2015 Chevrolet Cruze: First Review

General Motors recently unveiled its China domestic market spec Chevrolet Cruze at the 2014 Beijing Motor Show. With a fresh new design and a departure from its older bold and muscular shape, the Chevrolet Cruze’s second coming looks ready to take on the ultra competitive and global entry level luxury sedan market. Although Chevrolet claims that model shown here is a ‘China only’ product and that the North American version is still at least another year away, we suspect countries like India will get the Cruze seen here instead.

On first glance, the new 2015 Chevrolet Cruze looks much sharper and more aggressive than the current version. The new Cruze uses styling cues from the larger Chevrolet Malibu sedan, which is available currently in the United States. The new Cruze also features a much more swept back design as opposed to the boxy sharp design that we are used to seeing on the current generation. The larger split grille is well complimented by the bowtie Chevrolet badge in the centre. The headlights do look like they were inspired by the likes of the Hyundai Verna or the Renault Fluence and feature a single barrel projector setup. The front bumper also features a chrome festooned fog lamp and daytime running LED light binnacle adding to the aggressive and sporty look.

From the side, the new 2015 Chevrolet Cruze looks statelier than the current version and takes several cues from the Chevrolet Tru concept that was showcased at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show. The rear of the new Chevrolet Cruze though looks like a mixed back between the current version of the car and the likes of the Honda City. Where the current car has a sense of uniqueness, the new one seems to have amalgamated styling features from about half a dozen cars. In terms of an overall sync though, Chevrolet seems to have pulled off the mix and match rather well.

Get latest updates on
the automobile community

Login Now

The interior on the new Cruze looks like an evolution of the current car. However, unlike the predominantly grey and black interior of the current car, the new Cruze features a generous helping of beige and brown leather making the Cruze look even more up market than it is. The Cruze will have to be feature rich with the likes of a reversing camera and navigation a part of standard equipment if it intends to go up against rivals like the Volkswagen Jetta and the Toyota Corolla. We also expect Apple’s new CarPlay infotainment system to feature on the Cruze by the time is makes it to India.

The Chevrolet Cruze in India is currently powered by a 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder, turbocharged diesel engine making 165PS of peak power at 3800rpm and 380Nm or peak torque at 2000rpm. An upgraded version of this engine will continue to be provided on the Cruze with a few upgrades along with two new petrol engines. Chevrolet announced that the new Cruze would be launched in China with a lineup that will include a 1.5-litre; 4-cylinder rated at 115PS, and a more powerful 1.4-litre, 4-cylinder, turbocharged petrol mill making 150PS. We expect the latter, 1.5-litre mill to make it to India. Chevrolet has also confirmed that the car will be available with three different transmissions: a six-speed manual, six-speed automatic and a new seven-speed dual-clutch unit.

On the whole, the new sleeker Chevrolet Cruze looks like a promising product. In India, the new Chevrolet Cruze is expected around mid-2015 with a price tag of between Rs 14-16 lakh. Although as we mentioned before, the new Cruze does look a lot like a few other cars, especially the Hyundai Verna, car buyers in India seem to prefer the likes of this as compared to the straight cut lines of the current car. Expect the new Chevrolet Cruze to do well in India and go up against the likes of the soon to be launched Toyota Corolla, the rumored new Honda Civic, the Skoda Octavia the Renault Fluence and the Volkswagen Jetta.