2016 CHEVROLET CRUZE
RS
Caranddriver.com
Chevrolet binned the outgoing Cruze’s unassuming look for a more
expressive, sleeker design this time around. Thanks to its all-new D2
front-drive architecture, the Cruze gains 0.6 inch of wheelbase and 2.7 inches
of overall length, a move that does as much for the sedan’s back-seat
accommodations as it does for its styling. Word is a five-door hatchback will
be offered to Americans this time around, too. The sleek, tadpole-shaped body
(not unlike that of the Hyundai Elantra or the Honda Civic) replaces the old
car’s more upright, traditional three-box silhouette to good effect. There’s
more detailing front and rear, and the car’s face, at least, makes a solid
connection to the upcoming new 2016 Malibu.
The Malibu association runs more than skin deep; much like
Chevrolet’s mid-size sedan, the newest Cruze not only has a massively improved
interior, but it has undergone a dramatic weight loss, too. The curb weight has
been lowered by a claimed 250 pounds, a remarkable figure given the Cruze’s
utter lack of exotic materials. The predominantly steel body structure loses 53
pounds itself. The standard 1.4-liter Ecotec turbocharged four-cylinder engine
is 44 pounds lighter than the old Cruze’s optional iron-block 1.4 turbo thanks
to its aluminum block, and it’s also lighter than the discontinued naturally
aspirated 1.8-liter four. Engineers pulled another 24 pounds out of the Cruze’s
available six-speed automatic transmission—a six-speed manual is standard—and
despite using a similar mix of aluminum and steel componentry, the suspension
bits are also slightly lighter, we’re told.
The car’s interior gets a fresh design and nicer materials. The
center stack houses an all-new, quick-responding seven-inch MyLink touch-screen
display compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto phone-mirroring
solutions, and an eight-inch version is optional. An extra two inches of
rear-seat knee room opens up the Cruze’s tight rear quarters. In fact, the back
seat is now roomy enough that cracking a laptop back there and putting the
Cruze’s standard 4G LTE data connection and built-in Wi-Fi hotspot to use is
something we’d actually consider trying.
In this age of relatively cheap gasoline, we’ll report that the
new Cruze should be slightly speedier before discussing efficiency
improvements. Thank the diet as well as the turbo engine from General Motors’
latest Ecotec small-engine family. The 1.4-liter’s 153 horsepower and 177 lb-ft
of torque is claimed to move the Cruze to 60 mph in eight seconds flat. Seeing
how first-generation Cruzes we’ve tested were capable of such zip, we expect
the new model to be slightly quicker in our testing. Reduced mass enhances
handling and agility, which hopefully also benefit from the new suspension
tuning (the Cruze’s strut front and twist-beam rear suspension designs and the
rack-mounted electric-power-steering system are similar to before).
Gas might be cheap, but you can’t debut a new car today without
boasting about some kind of fuel-economy improvement. The Cruze is no
exception, and Chevy elevated the car’s mpg in a straightforward,
engineering-focused way. The car’s aerodynamics are one example; unlike the
previous Cruze, they aren’t enhanced by active grille shutters or extensive
underbody paneling. Instead, the body’s sloping roofline, chamfered corners,
and subtle design elements do the work. Combined with the new turbo engine and
automatic transmission—again, a six-speed stick is standard—Chevrolet thinks
the Cruze will crack the 40-mpg-highway barrier, no special option package required.
The only gas-fed previous-generation Cruze capable of more than 40 mpg on the
highway was the Eco model; the diesel version, which will return in 2017 with a
new 1.6-liter engine, also crested the mark.
The 2016 Cruze does everything expected of a new-generation
car—gain power, gain efficiency, gain features—but it does so while also
reducing complexity and, ostensibly, weight. The Cruze may never be as
patriotic a choice as something like the Silverado, but wherever it’s driven,
the newest iteration will seemingly fly the flag of smart engineering. We look
forward to sliding behind the wheel on American soil soon.
