Chevrolet Cruze: Extreme Cruise

Chevrolet, which we associate with powerful Camaro and legendary Corvette, has firmly occupied the niche of affordable cars in Russia — without flashy looks or memorable character, but with acceptable quality and a democratic price tag. Even Henry Ford understood: a mass-market car brings more profit than an exclusive one inaccessible to most. The success formula of Chevrolet in our market is simple: solid Korean Daewoo cars with a golden cross symbolizing American solidity.

The new Cruze is a completely different case. It is meant to overturn the usual perception of Chevrolet in Russia.

First of all, the Cruze is not another "Korean" disguised as a European, but a fresh development on the global GM Delta II platform. Sharing the platform with the new Opel Astra, is a clear plus in its favor. An international team of engineers worked on the car. Currently, only the sedan, which is so loved here, is available to buyers, while the hatchback and station wagon will appear later.

The Cruze cannot be called bland. It has a bold, cheeky, self-assured face with squinting headlights and furrowed "brows" — such cars are held in high regard here. At the same time, the brand's signature style is preserved and recognizable. The taut silhouette with a short trunk is crowned by a smooth arc of a sloping roof, a pronounced beltline, and chrome details that emphasize the edges. A handsome car, no doubt about it!

The interior is also tailored to the buyer: the center console smoothly "flows" downward, finished in matte silver plastic and topped with a small monitor — a trendy nod to a mobile phone. Under the Chevrolet logo, there is finally a proper steering wheel, like in European cars, not like in a bus: with proper thumb rests, a familiar horn (not buttons on the spokes), and convenient audio controls under the thumbs. The instruments are housed in three elongated chrome ovals with different tilts, illuminated in blue. A pleasant touch is the illuminated Chevrolet inscription on the metal door sills, adding a hint of premium to the interior. The storage compartments have rubberized mats at the bottom. Useful options include an auto-dimming mirror, a light sensor, and cruise control.

What disappoints is the dull fabric upholstery of the seats and the equally impractical fabric insert on the dashboard. The buttons on the center console look solid, but they don't press as crisply and springily as one would like, and the "knobs," which look rubberized, don't provide the needed resistance — they over-rotate and skip. The same goes for the key fob buttons: it's not always easy to hit them on the first try. Sitting in the back is comfortable, but there's not enough headroom — it was sacrificed for the beautiful roofline. These little things spoiled the impression of the stylish interior of the new Chevrolet.

In the bitter cold, which made even the poor Cruze's horn go hoarse, the exterior trunk release button froze solid, and there's no interior one. So every time we had to pull the key out of the ignition — luckily, it has a release button. The frozen washer nozzles didn't thaw even after long waits in traffic jams. The only salvation is a warm mall parking lot and a three-hour shopping spree.

Cars, unfortunately, endure cold worse than we do: we, being a hardy people, can spit on a car frozen to the asphalt and briskly head to the metro, while the onboard computer complains about "extremely low temperature" and shows sluggish images on the screens. The Cruze never let us down and started every morning on the first try. The engine took an eternity to warm up to operating temperature, but the cabin quickly became warm and cozy. The seat heating, which, by the way, is three-stage in the Cruze, is an indispensable thing in our climate.

The driver's seat doesn't boast pronounced lateral support, but it tries to compensate with a huge range of adjustments — both fore-aft and vertical — so you find the ideal position right away. The gearshift lever, thank GM, doesn't resemble that long ladle you had to "stir the porridge" of gears with in the Lacetti, but it's not short-throw either.

Under the hood of the test version was a 1.8-liter 141-horsepower engine from the Astra, but it reveals its potential only in fuel consumption: even accounting for the cold, 13 liters per 100 km is too much! The engine wakes up only after 3500 rpm; before that, it responds sluggishly to the gas pedal and just howls sadly. The second available engine is a 1.6-liter from the Lacetti with 109 hp.

The steering wheel can be turned with one finger in parking, but in high-speed corners it lacks clear feedback — you have to correct the trajectory. During sharp lane changes, there's a risk of rocking the car — you need to get used to its sharp reactions. But on a straight road, the car is magnificent: moderately soft, comfortable, obedient, and relatively quiet, it lets you ignore road imperfections. You can drive for hours without a drop of fatigue.