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I drive a Ford truck and there's a Focus in the driveway. If we are talking new cars, the Cruze by a lot. Ford has gone to Ecobusting all of it's engines and the Focus is only available with a direct injected engine. They have had TONS of issues with these engines across the platforms. Some so bad the factory techs can't make them run and the cars are sitting on the dealers lots gathering dust while owners are still making payments. They have had issues with folks making short drives with fuel dilution at or near 10%w. An engine isn't going to last long like that as 5%w is considered max. The Cruze is suppose to have a diesel as a late 2013 offering. It should be a great car with loads of fuel mileage. Otherwise the 1.8 gas engine is an able engine and should see long life like its brothers. BUt if you are talking about a used car, the Focus has been one of the best cars on the road for fuel mileage and reliability. The one in my driveway gets 44 hiway and 35 town, for an example. But as we all know, some folks can get lousy fuel mileage no matter what they drive.....mostly because they have no clue how to drive.
I had the unfortunate experience of having to buy a new car because my old one got totaled. Talk about stressful! I test drove 8 cars in a week.
Two of them were the Cruze and the Focus.
I would say the 2013 Focus is handsome, nimble, and sips gas quite well. It also felt well put together and the MyFord Touch screen was cool, as was the parking assist and rear camera. The seats were comfortable and supportive, and it glided over the bumps. Seating position was good, and the rear seats weren't bad if you had kids. Full grown adults might have problems with headroom.
The Cruze didn't feel as well put together but it wasn't badly made. Some have outright dismissed the car because its made in a plant that is known for its quality problems but the initial feeling was that this car wouldn't rattle itself apart or anything like that. It also sipped gas, and there was decent room in the back for kids and adults. It glided over the bumps too and had more headroom in the back. Down side is it did drink more gas, but only barely more.
For me it depends on what you need it for. If you need storage space, then the Cruze is bigger so you'll get more space, but not much more in the trunk because of the rear seats. If you have larger kids or carpool with adults, etc. then that may be OK. But if you have smaller kids and need to haul more stuff then the Focus is better. Bonus to the Focus is you can get the sedan version too.
If none of that matters, go with the style. I like the styling of the Focus more. That said, I almost bought a Cruze over the summer. I didn't because I realized the space wasn't big enough and I decided to get a mid-sized sedan instead.
Can't comment on the Focus since I don't own one, but I did buy a 2012 Cruze 2LT RS 6M almost one year ago. Now at 15,400 miles and very happy with it.
IMO the fit and finish on it is very good and the car is exteremly quiet on the highway doing 70+mph.
I use this as my commuter car (36MPG) and would def consider buying another one down the road.
Chevy Cruze does have a lot of legroom for taller drivers and is quiet on the highway (more so than most cars in its class).
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