Chevrolet Cruze. Cornerstone
The Chevrolet Cruze is a whole family of compact sedans, hatchbacks and estates manufactured by Chevrolet since 2008. Starting with the second generation, the manufacturer releases only the 5-door hatchback and sedan. The Cruze, which replaced the legendary affordable Chevrolet Lacetti model, is built on the global Delta II platform, like another affordable legend Opel Astra J. The Cruze became the best-selling Chevrolet model at least in 2015 and 2016. At the same time, the car is quite plain. It is a simple car, a set of units and parts with good driving characteristics at a very affordable price, which is what the overwhelming majority of motorists need. This is the secret of its success.
The first generation
It was produced from 2008 to 2012. Despite the fact that the model was initially developed as a global one, and it actually was, it was targeted at the European audience. The first generation Cruze looked simple, but rather fresh for its time. It was a compact and elegant car with a rounded roof, sloping windshield, a short but wide rear end, an expressionless but not repulsive front end. The Cruze even had a perfectly acceptable air drag coefficient of 0.31. The five-seater interior did not impress with luxury, and it didn’t have to. It had a standard, but neat and high quality interior. The car offered plenty of legroom, head and shoulder room for the driver and passengers in the front and rear. No wonder, the first Cruze was built on the widest wheelbase in its class of 2,700 mm, which made it possible to make the interior roomier.
‘Cruze is a cornerstone of Chevrolet’s car strategy!’
The entry-level Chevrolet Cruze and higher-end LS had manual air conditioning, while dual-zone automatic climate control was standard on the LT. The car also had a navigation system, still based on DVD. The first generation Cruze’s body structure was one of the stiffest in its class, providing good basic sound and vibration isolation and excellent crash safety parameters, great driving performance and handling. A new line of gasoline and diesel engines was developed for the car, which included 1.6-liter (113 hp) and 1.8-liter (141 hp) all-aluminum gasoline engines and a 2-liter turbocharged diesel engine (150 hp). The engines were accompanied by a 5-speed manual transmission and a new 6-speed automatic transmission.
2012 restyling
The restyled Chevrolet Cruze was modified based on the tests in a wind tunnel. As a result, it became 6 cm longer, 2 cm lower and smoother, the drag coefficient decreased to 0.29. The restyled car received a new base 1.4-liter turbocharged direct injection engine with 153 hp. Advanced safety features included side blind spot alert, rear cross traffic alert, lane keeping assist, and forward collision alert. Plus, it came with new technologies: Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, Chevrolet MyLink with the ability to integrate with a smartphone.
The second generation
It has been produced since 2015 to the present (as of 2021). ‘Cruze is a cornerstone of Chevrolet’s car strategy!’, says Steve Majoros, Chevrolet Marketing Director about the new 2019 Chevrolet Cruze, in tribute to the humble sedan’s overwhelming success. Small, discreet, calm and balanced, the Cruze has managed to bring 53% of new customers to the Chevrolet brand! Despite the fact that there has been no official restyling since 2015, the second Cruze has been constantly refined, and there is less similarity between it and the 2019/2020 model than between the first generation and the 2015 model.
The modern Cruze looks really cool and even a little aggressive
The modern Cruze looks really cool and even a little aggressive, featuring a completely redesigned front panel and radiator grille. The signature two-piece taillights are LED. The new Chevrolet Cruze received remote start and automatic climate control, 4G LTE connectivity and built-in Wi-Fi hotspot. The engine and chassis are the same, as they originally fully met the requirements of the target audience with their simplicity, reliability and durability in daily trips. But there is a whole bunch of new security options:
- lane change alert;
- side blind spot alert;
- rear cross traffic warning;
- rear parking assistance;
- following distance indicator;
- forward collision warning;
- automatic braking in front of an obstacle;
- lane keeping assist with lane departure warning.
