Speed Dating in a Chevy Cruze
This was my predicament while doing some immersion journalism in HurryDate’s “Love in the Fast Lane” speed-dating event in Chicago sponsored by Chevrolet in support of the new Cruze. Twenty-six-year-old Jessica T. (for some reason you’re not supposed to exchange last names — as if anonymity exists in the internet age) responded, “What’s a Chevy Cruze?”
When launching a new model that will compete against heavy hitters like the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and new Ford Focus, it’s best to clear that answer up. How much an event where sexual tension is the entire point helps people remember a car is a matter of opinion.
I was among the 60 evenly paired men and women who took turns sitting in the front and backseats of different Cruze trim levels. We got three minutes to exchange small talk and determine if we might have to someday meet each other’s parents. I spent half of this time explaining that I was on assignment, which was why I was more interested in the car we were awkwardly sitting in than, say, what she majored in during college.
“What would you think about a guy who picked you up in his Chevy Cruze?” I asked regularly.
Opinions varied.
“It’s kind of a lame car,” said Kim M., 23., who was clearly looking more for a speed-dating lawyer than freelance writer. “Not that I wouldn’t date someone who drove it, but I would hope they’d upgrade later.”
Brittany A., 23, said she was a fan because she currently drives a Chevy Cavalier. “It reminds me of my car, and it felt really comfortable when I was sitting in it,” she said. “If I ever give up my Cavalier, I’ll definitely think about buying one. It will at least be on the list.”
Obviously, I’m biased in that I write about cars and wanted to get a look at the new Cruze. It was my first time inside one, and I found it pretty impressive. True to Chevy’s campaign, it really does look like a more expensive car. The LTZ was particularly impressive, but I was even a fan of the 1LT, which had the red and black mesh fabric on the doors and dashboard. Reviewer Joe Wiesenfelder called it “controversial,” but it was easily my best Cruze-related conversation starter. (Worst Cruze-related conversation starter: “So how ‘bout these buttons?”)
There was, of course, the bias that all small cars face with certain buyers. Dee L., 30, told me she just wasn’t a fan. “I need something big, a truck, an SUV,” she said. “The backseat was small. The layout of the dash bothered me. It has these small-car mirrors. Not a lot of legroom. Oh, and canvas seats? Seriously?”
I bit my tongue at a joke about how a small backseat might affect one’s date and moved on to my exchange with Julia B., 26, who had a similar criticism. “The driver’s seat felt cramped. And come on — I think it would be hard to make out in the backseat.”
So I should have busted out that joke with Julia B. Still, in terms of cubic feet, the Cruze is actually bigger than the Civic, Focus and Corolla, something buyers potentially looking to make out in the backseat should heed.
After the event, I caught up with GM account supervisor Tony Macrito and asked him why Chevy chose speed dating as a marketing method for the Cruze.
“The younger demographic is often a challenge to reach in new and creative ways,” Macrito said. “This was an opportunity to connect with these potential buyers on their own terms, within a pre-existing forum.”
I asked why the Cruze would be a good car to take on a date.
“Whether you’re a male or female, it shows that you put thought into your vehicle purchase. It has good fuel economy, it’s safe, and it has a reasonable price. It’s a good value story.”
Yet, as everyone knows, young people only want to marry reasonable, Cruze-driving people. We want to date exciting, headache-inducing Camaro drivers. That’s my only criticism of a Cruze speed date, which otherwise offered the perfect blend of real-world auto analysis, free food, schmoozing and social stigma when I told my friends I went speed dating.
Jessica T., to whom I had to explain what a Cruze was, best summarized the position of the rational dating world. “I’m not superficial,” she said. “Everyone knows it’s who’s inside the car that counts.”
I bet she marries someone with a Cruze.
