To sum it up…Yup, pretty much! The Cruze has this great feature that allows you to track all sorts of information. One of them being the fuel efficiency. Twice, I clicked over to this option and captured the results to share with you.

23.4...

Hmmm....

The Chevy Cruze website states, “Its standard six-speed transmissions, like the manual in Cruze LS, help offer 26 MPG city and 36 highway.” As you can see, my average MPG (which was mostly slow-going highway miles since I have to pass by the city’s edge on I-90) was not too far off what they advertise.

I also wanted to know how the Chevy Cruze compared to my car- the Ford Focus. Granted, I own a 2006 and this information is for the 2011, but here is what Ford had to say: “EPA-estimated 25 city/35 hwy/29 combined mpg, manual transmission.” So, very similar.

The pictures don’t lie, people. I have proof. For the most part, the Cruze is on par with other compact “fuel efficient” cars in the market.

We gathered last Sunday at 11:30AM…two of us pulling up in the Chevy Cruzes that we are currently driving.

Coffee and waters were ordered, and our glasses/mugs were never empty. Even though we stayed at the restaurant for close to 3 hours. Now that’s service! Four out of the five of us ordered the Migas($11)- local eggs scrambled with tortillas, peppers, scallions, roasted chili, aged cheddar, tomatillo cilantro salsa, crème fraiche, and breakfast potatoes. For an additional $2 you can add house-made chorizo, and two of us did that, including me. Overall, I think all four of us enjoyed it. But I was eyeing Suzanne’s pancakes, which says a lot because I don’t typically like them. Of course, the real star of the meal were the Tempura Battered Green Beans ($7) with ponzu sauce and pineapple caramel. These are a “must order” anytime that you are at Flying Fig.

So it was a great Sunday morning spent with hilarious company, delicious food, and wonderful (and patient) service. It left me already looking forward to our next excursion!

Chevy Girls out to brunch

As we left, Suzanne did inform me that my Cruze has a feature (well two, if you count the fabulous sun roof) that her car does not have. It’s a nifty little secret compartment in the trunk. When we picked up the cars at the dealership, the representative had showed us this compartment. We instantly threw out ideas of what to put in there. My personal favorite was ice and beverages, but Suzanne had promised to put Bacon (her dog) in the hidden compartment for giggles…so I’m pretty disappointed that we won’t get to see that. But this did leave me wondering….where is the spare tire on this vehicle?

*special thanks to Allison for this fantastic group shot outside of the restaurant

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!

You know that saying that “You can’t miss what you don’t have.”? Yeah, well now I’ve had it. And I can already tell that I am going to miss it. Cr*p.

This is how I de-stress on the way home from work…

(The Proclaimers)
When I wake up yeah I know I’m gonna be
I’m gonna be the man who wakes up next to you
When I go out yeah I know I’m gonna be
I’m gonna be the man who goes along with you

If I get drunk yes I know I’m gonna be
I’m gonna be the man who gets drunk next to you
And if I haver yeah I know I’m gonna be
I’m gonna be the man who’s havering to you

But I would walk 500 miles
And I would walk 500 more
Just to be the man who walked 1000 miles
To fall down at your door

This is how I start the next morning…

(Sir Mix-A-Lot)
I like big butts and I can not lie
You other brothers can’t deny
That when a girl walks in with an itty bitty waist
And a round thing in your face
You get sprung, wanna pull out your tough
‘Cause you notice that butt was stuffed
Deep in the jeans she’s wearing
I’m hooked and I can’t stop staring
Oh baby, I wanna get with you
And take your picture
My homeboys tried to warn me
But that butt you got makes me so horny
Ooh, Rump-o’-smooth-skin
You say you wanna get in my Benz?
Well, use me, use me
‘Cause you ain’t that average groupie
I’ve seen them dancin’
To hell with romancin’
She’s sweat, wet,
Got it goin’ like a turbo ‘Vette
I’m tired of magazines
Sayin’ flat butts are the thing
Take the average black man and ask him that
She gotta pack much back

I am completely and uberly obsessed with the 90′s on 9 station. I have re-discovered some “lost” songs of my past, and truly enjoy rockin’ out to some of my all time favorites. I even squealed like a 5 year-old in a candy shop when Hanson’s Mmm Bop came on one day when I was driving into work. True story.

There are so many presets available in the Cruze, but my dial has rarely waivered from the one station. I’m not experiencing the full potential of the Cruze’s ability, but I don’t even care. I’m hooked. Does it get any better than the 90′s? When I return the Cruze next week, I am going to have to give some serious thought into XM radio. There is also my birthday that is right around the corner…hint, hint.

Sunglasses holder!

There are also small openings (or “nooks” as I like to call them) all over the interior of the car.

A nook...or is it a cranny?

My BlackBerry easily sildes into one…

Room for my cell phone

…and I don’t even know what to do with the rest! Go-Go-Gadget-Car.

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

Last weekend, we did waaay more errands than intended and ended up with enough shopping bags that I felt the mission was doable. Ha. For my official mission, I wanted to take you to the West Side Market where “R” and I shop almost every other Saturday for produce, protein, treats, and more goodies.

View of the West Side Market

From their website: “With its origins dating back to 1840 the West Side Market is Cleveland’s oldest publicly owned market.The markethouse was dedicated in 1912 and with its 137 foot clock tower has stood as a Cleveland landmark for nearly a century. Today the market is home to over 100 vendors of great ethnic diversity. You can find not only fine meats and fresh vegetables, but also fresh seafood, baked goods, dairy and cheese products, and even fresh flowers. There are also booths that sell ready-to-eat foods, herbs, candy and nuts.”

It is a foodie’s heaven. Yes, Suzanne…I said foodie.

We are fortunate to live close by, so we tend to head there on Saturday mornings for our weekly goods. But this Saturday, we only ended up with one small bag of purchases which looked so lonely in the Cruze’s large trunk.

So I decided to try, for a third time, to fill it by going shopping on Sunday. A dress, nail polish, and some tops for TJ Maxx STILL didn’t fill that trunk.

You get the point. For a compact car, its trunk is surprising large. I now refer to it as the “black hole”.

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).

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!

Yes, that’s right…it turned into quite the unexpected reunion for several of our area’s female bloggers that have participated (or currently participating, like myself) in the Chevy program. In attendance were Allison, Alicia, Heather, Alana, Katie, and then current drivers Suzanne and Michelle. We had fun talking about the program and the different Chevy cars that we test drove. The Traverse may have been a better option for Cleveland winters, but I’m enjoying driving a compact car similar to my own.

Some Chevy Girls gather at Whole Foods

After the Whole Foods event, a couple of us (all Chevy Girls) headed down the street to Melt Bar & Grilled for one of their towering grilled cheese sandwiches. A little more my speed. Former Chevy Girl, Allison from Green Dog Wine, hopped in my Cruze to help navigate over to the east side location (this was my first time there) and she really enjoyed checking out the features of the Cruze. She instantly started to play with the buttons, do-dads, and do-hickies since she had driven the Traverse.

I finally made it home in a Parmageddon coma around 11PM, but with a smile on my face from spending time with some of my favorite Cleveland bloggers, fellow Chevy Girls, and learning a little more about Whole Foods.

*photo “borrowed” from Allison at Green Dog Wine because I was standing next to the table at the time and didn’t jump in the picture. Photo op missed, boo!

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)

]]> http://gottalovechevyneo.com/2011/01/holy-presets-batman/feed/ 0