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First hand experience: Test driving the Cruze
By Grace Wyler
Lordstown
Talk to anyone who works at the General Motors Complex here about the new Chevrolet Cruze, and you get the sense that they are talking about a first born grandchild.
I half expect to start seeing bumper stickers in the plant parking lot: “My Chevy Compact is on the Honor Roll for Global Safety Standards,” or simply “Japan, Eat My Dust.”
Take the Cruze for a spin and it is easy to see the source of all the pride and excitement. I recently took the car for a test-drive and can attest the vehicle is everything its builders and engineers claim — efficient, safe and comfortable, the performance is smooth, and the cabin is nearly silent while you are on the road.
But the thing that sets the Cruze apart from its Chevy predecessors — and from other cars in the cutthroat compact segment — is that it is cool.
While I am far from an automotive expert, I do know a thing or two about style, and this car is chic. This is not your grandmother’s Vega.
For too long, compact-car buyers have had to sacrifice elegance and appearance for cost and fuel economy. GM has eliminated that choice with the Cruze. The car looks and feels like a more expensive and luxurious model.
The Cruze, GM’s first global car, has a sophisticated look common in many European cars which might account, at least in part, for its strong sales in Europe, Asia and Australia.
The exterior style of the Cruze is sleek and powerful, with headlights that extend far back into the front quarter panels and chrome accents that give the car a hint of glamour. The RS appearance package gives the Cruze a sportier trim, enhancing the rear and front of the car with details like fog lamps and a new grille.
But though the Cruze has a European elegance, it maintains the sturdy, confident look of a good, all-American vehicle. The car has big wheels and is built wide and low to the ground. The sturdy construction lends itself to aggressive driving, further adding to the car’s sex appeal.
The Cruze definitely lives up to its name. The turbocharged Ecotec engine, available on the LT, LTZ and Eco models, gives the car power and efficiency, and the car handles comfortably. Perhaps most strikingly, the cabin is almost completely quiet while the Cruze is on the road.
Inside, the Cruze is spacious, comfortable and soft to the touch. My test car was an LTZ model with leather seats, dashboard trimmings and center stack. The details and colors of the interior are thoughtful, well-designed and plush, an improvement over GM’s previous compact models that indicates that the company is no longer treating compact-car buyers as an afterthought.
The dash board looks high-tech and is equipped with all of the urbane features that a modern driver might need — a Bluetooth connection for hands-free cell phone use, a USB plug-in, satellite radio and OnStar navigation.
The Cruze’s deft combination of form and function has the potential to make the compact car not only useful, but desirable.
The car’s fuel efficiency and price — and local excitement about the new Lordstown product — likely will be enough to bring potential buyers to the lots when the Cruze hits showrooms later this month.
But it is the car’s style and sleekness that will make people want to show it off in their driveways.
Chevrolet has succeeded in making a car that meets the needs of both the modern, brand-driven user and those simply looking for a reasonably priced and fuel-efficient car.
It remains to be seen how the car will perform in the North American market, but for now, it looks like the Lordstown complex’s pride in its product is well-placed.