When I had my Corvette in the Dealer for some Warranty work and they gave me a Brand New Chevy Cruze as a Loaner. (Yeah, I know, it’s all they had in their Courtesy Fleet). My Wife couldn’t believe it when I pulled in the driveway. LOL
Going from 460 HP in my Stingray to 150 HP in that Cruze is an interesting experience, but the Car felt like it couldn’t get out of its own way.
Anyway, it was a Base LS and it was the most Gutless Car I had ever driven, and I’ve driven a whole bunch of Cars in the last 45 Years, even Fiats. LOL
Two People I know have owned the V-6 Altima’s, and they both liked them. Don’t know much about the I-4 Engine.
My Wife has a 2013 Kia Optima and she loves it, except the cheap Factory Battery died after only two Years. The Dealer put in a new one Gratis, so no complaint.
I hear ya. My Dodge Stratus has performed pretty well over the years. I don’t remember what kind of engine it has but it was responsive and peppy + squealed tires with very little effort lol so in testing out these newer “fuel-efficient” cars has been quite a let down. They are boring and under-powered. The Cruze, at least the one I tested out, did seem to have get up and go. It did have the “turbocharged” engine. Maybe your loaner was the standard?