All new?
This isn’t the all-new Cruze. Shown at the 2015 Expo, the 2017 (love these monikers) Cruze has just about made its global debut but won’t come to India anytime soon. What we get instead is a minor facelift that gives the now aging Cruze an extra lease till the new one comes out.
Will it turn heads?
The problem lies in the way the boffins at Chevrolet design centre have gone around effecting this change. Gone are the earlier clean, muscular lines and enter chrome lined grille’s and fog lamp inserts. The redesigned bumper adds a sporty touch and gets DRL’s and projector fog lamps. The headlamps surprisingly make do with a regular, halogen bulb setup. The rear gets a subtle boot lip spoiler and that sums up the exterior facelift. Overall the earlier design with its clean lines seemed to age gracefully and the new facelift actually manages to make the Cruze look dated. Irony.
What else?
The main change in the interiors is the MyLink infotainment system lifted off the newly launched Chevrolet Trailblazer which lets you connect your iPhone to access Siri, voice messages, calls and the de-rigueur iPod. The touch screen interface though does not feel as intuitive and could have done with a simpler interface. The AC controls can be accessed via touch screen but you’ll prefer the conventional dials as reaching out to the screen requires extra dexterity. The seats are comfortable but the cabin can feel a bit small for the segment.
How quick?
The 2.0-litre VDCi diesel motor is strong on performance with 165bhp driving the front wheels. Even more interesting is the 360Nm of torque transferred through a six-speed automatic gearbox pushing the car to a ton inside 10 seconds. If given the beans and enough road, the Cruze will cross the 200kmph mark, not that we recommend doing that on public roads.
Fun to drive?
Besides the humongous torque that can take you to silly speeds in no time, it is the part throttle response that you revel in. This is a proper driver’s car, a realisation that comes to you the moment you slide into the well bolstered seat. The twin -cockpit design theme still manages to elicit a smile. The Cruze is all about grip and holds lines really well provided you don’t stab the loud pedal mid corner. The steering lacks feel off-center but gets the job done. The ride is a tad on the stiffer side. The six-speed gearbox is slow especially in the face of its DSG-equipped competitors and takes some spunk away from the engine.
Easy on the pocket?
The Cruze returns around 10kmpl to a litre of the dirty fuel, thanks to the power hungry motor and the auto box. The figures dip to as low as 8.5 in the city. So it isn’t exactly pocket-friendly in terms of running. Where it remains attractive is the Rs 14.26 lakh (ex-Delhi) sticker price which undercuts the competition by a huge margin.
Good value?
The Cruze has been around for quite a while and this is a mild update before the all new Cruze comes to Indian shores. Despite that the Cruze is a viable prospect owing to its low sticker price and the features it is laden with. Also the dynamics and powertrain make it a good driver’s car. So there it is, the Cruze makes has been around for a long time and is quite a familiar face, if you can live with that and the low fuel economy, the Cruze makes for quite a tempting buy.
Competition check?
The Cruze faces stiff competition from the Hyundai Elantra which comes loaded with tech and sporty looks and offers the best ride of the lot. On the higher rung of the segment sit the Skoda Octavia and the Jetta, both of which impress with their German build quality and fantastic highway manners and are in a league of its own both in size and retail value.
Evo India rating
7/10