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Chevrolet has introduced the all-new, 2016 Cruze – a larger and lighter, more efficient and more sophisticated evolution of the brand’s best-selling global car.
Packed with new technologies such as available Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and new active safety features, as well as a more spacious interior and an athletic, aerodynamically optimised design, the 2016 Cruze elevates the compact car segment – from San Francisco to Shanghai and from Boston to Buenos Aeries.
The car will be offered in more than 40 global markets and goes on sale first in North America in early 2016, where a new, standard 1.4L turbocharged engine with direct injection and an SAE-certified 113 kW will contribute to a General Motors-estimated 5.9 L/100km* on the highway with the available six-speed automatic transmission. Stop/start technology contributes to the Cruze’s efficiency in stop-and-go driving.
The new turbo engine and a leaner architecture that contributes up to a 113 kg overall weight reduction also contribute to the new Cruze offering stronger performance, with expected 0-100 km/h acceleration of eight seconds.
“The 2016 Cruze builds on a very successful program that introduced Chevrolet to new customers the world over,” said Alan Batey, president, General Motors North America. “We retained all the attributes that made the original Cruze a hit around the globe and built on them to make this car more sophisticated, more fun and more Chevrolet.”
Vehicle highlights include:
- Next-generation Chevrolet MyLink with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay capability, including a standard 7-inch-diagonal screen and available 8-inch-diagonal screen (at launch, 8-inch screen only with Apple CarPlay).
- New 1.4L turbo engine with direct injection and stop/start technology matched with a standard six-speed manual or available six-speed automatic transmission (North America)
- Maximum highway range of 853 kilometres per tank
- All-new, stronger and lighter body structure enhances agility, efficiency and safety – with approximately 113 kg lower curb weight
- Class-leading 2,700 mm wheelbase enhances roominess, contributing to greater rear-seat legroom and more rear knee room
- Projector headlamps with light-emitting diode (LED) signature lighting – and LED daytime running lamps on uplevel models
- More standard features than most competitors such as 10 air bags, four-wheel disc brakes, rearview camera and available OnStar 4G LTE with Wi-Fi hotspot
- New available features including wireless phone charging, heated rear leather seats and heated, leather-wrapped steering wheel
- Available advanced safety features include Side Blind Zone Alert, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Lane Keep Assist and Forward Collision Alert
- New model range for North America including L, LS, LT and Premier – and a more expressive RS package.
“The new Cruze is truly one of Chevrolet’s most global vehicles,” said Batey. “With content variations dictated mostly by local market demands, customers in every corner of the globe will enjoy the same fundamental dynamics that are making Chevrolet one of the fastest-growing brands around the world.”
In 2017, Chevrolet will introduce a new diesel model for U.S. customers that builds on the success of the current Cruze diesel model.
Wind tunnel-optimised design
The 2016 Cruze’s expressive design is derived from a balance struck between the designers’ inspiration and the efficiency-optimising input of wind tunnel testing -leveraging the aero experience of vehicles including the Volt. The result is one of the sleekest-looking cars in the class, with a 0.29 coefficient of drag – an attribute that contributes directly to a GM-estimated 5.9 L/100km* on the highway.
Proportionally, the new Cruze is 68 mm longer and nearly a 25 mm shorter in height than the current model, giving it a longer and leaner appearance. A faster windshield rake and a faster-sloping rear profile lend a sportier look to the design, while the rear profile culminates in a standard integral rear spoiler that contributes to the car’s aero efficiency.
The sleek profile is complemented by detailed, layered line work in the hood and body-side panels, contributing to an overall impression of muscularity – with an athletic stance enhanced by a longer wheelbase.
“With styling influenced by the acclaimed 2014 Impala and all new Malibu, the 2016 Cruze brings Chevrolet’s new, expressive global design language to the small car segment,” said John Cafaro, executive director, Chevrolet Design. “The Cruze’s approach to proportion and premium details adds to Chevrolet’s elevation of craftsmanship, content, quality, and a fresh interpretation on an identity that is unmistakably Chevrolet in every market around the world.”
