Review of the new Chevrolet Cruze Range

The challenge for Chevrolet as it bids to make further inroads into the UK car market is one of altering public perception as much as it is of achieving higher standards with its products. It arrived on these shores with the bizarre combination of a brand that spoke of gas-guzzling American trucks or muscle cars and a product range comprised of re-badged budget runabouts from South Korea. Slowly but surely, Chevrolet has been working at unifying its brand message and its vehicle line-up in a manner that will hit the right notes with European buyers. Could the Cruze be the car through which the all-American marque finds its European accent?

The Cruze had a decent pedigree from the outset because it arrived as the first production car to use the sixth generation Vauxhall Astra platform, known as the Delta platform in General Motors speak. These underpinnings were designed around European tastes and tested on European roads, which goes without saying for the big selling Astra but was a first for any Chevrolet product.

Lots of Chevrolet's UK offerings have been rather forgettable from a design perspective but the Cruze changes that. It's a handsome compact saloon with an athletic stance and sharp, sculpted lines. The design language is set to be reproduced across all the brand's forthcoming models, so we can expect to see lots more of the distinctive deep front grille split by a horizontal bar with the Chevrolet badge at its centre. The headlights curl around the corners of the Cruze and smear back to a point along the bonnet line, while the roof drops away towards the rear, meeting with the stubby saloon boot. The car is 4,535mm long and 1,796mm wide, putting it in the same size bracket as booted versions of the Ford Focus and the likes of Volkswagen's Jetta.

"It surpasses any previous Chevrolet offering in terms of quality"

Handling excellence is not something Chevrolet is known for but this car is a big step in the right direction, as you would expect from its Vauxhall Astra-based underpinnings. Aside from very quick and direct steering, the whole experience is geared more for comfort than sporting endeavour - which will almost certainly be something suited to its likely clientele. So it is that there's more body roll and less grip than you'd get in a Focus or an Astra but as long as you don't rev the engine too much, refinement is impressive, suggestive of a much larger and more expensive saloon, and the ride is pretty good over all but the poorest surfaces. Extra effort has gone into stiffening the body structure and this is a central reason for the car's polished performance on the road.

The engine choice sees buyers in search of petrol power decide between 113PS 1.6-litre and 141PS 1.8-litre engines, with a six-speed automatic gearbox available as an option. Those prepared to pay the premium for diesel power get a 2.0-litre common-rail unit with either 125PS or 150PS on tap. Performance from all these engines won't deliver too many fireworks, but it's quite adequate, even the feeblest 1.6-litre petrol unit managing 0-62mph in 11.8s on the way to 115mph, whilst at the other end of the line-up, the 150PS 2.0-litre VCDi version makes 62mph from rest in 8.7s on the way to 130mph.

Interior quality is a sticky issue for any budget car as materials quality and eye-catching design are usually amongst the first things to be sacrificed to achieve that eye-catching price. The Cruze defies expectations on this score, however, because it's actually very slick when you clamber inside. Some of the switchgear will be familiar to owners of the Vauxhall Insignia and the dashboard design is well resolved - the stereo controls being a particular high point. Chevrolet has also built in a wide range of adjustment for the driver's seat and steering wheel which should help most people get comfy.

In the rear, headroom might be a bit limited for the very tall but overall, there's a lot more space than you would expect from this class of car - plenty of room for four adults to travel comfortably, though the narrowness of the cabin and the chunky transmission tunnel means that five would be a squeeze. Storage space around the interior is good too: there are adjustable cup-holders between the front seats and bottle holders on the doors. As for luggage space, well this saloon model is never going to be as versatile as a rival hatchback - but the Cruze does its best. There's a 450-litre boot: better than you'd get on a rival car like, say, a Mazda3 4-door and enough to swallow, for example, two sets of golf clubs lying sideways, with enough space for two compact golf trolleys in front of them. If you need more space, the rear seat back split-folds down 60:40.

There are three trim levels to choose from. S is the entry-point and includes remote central locking, electric front windows, a CD stereo, and headlights that stay on for a few seconds after locking the car to guide you to your door. The LS model adds air-conditioning to this tally along with 16" alloy wheels and a chrome radiator grille - it's expected to be the strongest seller. At the top of the range, LT customers can only choose the 1.8 petrol or 2.0-litre diesel engines but they get 17" alloy wheels, climate control, cruise control, electric rear windows and an upgraded stereo.

Only the top LT model gets the option of an integrated satellite navigation system but every Chevrolet Cruze comes with six airbags and, impressively, ESC stability control as standard. Chevrolet is hoping that this safety equipment, featured even on the most affordable models, will be a big selling point for the car, along with the exemplary crash protection qualities of the basic platform.

Chevrolet products haven't enjoyed the strongest residual values, with the brand having operated predominantly at the budget end of the market. The Cruze could change all that if the public can be made to view the car as a more affordable alternative to the Vauxhall Astra. It's certainly the most convincing UK market Chevrolet to date. The 147bhp diesel engine performs well on fuel economy delivering 50mpg on the combined cycle and 149g/km.

Chevrolet is a massive name in the global car industry but the brand has failed to take off in the manner hoped since its arrival in the UK. The Cruze could be the car to change all that, particularly when the hatchback versions come on stream. It surpasses any previous Chevrolet offering in terms of quality and is priced low enough to make it an attractive budget option.

From the outset, Chevrolet was hamstrung in the UK by the product range it inherited from Daewoo but the Cruze provides more of a glimpse of what the American marque is really all about. Its core strengths might be the high equipment levels and low pricing of a budget saloon but riding on the Mk6 Vauxhall Astra platform, with sharp looks, good safety spec and a decent quality interior, there are other strings to its bow.

TOP 5 CRUZE DEALS

The results below show the top CRUZE deals on buyacar

Chevrolet Cruze 2.0 VCDi LTZ 5dr Diesel Hatchback
Price £16,181 Read Cruze Reviews	Save £1,609
Chevrolet Cruze 2.0 VCDi 163 LTZ 4dr Diesel Saloon
Price £16,549 Read Cruze Reviews	Save £1,641
Chevrolet Cruze 1.8 LTZ 5dr Auto Hatchback
Price £15,288 Read Cruze Reviews	Save £1,792
Chevrolet Cruze 2.0 VCDi 163 LT 4dr Auto Diesel Saloon
Price £16,931 Read Cruze Reviews	Save £1,664
Chevrolet Cruze 2.0 VCDi LTZ 5dr Auto [Executive Pack] Diesel Hatchback
Price £18,482 Read Cruze Reviews	Save £1,798
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