Chevrolet Cruze 2.0 VCDi 150 CV, road test (Part I)

For those who are not familiar with the General Motors brand, the Cruze is the first model of the Chevrolet era outside its subsidiary Daewoo and the first model from the company with a global character, that is, it will also be sold outside Europe with hardly any changes. The first thing I noticed when it was presented is that the change from the previous Nubira was like night and day; the proportions alone reminded me of the previous model because in design and finish the new Cruze was clearly superior, placing it on a level with any European mid-size saloon, in addition to offering equipment prepared to compete in the European market (it was the first Chevrolet model to include an integrated navigation system).

Therefore this new Chevrolet Cruze had all the qualities to become a model worth putting to the test, and so we did, and we got behind the wheel of a Cruze equipped with the two-litre diesel engine and 150 CV, as well as the highest trim level, the LT. As is customary in our tests, we will begin by talking about this 150 CV diesel engine.

Engine and performance

This 2.0 VCDi 150 CV engine is of GM-DAT origin, an engine it shares with the Chevrolet Epica, Captiva and Antara (with the exception of Opel). It was developed by the well-known Detroit Diesel and VM Motori (a company partly owned by GM). We must distinguish the engines of Opel, since the CDTi diesels are also newly developed but of Fiat origin.

I know that many of you, when the first Chevrolet TDCI 121 CV diesel models arrived and you heard they had VM Motori origins, raised many skeptical voices, but I must point out that VM Motori today is nothing more than a company partly owned by General Motors and has little to do with the old engines that came out of those Italian facilities years ago and had such a bad reputation.

I wanted to clarify the origin of the engine very well, because I have encountered skeptics when they asked me about the engine’s origin and I said it was developed by VM Motori. Continuing with the analysis of the engine, it must be said that it has plenty of power, but the response at low revs is not very good and we have to adapt to the gearbox. The Cruze responds from around 1,400 rpm (or rather, it starts to wake up), with its full potential at 2,000 rpm, and it has good torque of 320 Nm that moves this mid-size saloon with great ease.

The top speed with this engine is 210 km/h, a good figure. Although the 0 to 100 km/h acceleration in 10 seconds is not among the best, it is quite good for a mid-size saloon.

The lack of low-rev response of this engine is most noticeable in the gear changes, because, for example, going from 1st to 2nd we have to raise the revs (to around 3,000 rpm) before shifting, otherwise it stalls when we change into second gear. Once we get used to the car and the gearbox, we can get the most out of this powerful engine which runs quite smoothly; in fact, I have tried diesel engines of similar power from other brands and they are harsher.

As for the gearbox, it has only five ratios, I remember perfectly that when it was presented many of us present there missed a sixth gear for motorway driving. During the test I did not really need a sixth gear, because they have achieved quite long gear ratios and on the motorway at speeds of 110 km/h or 120 km/h we are at around 2,000 rpm in 5th. So the gear ratios make up for the absence of a sixth gear, although a sixth could have helped to reduce consumption somewhat.

The interior ride comfort is quite good and the suspension is tuned for comfort while maintaining fairly good stability. We must also remember that the Cruze comes with ESP as standard in all versions. The only drawback I found in terms of handling and stability was the tyres, which were not the best for stability and held back the vehicle’s good behaviour.

That said, the Cruze is geared towards relaxed driving, and despite its looks or its 150 CV engine we will not have sporty experiences behind the wheel, but that is not what a mid-size saloon is meant for.

The brakes of the Chevrolet Cruze also worked correctly, but I noticed the pedal feel was somewhat spongy and the ABS kicked in quickly. I also imagine that the tyres it was fitted with had something to do with it, since in some braking situations the wheels could easily slide a little even without any apparent difficulty, but basically it is a matter of getting used to the pedal feel.

And finally, we have the fuel consumption section. This diesel engine does not stand out for great economy, but at least it is a diesel, which is necessary for any brand in Spain today. This two-litre VCDi on the motorway at around 120 km/h had an average consumption of 5.5 litres per 100 km. On mixed city and country roads our average consumption during the test came to 7.5 litres (50% city, 50% secondary roads), a figure that is not very high but there are undoubtedly better figures in the segment. For those who want a smaller engine, the 2.0 VCDi 125 CV is available, but the difference is in price, because going by the official consumption figures there are barely 0.2 litres of difference with the 150 CV engine.

In the second part of the test we will bring you everything related to the design of the Chevrolet Cruze, as well as its interior space (one of its best qualities) and the interior materials and design, which is also a change within the Chevrolet brand.