Chevrolet Cruze

Summary

First introduced in 2009, the Chevrolet Cruze has captured a giant section of automotive market as well as the hearts of Indian auto enthusiasts. Flawless styling, superior technology and power-packed engine mark the brilliance of this machine in its own segment. Not only styling, the car is also enriched with various safety features.

Further to this, read Chevrolet Cruze Road Test details by our expert.

Exterior

When it comes to looks, this giant machine stands out of its own segment. The Cruze is quite handsome in appearance which is even more enhanced by the glossy body paint. Adding more to its classy look, the dual bezel designer headlights are mounted on the either sides of the bumper. The tail lights appear in a split design on the rear side of the vehicle. Alloys wheels come fitted in all the three variants. The front radiator grille is huge and is chrome painted giving the car an enriched look. The front & rear bumpers and outside rear view mirrors come painted in the body colour. Turn indicators are mounted in the external mirrors. Furthermore, these variants are integrated with tintedwindshield glass and window glasses. The exhaust pipe is in chrome finish adding to the rear styling. The Cruze is available in six colours including velvet red, sand drift grey, switch blade silver, white diamond, summit white and caviar black.

Interior

The interiors are quite impressive having various essential and decorative features. Most of the interiors are in premium black and titanium wraparound. The monotone jet blackseats look stylish and are very comfortable. Not just the seats, but the gear shift knob and steering wheel come covered with fine quality leather.The dual cockpit interior design with a three pods instrument cluster along with an icy blue illumination adds to the lavishness of this vehicle.

A sliding armrest with storage facility is mounted at the centre of the front cabin for enhanced convenience of driver and passenger. The rear seats also have armrest facility with cup holders in it. An electronic trip metre, rear defogger and a couple of lamps along with a stereo system are also provided. The stereo system is CD & MP3 enabled and compatible to auxiliary input and USB port. All the doors are enabled with auto down power windows. There are few exceptional features like one push start/stop button and clutch foot rest are featured in this car.

Engine and Transmission

The king Cruze is available in three diesel variants. A 2.0-litre diesel engine is equipped in all these trims, which has potential to generate a power of around 163 bhp with a peak torque of 380 Nm. A six-speed automatic gearbox is channelized in the LTZ automatic trim, whereas the LT and LTZ variants are equipped with a six-speed manual transmission system.

Performance and Handling

All the variants including LTZ automatic, LT and LTZ have excellent capacity of breaching the 100 Kmph mark in just 9.7 seconds of start and can notably reach a maximum speed of about 184 Kmph. A mileage of approx 14 kmpl in city conditions and 17.3 Kmpl on highways is expected from the manual transmission variants. On the contrary, the automatic variants deliver a mileage of 12 Kmpl in city and 14.2 Kmpl on highways.

Braking System

Both the front and the rear wheels are equipped with ventilated disc brakes for maximum efficiency. To further boost the braking mechanism of this biggie, an Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) has been incorporated in the machine, ensuring much better grip over bad road conditions. The suspension system is well built as it has front axle fitted with McPherson strut with tubular stabilizer bar system and linear cylindrical coil spring. Having this suspension mechanism, one can expect more controlled and smooth drives on any road conditions.

Mileage

The 1998 cc Diesel - powered variant delivers a fuel economy of 14 kmpl in city and 16 kmpl on highways

Safety Features

With great power comes great safety package and same is the case with Cruze. The safety measure is one thing that the makers of this car have taken care of through various features to protect the occupants and the vehicle at the same time. Apart from ABS, airbags are mounted in the front for the safeguard of driver and co-passenger. An engine immobilizer is also provided which starts working as soon as it detects any unauthorized access. An anti-theft alarm system has also been incorporated in the vehicle. Furthermore, an auto door locking system is also fitted to all the doors, which is safe as at the time of car crash the doors get automatically unlocked.

Verdict

Equipped with power-packed engine, Cruze is believed to deliver unprecedented performance and which is probably the reason why it is being called a Diesel Rocket. All the three variants are class in themselves in terms of performance and looks.

Competitors

Though Chevrolet Cruze is one of its kinds and stands out in its styling and performance, but it is in close competition with Toyota Corolla Altis, Hyundai Sonata and Skoda Superb.

Pros

1. Trendy interiors
2. Spacious
3. Alloy wheels
4. Classy looks

Cons

1. Low ground clearance
2. Leather upholstery is missing in the lowest model
3. Navigation system is not available
4. Inefficient mileage
5. High price range