Chevy’s upcoming Cobalt replacement sibling replacement, the Cruze, has been spotted out in the wild wearing New York dealer plates. In rental white and with black door handles, it looks pretty generic and just a little strange. Compared to the original press photos, it also looks pretty large, which is not necessarily a bad thing. As we’ve said before, the key for this vehicle will be whether GM can live up to their 40+ mpg promise for this car. If it can, that may be enough to cut into sales of vehicles with immense intertia, like the Civic and Corolla. The Cruze will ride on the Delta platform that is also set to underpin the Volt, which oddly enough is also targeting 40 miles as its range on a full charge. Maybe. And while the Volt is set to cost some $40,000, this Cruze should be available for well under $20,000 when it hits dealers in the summer of 2010.
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It’s really time to move on from the high belt-line ‘fierce face’ look. All the gimmicks to do something with the acres of sheet metal that result have been done to death, the wheel opening treatment is a cliche now.
It’s too late for anything that’ll be available near-term but if GM survives, somehow they need to do a basic re-think of their styling.
If it can get 40+ mpg good for it. The one major styling flaw I see is the lights on the car. I am not a fan of swooshing the lights back. They look awkward sticking back like tiny knives over the fenders. It’s not as dumb looking as the Nissan versa’s taillights, but those headlights could definitely be trimmed back some.
My new Rental Car awaits!! Here I come Avis.
Seriously though, Is that it? Is this the car that is going to dethrone the Civic? Come on.
Let’s be fair: this could have been much, much worse. Still, nothing about it says “game changer.” We shall see…
MikeInCanada :
Last time I checked, the Civic was no looker either. I have no interest in cars of this type, but I would suggest waiting until reviews of the interior/real world mpgs/driving dynamics come in before writing the Cruze off entirely
Sure, it might not look spectacularly special, but it looks reasonable and mostly inoffensive. If it’s also efficient and drives well, then it will have basically done its job.
I have no issues with the front 3/4 view. The back however…well those tail lamps are generic. Nothing about them says Chevy, more like Kia.
I can’t fault the black door handles; Honda has them on the DX Civic. I actually like the “stripper” look on cars.
In two years, when it starts to go on sale, it’ll look dated, I think. Same with the Genesis.
But as long as it gets that high MPG, I think it’ll be the perfect fleet car.
Relatively non-offense styling + great mileage for its class = just what GM needs right now.
But, as mentioned above, they need it now, and they need to deliver it as promised.
Where will this fall in the “Under $20K” range? If it competes on price with the Yaris/Aveo sedans, it can do well even if it doesn’t drive very well or look very good.
OTOH, if it’s pushing $19,000 it’ll get mauled by the Civics and Corollas of the world.
For my part, I like the Cruze front end better than the Civic’s strange slit mouth. But I think the stumpy rear end just looks like ass.
The name sayz it all. They’re trying to be cute and clever instead of pounding out a solid product with an honest name.
The Generals continuous thumping of the 40mpg on the highway will wear thin buy then (OK, it has already).
CR has a dedicated hwy mpg test. The Corolla is already getting 40mpg hwy as is the Civic. By the time the Cruze shows so will a new Civic with a new Carolla not far behind.
GM will thump it’s chest for 3 years and show up behind the leaders with a design that benchmarked the past.
Yawn.
No change.
Bunter
Personally, I find this car very aesthetically pleasing – the lines have been done just right, and the way the front headlight cuts into the start of the beltline is pretty artistic. If GM can actually produce this car for around the $17500-19000 mark and have it compete on price with the Corollas and Civics of the world, I think they’ll have a real winner on their hands. After seeing the new Malibu, I have faith that Chevy will do a fine job with the interior. I’m thrilled that the US automakers are finally bringing real competitors to the compact market (Euro Focus, Cruze, um, uh, Caliber).
Once this thing hits the road, if it drives at least as well as the Cobalt, it should compete hard with the Japanese for American dollars. Then again, many commenters here have already declared this car a dud, so my excitement may be entirely unwarranted. Also, boo-urns to waiting 2 years to see them in the showroom.
I dunno, if they could hit those taillights and headlights with a radiation treatment or two, well, maybe it’ll live.
I think the decklid treatment speaks of BMW?
Non offensive, and still in proto/pilot trim.
