New Chevrolet Cruze review, test drive

With more horses on tap and better power delivery, the new Cruze is a more driveable and user-friendly car.Read our comprehensive instrumented review.

DETAILS

• Make  Chevrolet 
• Model  Cruze 
• Edition  Diesel 2012

Overview:

The Cruze, in its mid-life-cycle update, gets improvements mostly on the mechanicals front, including a new engine. It’s not like it needed one desperately – the old car’s punchy, 148bhp 2.0-litre common-rail diesel could see off quite a few petrol saloons and was one of its main selling points.

So then why the all-new engine? It’s because GM has globally replaced the previous VM Motoring-developed diesel with its latest ‘Family Z’ unit. Also, an all-new six-speed manual gearbox replaces the five-speed unit of the previous model. A completely new powertrain has helped Chevrolet address problems like the massive turbo lag and heavy clutch that plagued theearlier Cruze. 

Performance:

With 164bhp on tap (a substantial 11 percent more than the oldengine), the new Cruze is by far the most powerful car in its class. Torque has been upped to 38.7kgm. The main focus of the engine tweaks was to improve driveability, refinement and fuel efficiency. We tested both the manual and automatic versions of the Cruze to find out just how much of an overall improvement this engine is.

A turn of the key establishes that this new common-rail diesel engine is significantly more refined than the previous one, be it at idle or when you’re revving hard.

Its newfound refinement (and power) comes from a host of improvements to the engine’s guts. The updates include an engine block that has been strengthened to take the extra power and torque, and a completely redesigned cylinder head to incorporate a chain-driven DOHC valve-train as against the rubber-belt-driven one on the previous car. The air intake, which used to sit far from the inletmanifold, has now been moved closer to improve airflow and help reduce turbo lag. The common-rail system has also been upgradedand runs at a much higher 1800bar (against 1600bar in the old car)with seven injections per power stroke compared to five on the old motor. Chevrolet has alsoemployed a dual-mass flywheel to reduce engine vibrations.

While all these changes have substantially bumped up power and torque, it’s real-world driving that paints the true picture. For starters, the new Cruze feels slower than the older one! You don’t get that violent kick like before; instead there’s a progressive build-up of power, and it’s this far more linear power delivery that masks the feeling of speed in the new car. Our data acquisition equipmentreveals that the new car is actually quicker in most areas. In the 20-80kph third-gear slog, the new Cruze pips the old model by a half a second, while in the 40-100kph run in fourth gear, it’s quicker by a substantial one and a half seconds. It’s only in flat-out acceleration that that the old Cruze is still quicker. The new model does the dash to 100kph in 10.22sec, where the old car managed to duck below the 10-second barrier (9.64sec), and at 160kph, the new model is a good two seconds behind. 

Handling:

The gearing plays a key role in performance, and with an extra gear ratio, better use can be made of the new engine. While the overall gearing is much taller than before, the new Cruze has pretty short first and second gear ratios for better driveability in traffic. This is evident from the moment you engage the clutch, which thankfully is far lighter now and more progressive too. The engine feels much more responsive at low revs and pulls cleanly from even below 2000rpm, a point at which the old car was still asleep. In fact, the low-speed responsiveness and driveability are the most tangible improvements, which you feel immediately. These, along with the light clutch, makethe Cruze a much more city-friendly car. You do find yourself swapping second- and third-gear cogs more frequently because there is quite a gap between the ratios, but if you’re not in a hurry, the torquey nature of the engine allows you to trundle along in third gear too.

On the highway, the new engine with its tall gearing comes into its own to make the Cruze a superb cruiser. In sixth gear, at 100kph, the engine, turning over at a lazy 1700rpm, is barely audible and the surplus of power makes long-distance driving quite effortless.

The six-speed auto complements the Cruze’s new engine too. Thanks to the newfound power and driveability, the Chevy auto accelerates in a far more linear manner than before. Upshifts arerelatively quick and make the acceleration seem all the more effortless. That said, it isn’t particularly engaging – it is still slow to respond to sharp throttle inputs and is sluggish when youwant a quickkickdown.

The Cruze’s suspension settings remain unchanged. Straight-line stability, though not as impressive as European rivals, is good and feels stable. At low speeds though, sharp bumps thud through into the cabin, the ride has a stiff edge to it and the car crashes through large undulations.

