Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
IT'S been labelled as the car that is going to drive forward the fallen giant of the motoring industry and take it on a journey into a prosperous new future.
For a nippy little motor there is an awful lot resting on its appeal to the more cost-conscious, green consumer who, in this demanding age, simply wants more, for less.
So the men at General Motors put all the ingredients for cleaner, safer and value for money in a pot and mixed it together with style, stamina and sleekness and came up cookin' with the all-new Chevrolet Cruze.
Finally, the American giant has something solid in the 'compact value segment' can compete with against its Japanese and European competitors.
"Chevrolet has always stood for value and Cruze delivers on that promise like never before," Fadi Ghosn, chief marketing officer, Middle East Operations, told MotoringWeekly. "It redefines value with its design, quality, materials and great style inside and out."
Developed to satisfy discerning tastes in design and chassis performance, the Cruze went on sale in Europe in March and spearheaded the launch of a series of new products that share its design and quality standards.
It is now available in the Middle East and my bright, Arsenal-red LT version certainly raised a few envious looks as I took it for a test drive from National Motor Company's showroom in Sitra.
Quite simply, Chevrolet believes the introduction of the Cruze has 'moved the goalposts' for products seeking to compete successfully in its segment.
And it's easy to see where they have scored some significant points. The seating is shaped for a comfortable ride, the interior is smart-looking and all the instruments are driver-friendly with easy touch controls on the steering wheel.
A sensor switches on the lights automatically, there's a neat slot for your MP3 and more importantly in this part of the world, the airconditioner is spot on.
A multi-national design team, based in Korea with input from colleagues in Germany, the US and Australia, were tasked with delivering an all-new compact sedan aimed at 're-energising' the Chevrolet brand.
"Our goal was to be revolutionary, not evolutionary," says Taewan Kim, vice president of the GM DAT design centre in Korea
An arching roofline, extending from the steeply raked windshield into the slim rear pillars, is the defining exterior feature of the Cruze. Combined with a relatively short rear deck, it brings four-door coupŽ-like looks to this market segment for the first time.
The Cruze has a well-planted, close-to-the-ground stance with its wheels located at the outer edges of the tautly drawn bodywork.
A distinctive concave shoulder line flows along the sides of the car into the rear deck lid. This upmarket visual appearance is also reinforced by clean, uncluttered bodywork free from mouldings or trim.
Neat rear styling includes flush-mounted taillight clusters, each moulded with two circular shapes, echoing a traditional Chevrolet twin light styling motif.
Class-leading features include the flush fit of panels, with exceptionally tight gap tolerances, and generous rear passenger leg, head and shoulder room, despite Cruze's signature sloping roofline.
The core interior design theme is a modern expression of a traditional Chevrolet styling cue - the signature 'twin cockpit' layout of the Corvette, a motif designed to bringing driver and passenger closer to a 'shared' experience.
On each side of the main fascia, there is a choice of coloured fabric or grained vinyl panels, which are complemented by matching inserts in the seats and door trims.
The Cruze's body structure is among the stiffest in its class, with a great torsional rigidity. The tight, strong structure is key to suppressing noise, vibration and harshness (NVH), as well as securing a good crash safety performance and optimal ride and handling properties, essential when driving in this part of the world.
At low speeds, the front and rear bumper skins are designed to absorb light impact energy, helping to minimise bodywork damage, a must when you've left it parked in Manama.
The car has been co-operatively engineered at GM facilities around the world. "In key areas, such the body structure, suspension, safety and electrical systems, we have drawn on GM 'best practices'," explained Peter Mertens, GM global vehicle line executive for compact cars.
The 1.8-litre engine delivers responsive performance, with 140 hp/ 6,300 rpm (net) and peak torque of 175 Nm (net) at 3,800 rpm, including 85 per cent from just 2,000 rpm right up to 6,300 rpm. In terms of power output-per-liter, this engine is among the most efficient on the market.
The LS is available with a five-speed manual gearbox or a new six-speed automatic transmission, a segment 'first' for Chevrolet, while the six-speed automatic transmission is standard on the LT variants.
This is one neat little motor that is bound to 'cruze' out of the showroom in large numbers, especially at a price tag of between BD6,500-BD7,500 depending on model specification.
For further details, contact National Motors on 17457211.
