But GM is a changed company. Pushed to the brink of extinction, it has fought back (albeit with a fir chunk of public change). It is much leaner, more focused, and as GM Canada President Kevin Williams told auto writers on the eve of our test drive, General Motors is committed to "designing, building and selling the world's best vehicles."
While I mulled that over, I could think of a few new vehicles in the past couple of years that I wouldn't describe as world bests. But in fairness, GM has also had a few winners, such as the current generation Equinox and the new GMC Terrain (both built in Canada in Ingersol, Ontario). The Equinox was one of CanadianDriver's Top Picks for 2010.
But still I had those lingering Cavalier doubts that GM could ever build a compact car that could compete with the leaders in this segment -- the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Mazda3 -- let alone beat them.
Yet, after the better part of a day and a half behind the wheel of the new Cruze. I came away convinced that this new compact is not just competitive, but quite capable of beating the competition if GM can get customers to forget their past experiences and give one a try.
My comments about the Cruze are necessarily confined to the LT model, powered by a 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine with a 6-speed automatic transmission. The base engine in the Cruze LS is a 1.8-litre naturally aspirated engine, but this particular model wasn't available for testing. In addition, GM had only one top-of-the-line LTZ model available, but other than more luxurious appointments, it is basically the same as the LT models. As well, a gas-sipper Eco version, powered by the 1.4-litre Turbo, won't be available until later in the year.
Both the 1.8-litre engine and the 1.4-litre turbocharged engine deliver 138 hp but the 1.4 reaches peak horsepower at 4,900 rpm, a more reasonable spot than the 1.8-litre's 6,300 rpm, just 200 rpm short of that engine's maximum of 6,500. As well, the 1.4-litre has more torque at a lower rpm (148 lb.-ft. at 1,850 rpm) than the 1.8-litre (125 lb.-ft. at 3,800 rpm). As a result, the 1.4-litre engine has remarkable power at relatively low engine revs. While we didn't have any hard data -- we'll see that when the car is tested by Canadian journalists at this year's Car of the Year competition later in October -- the Cruze feels very quick in off-line starts and 80 to 120 kilometre acceleration is also rapid thanks to a six-speed transmission that downshifts quickly and a turbocharger that showed little if any lag. One would guess that the 1.8-litre engine will feel more sluggish.
GM expects the Eco model, which will couple the 1.4-litre turbo engine to a six-speed manual transmission with three overdrive gears, to achieve 5.0 L/100 km on the highway. The final Energuide results for the Eco are not yet available, but the 1.4-litre turbo with six-speed automatic has an Energuide rating of 5.5 L/100 km on the highway and 8.5 L/100 km in the city. The 1.8-litre naturally aspirated engine has a rating of 5.4 L/100 km highway and 7.8 L/100 km city when coupled with a six-speed manual and 5.6 L/100 km highway and 9.2 L/100 km city when mated to the six-speed auto. Both engines use regular unleaded fuel.
In highway driving -- and we saw quite a bit of freeway in our drives around Toronto -- the Cruze is very quiet. GM has made a serious effort to keep unwanted noise out of the cabin, from the use of hydraulic bushings and mounts to the application of sound deadening materials and effective sealing. Put your foot down and yes, you will hear the little beast beneath the hood, but it never interfered with conversation nor disturbed the pleasure of listening to a CD at a relatively quiet level.
Driving down Bathurst Street in Toronto from Eglinton to King, a street notable for its street car tracks laid in concrete, the Cruze was solid, quiet and comfortable. Like many concrete roads, the middle section of Bathurst is marked with ridges every few feet, but in the Cruze the bumps were barely noticeable. I've often found that cars get skittish when travelling directly on the tracks, wobbling from side to side. But the Cruze was perfectly stable as if the tracks did not exist.
I was surprised at how well the Cruze handled this type of road. It moved along the bumpy street without any objectionable behaviour. In fact it was very solid, very composed and felt like a much bigger (and more expensive) car.
Streets like this often require quick lane changes to go around stopped vehicles or left turning traffic. Ready power and responsive electric powered steering made these manoeuvres easy. Great steering and a compliant but not overly soft suspension also worked well on country roads where the Cruze presented itself as both nimble and composed through left/right transitions and powerful enough to quickly overtake slower traffic, to power up hills or to return to highway speeds.
