Detroit – The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze delivers many segment-leading features and details that challenge preconceived notions about what a compact car can be in North America.
The Cruze also affirms Chevrolet’s commitment to building refined, fuel-efficient vehicles using new, small-displacement, four-cylinder engines. It is expected to deliver segment-leading fuel economy with a new Ecotec 1.4L I-4 turbo with variable valve timing – including up to an expected 40 mpg on the highway with the Cruze Eco model.
“Cruze is already a hit across Europe and Asia. Now it’s coming to America to challenge the status quo,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president, Chevrolet marketing. “Along with the Volt electric vehicle, Cruze is the latest tangible example of how Chevrolet is working to bring new products to market that range from gas-friendly to gas-free.”
Leveraging Chevrolet’s design and engineering talent in Asia, Europe and North America, the Cruze brings a progressive, globally influenced design complemented by exceptional levels of quietness, quality and attention to detail – from precise tolerances between body panels to the use of premium materials throughout the interior.
“Cruze delivers the amenities, quietness and roominess you expect in larger, more upscale vehicles with the fuel economy of a compact,” said Margaret Brooks, Chevrolet marketing director for small cars.
Cruze goes on sale in the U.S. in the third quarter, but has already logged more than 4 million miles in quality and durability testing worldwide, making it one of the most real world-tested GM products prior to a U.S. launch. Cruze also has achieved top (five-star) safety ratings in every market where it is being sold and is expected to achieve that rating in the U.S. and Canada as well. The U.S. and Canadian versions of the Cruze will be built in Lordstown, Ohio, where $350 million was invested for their production.
More than expected
The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze will be offered for retail sale in four models:
Cruze LS, starting at $16,995
Cruze LT, starting at $18,895
Cruze LTZ, starting at $22,695
RS appearance package, available on LT and LTZ models for $695, includes:
“There’s a lot of content in all Cruze models; it was designed to give customers the features they want regardless of the car’s size or segment,” said Brooks. “At a very competitive price, you’ll be able to get a Cruze with leather and heated front seats, 16-inch aluminum wheels, XM Satellite Radio, OnStar, Bluetooth, a USB port for your iPod, cruise control, power locks and power outside mirrors.”
Arching roofline
Chevy Cruze’s design is distinguished with a bold face – including a two-tier grille with the iconic Bowtie logo – that is Chevrolet’s signature look around the globe. An arching roofline connects a steeply raked windshield and fast-sloping rear pillars to give the car a sporty, coupe-like proportion.
The sporty aesthetic is also seen in prominent headlamp housings that wrap around the corners and sweep upward in the fenders and sculpted hood, as well as a short rear deck typically found on sport coupes. The wheels are at the corners, too, with minimal front and rear overhangs. All the elements work cohesively to give Cruze an aggressive look that is complemented by a wide, confident-looking stance.
Indeed, the Cruze is wider and longer than most of its competitors. Taut, tightly drawn bodywork conveys solidity, while restrained use of exterior trim enhances the car’s high-quality feel. The overall appearance is one of purposeful precision.
Precision is also seen in the Cruze’s build quality. The Lordstown assembly plant’s body shop was retooled with the latest in body-framing and welding equipment to optimize the manufacture of a very solid body structure. That strong structure fosters minimal production variance and repeatable gap tolerances of 3 mm or less between most exterior panels.
Interior refinement
Cruze’s bold design cues and attention to detail continue in the interior, where Chevrolet’s hallmark twin-cockpit motif is matched with high-quality materials and exceptional assembly tolerances. Grained, soft-touch components and low-gloss trim panels exude a quality that is uncommon in the segment.
The instrument panel is an excellent example of how Cruze eschews expectations of compact cars. It features richly detailed instruments that are backlit with light-emitting diode (LED) technology. The LED lights provide a crisp, ice-blue illumination of the analog instruments, as well as lighting for other interior controls. A segment-rare standard driver information center delivers a wealth of data to the vehicle owner.
Blending harmoniously with the instrument panel is an integrated center stack that houses the infotainment display, climate controls and radio controls. Flush-mounted components within the center stack have a gap tolerance of less than 1 mm, while the instrument panel-to-door panel gaps are less than 5 mm. Those tolerances are among the best in the class and contribute significantly to the Cruze’s overall feeling of refinement and precision.
Cruze’s headliner and pillar trim exude craftsmanship, too. The headliner cover is made of a knit material that also serves as one of five layers of an acoustically designed headliner that helps make the passenger compartment quieter. The interior pillar and other moldings are color- and grain-matched to the headliner, while seat inserts are color-matched to the color of the instrument panel accent trim, giving the cabin the detailed appearance of larger, upscale sedans.
