2010 Chevy Cruze Review by Motor Trend

The Chevrolet Cruze has different jobs wherever it's sold. In the U.S., where it goes on sale from mid-2010, it will be a locally made rival to the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla. But in Europe, where we've just driven it, it's GM's Korean-made budget-brand entry and sits beneath the same-sized Opel (and sometime Saturn) Astra in GM's price and brand hierarchy.

GM's been promising Americans an "import fighter" small car for years -- and has consistently failed to deliver, whether it with home grown products like the Cobalt, or with rebadged Opels like the Astra. So here's the key question: if Cruze is positioned as a bargain car in Europe, does it really have the quality and style, the functionality and value, to seriously rival Honda and Toyota in America?


Out on the road, the Cruze catches the daylight respectably. The stance is strong, the wheels pushed out wide in their housings. There's a well-defined shoulder line, a simple but assertive dual-port nose and a rear view that has a surprising hint of BMW 5 Series about it. It's a more interesting shape than the Corolla, for sure.

Inside, the three-port instrument binnacle sits beneath a flying visor, the centre console is well-organized and nicely garnished, and...Continued