YONKERS, NY -- In tests of four small cars, the automotive staff at Consumer Reports magazine ranked the Hyundai Elantra highest and had some kind words for two versions of the Chevrolet Cruze, but found little to like about the all-new Volkswagen Jetta sedan.
The tested Elantra GLS ($18,445) was found to combine agile handling with a comfortable ride. Fit and finish were good, the trunk spacious and the interior well equipped and thoughtfully laid out.
Combined with a smooth-shifting six-speed automatic transmission, the 1.8-liter, 148-horsepower four-cylinder engine offered decent performance and returned 29 miles per gallon of regular unleaded fuel.
The Elantra was spotlighted in April in the magazine's annual auto issue, and was named a top pick in the small-sedan category. It was followed by the Nissan Sentra, Subaru Impreza and Toyota Corolla.
The Cruze, Consumer Reports says, is "light years ahead of the crude Chevrolet Cobalt that it replaced." The magazine rated it "very good" overall, slotted it mid-pack among the 11 comparable sedans tested, and noted that it handles well and feels substantial.
However, the Cruze was marked down for a tight rear seat and fuel economy of 26 mpg.
Sampled were a Cruze LS ($18,375) and the Cruze LT ($20,530). The LS was powered by a 1.8-liter, 138-horsepower four cylinder engine and the LT featured a turbocharged 1.4-liter, 138-horsepower engine. Both engines were mated to six-speed automatic transmissions.
The testers found the Jetta sedan to be "a shadow of the agile, well-finished car it once was."
It reported that the rear seat is roomier and the trunk is huge, but the car does not handle as well as its predecessor and its interior is not up to previous standards.
The test car was a Jetta SE ($20,800) with a 170-horsepower, five-cylinder engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. The engine sounded coarse, although acceleration was adequate and the Jetta averaged 25 mpg.
It was ranked last among the 11 small sedans the magazine's staff has tested.
Testers noted, however, that the Jetta SportWagen is still based on the last-generation model, and that it retains its "recommended" rating.
"The new Jetta is unimpressive," said David Champion,, senior director of the magzine's test center. "In an effort to bring the car's starting price down, VW cheapened the previous Jetta's interior and suspension, making it less sophisticated and compromising handling."
The Elantra was the only vehicle among the four to earn a "recommended" rating. The Cruze LS and Jetta scored too low and the Cruze LT was kept off the list because it is too new for an assessment of reliability.
Complete reports on the vehicles appear in the May issue of Consumer Reports, which is now on newsstands and are also available to subscribers at www.consumerreports.org.
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