The American Cruze

MANILA, Philippines - The Chevrolet Cruze is a pretty good car, and is undoubtedly Chevy’s best compact in ages. Good looks, solid build quality, roomy cabin, there’s not much lacking for the typical family that needs a 4-door with all the safety and comfort features of this generation.

Yet I’ve always felt it lacked a bit of “oomph” with the drivetrain, especially when mated to the 6-speed automatic. The 1.8-liter Ecotec works fine for anyone who just needs a daily driver, yet go anywhere in a hurry and it struggles to cope with the car’s hefty mass. Plus, it “moans” at high RPM rather than snarls like anything sporting an “H”, a “T”, or an “M” on the grille. I actually found the base variant with the 6-speed manual a lot more fun to drive, if only because I could be more aggressive with the shifting than the automatic’s conservative programming.

Last September during a trip to the US I got the chance to test drive the car with the drivetrain that pretty much solves all my issues with the 1.8: the US-only “Cruze Eco”.

For quite a bit of driving between Los Angeles and San Diego, Chevrolet Philippines arranged for a Cruze Eco. It has all sorts of fuel-saving tricks like automatic shutters in the grille that close at speed to reduce drag, a relatively small but spritely 1.4-liter turbocharged engine, a discreet trunk spoiler, a full-width air dam, a .4-inch lower ride height compared to non-Eco variants, a 6-speed stick shift, and several lighter body panels and welds than the regular Cruze variants. 1.4-liters doesn’t seem like a lot, but coupled with a low pressure turbo it makes 138 horsepower and 201N-m of torque at just 1,850 rpm. It makes about the same power as the 1.8, but generates 26 N-m more of torque, especially useful for accelerating at low engine speeds.

I’ve always like the Cruze’s supple handling and solid feel, and the Eco held its own against the larger, fast-moving traffic on the Interstate and LA freeways. The 1.4-liter turbo easily accelerated the car from standstill to the freeway cruising speed of 70-75 mph in under 10 seconds, and fuel economy was a stellar 43 mpg in 6th gear and 70-71 mph. That’s at least 18 km/liter, at around 112 km/h and with the airconditioning on.

Of course, there’s just enough power in that gear to maintain speed on the flatter sections, but getting up the hills to maintain momentum required a shift down to 5th or even 4th. Hey, you want real power go get yourself a Camaro if you’ve got the fuel to burn. For this Cruze it’s really about how far you can go on a gallon of ever-precious unleaded.

The handsome 17-inch wheels are shod with low rolling resistance Goodyears which were quiet and comfy, but tended to squeal when I started having a little too much fun in the twisty roads. The steering was accurate and easily held a straight line on those never ending miles of Interstate, although the feel was predictably antiseptic as is the case for most electrically-driven systems. It also handily swallowed all our suitcases with room to spare for those all-important trips to COSTCO, the malls, and those wonderful factory outlets down in Camarillo.

I relied on cruise control on the Interstates so I could get my foot off the gas, and it did a remarkable job of controlling the pace with minimal surging. Wind and road noise was commendably low at 70 to 75 mph, most of it restricted to some flutter I could hear at the top edge of the front windows.

The Audi-esque styling also generated its fair share of compliments from relatives despite their daily exposure to all sorts of fancier wheels in the biggest automotive market in the world. My uncle, who drives a Prius, was quite impressed with the Cruze’s mileage; it was even better than what he could get sometimes!

In summary, this is quite an impressive machine for something with such a deceptively small engine. If Filipinos could live with the idea of driving around in a top-of-the-line variant with “just” a 1.4-liter engine, this Cruze would certainly impress anybody feeling the pinch at the gas pumps! Now if only Chevrolet Philippines would bring it here...

The Good

• Spritely, yet thrifty, powertrain

• Well-behaved ride and handling

• Chiseled good looks

The Bad

• It’s not available locally

The Verdict

• Proof that there really is a “replacement for displacement”