Kelley's Blue Book: Big Things From Small Cars: Four new compacts compared

Like microbreweries, Lady Gaga hits and bad Ryan Reynolds movies, compact sedans are an inevitable part of the American consumer landscape. It is a given that at some time in our lives, each of us will drive a relatively affordable - starting at or below $17,000 and reaching up to the $24,000 mark - four-door like the four new cars we review in this comparison test. College car, commuter car, second car, empty nester car, rental car. Whatever the purpose, a small, fuel-efficient, utilitarian four-door is exactly right at some time in everyone's life.

The four compact sedans in this test -- a 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, 2012 Ford Focus, 2012 Honda Civic, and 2011 Hyundai Elantra - each represent a fresh-foot forward for their manufacturers.

The 2011 Chevy Cruze is a new face in this field, with many advocates pointing to it as the weather vane for the coming era in American cars. Recent sales and strong consumer interest in the Cruze despite on-again/off-again economic forecasts point to a healthy wind blowing in.

New for 2012, the Ford Focus is a "world car" with European sensibilities trying to find a home in America. Riding on a new platform, running with new engines and staring at itself in the mirror with new sheet metal, the 2012 Focus is a more substantial small sedan than the car it replaces.

Also new this year, the 2012 Honda Civic bears a lot of responsibility as the next generation of a wildly popular car. With every player in the compact-sedan segment getting stronger overall, Honda had to decide: Do we take a risk, or do we stand firm with a proven formula? The 2012 Honda Civic stands firm.

The most anticipated major redesign among small-car fans and auto-show enthusiasts belongs to the 2011 Hyundai Elantra. After what seemed like permanent also-ran status, Hyundai scored back-to-back styling and value wins with its new Genesis and Sonata four-doors, but what about the small sedan that needed to be a numbers car for the Korean carmaker?

And thus our stage is set: Can the new kids from Detroit - the all-new 2011 Chevy Cruze and 2012 Ford Focus - and a principled, compact upstart from Korea - the all-new 2011 Hyundai Elantra - dislodge the fully redesigned 2012 Honda Civic from its perch in the hearts and minds of American drivers? Take a seat at your desk, pop the top off some Redhook Ale and read on to learn. If for no other reason than to avoid seeing "The Change-Up."

Fourth Place: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze LTZ

Strengths: The inside story - quiet, comfortable, stylish - is excellent

Weaknesses: Frustratingly low fun-to-drive factor

Synopsis: The Chevy Cruze just misses being very good by thaaat much



It's impossible to know for sure how Chevy Cruze sales might have fared in a world that never suffered a devastating earthquake in Japan that hobbled Honda Civic production over the past five months, but the fact remains: The Chevrolet Cruze is selling hot like fire. (Our test car was priced at $23,565.)



The 2011 Chevy Cruze LTZ that came to do battle in our comparison is a good example of why it's a popular choice - the Cruze is an easy place to relax.



For starters, the standard leather interior is one of the nicer environments we've seen in this class. The front seats took top honors in the competition for support and comfort over the long haul, and the interior design was easily up to the competitive standards set by the class. In the rear seats, headroom abounds, but like every vehicle in this test, long legs had no room to stretch.



In our back-to-back drives, the Cruze tied with the Honda Civic for ride comfort and as being the easiest car to see out of and maneuver through traffic. But the Chevy stood alone at the top of the quiet standings, making it a cinch to have a regular conversation with your passengers even blasting along at highway speeds.



Despite having a turbocharger attached to its 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine and a 6-speed automatic transmission, the Chevy Cruze LTZ powertrain didn't gain our favor, either in sprints or while trying to accelerate to escape the gravity of slower cars on the Interstate. Having standard sport suspension and 18-inch wheels, on the other hand, did move the Cruze LTZ up in our esteem, giving it sporting authority in corners.



Just below the clean-if-not-flashy exterior lines of the Chevy Cruze LTZ skin, there lurks a safety story that stands tall all on its own. Superb five-star frontal and side-impact results can be your best friends on a bad day. A full guard of airbags - including side-impact protection for the outboard rear passengers - add to a rather impressive protection roster.



