Cruze sedan: full of surprises

It’s hard to understand why the Chevrolet Cruze sedan doesn’t sell in even greater volumes – because it is a truly delightful executive car … in all departments.

This is not to say that the vehicle is not a success story. Like virtually every other Chevrolet on the planet’s roads, the Cruze sedan is hugely popular. In fact, it’s one of the reasons why Chevrolet ranks among the world’s fastest growing automotive brands … with one Chevrolet sold every 6,4 seconds!

But, having spent many happy days behind the wheel of this bowtied being, I would actually expect the sedan to sell in even larger numbers – and carve out a dominant share of the fleet market.

There are numerous reasons why I think it’s a good car. Firstly because it really is a common sense investment; General Motors provides excellent after-sales support, parts are readily available (and fairly priced) and the car has good resale value.

Secondly, it is very safe – the Cruze has an arsenal of active and passive safety systems that make it amongst the safest vehicles in its class. You don’t need to buy the top-of-the-range model to feel safe either; driver, passenger and seat side airbags are standard on the base specification grade.

It drives very nicely too. The Cruze has a stiff body structure for a truly solid feel and, in its latest guise, the 1,6-litre petrol engine has received a handy power boost from 80 to 91 kW while the
2,0-litre diesel engine has its power increased from 110 kW to 120 kW together with 360 Nm of torque, up from 320 Nm.

Then there are all the little surprises that the Cruze delivers – snappy features such as a headlamp levelling system, steering wheel mounted satellite controls for the audio system, Bluetooth (certain models) and a plethora of noise, vibration and harshness initiatives, which ensure that the cabin is almost ominously silent.

It’s a very good all-round package that deserves to sell even better.