Chevrolet Cruze

Chevrolet has recently given its entry for the family car market, the 2011 Cruze.

Gallery

The Cruze boasts of a new 1.6-litre engine with "14% more power", and a new Navtrak navigation system. Also, the wing mirrors now have indicator lights.

The Cruze is still the same handsome, chunky, muscular car from before, with its bold front end and aggressive flared sides, giving it a somewhat mean stance.

You will also notice that the Cruze is somewhat large for a 1.6-litre family car. It's not your eyes being tricked by those styling details. The car is actually big. It measures over 4.5 metres long.

The Navtrak navigation system's seven-inch touchscreen is intuitive, and aside from the GPS, the system also incorporates hi-definition DVD playback, Bluetooth connectivity, a 128GB hard drive, input for iPods/iPhones, and a reverse parking camera.

The Cruze feels generally well-built, there is not much to complain about. There are cubby holes everywhere for various bits and bobs, and a useful sunglasses holder right above the driver's door.

There is even a tinge of sportiness around the Cruze's cabin, with the snug, supportive front seats, and the funky rounded instrument dials, backed by cool blue lighting.

Rear legroom is reasonable, definitely good enough for the kids, and has the same comfortable seat design as those in front. The 450-litre capacity boot should be sufficient for the weekend shopping too.

The Cruze is built to cart families around safely and comfortably. Therefore, don't expect it to perform miracles when you drive through a corner a bit too vigorously. It doesn't have the type of grip levels to perform those kinds of stunts.

The six-speed automatic gearbox feels a little hesitant at lower speeds, unsure as to whether to shift up as you rev away, or stay put. There is, however, a manual override function, so that alleviates most of the problem really.

The Cruze also rides very well, soaking up bumps nicely, further cementing its status as a relaxed family cruiser. The only thing that lets it down is the rather raspy engine when you're pushing along.

The Cruze actually ticks most of the right boxes, in terms of what we expect out of a car.

If all you need, and want, out of a car is decent private transportation, to send your kids to school, and send yourself to work, you can't go far wrong with the Cruze.

The Cruze is comfortable, well-built, and safe, with its Euro NCAP five-star crash safety rating, so you can be assured of a dependable car that promises to do the job with the minimum of fuss.

It is, quite simply, an ideal car for the family man.

ORIGINAL SOURCE

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