Written by: Martin Ward
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 

It was a strange place to hold a large event that goes on for weeks, to accommodate the European press. There are no direct flights from Europe so the only way to get there is via Barcelona or Madrid. Santander is probably more famous for its bank than it being a very nice coastal resort with a large port. The surrounding area is packed with industry; it is a very rich part of Spain and is not dependant on tourism as its main source of income. This area is in the North of Spain which is close to the French border and has scenery more like Austria than Spain. Even the cars we drove were Austrian registered which made it even more confusing with snow on the mountains, chalets with balconies and goats roaming around. We could have been in Bavaria as it was very wet, windy and at times blizzard like.

 

The Cruze is the direct replacement for the Lacetti, which was not the most famous car, but a capable one none the less. However, it was just not exciting enough and did not get noticed. The new car though has some fantastic styling lines; it is very different to anything else in the sector and does stand out on the road. The Chevrolet design team have been bold and brave with the design and it has worked.

 

The interior is probably even better than the exterior as everything is of a high quality. The fit and finish is as good as some German premium brands and I’m sure the Koreans have spent many hours disassembling German cars and studying every part in detail to try and emulate the switches, plastics and haptics. We drove the Cruze on a variety of roads, all of which were wet and we were surprised that despite the conditions, the car was very quiet in the cabin. Even the sound of the gale force winds could not be heard inside the car.

 

The Cruze will be launched in the UK in July as a four door Saloon and will be available with the following choice of engines: a 1.6 litre 113hp petrol, a 1.8 litre 141hp petrol or a 2.0 VCDI 150hp diesel. We drove all three engines and found the 1.6 to be the best all-rounder as it was quick, quiet and had more than enough power, even when driving up some of the mountain roads. Chevrolet has no plans to launch an Estate or Hatch version of the Cruze.

 

Chevrolet is the third largest manufacturer in the world and sold 4.23 million vehicles in 2008 with over 50% being sold outside North America. Chevrolet is a growing brand in Europe and with the launch of the Cruze, it can only get better for them but despite its high quality, good looks and comfortable interior, Chevrolet only expect to sell 800 Cruze this year and 1750 next year. The Cruze is 4,597mm in length, 1,788 in width and 1,477mm in height so it competes in the C sector Saloon market with models such as the Ford Focus, Mazda 3 and Mitsubishi Lancer.

 

No prices or specification were given for the UK at the launch but indicative prices for Germany and Spain were said to start at around 15,000 Euro and go up to 21,000 Euro for the top of the range 2.0 diesel. We thought that these were quite competitive but it was just yesterday that UK prices were announced. Prices will start from £11,545 for a 1.6 S, my choice, the 1.6 LS, will cost £12,595 and the most expensive 2.0 VCDI 150ps LT will be £15,195. These prices do look to be fantastic value for money.

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