The headlamps sweep back into the front fenders and an expressive, stacked dual-port grille design offers upscale attention to detail. LT and Premier models feature premium forward lighting systems, including projector-beam headlamps and LED signature daytime running lamps.
Additional design details include:
- The centre-rear stop lamp is mounted at the top of the roof line for a more refined appearance
- Seamless rocker panels convey upscale attention to detail and contribute to aerodynamic performance
- Polished aluminium, piano black and bright-finished accents provide a more contemporary, upscale aura to the design
- The RS package includes unique grilles, front and rear fascias, fog lamps, front splitter, rocker panels, rear spoiler and 18-inch wheels on the Premier model.
Roomier, more-connected passenger space
With greater spaciousness and technology, the 2016 Cruze’s interior is designed to be more comfortable and a better connected environment for the driver and passengers.
The greater spaciousness includes more rear legroom (917 mm) and 51 mm more rear knee room – more than Ford Focus and Hyundai Elantra. Beyond the quantifiable, there’s greater perceptual spaciousness in the new Cruze, driven by flowing line work in the instrument panel, which blends almost seamlessly with the front door panels.
Like the exterior, the Cruze’s interior – and the instrument panel in particular – features lean, muscular and layered surfaces built around the Chevrolet-signature dual-cockpit theme. It’s a thoroughly modern design that emphasizes human-technology interaction through the prominent, standard MyLink screen in the “center stack” and details such as compatibility with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and wireless phone charging.
A mixture of accents, from piano black and matte black finishes to bright trim, along with more premium features such as available heated rear leather seats and wireless phone charging, complement the cabin with an upscale ambience generally reserved for midsize sedans – but one that is becoming increasingly important to customers around the globe who want premium amenities in smaller vehicles.
Additional interior features and amenities include:
- Unique center console design for North America with specific user interface details such as a repositioned shifter, more intuitive positioning of the cup holders and enhanced storage
- More soft-touch surfaces and animal-grained, micro-etched surfacing that enhances the premium look and feel of the interior, as well as premium fabrics with French stitching, distinctive for its contrasting stitch colors Premium leather is available
- 2-inch-diagonal high-resolution driver information center in the gauge cluster
- Premium features offered, including heated front cloth seats, heated rear leather-trimmed seats, and heated and leather-wrapped steering wheel.
Through Android Auto and Apple CarPlay capability, Cruze’s all-new Chevrolet MyLink infotainment system provides simple and intuitive use of smartphones in the vehicle. It integrates certain phone functions onto the Cruze’s 7-inch-diagonal color touchscreen, allowing them to call up music, navigation apps and more via compatibility with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and more. An uplevel MyLink radio with and 8-inch display and navigation is available and also incorporates Apple CarPlay.
Each system builds off select features smartphone users rely on most, with many controlled via voice commands through a button on the steering wheel. That helps drivers spend more time with eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.
Using either application is simple. A “Projection” icon on the MyLink screen is visible when a phone is not connected and changes to indicate CarPlay or Android Auto when a compatible phone is connected via a USB. Android Auto requires a phone running the Android Lollipop 5.0 operating system or above, while Apple CarPlay requires an iPhone 5 or later.
Compatible apps need to be downloaded to a phone before using. Apple and Google’s privacy statements and terms of use apply. Data plan rates may also apply.
Complementing MyLink to enhance Cruze’s connectivity is available OnStar with 4G LTE and built-in Wi-Fi hotspot.
Larger, lighter and more dynamic
An all-new, more rigid and lighter architecture is the 2016 Cruze’s foundation for driving dynamism, while also playing significant roles in safety and efficiency. It is constructed of about 8-percent hot-stamped/high-strength steels, which contributes to an approximately 27-percent stiffer body structure that is also 24 kg lighter than the current Cruze.
The lighter structure is also larger than the current model, with the new Cruze’s 2,700 mm wheelbase stretching nearly an inch longer, while supporting front and rear suspensions with wide tracks (60.8-inch front/61.3-inch rear). Aluminium is used strategically in the suspension systems to optimise weight and handling characteristics.