Let’s make decision on very early vehicles shall we?
Oh snap. Already have!!
C’mon people! If that was a Honda or Toyota, everyone would be having a cigarette about now.
I don’t really understand why it is going to take another 2 years to bring this car to market. If the design is worked out.. what’s the hold up? GM needs to keep their products under wraps until they are ready to be released, otherwise, there is no build up to the car’s release. By the time this comes out, it will look dated and boring, and people will have already seen it.
Also, I highly doubt that this car (engineered by Daewoo… lake a look at the Aveo for an example of their work) will unseat the Civic or Mazda3 as the economical car of choice.
As so many have commented in the past regarding the total failure of the Chrysler Sebring in all aspects including styling, I would like to point out that with the Cruze’s stumpy tail it will look very similar to the Sebring in profile.
Is that desireable?
I think it looks good. Not ugly, so that’s good.
But a car designed in Korea and built in Mexico with parts from China makes me want to bail out GM suits why?
It looks Korean. Thankfully, South Korean.
The outside is nothing special. However, the design of the interior is attractive. Hopefully the materials chosen will be of high quality as well.
I want to like it. I do, however, think they went overboard on the head and tail lights (and yeah, I still hate the droopy “signature” grill). If they could tone them down a bit and fix that black panel blank behind the rear door it would look a lot nicer (IMO). The interior looks like a nice improvement over the Cobalt (I actually don’t mind how the Cobalt’s interior looks, just how it feels and is put together). I hope the materials are an improvement over the Cobalt.
I can’t make any other judgements until I see one in person and have a chance to drive one.
This thing should have been out like yesterday and it would be good, but a couple years down the road and it might be looking old. That said anyone that thinks a current Civic looks any better than the Cruze, well I know at great place to buy eye glasses. You REALLY need them!
@ factotum-
I see an angry Hyundai Sonata.
The lines are clean though, and from those pictures, it doesn’t look as portly as the Cobalt or bland as the Corolla.
From the front end I see hints of the new CTS, but I just can’t get over those hideous tail lights!
Better looking than the unfortunate Cobalt, but could look stale by 2010. Another example of playing catchup instead of setting style.
The exterior looks nice, but why hasn’t GM issued pics of the interior yet? Are they that afraid?
Honey, I shrunk the Malibu.
Holy crap. GM is on it’s last leg and before they go down for the count they’re going to take a chunk of our taxes to build more crap like this!!!!!
That’s just not right.
Are the Japanese manufacturers privy to some secret of making small engine bays that eludes the Americans?
monkeyboy:
“C’mon people! If that was a Honda or Toyota, everyone would be having a cigarette about now.”
Perhaps if you cherry-pick comments. Otherwise you’d notice that the Corolla and Civic get criticized on styling quite often, too, it’s just that when compared with the not-so-hot competition (Cobalt, Sentra, Focus) they seem like the complete package.
I find the Cruze to be terribly derivative of the Sebring – an absolutely horrible car to copy. The greenhouse and short decklid are eerily similar to Chrysler’s monstrosity, replete with the black faux window on the C-pillar (oh yeah!).
The fact that GM thinks that this will be fresh, exciting, and highly competitive two years on is just bonkers. This is what the Cobalt should have looked like upon debut four years ago, instead of just a slightly massaged Cavalier.
‘Meh’ is not what GM needs in this segment…
Are the Japanese manufacturers privy to some secret of making small engine bays that eludes the Americans?
It’s the “you are about to be run over by a Mercedes!” look.
Daimler started this stupid “make the logo bigger so that everyone know what you’re driving” trend and second-rate marketers around the world have picked it up. If you have a small penis (in marketing terms) you need to make your brand stand out. Even manufacturers that know better (Honda’s turning the Accord into the Ridgeline sedan) are falling to this trap.
You can almost here the brand marketing people, huddled together in the room, spouting crap like “it’s all about the brand”. Talk to a designer who does corporate work and you’ll hear that almost every client’s first comment is ‘make the logo bigger”.
And this is why I’m impressed with BMW, Chrysler and Hyundai. Neither company have whored their branding out, though you could argue that Hyundai and Chrysler don’t have brands worth pumping.
shaker : “I dunno, if they could hit those taillights and headlights with a radiation treatment or two, well, maybe it’ll live.”
