Chevrolet Cruze LT

Chevrolet Cruze is the first Indian model to use GM’s revamped delta 2- platform, an architecture that is used on other GM small cars around the globe.The Cruze has been due for a refresh and Chevrolet India has just given it that, but interestingly it hasn’t come in the form of a visual facelift. Instead Chevrolet has introduced a beaut of an engine as part of a mid-life-cycle update. The sedan is going to give a tough competition to the others like Renault Fluence, Volkswagen Jetta and Toyota Corolla. When it comes to the features, the sedan incorporates many new and advanced technologies. Cruze includes a dashing interior feature with a twin cockpit design which is first time introduced in the Chevrolet Corvette sports car. Apart from this the car has a good suspension and brake mechanism. The car at present is available in the Indian market in three different variants named, Chevrolet Cruze LT, Chevrolet Cruze LTZ and Chevrolet Cruze LTZ AT. The only difference between the mid variant and the top end variant is the transmission.

Exterior

Chevrolet Cruze is a looker- the dual port front grille dominated by the golden finish Chevrolet Bowtie. Cruze's arching roof-line, extending from the steeply raked windshield to its sloping rear pillars and short rear deck, brings coupe-like proportions to thiscompact sedan. To give this car a sporty look, front and rear bumpers with the outside Rear view mirrors are in body color. Multiple areas in the car are garnished with chrome to make it look classy; these include door handles, front radiator grille, window sill and Exhaust pipe. In the front this sedan has dual bezel design headlamp while at the rear there are split design tail lamps. Apart from all these the exterior features also includes Tinted Windshield Glass and Glass door, Printed Antenna and Alloy wheels. As this is the base variant so it lacks Chrome Trunk lid and Electric Sunroof with pinch guard and protective mesh. Dimension of Chevrolet Cruze LT sedan are, length – 4597mm, width – 1788mm and height – 1477mm. The sedan has a wheelbase of 2685mm with a ground clearance of 165mm which is pretty good.

Interior

The interior of Chevrolet Cruze has been designed with great concern, it is well-proportioned and the sculpted seats offer good support. Interiors appear very appealing with the dual tone dashboard packed with advanced instruments. The whole interior of the car has Jet Black and Medium Titanium Wraparound Theme, which makes the look more attractive. The seats are in Monotone Jet Black color with titanium stitch highlights, the dual color beige dashboard is mounted with triple Pod instrument cluster with icy blue illumination and chrome surround. The instrument cluster also has the option to control the amount of illumination. Other additional interior of Cruze include 3 spoke steering wheel, front centre armrest with storage and sliding lid, rear seat armrest with cup holders and both front and rear reading lamp. The electronic trip meter on the dash shows Trip distance, average fuel consumption, average speed, and distance to empty with instantaneous consumption.  

Engine and performance

Chevrolet Cruze LT is powered by a 2.0L VCDi diesel engine that comes with 4 cylindersand 4 valves per cylinder in DOHC configuration . This 1998cc diesel engine has CRDI fuel supply system and is affixed with Turbocharger. The engine generates a maximum power of 162.68bhp at the rate of 3800rpm and a peak torque of 380Nm at the rate of 2000rpm. With this power and torque we can readily accelerate the car from 0-100kmph in just 10.24 seconds. The car delivers a mileage of 9.8kmpl in the city and 15.3kmpl on the highway, when compared toRenault Fluencegiving 18.2 on city roads and Toyota Corolla’s 18.4, the mileage offered by Cruzeis quite less.

Braking and Handling

The front and rear wheels of Chevrolet Cruze are packed with large ventilated disc brakes. To further enhance it the car is equipped with ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System) with EBD that avoids skidding of the car, by allowing the wheels to interact tractively with the road avoiding locking of wheels in case of instantaneous braking. The suspension system in the car is also good as it avoids any bumps, vibrations and noises on the road. In the front there McPherson Strut with Linear Cylindrical Coil Spring and Tubular Stabilizer Bar System while at the rear the car has Compound Crank Type with Non-Linear and Mini-Block Coil Spring. The handling includes the 3 spoke steering wheel with the 6 speed manual transmission.

Safety Features

Chevrolet Cruze LTZ model comes equipped with many advanced active and passive safety features. The active ones include ABS, Dual Airbags in the front with side airbags both at the front and the rear. Front fog lamps with halogen and Xenon headlamps provide a clear view of the road. The passive ones include the height adjustable front seatsfor better visibility, 4kmph impact proof front and rear bumpers, child seat mounting provision, underbody coating, dual horns and battery run down protection. The advanced security system in car includes the Engine immobilizer, Anti-theft alarm, programmable Auto door locking and auto door unlock in case of crash .

Comfort Features

Chevrolet Cruze is a spacious and a luxurious sedan which comes packed with many advanced comfort features to provide you a high level of comfort. The comfort features that are available in this sedan are Intelligent Programmable Passive Entry Passive Start with Push Button Ignition On/Off, Power Steering, Tropicalized Electronic Auto Air Conditioning System, Programmable Smart Screen, Integrated Audio System with CD/MP3, Radio, Aux-in and USB, Steering Mounted Audio Controls, Premium Speakers, Tilt & Telescopic Steering, 6-Way Power Adjustable Driver Seat, Power Adjustable Outside Mirrors, All 4 Power Windows with Express Down, Driver Side Window Express Up with Pinch Guard, Programmable Follow Me Home Headlamps, Height Adjustable Front and Rear Headrests, Rear Glass Defogger, Foldable Key with Remote Door Lock/Unlock, Boot Release and Anti-theft Function, Delayed Operation for Power Windows and OSRVM, Illuminated Vanity Mirrors with Lid, Clutch Foot Rest, Cigarette Lighter, Rear Accessory Power Socket, Sunglass Holder and Trunk Illumination.

Pros

Powerful engine, comfort features, safety features and interior

Cons

lacks sunroof, mileage and transmission.