Chevrolet Cruze: First Drive

[arunkathir]

Just one look at the Cruze and you will be taken in by its good looks, taunt stance and size. The large rakish headlights, wide grill and sculpted bumper give the car a menacingly handsome fascia. GM is definitely taking styling very seriously and considering the fact that the Cruze is set to have a global presence, this fact is all the more important for the first step towards acceptance is that customers worldwide should admire the way the car looks.

With such focus on style, GM didn't just stop at the front. When viewed from the side, the sporty overtone carries over for the car has a nicely curved roofline that merges well with the rather steeply raked rear windscreen. It's a rather European look and feel that this car possesses, except from the rear. The rear of the Cruze screams 'Honda Civic'. Literally, the rear lights just look like inverted Civic lights a fact that was confirmed by onlookers who asked me if I happen to be driving the new Civic. Of course they were completely oblivious to the bow-tie on the rear, but it does prove my point.

Nevertheless, the Cruze oozes with style and complimenting the entire package are the nice large 16 inch alloys wrapped in tubeless 205/60 JK Vectra rubber. To sum the exterior styling, I would say the Cruze is a combination of American Muscle Car and European Sedan with a dash of Japanese essence thrown in! What you get is a marriage of parts that work to give you a stunning car that would even look good in racing stripes.

Getting into the Cruze is also an experience for you don't need the keys to open the door! That's right, the Cruze comes with sensors on the door, so just as long as you have the keys in your pocket the door will pop right open when you pull on the handle. While on the subject of doors, it is rather simple to lock as well, for all you have to do is give the handle a gentle pull and the doors will lock. Anyways, back to the interiors of the car.

Once inside you will notice the sporty-muscle tone carried over here as well. It's a bit too much plastic at parts and the fit and finish could have been better but the overall look is rather striking for you almost feel as though you are in a cockpit. The large steering wheel with cruise control and stereo controls has a nice feel to it, the dials boast of a three-pod look that might have come straight out of a classic Chevy car-chrome and all! The center console however had me thinking 'Transformers'. Starting from the LED display to the controls of the in dash stereo and CD player down to the controls for the A/C and climate control and flanked by the center two A/C vents on the dash, the entire look was rather like the Transformers logo- a good thing considering the fact that GM is the official provider of cars for the Transformers movie franchise!

GM could have really done wonders with the interiors for they are well designed, its just that they are poorly put together at places. Apart from the plastic cubby holes in the doors the one little box on top of the dashboard spoils the party for it just doesn't sit right and has gaping gaps when shut. Another element that caught my eye as tacky was the sunglass holder. Placed uniquely towards the right side of the driver's head, the quality of the holder was really sub standard.

In terms of space, the Cruze is rather decent and offers ample room for the front passengers. Rear passengers also get enough leg room however head room is at a premium thanks to the steeply raked rear glass and downward flowing roofline.

A neat yet rather awesome surprise is thrown at you when you want to get the car moving. There is no key hole for the ignition! Instead you get a rather neat start/stop button towards the left of the steering column on the dash. A gentle push of the button, provided you have the clutch pressed and the 2.0 VCDi Diesel engine roars to life. Alright, you really can't hear it roar thanks to all the insulation, but the car does come to life. The instrument cluster takes on a neat blue glow which fits in well with the sporty tone and as you notch it into first gear to drive away you finally realize why this car is called the Cruze!