Chevrolet Cruze

Exterior

Exterior

A casual look at the Cruze will give an observer a hint on why this car was such a runaway success in the Indian market. A beefy side profile immediately distinguishes it from other incumbents in this segment of executive saloons. A hark back to the American muscle cars – defined by such names as the Camaro, the Charger and the Mustang, the Cruze clearly shows its American roots in its muscular profile, the broad doors, the split grille and the sculpted rear. It is a comfortably long car planted a comfortable 165mm above the ground for spirited driving pleasure even on the potholed city roads of our major cities. Large wheel arches carry the muscular overtones of the entire package forward. Fitted with 16 inch alloys, the wheel stance of the car is highlighted with the well-designed alloys too. The higher LTZ variant comes with the added convenience of a sunroof as well. Chrome embellishment has been added in generous amount to the grille, window sills and split tail lamps highlighting the American roots of the car maker. Overall, the Cruze is a well thought out, well designed package and possibly the only truly American car on Indian roads.

Interior

Interior

Chevrolet Cruze offers comfortable upholstery in leather and all-black interiors to boot, which are radical against the norm of beige combinations in the industry. Aluminium has been generously used to give it an upmarket feel; as is evident from the inserts on door and the center console. The gear knob as well as the steering wheel is wrapped in leather for a suitably plush finish. The Corvette-designed dual cockpit design is accentuated by the icy-blue illumination used on the instrument cluster. A front armrest that doubles up as a storage lid that slides open is a nice touch and confirms the view that this car was made with drivers in mind. The leather upholstery on the top variant is worth spending that extra buck for and it’s a stunner in the titanium-stitch finished leather seats in jet black monotones. This illumination theme has been used by more and more manufacturers lately, and serves its purpose well of giving the Cruze interior a nice, balanced look.

Comfort

The base variant has been upgraded to feature keyless entry, adjustable driver’s seat and fog lamps. Though this has led to an escalation in the price for the entry variant, GM has done well in upgrading to these features as they’re the norm in many of lower-class sedans; case in point being the new Verna or even lower, the new Scala for instance. Headroom is ample in the rear and the legroom is comfortable even for a fairly tall person which is to be expected from a D-class saloon.

Dashboard

Dashboard

The two tone interior contrasts the leather beautifully and Chevy has added some nice touches to the car in the form of a front ashtray, additional power socket and cup holders for passengers in the front as well as the rear. This forward thinking would appeal to users, and passengers looking for rear seat comfort.

Music System

The stock system on the Chevrolet Cruze is adequate but extreme-end performance either sides of the audio band leaves a lot to be desired. The capabilities of the entertainment system are fairly standard with Auxiliary In, Bluetooth pairing and USB play supported.

Engine

Most of the upgrades on the new Cruze can be slotted into this category and this is where the Cruze retains its crown for being the ‘driver’s car’ in this category. The re-engineered VCDi diesel engine offers not only increased power at the lower end – from 150 PS in the older version to 166 PS in the new Cruze; torque goes up by a whopping 57 Nm available now in a lower rev band at 2000 rpm than at 2600 rpm before. This means that the complaints from the old version of turbo lag and difficulty in handling slow city traffic now become history. The easily available power at the lower end also means that clutch riding – such a tiresome by-product of city dwelling, can be avoided altogether. The new 6-speed transmission is smoother than the outgoing 5-gears box and addresses the stickiness that was criticized in the earlier unit.

Performance

The new Chevrolet Cruze is slower than the ’09 variant. This is down to better re-worked gear ratios for city driving, stiffened suspension and a slight increase in kerb weight to factor in all the extra equipment. Is it noticeable? Well, only if you have driven the older Cruze. As an upgrade from a C-segment sedan, it is not.

Mileage

The ARAI figures claim a miserly 18.3 kmpl in the standard test conditions. More realistically, city driving gives back a 10-kmpl which is at par for diesel variants in comparable class. It is highway driving however, where the Cruze clearly shows its improved refinement – offering a healthy 17 kilometres to the litre.

Brakes and Suspension

With a stiffened suspension setup, the Cruze takes drive-ability to newer heights. Keener than before at tackling corners; front ventilated disc brakes along with Electronic Brake force Redistribution add that extra layer of security, enabling you to throw the muscular car around corners with confidence.

Variants

Chevrolet Cruze is available in 3 variants: LT, LTZ and LTZ Automatic. Cruze LTZ comes with some extra features like chrome finish door handles, electric sunroof, chrome garnish, In-dash 6 CD changer, rear parking assist, rain sensing wipers, power fold-able and heated outside rear view mirrors, leather upholstery, cruise control and engine start/stop push button. Both the variants are available with 3 Year Or 100000 Km Warranty Package.

Warranty

The car comes with a standard warranty option of 3 years and it is extendable by the local dealer.

Shades

Chevrolet India has launched Cruze in seven shades in India: Atlantis Blue, Velvet Red, Caviar Black, Summit White, Diamond White, Sand Drift Grey and Switch Blade Silver.

Verdict

A drivers’ machine, the Chevy Cruze is spot-on with its basic premise – that of adrenaline and appealing to the Heart. But looking deeper, it is easy to see why this car will go down the road of the erstwhile D-category champion, the Honda Civic. Too many things were right in the first version and the manufacturers have decided not to tinker too much with the package. Overall, this is a mistake and pushes a car far beyond its usable life. Finish, fit and equipment do not have anything to measure up to the stiff opposition in terms of the Laura or the Elantra while the interiors are not apt for the hot, sultry summers of the country, in black. With diesel prices set upon de-regulation, the Cruze might leave its makers scrambling for an upgrade, or a petrol cousin sooner than they anticipated with this launch.

Chevrolet Cruze Diesel vs. Skoda Octavia Diesel