Though new to North America, the Cruze is not new. GM has been building it since 2008 and selling it in Asia, Europe and Mexico. It is a true world car, being manufactured in South Korea, Russia, China and India. GM's Lordstown, Ohio assembly plant will build it for North America, while Holden will build it in Australia for that market. So GM has gained a lot of real-world experience with this compact that North Americans will benefit from. One key difference in Canadian and U.S. versions of the Cruze is its more advanced Z-link rear suspension, also used in the European Opel Astra. The Z-link is light, compact and provides greater stability and good handling.
The Cruze feels like a much bigger car than a compact. In fact it is just a few cubic feet short of being classified as a mid-size car by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It has slightly more passenger volume than its key competitors and with 436 litres of cargo space, a much larger trunk.
LT models like we were testing have seats covered in a durable feeling cloth. These seats were very comfortable and provided good back support during a long day at the wheel. Unfortunately, they are not heated. Only the leather equipped LTZ model includes heated seats.
The cloth extends to an area of the dash which provides texture for both eyes and hands and helps offset the extensive use of hard plastics, something that is not uncommon in this class of car. The dash cloth insert is matched to the seat cloth inserts and headliner.
Seatbacks are also cloth and very soft, providing comfort for the knees of long legged rear seat passengers, but head room and leg room were very good for a compact.
The LTZ model's black and brown leather interior was very attractive and completely unexpected in a compact.
The instrument panel features detailed instruments that are backlit with light-emitting diode (LED) technology. The LED lights provide a crisp, ice-blue illumination of the analogue instruments, as well as lighting for other interior controls. A driver information centre, with a wealth of data, is standard equipment in the Cruze. The standard audio system includes six speakers and auxiliary input jack. A Pioneer 9-speaker system is also available while a USB port can be included with a connectivity package.
The Cruze shares styling cues with other Chevrolet models and at first glance appears a bit plain. But viewed side by side with the Civic, Mazda3 and Corolla, the Cruze is quite modern and handsome. I still prefer Honda's styling, but the Cruze looks better to my eye than either the Corolla or Mazda3.
When it goes on sale later this month, the Chevrolet Cruze will be available in basically five configurations, two LS models, two LT models and the LTZ. Priced at $14,995 the base Cruze LS will include as standard equipment the 1.8-Litre engine, 16-inch steel wheels and 6-speed manual transmission. But it will also come with an industry leading 10 airbags -- two front air bags, two front seat mounted side airbags, two rear seat-mounted side airbags, two side curtain airbags with rollover sensor, and front knee airbags for driver and passenger. Additionally, Stabilitrak electronic stability control is standard, as well as anti-lock brakes, traction control, collapsible pedal system and power rear-door child safety locks. Power windows (one-touch up and down for the driver, one-touch down for all other windows), power locks and remote keyless access.
At $16,750, the LS+ adds air conditioning, XM satellite radio and an improved radio display. Both the LS and LS+ can be equipped with 6-speed automatic transmission at additional cost, while the LS+ and higher models can be equipped with a connectivity package that includes Bluetooth, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, OnStar and a USB port.
The LT, equipped with the 1.5-litre turbocharged engine starts at $19,495 and adds power heated outside mirrors and cruise control, while the automatic transmission is standard. GM expects a manual to be available at this level next year. The connectivity package, a convenience package (power driver's seat, auto-dimming rear-view mirror and illuminated vanity mirrors) Pioneer audio, sunroof and remote start are optional. The LT+ at $20,870 adds the connectivity package as standard equipment, 16-inch alloy wheels and leather wrapped steering wheel. A navigation package and a sport RS appearance package are also available at this level.
Priced at $24,780, the LTZ will include as standard 4-wheel disc brakes, 17-inch alloy wheels, sport tuned suspension with lowered ride height, chrome door handles, heated leather seats, Pioneer audio system, convenience package, a special LTZ instrument cluster with compass, rear park assist, remote start and automatic climate control. The RS appearance package, navigation system and sunroof are optional.
The Chevrolet Cruze models are well-priced to compete in the Canadian compact market. But I think that once buyers compare the competitors feature for feature, and take them all for a test drive, the Chevrolet Cruze will not be just competitive, but a winner in the compact segment.
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