voice at the end of the video just how tired this quick trip made me)

Quick trip to Pittsburgh from Suzanne Martis on Vimeo.

Here is a slightly more organized photo of my loot (less the trashcan and add my overnight bag) and you see what fit in the back of the Cruze.  Including Bacon!

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Holy presets Batman!

by on 30. Jan, 2011 in Blog, video

One of the first things I did when I got my Cruze was change up the presets.  Not that I didn’t love the presets that were already there, I just wanted my own radio preferences.  That’s one of the first things that makes a car one’s own—setting the radio presets to your favorite channels. Who doesn’t love to have their favorite channels at the tip of their fingertips?  (Whoever had the Cruze before me had Shade 45 on the preset and while I have this channel on Sirius in my car, I never listen to it.  I will be now, there is some good stuff on that channel-a fun mix of old school and new school rap)  And so either the first or second night I had the Cruze, I sat in the driveway like a total weirdo and set my presets.  This was sort of a project because of the number available of presets available.  It was actually on of the first things I noticed about the Chevy Cruze, the amazing number of presets you could have.  36!!!!  That six pages of six presets. My current car only has 12 and I wasn’t feeling deprived until I had 36.

presets, presets, presets from Suzanne Martis on Vimeo.

Another thing I noticed that I am totally in love with is the ability to mix the XM presets with the local radio stations.  I have noticed since getting satellite radio in my car, I never listen to local radio anymore.  (Random side note, I met a DJ for a local radio station who I guess I should have known but didn’t because I was like “I have satellite, I don’t listen to local radio.  I’m sorry I have no idea who you are.”  I think I deflated his ego a little bit.  Maybe this wasn’t such a bad thing after all.)  Sometimes you want the local traffic.  Sometimes you want the local NPR station.  Sometimes there isn’t anything on any one of the 30 other presets that you want to listen to and maybe 6 local stations might have something. (Doubtful but it could happen)

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“Sunday Bacon” in the Cruze

by on 26. Jan, 2011 in Blog, Featured Bloggers

Hi, it’s Suzanne from Life on Mars.  Normally I post photos of my little pup on my blog so I figured that Bacon needed to be a part of the test drive of the Cruze.  Actually we are going on our first road trip in the Cruze this weekend to Pittsburgh—we’ll see how the Cruze is on a longer distance than just across town.

And yes, even Bacon is enjoying the Cruze.  Today he was checking out the spacious trunk.

It looks as if he is plotting something and I may or may not have caught him in the act of something (who knows what but he looks guilty).

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I wonder if we can put a body in there or why I need to watch less television

by on 23. Jan, 2011 in Blog, Featured Bloggers, Raves and Reviews

I am going to admit that I have been a Jeep girl all my life.  In the 18 or so years I have been driving (wow, that makes me feel a little bit old.  I have been driving more than half of my life—–cue tears and a trip to Sephora to buy some anti-wrinkle cream) , all but a few months, I have driven one Jeep or another.  A couple of the months not driving a Jeep were driving a mini-van (and then a few short months of driving a Civic in college that I think my mom wishes I hadn’t thanks to crashing it a few hours after trading cars with her) so driving a Chevy Cruze for a month was going to be a little bit different for me.  But since my current Jeep is over 5 years old, I am starting to think about a new ride.  And I am thinking about breaking up with Jeep.  So when I was contacted to drive a Chevy Cruse for a month, I hesitated at first.  Driving a car?!  In January?!  In Cleveland?!  Am I going to crash this within hours like I did the Civic?  But then I thought about how it’s like an extended test drive (and if I crashed it, that’s what they make insurance for, right?) and decided I was game.  Also, I had heard really good things about the Cruze and found out about the StabiliTrak feature.  (below is a screen shot from the Chevy site about some of the safety features of the Cruze)

So here I am cruising around in my Cruze. (Chevy peeps, you will be happy to know, it’s been more than a few hours and no crashes.  So you beat the Civic hands down so far)

I am used to the cargo space that an SUV provides. And this little Cruze has my Liberty beat in terms of space in the rear (junk in the trunk, if you will).  Sure I can fit Katrina in the back of my current car, but she has so much more room in the back of the Cruze….and since I am putting her in the trunk, it’s all about comfort.  Side note: if you were ever to actually be put in the trunk of the Cruze there is a handy dandy little handle that allows you to get out from the inside.  (Let’s hope Dexter isn’t around and you don’t actually need this feature but just in case you do, it’s there.  Safety first!

Disclaimer: The Girls On The Go campaign is being sponsored by Northeastern Ohio Area Chevy Dealers, who gave me a Chevy Cruze to test drive for one month and blog about my experience using the vehicle. The program has given us some fun “missions” to do and will be providing me with gift certificates to allow me to do this. Follow Gotta Love Chevy NEO on Facebook or on Twitter (#chevygirls).

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Meet Suzanne

by on 18. Jan, 2011 in Blog

Hi, I’m Suzanne from Life on Mars and I am a native Clevelander who loves her city–for better or for worse. There was a brief few years where I lived in Columbus but for the most part, I have lived here all my life.  There are some great people, places and things going on here and I love being a part of this city.  And there are some amazing restaurants of which I am trying to visit as many as possible.  (ahhhh the cheese at L’Albatros is currently on my absolute favorite list).  I have an awesome Boston Terrier named Bacon who provides me with lots of laughs and lots of cuddles-he’s my little ham.  By day, I am a mortgage underwriter for a large bank. I judge people’s credit worthiness on a daily basis and either approve or decline their mortgage application so in other words you can say I get paid to judge people.  I recently bought my first house and am currently working on some minor home improvement projects that require some pretty embarrassing protective gear—safety first.  Besides all of that I like to work-out like a crazy person (and by crazy I mean I get up at 5am four days a week to work out), swim, watch too much reality television, read too many magazines, and attempt to enjoy running.

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