Chevrolet CRUZE road tests and consumer car reviews

Chevrolet Cruze LS 125PS Diesel 2009

For motoring in some syle at very sensible money that won’t bring your bank manager out in a sweat - and at the same time offering a level of opulence that would bring a smile to the ghost of Elvis - this compact sedan provides more than you might expect, for less than you might anticipate. Cruze prices start at £11,495. The 2.0litre 125PS diesel LS tested here costs £14,9950.). At first sight to the British motorist, this sleek, dark and purposeful car has the air of a man of mystery. It looks purposeful - but to what end? It holds secrets impossible to pigeonhole. What sort of man or woman might one expect to find behind the wheel? Is it a force for good or a harbinger of hard times? I’m pleased to tell you that like the famous chocolate with the wrapper off - all is magic within. Coming from General Motor’s former Daewoo plant in Korea, but soon to be produced in Ohio for the American market, it’s a quantum step forward in quality terms from previous Daewoo models. While the world is full of hatchbacks, Chevy are giving us a Focus sized ’sedan’ (four door saloon car if you’re a ’proper’ chap) based on the new GM floor-plan, upon which the new Astra is also built. While the cabin does not exude the opulence of luxury class cars, it reassures with a pleasing level of ergonomically and aesthetically tailored design - allowing driver and passenger alike, a comfortable reassuring ambience that enforces no extremes and yet incorporates an element of ’flair’ to lift it above the mundane. In a phrase, the cabin imposes dignity - but dignity with a touch of dash. There’s a chrome high-tech feel to the business like appendages in the LS, second from top spec. model tested, while the upholstery and surrounds are sober suited, styled for comfort, easy on the eye and - one has to say - easy on the pocket too. Eschewing the more obvious retro references favoured by lovers of Americana, it none the less embodies through style cues, a notion of ’Transatlantic’ taste: witness the bold Chevy logo on the front grille. Drive away and the clutch engages positively with the torquey (300Nm at just 2000 rpm) engine feeling ready to go from the off. Controls are readily, immediately, unequivocally and assuredly to hand. Drive half a mile along the road and despite the short acquaintance you feel you already ’know’ the car. It’s a motorcar that you feel sure won’t let you down and most certainly will never engender a frown. You know from the support that the seats give to your back that the designers knew exactly what they were doing - and the same sense of confidence attaches itself to the dynamics of the car in motion. The merest hint of torque steer serves only to establish a feeling of contact with the terrain. Drive boldly and performance from the 2.0litre,125PS diesel (you can have a 150PS diesel if you choose the LT variant) is - despite what has been muttered elsewhere and by those who should know better - more than adequate,with an achievable top speed of over 120 mph. Economy too is jolly good, with 45mpg easily achievable overall. Pussyfoot about and you would, no doubt, get around 60mpg on a decent run. Never do the mechanicals feel under stress and you’re always in for a smooth and quiet ride.(one of the benefits of a saloon over a hatchback). Handling is good too, with rapid travel never disturbing the Chevy’s equilibrium. Want to stop? Braking is as easy as thinking. Acceleration is amply sufficient: lively enough for a car half the size - brisk enough to elicit an ’Oh Dear!’ From the vicar - but slam the anchors on and all is sacred and holy once more. Was that a flash of silver? A cloud of dust? Well no, actually - but this car certainly has a ’Yipee yi yey!’ quality to it. And nothing could be finer than a trip to Carolina in a Chevy of this pedigree. In case you haven’t guessed, I like this car because it’s different. Not only that, but because it’s different in a good way. It has the hallmark of originality so lamentably lacking in the current new car market. It ticks all the boxes, but manages to box clever and makes the driver feel part of quite a special machine. It’s a car for the sensible individual who likes a dash of individuality - but not at the expense of good solid sense and taste. There’s nothing here to frighten your granny and yet there’s plenty to appease the young at heart. At the price it surely has to be a bargain. As the man said ’Why pay more?’ You can if you must, but for me, all’s OK with the cars in the Chevy corral. With this model pitched most competitively at a challenging market sector, I have to say that Chevrolet have definitely won their spurs. I’d love to see prospective purchasers galloping down to the showroom. We’ve come a long way from the covered wagon and it’s good to see that happy trails are here to stay.