The 2009 Chevrolet Cruze has a coupe-style profile, while its wide stance, aggressive frontal styling and smartly shaped rear give it the appearance of a much more expensive and larger car, a feeling backed up by an attention to detail and level of build quality normally reserved for premium models.
Cruze will be offered with four different engine choices, two petrol units and one diesel with a choice of two different power outputs. The top of the range unit is the 2.0-litre VCDi diesel, initially available with 150PS, with a 125PS unit arriving in dealerships later in the summer. The commonrail turbodiesel unit offers incredibly strong performance throughout the rev range, with 0-62mph possible in just 8.7 seconds and a top speed of 130mph in 150PS guise. The 125PS unit offers a 0-62mph time of 10.3 seconds and a top speed of 122mph.
Chevrolet Cruze
• New Chevrolet Cruze four-door family saloon
• UK sales begin in July
• From £11,995 on-the-road
• Great value, superb dynamics, excellent refinement
It's the most important new Chevrolet yet, and one that is destined to raise the bar in terms of design, quality and refinement for both the brand and the compact value segment as a whole.
On sale from July 2009, the all-new Chevrolet Cruze is Chevrolet's fresh entrant into the highly competitive C-Segment of the market, where it will compete against the likes of the Kia Ce'ed, Hyundai i30 and Skoda Octavia in terms of value for money, but will also take the fight to much more expensive rivals when considered for its specification, pricing and impressive build quality.
Styled by Chevrolet's global design team, the Cruze has been created to appeal to markets throughout the world. As well as in Western Europe , it will go on sale in Eastern Europe , Russia , the USA , Australia , India and selected Middle Eastern regions, making it a truly global car.
Yet it has been designed to be adaptable to suit the needs of each region. For Europe , that means ride, handling and refinement to rival the very best cars in the class, as well as a modern, efficient range of engines, top levels of active and passive safety and a pricing structure that makes it one of the best value for money cars on the market today.
Few other cars can offer such comprehensive levels of standard equipment for such a competitive price. Starting at £11,995, even the entry-level car comes with air conditioning, follow-me-home lighting and Electronic Stability Control as standard.
Available as a four-door, the Cruze benefits from coupe-like styling as well as a more premium feel than some of its obvious rivals, the layout being more in keeping with executive models than with family cars. Yet in terms of passenger space it's one of the best in its class, which coupled to a big boot makes it a very appealing family proposition.
The Cruze will also have a strong appeal to fleet user choosers – Chevrolet's incredible list prices, on which P11D tax values are based, mean that the Cruze will be as cheap to run as many superminis or more basic compact cars in terms of company car taxation. When you consider the incredible specification on offer, especially in LT models, the savvy user chooser can benefit from a well-equipped and spacious car for the price of something far smaller.
Adding further appeal in the fleet market is the option of a 2.0-litre VCDi diesel engine, a first for Chevrolet in the compact class. Initial available in 150PS guise, a 125PS model will follow in the summer of 2009.
Other engine choices are a 1.6 and 1.8 petrol, both modern, efficient units featuring variable valve timing and camshaft phasing. A new six-speed automatic transmission is on offer as an option.
As well as its smart exterior styling, the Cruze has an interior that lifts it way above the value class. Finished with exacting levels of fit and finish and featuring high quality fabrics and soft-touch plastics, the cabin even features smart ice blue backlit dials in keeping with a number of premium manufacturers.
“The Cruze is a great car and it represents huge leap forward for us in this market segment,” says Chevrolet UK Managing Director Mark Terry. “It completely redefines the value sector by introducing new levels of design, quality materials and styling inside and out. It delivers on every conceivable level, and is a great car that we expect to have huge showroom appeal in the current market.”