Certainly, the elements are all there to put the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze LTZ on America's compact-sedan wish list. It belongs in the bigs. But until the Chevy Cruze really excels at something, something that raises it above all of its unforgiving competitors, Chevy will have to console itself with healthy sales rather than comparison-test wins.



Comparison Test Results: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze LTZ

Overall Editors' Rating: 6.7 out of 10

Interior: 2nd

Exterior: 4th

Performance: 4th

Comfort & Convenience: 3rd

Value: 3rd

Read Consumer Reviews for the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze LTZ



Third Place: 2012 Ford Focus SEL

Strengths: Most horsepower in this field of competitors

Weaknesses: Senseless user interface for audio and phone system

Synopsis: The Ford Focus SEL is the athlete of this bunch



The reinvented-for-2012 Ford Focus SEL is the most macho compact sedan in this test. Certainly it's the triathlete. The new Focus inherits its firm-riding platform, big power and attitude from Europe (where attitude comes from). And it enjoys the fruits of all three.



For attitude, it carries a snarly face around -- part rally car, part predator. Trust us, you'd lose a stare-off. That attitude is backed by a 160-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that lifts the Focus SEL to freeway speeds with a serious dose of quick. Even more serious, and infinitely more European than any of the other sedans in this test, was the way the Focus took the stress out of corners. The Ford didn't hesitate or complain, it just dove into corners and did the work with self-assured poise.



The only performance category that the Focus SEL didn't absorb was braking. Responding more with a shrug than any kind of responsive absorption of speed, the four-wheel discs were out of character with the Ford's unmistakable personality strengths.



That personality begins to thin when you go inside the Focus SEL. While the interior is generally a match for the exterior, and a very good shot at modern-angular styling, there's very little about the SEL cockpit that makes you want to take up residence there. And it's not just because leather doesn't come standard (as it did in our other test cars). And it's not just because the Focus suffered from being the smallest interior of the group.



Nope, the 2012 Ford Focus SEL's problem is one of abandonment. When you enter the car, you are greeted by 10,000 controls leading to as much chaos. Whether the task is connecting a phone or presetting a radio station, it's a labor of love, not logic. That alienation-level is upped by the presence of a touchscreen, which should ease the frustration, but only serves to elevate it.

If your task as a driver is intimidate, or rather announce your sporting presence as you arrive, the 2012 Ford Focus SEL, starting at $20,300, might be the calling card you're looking for. Its strengths are all so good, but beware its weaknesses. It takes gifts just to run in this crowd, and sometimes the Focus SEL runs at the very front.



Comparison Test Results: 2012 Ford Focus SEL

Overall Editors' Rating: 6.9 out of 10

Interior: 3rd

Exterior: 2nd

Performance: 2nd

Comfort & Convenience: 4th

Value: 3rd

Read Consumer Reviews for the 2012 Ford Focus SEL



The Winners, Part One: 2011 Hyundai Elantra Limited



Strengths: Striking exterior, lovely interior, gorgeous price

Weaknesses: Competent performance, but no better

Synopsis: The 2011 Hyundai Elantra is the fashionista of this test



When the 2011 Hyundai Elantra Limited sedan showed up for our test, it arrived as a gut-shot to the entire compact sedan class. It started with the all-new Elantra shape, a small-sedan variation of the look that we already love on the Genesis and Sonata. It continued with a leather-lined, feature-filled interior that would have been considered excessive in a car from the next class up. And it ended, as all automotive transactions do, at the cash register. At $22,830, the Hyundai Elantra Limited was the least expensive compact sedan in our quartet. It also got the highest fuel economy and Hyundai's new-car warranty is legendary.



The Chevy Cruze LTZ had a nervous breakdown. We spotted sweat on the Ford Focus SEL's lip spoiler. And even the 2012 Honda Civic was having trouble catching its breath.



