Many would argue that "the good old days of Honda" are now the "good new days of Mazda and Ford". Let's face it, cars like the Fiesta, new Focus, Fusion, the Mazda 2,3, and 6 (I know, the mazdas are just Ford clones...but follow along) are what Honda used to be before it started catering to the Canada Pension crowd.
Even the Fit, which is certainly the most interesting car they sell, is outclassed in almost every way by the Fiesta - except in cargo room, which really means "practicality"
I lived in the UK and still am a big fan of TopGear (see my avatar) - when I lived there, and more so now, has a reputation in Europe of being an old person's car - reliable and practical, but dull as dishwater. Something like a Buick I guess. I think they've hit that stride here now (ditto Toyota)
Will GM go down this road too? With this Cruze, all signs point to YES.