Chevrolet Cruze LTZ AT

Chevrolet India is the division of General Motors which in turn is a joint venture of General Motors of United States. Chevrolet India at present is the fifth largest car maker in the country after Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Tata and Mahindra. The last car launched by the company in the Indian market was Chevrolet Beat in 2010 and now after one and half year of waiting Chevrolet has given the Indian market facelift version of their successful sedan Chevrolet Cruze.  This car was rolled out in the Indian market in the year 2009 and it was able to garner huge chunk of sales giving a stiff competition to its rivals in the segment.  The facelift version of Cruze does not come with major tweaks in the interior and exterior sphere however Chevrolet has replaced the 1991cc powertrain with 1998cc to give this sedan a decent acceleration and top speed.The car is powered by all-new FAM Z 2.0-litre diesel engine that churns out a maximum power of 162.68bhp at the rate of 3800rpm and a peak torque of 380Nm at the rate of 2000rpm. This VCDi 16 valve DOHC engine delivers an average mileage of 17.3kmpl.Chevrolet Cruze features a bold and stylish front with the large headlamps housings.Interior of this sedan is also very elegant and classy; triple pod instrument cluster with 3 spoke steering wheel in silver accent and leather upholstery give the interior an elegant look. As Chevrolet Cruze LTZ AT is the high end variant so it also incorporates many advanced safety and comfort features.

Exterior

Chevrolet Cruze is a dynamic styling sedan that has very aggressive looks. The sedan in the front has dual port front grille with the golden Chevrolet bowtie on it; the grille is enclosed between the swept headlamps in dual bezel design. To add to the sportiness the car has body color front and rear bumpers, body colored outside mirror and chrome door handles. At the rear end the car has split design tail lamps with the chrome exhaust pipe finisher. To enhance the looks Chevrolet has garnished some of the sections of the car with chrome like the window sill and trunk lid. The side profile of the car is also good by the addition of Alloy wheels and body colored ORVMs. The main attraction in the car would be the electric sunroof with pinch guard and protective mesh which is available in the Chevrolet Cruze LTZ and LTZ AT variant. The exterior dimensions of this sedan are; length – 4597mm, width – 1788mm and height – 1477mm. The wheelbase of the car is 2685mm with a ground clearance of 165mm which is pretty good .

Interior

The interior of the Cruze model are very attractive with Jet Black and Medium Titanium Wraparound Theme. The black color seats with the titanium stitch highlight and the dual cockpit design make the look more fascinating. The instrumentation panel on the dash with icy blue illumination and chrome surround provides a clear reading, 3 spoke steering wheel with silver accents and audio controls add to the beauty . Other features that make the interior of Chevrolet Cruze stylish are front centre armrest with Storage and sliding lid, rear armrest with cup holder, front and rear reading lamp, leather steering and gear knob. The instrumentation panel shows trip distance, average fuel consumption, average speed and distance to empty with instantaneous consumption.

Engine and performance

Chevrolet Cruze sedan is powered by a Fam-Z 2.0L VCDi engine which has 4 cylinders. This 1998cc engine has a total of 16 valves in DOHC configuration and is capable of generating 162.68bhp of maximum power at the rate of 3800rpm and a peak torque of 380Nm at the rate of 2000rpm. The power and torque developed by the car accelerate it from 0-100kmph in just 10.24 seconds. The car is mated with a 6 speed automatic transmission system so that gears can be readily switched and better pick up and power is generated. The car delivers a mileage of 9.8kmpl on the city roads and 15.3kmpl on the highway; the figures when compared to its competitors like Volkswagen Jetta and Skoda Laura is very less as both these cars delivers mileage above 12kmpl in the city driving conditions.

Braking and Handling

The front and the rear wheels of the car are packed with large ventilated disc brakes . The suspension system in the car is also good to reduce the vibrations, noises and bumps on the road, front section has McPherson Strut with Linear Cylindrical Coil Spring and Tubular Stabilizer Bar System while the rear has Compound Crank Type with Non-Linear and Mini-Block Coil Spring. The car also has Twin tube Gas Pressure type front and rear shockers. To improve the brake mechanism of the car it also incorporates ABS (Anti Lock Braking) system with EBD and brake assist to avoid skidding of the car in case of instantaneous braking. The car is mated with a 6 speed automatic transmission system that readily falls into hand and provide better and comfortable driving.

Safety Features

Cruze sedan is equipped with various advanced safety features which include both the active and the passive features. The active ones include the dual airbags in the front with the side airbags both in the front and the rear. ABS (Antilock Brake System) with EBD (Electronic Brake-Force Distribution) that enables the driver to maneuver the vehicle even during emergency braking, Front Ventilated Disc Brakes that de-accelerate the vehicle instantly, Traction Control and Electronic Stability Control. The passive ones are central door locking, power door and child safety locks, Anti theft alarm, day and night rear view mirror,passenger side rear view mirror, Xenon and halogen headlamps, front and rear seat belts with warning, door ajar warning, impact beams, adjustable seats, tyre pressure monitor and engine check warning.

Comfort Features

Along with the safety and looks the car also has many comfort features in it to offer a pleasurable ride to the passengers. These include the Intelligent Programmable Passive Entry Passive Start with Push Button Ignition On/Off, power steering, auto Air Conditioning system, programmable smart screen, integrated audio system, power adjustable outside mirrors, rear glass defogger, illuminated vanity mirror with lid, sunglass holder, trunk illumination, 4 channel rear parking assist and auto dimming inside rear view mirror.

Pros

Safety features, comfort, looks, interior

Cons

Mileage, acceleration.