In the early 1980s, GM’s J-body underpinned a single family of midsize cars that would be sold in many countries with the fewest possible changes. However, as nice as that plan was, it was followed only in the first years: people had such different tastes that the company found impossible to please everyone with the exact same product. More than twenty years later, Cruze is now going down the same road. The current sedan had one facelift in South Korea, another one in North and South Americas, and a new generation exclusively for China. The model presented in this article debuted in the United States, but it still deserves the title of “global Cruze” only because it’s supposedly the one to be sold everywhere besides China.
This car went through a complete change so as to catch up with Chevrolet’s latest releases. Up front, the company’s design language is expressed through sleek lights, a sporty bumper, and the latest interpretation of the signature two-part grille. If it reminded you of the new Malibu, the side will make you think Cruze and Volt will become the same car someday. The same smooth roofline appears once again, making the sedan look sportier but without falling into the cliché of four-door coupés. The rear, in turn, features very stylish lights, and an imponent bumper with big black-plastic inserts. The overall feeling is of a nice compact-car interpretation of sportiness, which has clearly lost that conservative character seen on its predecessor.
Opening the door will show more of this visual change. While the old dashboard was “divided” by the center stack, the new one has it the other way around. The upper part is shared with the Chinese car, although with more discreet colors for the leather. It features very few buttons, and a 7” (an 8” one is optional) screen with which to operate the new MyLink. The lower part, in turn, honors its North-American origin with more storage areas and oversized cup holders. Going to the equipment list, the most important additions regard technology: apart from the aforementioned infotainment system, there are Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and standard 4G LTE data connection with a built-in Wi-Fi hotspot, just like in other recent Chevrolets.
Speaking of recent cars, the all-new Cruze is the latest vehicle to use GM’s brand new platform. Named D2XX, it’s already underpinning the other Cruze, and the new Buick Verano and Chevrolet Volt. In this article’s one, it brought extra 2.7” to the overall length and 0.6” to the wheelbase (most of that went to the back-seat room), and is claimed to have taken 250 pounds away, always compared to the outgoing car. The latter is the result of multiple measures: the new structure is 53 pounds lighter, despite still being made of steel; the automatic transmission removed another 24 pounds; a new engine with aluminum block, offered optionally, shaved 44 pounds; and the new suspension pairs aluminum and steel to make another contribution to that count.
With smaller mass to carry, the sedan is expected to make even better use of its new engines. The standard option is now a four-cylinder 1.4-liter from the Ecotec family. It delivers 153 hp and 177 lb-ft, and is claimed to take the car from 0 to 60 mph in eight seconds, along with fuel consumption of around 40 mpg. Such performance is also a work of a new suspension tuning and the new rack-mounted electric steering. While there’s no official information about offering the turbocharged 1.4 once again, it’s already known that the naturally-aspirated 1.8 unit was discontinued, and that the diesel option will survive – this time, using a 1.6. As far as transmissions are concerned, there will be a manual and an automatic, both with six speeds.
Even though North-Americans are currently living in times of cheap gasoline, high fuel efficiency is always a great sales argument (or it should be, at least). Cruze remains able to use it thanks to several improvements made in what can be called the “engineer’s way”. Along with all the technical features already presented, the new car uses a very efficient design, from the smooth roofline to the chamfered corners. In other words, Chevrolet made an aerodynamic car for itself, rather than loading a bad project with extra accessories which would increase its cost and, probably, affect its style. With all these qualities, the brand new “global” Cruze will go on sale in the next few months, starting only as a sedan and in the United States.