Took them awhile it get it right, the new cars do very well with both performance and economy. Remember the mid seventies, when the gas embargo hit. Cars from the late 70's and 80's were sure a pos.
Really all those cars needed was more gearing--many came with 2.45 or 2.73 gears in back. yeah the camshafts and springs suck but a HE cam/springs with 3.73 gears and dual exhausts and U had nice ride and they had bench seats and lots of leg room.
That Cruz gets better mpg then any full size car could ever get but if you were to hit something with it, don't count on those air bags to save U. In fact i think the full size cars from the mid 70's were often safer on most crashes. Oh yeah, the roads were more deadly in 1975 but look what was on the roads, cars with drum brakes, you could be at .08 and be legal to drive, impaired was at .1 and drunk driving wasn't til .15, today that is "super drunk" in some states. Nobody wore their safety belts, there was no cell phones, if you hit, something U had to find a pay phone or wiat until a cop or other responder drove by, today 911 gets a call seconds after impact yet many people die before reaching a hospital but these new air bag cars are safer in a crash, more fake news, IMO.
Yeah yeah, today cars steer and stop much better, so that does make them safer but in a crash, good luck, U will need it...there is good reasons they tell U not to have children in the front seats with any air bag cars, even the brand new ones, read the safety warnings on the visors...if air bags work so great, how come deep pocket nascar don't use them ? Only places they use air bags are were they are mandated by law, no racing bodies use them, no buses or semi trucks have them. A helmet would be better, that is what some cops used back in the 60's-70's, I knew a cop back then who used to brag that he totaled out 9 squad cars so far and that is why he never takes off his little helmet