Chevrolet Cruze (United States of America, 2008-present)

Since 2009 the Cruze is sold in its second generation as compact sedan with front-engine layout and front-wheel drive. It was introduced to the European, Asian and African markets in 2009, reaching the American customers in 2010/2011.

Sold as Holden Cruze in Australasia and Daewoo Lacetti Premiere in South Korea, the 2009 generation is not related to the first Chevrolet Cruze series in terms of design. It is rather the successor of the Chevrolet Cobalt.

Since summer 2011, a compact hatchback version of the Cruze is also available.

An arching roofline, extending from the steeply raked windshield into the slim rear pillars, is the defining exterior feature of the Cruze sedan. Combined with a relatively short rear deck, it creates a four-door coupe-like look.

The hatchback version launched in 2011 sports a sloping roofline, concave shoulder lines that run along the sides of the car, and short overhangs at both the front and rear. The design of the hatchback's rear section includes a spoiler with integrated stop lamp which has been fitted to the upper perimeter of the rear window. The rear bumper features a large recess with the number plate and incorporates a rear fog lamp on the left and a back-up lamp on the right hand-side.

Both the Cruze sedan and hatchback offer aux audio connections for iPod/MP3 as standard, optional comfort features may include an SD card-updated navigation system, USB audio connectivity and steering wheel audio controls.

The gasoline and diesel line-up comprises 1.6 and 1.8-liter gasoline engines and a 2.0-liter turbo-diesel unit with 16 valves.

All engines can be combined with either a manual or a six-speed automatic transmission.

The 2.0-liter turbo-diesel engine is mated with a six-speed manual or a Hydra-Matic six-speed automatic transmission. A 1.7-liter diesel is available from early 2012.

The 2009 Cruze features a body-frame integral (BFI) system supplemented with finely tuned chassis components. With the BFI, the upper body structure and frame are engineered as a single unit.

Cruze's suspension, braking and steering systems have been developed on European roads to meet European driving tastes.

EuroNCAP

The Chevrolet Cruze compact sedan has earned the top rating of five stars from the European New Car Assessment Program (EuroNCAP).

The sedan was also elected "AUTOBEST 2010" by a jury of auto writers in Central and Eastern Europe.

Safety systems

The Cruze features as standard a range of active and passive safety features, including: Electronic Stability Control, Traction control, Anti-lock brakes, Brake assist, Electronic Brake-Force Distribution, six air bags, including driver, front passenger, front side and curtain air bags and seat-belt reminders, retractors and lap pretensioners with seat-belt load limiters.

The Cruze wagon was unveiled at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show and is offered with the 2.0l diesel with 163ps found in the current Cruze, but it is also available with a new 1.7l diesel with 130ps, start/stop tech and CO2 emissions of 119g/km of CO2 compared to 141g/km of CO2 from the 2.0l diesel. The wagon is also offered with three petrol engines, a 1.4l turbocharged unit with 140hp that consumes 5.7l/100km, a 1.6l unit with 124hp and a 1.8l with 141hp. The 1.6l and 1.8l engines come with a 5-speed manual transmission.

The Cruze Wagon is 4,678mm long, which makes it 168mm longer than the Cruze Hatchback.

The new wagon more than triples cargo volume compared to the sedan. The wagon has 1500 liters of load space with the seats down according to Chevy, whereas the sedan has 450 liters with the seats up in the sedan.

The wagon also gets a slightly changed front fascia and fog lights compared to the other variants.

The Cruze Station Wagon caters to an important market segment. It ticks all the boxes for European drivers in terms of distinctive design, dynamic driving, space and economy," said Chevrolet Europe President and Managing Director Susan Docherty.