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Cruze RS details
Complementing Cruze’s sporty proportions is an optional RS appearance package for the LT and LTZ trim levels, which bolsters the car’s styling with unique fascias, rocker moldings, rear spoiler and fog lamps. An uplevel instrument cluster is also part of the package and includes chrome accent rings in place of the standard silver finish, as well as opaque cluster bezels that allow the cluster’s ice blue backlighting to shine through – providing a sporty nighttime appearance.
“For customers who want even more personality and presence in their vehicle, the RS appearance package builds on the already bold face and coupe-like proportions of the Cruze,” said Michael Simcoe, executive director, North American Exterior Design.
New, efficient powertrains
Enhanced with its exhaust-driven turbocharger, the Cruze’s Ecotec 1.4L turbo performs like a larger engine when needed, but retains the efficiency of a small-displacement four-cylinder in most driving conditions. It is standard on Eco, LT and LTZ models, with power ratings estimated at 138 horsepower (103 kW) and 148 lb.-ft. of torque (200 Nm). With the Ecotec 1.4L turbo, Cruze’s fuel efficiency enables a cruising range of more than 500 miles (800 km), meaning it can go longer between fill-ups.
Standard on LS models is an Ecotec 1.8L four-cylinder that offers many of the same features of the 1.4L, including full variable valve timing that optimizes performance and fuel economy across the rpm band.
Backing the Cruze’s new four-cylinder engines are six-speed manual and automatic transmissions. Each contributes to Cruze’s excellent fuel economy. Cruze is backed by GM’s five-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty – the best coverage in America.
Responsive, quiet driving experience
Complementing Cruze’s new powertrains are a strong body structure and chassis system designed to deliver a responsive and fun driving experience. The body structure is tight and stiff; and its solidity enabled engineers to more precisely tune the chassis for comfort and driving control.
A MacPherson strut suspension is used up front, while a technically advanced Z-link design is used with the rear suspension. This innovative rear suspension layout reduces unwanted noise and vibrations, allows a comfortable ride and improves the vehicle’s handling. Compared to a multi-link axle, it retains all the advantages of the compound crank, yet it is lighter and more compact. It also provides greater wheel camber stiffness, compensates for body roll and keeps constant track width. In addition, it greatly enhances lateral stability. An additional advantage of the Z-link is that it reduces axle bush loads and therefore allows the use of softer bushings. This is why comfort, road noise and isolation are all greatly improved.
StabiliTrak electronic stability control with rollover mitigation, traction control and anti-lock brakes is standard. Rack-mounted electric power steering is also standard on all models. It helps save fuel because it removes the conventional power steering pump from the engine’s driven accessories. Sixteen-inch wheels are standard on LS and LT models, with 18-inch alloy wheels standard on LTZ. Seventeen-inch alloy wheels are available on the 2LT model.
Along with a responsive driving experience, the Cruze delivers quietness and refinement on the road. Hydraulic ride bushings and an isolated engine cradle reduce or eliminate vibration pathways that could otherwise be transmitted to the passenger compartment. Similarly, a number of noise-reducing and noise-cancelling technologies are employed throughout the body structure, including 30 distinctive acoustical treatments.
Cruze offers more standard safety features than any vehicle in its class, each contributing to Chevrolet’s goal of protecting passengers before, during and after a crash. The comprehensive list of standard safety features.
Along with the standard safety features on all models – including a tire pressure monitoring system, daytime running lamps and automatic headlamps – LTZ models include four-wheel disc brakes and rear-parking assist.
The Cruze has a strong, unitized body structure that incorporates high-strength steel (HSS) in key areas to enhance strength and crash protection. It is used to help prevent intrusion into passenger compartment. The Cruze also features underbody main rails that extend from the front of the structure all the way to the rear, further enhancing the body’s strength and stiffness. A cross-structure beam behind the instrument panel anchors some vehicle features, while supporting the body during side-impact crashes.
The Cruze’s safety development included testing at GM’s rollover test facility, the only manufacturer-owned rollover test facility in North America.
Finally, Cruze is equipped with standard OnStar 9.0 that includes Automatic Crash Response and its latest enhancement, Injury Severity Prediction. This feature helps OnStar advisors alert first responders when a vehicle crash is likely to have caused serious injury to the occupants. With Automatic Crash Response, OnStar uses data from a collection of built-in vehicle sensors that can signal an advisor for help if the vehicle is involved in a moderate to severe frontal, rear or side-impact crash, regardless of whether an air bag deploys.
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