First Impressions
Walking up to the newly minted 2011 Chevrolet Cruze (view photos), we were mercifully spared those bugaboos of small, cheap cardom; a comically tall roofline matched to a narrow track. Rather, the Cruze had lines and proportions similar to its handsome big brother, the Malibu, only Shrinky-Dinked into a tighter, more cohesive package. From the laterally bifurcated grille to its bowtie badge, there’s no mistaking the provenance of this new compact sedan, despite the Cruze’s edgier creases along its hood and running down its flanks. Chevrolet sees fit to outfit the Cruze with chrome accents on the door handles and framing the greenhouse, bright touches that allude to the upscale theme of the interior. And with its chrome trim on the rear decklid, we daresay that the rear view of the Cruze is even more appealing than the Malibu.
Pricing, Trim and Options
The 2011 Chevy Cruze is a global vehicle, which means that it was developed in conjunction with other manufacturers and sold in other countries. In fact, the US is one of the last markets to get the Cruze. We’ve even seen photos of an Australian-built hatchback version tooling around Oz, and hope that Chevrolet will bring it across the pond.
For now, the Cruze is sold only as a sedan in your choice of five flavors. The basic LS starts at $16,995 and is the only version equipped with a 1.8-liter, naturally aspirated, four-cylinder engine matched to a six-speed manual transmission and skinny 15-inch wheels. In other words, this is the cheap Cruze built for fleet sales to businesses and rental car companies, and to serve as the discounted advertising teaser for dealers to promote in the Sunday newspaper. Standard features for the LS include air conditioning, power windows, power door locks with remote keyless entry, ABS and an auxiliary input jack for MP3 players. The Cruze LS does include some stuff that you might not expect on the base trim level of an economy car, such as stability control, 10 airbags, OnStar telematics with a free six-month subscription, and XM satellite radio with a three-month trial subscription.
We expect most consumers will spend at least $18,895 for a new Cruze. At that price, you have your choice between the Cruze LT – LS equipment but with a turbocharged, 1.4-liter inline four-cylinder engine, a six-speed automatic transmission, and 16-inch wheels. Or you can opt for the fuel-efficient Cruze Eco model with the turbocharged engine, a manual transmission, 17-inch wheels and aerodynamic wizardry that helps the Cruze get up to 40 miles to the gallon.
The Cruze 2LT ($21,395), meanwhile, has the six-speed automatic, along with leather, heated front seats, a six-way power driver’s seat, Bluetooth hands-free calling, a USB port, steering-wheel mounted audio controls, and remote vehicle starting for those cold mornings when it would be nice to slip into an already toasty car. At the top of the Cruze lineup, the LTZ ($22,695) includes automatic climate control, rear-parking assist and 18-inch wheels with four-wheel disc brakes.
Major options are grouped into packages, among them the sporty RS Appearance Package with revised front and rear fascias, rocker panel moldings, fog lights, and a rear spoiler. You can also opt for an in-dash navigation system that includes a 40-gig hard drive and a nine-speaker Pioneer Audio sound system.
Interior Features
The real news about the Cruze is revealed when the driver slips into the front seat. Unlike the usual monotone interior treatments common in the compact class, the Cruze impresses with its two-tone color treatment throughout the cabin. Most of the surfaces that come in contact with your hands are soft to the touch and grain-matched to soothe your tactile and aesthetic senses; Chevrolet has come such a long way since the overload of indifferent, flimsy-feeling plastics that used to comprise the cabins of its vehicles. The headliner matches the fabric material wrapped around the A-pillars and all edges are tucked away nicely, even around the sunroof.
We were also impressed with the amount of headroom and how far back the driver’s seat could travel for extra leg room; Gulliver could drive this thing. Of course, if the front seats are all the way back in their tracks, rear seat passengers will complain, but they’ll be happy with the fold-down armrest with integrated cupholders, plentiful foot room and adjustable headrests for all three positions. Speaking of room, Chevy was able to squeeze 15-cubic-feet of trunk space into this small vehicle, complemented by 60/40-split rear seats. That’s more than a full-size Honda Accord. Sure, the hinges are a space-robbing, luggage-crushing, gooseneck design and the opening is a bit small and tall, but you can’t argue with the generosity of that much space.
Also to be noted is the long list of available features that you would normally find in larger, more expensive vehicles, such as voice-activated controls for the stereo, climate control and the optional navigation system. Satellite radio is available even for the base model. And you can find heated leather seats in some of the upper-trim levels. GM also told us that they were working on a smartphone application that will allow owners to lock and unlock the doors, start the car, and get vital stats such as tire pressure and fuel status, remotely on your mobile. Time will tell if this is just a gimmick, but it sounds pretty cool.