In spite of what network television and TMZ are trying to convince us, looks alone are not the most assured road to success. Winning a comparison test in a field as tight and terrific as this one requires talent too.



The Hyundai Elantra Limited is loaded with talent. Its 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine and six-speed automatic transmission don't brag the most power in the compact-sedan class, but the 148 horsepower it does have stretches out nicely across the powerband - it won't leave you hanging when you want to get up to speed or get around a rolling paperweight. And getting 29 mpg in the city along with 40 mpg on the highway is a segment-winning argument all its own.



The Elantra Limited isn't the quietest car in our test, or the softest riding. Nor does it have the roomiest rear seat (though none of the cars in our test should brag). What it does have, however, is a keen eye for what matters when you're living with a car: a moonroof, an audio system that rock and roll can be proud of, a generous, usable trunk. And the leather upholstery is nice. Really nice.



If this were a beauty contest or a price war, the 2011 Hyundai Elantra would win it hands down. Instead, this story has a second act, and a second winner: the 2012 Honda Civic EX-L Navi.



Comparison Test Results: 2011 Hyundai Elantra Limited

Overall Editors' Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Interior: 1stExterior: 1st

Performance: 3rd

Comfort & Convenience: 1st

Value: 2nd

Read Consumer Reviews for the 2011 Hyundai Elantra Limited



Winners: 2012 Honda Civic EX-L Navi

Strengths: This is the Mercedes-Benz of compact sedans

Weaknesses: No longer a class style leader

Synopsis: A superb example of balance, value and pedigree

To understand why the 2012 Honda Civic EX-L Navi (you call that a car name?!) shares the top honors with the Hyundai Elantra Limited in this comparison test, you need to understand what made Mercedes-Benz great. Once, in an era when luxury cars were great and the competition was strong, Mercedes-Benz was the greatest luxury carmaker in the world.

Now, other automakers build faster cars than Mercedes-Benz, and prettier cars than Mercedes, and more reliable cars, more comfortable cars, better-handling cars, more value-laden cars than Mercedes...but not all at once.

That "nobody does it better all at once" territory is prime Honda real estate, and the all-new Civic still rules that land. How the Civic does it, however, is a bit of a mystery.

In the heat of our four-car comparison, the 2012 Civic tanked on its exterior styling, and also bottomed the list on interior styling. Same goes for its limited trunk space. And while the 1.8-liter engine was completely competitive in its fuel-economy numbers, the power output was nothing to brag about and the Civic's five-speed automatic transmission seems iffy at best in a class where six forward gears is now the norm.

Yet somehow, the 2012 Honda Civic EX-L Navi pulls it off. The underpowered engine and under-geared transmission work together beautifully, seamlessly to make certain that you're never stranded at the deep end of the onramp. Like most Honda engines, the Civic's 1.8 really shines at higher revs. The four-wheel disc brakes do a superb job of nestling the Civic to a stop, and while the ride/handling balance places ride far above handling, the steering feel and response belong in a "How to Do Everything Right" textbook.

Slipping inside the Civic EX-L Navi, you'll note that the "L" stands for standard "Leather" and the "Navi" stands for standard "Navigation" - the only compact sedan in our test that came with standard Nav (although the $24,225 price made the Civic EX-L Navi the most expensive car in our test).

Also worth noting is that the Civic was the only vehicle in our test that was ready (or even able) to accommodate a long-legged passenger in the rear seats.

To our surprise and delight, the all-new 2012 Honda Civic EX-L Navi succeeds a lot and fails nowhere. To our even bigger delight the four compact sedans in this comparison can all see the top of the mountain from where they stand, because each of them fits the needs of a certain buyer with his or her own set of priorities.

Comparison Test Results: 2012 Honda Civic EX-L Navi

Overall Editors' Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Interior: 4th

Exterior: 3rd

Performance: 1st

Comfort & Convenience: 2nd

Value: 1st

Read Consumer Reviews for the 2012 Honda Civic EX-L Navi

Source;

http://www.kbb.com/car-news/all-the-latest/2011-2012-compact-sedan-comparison-test/