“The Cruze’s chassis system is perhaps the most mass-efficient in the segment,” said Ron Arnesen, executive chief engineer. “It is at the core of the car’s dynamic driving character, which is designed to deliver fun with an enhanced feeling of connectivity.”
Additionally, the new, more rigid architecture is the primary enabler for exceptional chassis tuning, enabling more nimble and direct steering and handling attributes that foster driving confidence through precision. The longer wheelbase and wide front and rear tracks further contribute to a lower, wide “footprint,” which enhances agility and the feeling of control. Additional features include:
- A proven MacPherson strut front suspension design with specially tuned bushings and geometry intended to balance handling with comfort
- A torsion beam rear axle on L, LS and LT models; and an enhanced Z-link design on Premier. It helps deliver a more balanced driving experience, as the rear suspension better follows the lead of the front suspension
- Rack-mounted electric power steering is standard on all models. It enhances efficiency because it removes the conventional power steering pump from the engine’s driven accessories
- Four-wheel disc brakes with Duralife rotors are standard on all models
- StabiliTrak electronic stability control, with traction control, rollover mitigation and anti-lock brakes, is standard
- Wheel size range from 15 to 18 inches.
Power-dense, efficient turbocharged powertrain
In North America, the 2016 Cruze is driven by an all-new, standard 1.4L turbocharged engine derived from GM’s new family of small gas engines. It features direct injection, stop/start technology and is matched with a standard six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission. Stop/start technology contributes to efficiency in stop-and-go driving.
The new 1.4L turbo is SAE-certified at 113 kW and 240Nm of torque. With more torque than the current Cruze’s 1.4L turbo and a lighter architecture, the new turbocharged engine is expected to deliver segment-best 0-100 kilometres per hour performance of 8 seconds. That makes the new Cruze quicker than most competitors, while also beating most of them at the fuel pump, with a GM-estimated 5.9 L/100km* on the highway with automatic transmission.
The 1.4L turbo features an aluminium cylinder block and head, which helps reduce the Cruze’s overall mass to enhance performance and efficiency. Engine efficiency is also enhanced through reduced friction, including low-friction piston rings, a low-friction camshaft drive and a low-friction oil pump.
The start/stop feature automatically shuts down the engine when the car comes to a stop under certain driving conditions, such as a stoplight. The engine automatically restarts when the driver takes his or her foot off the brake.
Advanced safety features
The 2016 Cruze’s safety story begins with the new, stronger body structure that incorporates high-strength steel in key areas to enhance strength and crash protection by helping to prevent intrusion into passenger compartment.
Cruze also returns with a segment-leading 10 standard air bags, including frontal driver and passenger air bags, roof rail-mounted head curtain side air bags that help protect the front and outboard rear seating positions; seat-mounted side-impact air bags (front and rear); and front knee air bags.
Available safety features include an expanded range of adaptive crash-avoidance technologies, including Side Blind Zone Alert, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Lane Keep Assist and Forward Collision Alert.
Additional safety features include:
- Front passenger seat occupant sensing system and rollover sensing and protection system
- Collapsible pedal assembly to help protect against lower-extremity injuries
- Three-point safety belts in all five seating positions, safety belt retractor pretensioners and lap pretensioners in the driver and front-passenger positions, and safety belt load limiters (with pretensioners) in the front safety belt retractors.
- LATCH child seat latching system in the rear seat
- Tyre pressure monitoring system, daytime running lamps
- Automatic headlamps.
The next generation Chevrolet Cruze will be introduced to the South African market at a later stage. Model range, specification, and pricing will be announced at time of launch.
Chevrolet Cruze Fast Facts
- Cruze is Chevrolet’s best-selling car around the world, with 3.5 million sold since it went on sale in 2008
- Cruze sales in the U.S. in 2014 were 273,060 – a 10 percent increase over 2013
- 53 percent of U.S. Cruze customers are new to Chevrolet
- In the U.S., Cruze is the segment’s second-best seller to customers under 25
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 115 countries and selling around 4.8 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heartbeat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value.