For all its power, the Cruze isn’t a particularly sporty handler. The steering is inconsistent and doesn’t weigh up in a linear fashion when you turn into corners. Grip and body control are reasonable though, but drive it hard and you get the distinct feeling that this car prefers the straights of the expressway to the twists and turns of a ghat road.

Interiors and Styling:

Apart from the powertrain changes, the Cruze is largely the same as its predecessor. You still get the same sharp styling, which is the biggest selling point of the Cruze (though there is a facelift on its way next year). The cabin is unchanged too, although it carries over the interior upgrades that were effected on the older model some months ago. Hence you get the same extra features like the partially powered driver’s seat and the tweaked seat cushions and headlining to improve headroom at the rear. The lumbar support on the front seats has been softened for better comfort too. It must be said,though, that fit and finish are still some way off the solidity and micrometre perfection of its German rivals, and for sheer comfort, especially at the rear, the Cruze still can’t compete with the best in class.  

Fuel Economy:

To help improve fuel economy, the gearbox has been programmed to upshift at the earliest as well,so you sometimes get upshifts just when you don’t want them. Shifting the lever to ‘tiptronic’ mode makes it hang onto the selected ratio until you ask for a shift, but it’s still not engaging as, say, the twin-clutch unit in the Jetta and the Laura.

The Cruze auto is at its best when you’re cruising or when you’re in thick traffic. Fuel efficiency hasbeen one of the key priorities with the new powertrain and in this crucial area there is a distinct improvementover the previous model. The manual Cruze returned a decent 10.8kpl in the city and 15.7kpl on the highway as compared to the 10.3kpl and 14.8kpl for the old car. The automatic Cruze returned 9.8kpl and 15.3kpl for city and highway cycles respectively.

Verdict:

The Cruze has always been the horsepower champion in this segment and has now pulled even further ahead of its rivals in this respect. However, despite the increase in power not boosting performance significantly, the Cruze is now a more user-friendly car to own and drive. Power is more accessible now owing to a smoother, more responsive engine, and fuel efficiency has improved too. The mechanicals are unchanged, which means the suspension and other chassis bits are carried over from the older car. Though it’s nowhere near as dynamically accomplished as its European rivals, the Cruze’s ride and handling are quite acceptable, especially if you dont push it too hard. A bigger issue is the interior, which doesnt feel premium enough or spacious enough for the class. However, this apart,the Cruze is hard to fault, and when you factor in the price, which is expected to be in the range of Rs 14.6 to 15.5 lakh, it still undercuts its direct rivals by some margin, making it great value.

Technical Specs:

Fact File

What it costs

Ex-showroom (Delhi)	Rs 14.6-15.5 lakh
Warranty	NA

Engine

Fuel	Diesel
Installation	Front, transverse
Type	4cyls, 1998cc
Bore/stroke	86.0/86.0mm
Compression ratio	16.3:1
Valve gear	4 valves per cyl DOHC
Power	164bhp at 3800rpm
Torque	38.74kgm at 2000rpm
Power to weight	106.70/105.65bhp per tonne
Torque to weight	25.20/24.96kgm per tonne

Transmission

Type	Front-wheel drive
Gearbox	6-speed manual/auto

Dimensions

Length	4597mm
Width	1788mm
Height	1477mm
Wheel base	2685mm
Boot volume	450litres

Chassis & Body

Construction	Four-door, saloon, Monocoque
Weight	1537/1552kg
Wheels	Alloy
Tyres	205/60R16
Spare	Full Size

Suspension

Front	Independent, MacPherson struts, coil spring, tubular stabiliser bar
Rear	Non-independent, compound crank type, coil spring

Steering

Type	Rack and pinion
Type of power assist	Hydraulic
Turning circle	10.9m

Brakes

Front	Ventilated discs
Rear	Solid discs
Anti-lock	Yes

Performance

0-20	1.19/1.26
0-40	2.47/2.55
0-60	4.57/4.28
0-80	7.29/6.85
0-100	10.22/10.24
0-120	14.18/14.43
0-140	20.34/20.70
0-160	27.26/28.04
0-180	41.16/-

Economy

City	10.8/9.8kpl
Highway	15.7/15.3kpl
Tank size	60 litres

Range at a glance - Engines

Diesel

2.0 Diesel, 164bhp, Rs 14.6-15.5 lakh