Compact economy cars have come a long way of late, due partly to the positive influence of high-value brands such as Kia and Hyundai. The competitive pressure between manufacturers has reaped huge benefits for the consumer, and no vehicle better represents this outcome than Chevrolet’s new Cruze.
This week’s tester is the upscale Cruze LT 4-door sedan featuring a turbocharged engine.
First impressions count
It’s said that there’s no second chance for a first impression. That axiom has no greater relevance than in the automotive industry, where the power of emotion can be more influential in selecting a car than factual data.
Of course, as an automotive journalist I didn’t select this week’s tester based on either emotion or data but rather availability, which is far more mundane. Despite my ambivalence toward selecting the Cruze, I am human—hopefully—and affected by the inevitability of “first impressions”.
In this review, I wish to share some of the “first impressions” I developed within moments of climbing behind the wheel of the Cruze, a car that has altered my perception on what GM can produce in the economical, compact class.
Refined operational performance
My expectations are not excessively high when it comes to the operational refinement of economy class cars, especially when a small four-banger provides the power, and herein is the first impression of mine that was most noteworthy and least expected.
The operational refinement of the 1.4-litre DOHC turbocharged mill—and by this I mean the smoothness of the engine and its accompanying auditory track—was more consistent with a premium-level vehicle from Europe than a low-cost domestic product.
I was quite fond of this rather diminutive but energetic mill. The concept here is to power the Cruze with an engine that’s highly fuel-efficient yet capable of injecting a little enthusiasm into its propulsion – and frankly, I think GM succeeded.
The turbocharged powerplant emits 138 horsepower @ 4,900 rpm and 148 pound-feet of torque @ only 1,850 rpm. Given the size of this engine, these figures are indeed impressive, and so is the fact that the power flows through a 6-speed automatic transmission replete with electronic manual-mode shifting.
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| Sold all over the world, the Chevy Cruze is truly a global automobile. (Photo: Rob Rothwell/Auto123.com) |
This week’s tester is the upscale Cruze LT 4-door sedan featuring a turbocharged engine.
First impressions count
It’s said that there’s no second chance for a first impression. That axiom has no greater relevance than in the automotive industry, where the power of emotion can be more influential in selecting a car than factual data.
Of course, as an automotive journalist I didn’t select this week’s tester based on either emotion or data but rather availability, which is far more mundane. Despite my ambivalence toward selecting the Cruze, I am human—hopefully—and affected by the inevitability of “first impressions”.
In this review, I wish to share some of the “first impressions” I developed within moments of climbing behind the wheel of the Cruze, a car that has altered my perception on what GM can produce in the economical, compact class.
Refined operational performance
My expectations are not excessively high when it comes to the operational refinement of economy class cars, especially when a small four-banger provides the power, and herein is the first impression of mine that was most noteworthy and least expected.
The operational refinement of the 1.4-litre DOHC turbocharged mill—and by this I mean the smoothness of the engine and its accompanying auditory track—was more consistent with a premium-level vehicle from Europe than a low-cost domestic product.
I was quite fond of this rather diminutive but energetic mill. The concept here is to power the Cruze with an engine that’s highly fuel-efficient yet capable of injecting a little enthusiasm into its propulsion – and frankly, I think GM succeeded.
The turbocharged powerplant emits 138 horsepower @ 4,900 rpm and 148 pound-feet of torque @ only 1,850 rpm. Given the size of this engine, these figures are indeed impressive, and so is the fact that the power flows through a 6-speed automatic transmission replete with electronic manual-mode shifting.
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| The turbocharged powerplant emits 138 horsepower @ 4,900 rpm and 148 pound-feet of torque @ only 1,850 rpm. (Photo: Rob Rothwell/Auto123.com) |