Yup, that about sums it up. Not looking good.
The rear deck looks nice but the front end looks horrific. It reminds me of a face lift gone terribly wrong and the plastic surgeon is getting his ass sued to the 22nd century. I take it the engine is still transverse mounted, since it is FWD? With the size of the front end, it almost looks like the engine is longitudinally orientated. Looks like you could probably hide a lot of contraban in the engine compartment whilst crossing the border, unlike pretty much any Asian car where there is zero space left in the engine compartment for anything.
The white with black trim and door handles looks like my Prizm.
The Cruze looks better than the Corolla.
Unless this thing weighs around 2400lbs I don’t think it’ll be getting 40mpg.
WTF are those things under the headlights….fake brake air intake scoops on an economy car ?.
It needs an Impala logo or something on that fake black C-pillar window.
Rental white is a horribly unforgiving color(well shade actually) for that car. I didn’t think you could make a grill as bad as VW’s giant nose but GM has managed to do it. Those lights are strange in the front and tail lights are just KIA parts bin ugly.
I still don’t see how this is goin to be a 40+mpg car unless it’s a desiel. It looks bigger, heavier and has a larger front end and profile than the current Cobalt. Maybe the 6 speed and itty bitty engine can save it but I’m not holding my breath.
@Usta Bee: WTF are those things under the headlights….fake brake air intake scoops on an economy car?
Yeah, they’re a bit odd, but not uncommon on sedans these days from both domestic and import makes. They’re probably there to accommodate optional driving lights…it saves the cost of having to create a separate bumper mold for models with and without the extra lights.
Looks quite nice, inside and out. If it can deliver 34-35 combined mpg for ~US $15K, it will certainly sell very well.
Just for those complaining why it will take two years until production for the Cruze:
Europe will get it the beginning of 2009 now I guess that production in South Korea is about to start soon.
Here are some pictures of the European Version:
http://www.welt.de/motor/article2340589/Der-neue-Chevrolet-Cruze-ist-einfach-anders.html
As I said before … just another mediocre Korean car. Nothing to get excited about and nothing for Honda and Toyota to worry much.
This things’s got “Enterprise Rent a Car” written all over it.
As far a it looking like something else, everything will resemble something aerodynamic. Low round hood and high deck.
The pious looks like an Insight and that looks like an EV1. And so it goes.
And just a comment on the nitpicking of a pilot vehicle. I got my latest issue of Hot Rod and there was an interesting page with pic of a production ready Camaro. The main commentary was that it was “evolving into a production package from a showstopping concept.” Readers couldn’t wait to get their hands on one to start tuning and customizing.
Wow. The stark difference between true enthusiasts and just commuters is that enthusiasts view an offering for what it is or could be, and a commuter views it from the perspective of how it doesn’t meet his immediate personal needs.
Who should worry?
In about 2002 or so, I viewed some data on quality increases and noted that the Koreans had made light year jumps in JDP quality ratings. I noted at that time that while GM and Ford was worrying about Toyota Datsun and Honda, they were rightly worried about the Koreans. They still are.
They should be. And the Koreans are looking at the Chinese.
Diewaldo wrote:
http://www.welt.de/motor/article2340589/Der-neue-Chevrolet-Cruze-ist-einfach-anders.html
As I said before … just another mediocre Korean car.
You were able to ascertain that from those pictures? I thought it at least looked much better than either Jetta or Corolla, and I have no idea how to judge the quality based on photographs.
I was just telling what the articles I read about the car said me.
The back sort of reminds me of Ye Olde Hyundai Sonata circa 1991. It looks like what the Cobalt *should* look like NOW. I guess they’ll always be playing catch-up. When the new Civic comes out, it’s always eye-catching. When the Corolla comes out, it has about as much appeal as this… but unfortunately for GM, Corolla buyers don’t buy GM vehicles.
Not that great a color, but I think it looks alright.
Remember that TTAC represents the pinnacle of automotive best and brightest and therefore no detail goes unnoticed (unpunished?).
For the majority of the folks out there looking for basic transportation needs at an affordable (financiable) rate, what’s so bad about this car?
Styling = “meh…”
Hopefully otherwise it will be really good – troublefree, really good mileage, quiet, drives good, or whatever. Doesn’t have to be all those things but the durability and mileage is important.