First Drive: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze LT Turbo

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Chevy's crucial Cruze

Is Chevrolet's latest compact a serious threat to the leading imports?

By John LeBlanc TORONTO, Ont. - Contrary to its laid-back name, the new Cruze is Chevrolet’s first serious challenger in Canada’s all-important compact car segment. After decades of disappointing Vegas, Cavaliers, and Cobalts, Chevrolet thinks it finally has the car to take on the class-leading imports. Designed by parent General Motors’ Korean Daewoo division, our U.S.-made, front-wheel-drive, five-passenger 2011 Cruze sedan has been on sale in other markets for more than a year. GM pitches Chevrolet as a discount brand in Europe, so the Cruze actually sells below its Opel Astra platform buddy. Comparatively, though, the North American version comes with more standard and available equipment, plus different engines; all the better to take on segment stalwarts such as the Honda Civic, Mazda3 and Toyota Corolla — a troika that have battled at the top of the Canadian new car sales charts for what seems like forever. GM Canada is certainly serious about the Cruze’s pricing. When it arrives at Canadian dealerships later this month, the base 2011 Cruze LS will cost less to buy than those top sellers just mentioned. Starting at $14,995, the LS will come with a naturally aspirated 138 hp, 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine, matched to a six-speed manual transmission. An autobox with manumatic shifting and an equal number of gears is optional. While GM Canada says even the base Cruze will have the most standard safety features in its class (10 standard airbags; five-star crash ratings; standard stability and traction controls), and those lowball LS Cruzes will look good in newspaper ads, the volume seller is expected to be the midlevel, LT Turbo models. Priced more in line with the imports at $19,495, the Cruze LT Turbo (with the autobox and air-conditioning as standard) comes with a smaller (1.4L) yet blown, four-cylinder that has the same amount of power as the base 1.8, but with 23 more lb-ft of torque, rated at 148. There’s a top-of-the-line Cruze LTZ Turbo, too. It adds such niceties as heated leather seats and a two-tone interior. At $24,780, though, it’s not expected to make up a big chunk of Cruze sales. Also on the luxury front, never-seen-before-in-a-Chevy-compact options (like in-dash navigation) speak of GM’s commitment to separate the Cruze from the more workmanlike Cobalt. Taking 9.1 seconds to go from zero to 100 km/h, GM says the Cruze LT Turbo is quicker than its autobox-equipped Japanese rivals. But there’s no overtly sporty Cruze to match a Civic Si or Corolla XRS — let alone the 263 hp Mazdaspeed3. At least you can play sporty car dress-up with a Cruze RS appearance package. Instead of performance, Chevrolet is playing up the Cruze’s fuel economy ratings. Despite having generous amounts of grunt (20 more lb.-ft. of torque than the Civic and Corolla base engines) the Cruze LT Turbo is rated at a competitive 8.5L/100 km city. While at 5.5L on the highway, it’s better than the automatic-equipped Japanese trio. The Cruze LS’s 1.8 unit with the manual also scores a competitive 7.8L/100 km city and a parsimonious 5.4L on the highway. Want more savings at the pumps? There’s a Cruze Eco model with the 1.4 turbo and manual gearbox, promised by the end of this year, priced the same as the LT Turbo. It’s been tweaked to eke out an “expected” segment-leading 5.0L/100 km on the highway. As the planned-for volume seller, Chevrolet only had Cruze LT Turbo models available to drive at its Canadian launch event here in the GTA. After only a few blocks behind the wheel, the new Cruze comes across as a much more mature and refined car than the outgoing Cobalt. Immediately, the new Chevy compact’s roomy and well-built cabin will impress. If not as luxurious as the forthcoming 2012 Ford Focus at this week’s Paris auto show, the materials feel more robust than a Civic or Corolla. Rear legroom is generous. And trunk space, at 436 litres, betters the three Japanese compacts. Keep in mind: If the Cruze sedan doesn’t offer enough seats or practicality, Chevrolet has the Orlando compact MPV coming next July. Plus, GM Canada officials haven’t ruled out bringing in the just-released European five-door Cruze hatchback. Living up to its badge, the new Chevy compact is best at, well, cruising. Compared to the midlevel Civic, Corolla and Mazda3 models that GM Canada confidently made available for back-to-back evaluations, the Cruze LT Turbo was easily the most refined, quiet and comfortable car to drive. GM says the Cruze chassis is much stiffer than the old Cobalt. The payoff is a cone-of-silence-like cabin and midsize-car ride quality. Bumps on the Gardiner Expressway were put in their place like a car one size up, while the torque-rich turbo-four and six-speed automatic marriage felt refined and very responsive at low revs. Of course, all this talk of the Cruze’s luxury car attributes leads to the inevitable: it’s no ball of fire to drive. Sure — its steering is accurate and its body motions are well controlled. With a more-than-1,400 kg curb weight, however, the Chevy has more heft than the lighter Honda/Mazda/Toyota sedans. The result? The Civic and Mazda3 were much more nimble running through the coned parking lot slalom GM had set up. Not to mention, there were no new Volkswagen Jettas or Kia Fortes in sight. . . Still, the new Cruze is a solid offering for the majority of compact buyers. Especially those who don’t wear stringback-driving gloves or cannot spell Nürburgring. The Chevy compact has plenty of room, is nicely made, goes down the road with no muss or fuss, and offers excellent fuel economy when optioned with the turbo engine. More importantly, for the first time ever, Chevy isn’t forcing indulgent drivers to sacrifice fuel economy by forcing them into a larger vehicle. 2011 Chevrolet Cruze LT Turbo WHAT I LIKE: Roomy, quiet cabin; big trunk; refined ride; fuel-efficient yet torquey turbo engine; newly available luxury features. WHAT I DON'T: Not the most fun-to-drive in its class; no sporty or five-door models. BASE PRICE/AS-TESTED: $19,495/$21,140 ENGINE: 1.4L turbocharged inline-four POWER: 138 hp/148 lb.-ft. TRANSMISSION: Six-speed automatic EST. FUEL CONSUMPTION: (L/100 km) 8.5 city; 5.5 highway. COMPETITION: Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, Kia Forte, Mazda3, Toyota Corolla, Volkswagen Jetta

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