Chevrolet Cruze diesel: Balancing speed with sublimity

There are cars that are simply manic. Cars that are hyperactive, cars that seem like blood hounds on a trail. These are fast cars, fun cars, cars made to heighten your enjoyment when the mood hits you. But the problem with these cars is that they make for poor everyday cars. These cars are also somewhat high-strung, needing a careful dose of attention and concentration when you’re getting it on. Definitely not something to muck about in everyday driving, particularly when it’s raining during the holiday rush. So what better car to be stuck in traffic with than an inconspicuous diesel sedan?

The Chevrolet Cruze seems to answer a lot of questions nobody dared to ask. And thank goodness for that as it is just so sublime going about its way. The engine is a very powerful yet highly efficient CRDi diesel engine equipped with a turbocharger, mated to a perfectly spaced 6-speed automatic transmission with a manual-override function. Power is a decent 148 hp, but torque is, worrying for the front tires, 320 Newton-Meters of torque. Shifting is low in manual mode, but consistent. The torque converter unfortunately really smoothers the first thousand or so RPM’s from throttle tip-in, methinks to smoothen the driving feel, but crucially, to prevent the tires from breaking traction thanks to the aforementioned torque. At speed, the car just hungrily gathers speed all the way to the redline of 4500 rpm.

In terms of safety, the Cruze has 4-wheel disc brakes equipped with ABS, and the rather large and meaty OE-spec KUMHO all-season performance tires look butch, filling out the wheel-wells nicely. It’s also got four airbags should you lose the plot completely.

In-car electronics is also packed with a satellite navigation/GPS system thanks to the multi-media kit installed as standard, playing DVDs, CDs and of course iPod/MP3 integration either via USB connectivity or through an auxiliary input jack.

The seating position is excellent, probably the best I have ever felt in any car below P2 million. I can never emphasize this enough as a good seating position sets the stage for added safety, added feeling of control and of course confidence on the move, especially when you’re hustling the Cruze. It’s ergonomically and anatomically correct as your bum is placed low, your knees high to prevent submarining, with the steering wheel adjusting for both reach and rake with a good amount of lumbar support for my troublesome back injury. It feels straight out of a WTCC touring car.

Steering feel is decent, but the self-centering effect is rather strong, it makes the car feel a bit nervous even at low speeds. Thankfully at higher speeds it weighs up well, and despite not being very responsive, is accurate and when matched to strong brakes, makes for an exciting drive. The Cruze is at home devouring the highway miles with ease, and equally at home soaking up the bumps, ruts and potholes of back roads with equal confidence, unperturbed and composed. The suspension is soft, but firms up progressively as suspension oscillation increases in frequency, and there is more than enough travel in there to catch all but the most violent of bumps, jumps and humps should you go over them at speed. On tight corners, a quick yank of the handbrake for some tail-out action confidently swings the rear-end out but stays perfectly in control. Seems juvenile indeed, but driving a somber-looking car such as the Cruze, with its speed, poise and appetite for soaking up whatever road surface you throw at it makes you feel quite giddy, confident in tackling any road that lies ahead of you.

In the end, the Cruze manages to balance speed with sublimity. It is very smooth, efficient thanks to its torquey diesel engine and of course cheaper to run, again due to lower diesel fuel costs, even when using premium diesels. But despite its speed, it’s not bothersome, tiring or overly firm to live with in everyday driving conditions. Yet more than competent enough on very tough, winding mountain roads, and fun too, if you allow yourself to get in sync with the Cruze. Plus it’s great to see the Japanese sedan drivers who are just astonished to see them get left behind by a Chevrolet.