The new Chevrolet Cruze hatchback coming in Europe

Hatchback design

With its attractive sweeping coupe roofline and short overhangs at both the front and rear, the new Cruze hatchback has the same dynamic ‘stance’ as the sedan and will be instantly recognizable. It will benefit too from the same taut body ‘feel’ on the road, being built using the new body-frame integral system (BFI) which is complemented by the final tuning to chassis components. The BFI system results in high levels of stability and solidity.

Cargo capacity for the Cruze hatchback is close to 400 liters and will feature 60/40 split rear seating.

Chevrolet’s participation in the World Touring Car Championship with the Cruze is also currently paying great dividends. With four races left in the season, it currently leads both the drivers’ and team championships while also showcasing the dynamic qualities of the car to great effect.

2012 Chevrolet Cruze 5-door hatchback study

What you see in these pictures is the production version of the thinly disguised Chevrolet Cruze 5-door hatchback study, which was presented at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. The more compact sized, hatchback version of the Cruze has lost some of the cool features of the concept car like the LED strips on the front bumper, the blue-tinted headlamps and the clear crystal tail lights, but other than that, nothing else has changed.

The new body style looks a bit sharper and sportier than the four-door saloon, but due to the shorter rear overhang, cargo capacity for the Cruze hatchback is close to 400 liters, which is some 50 liters less than the sedan.

The reason why Chevrolet decided to build a five-door version of the Cruze is because 65 percent of all compact cars sold in Europe are hatchbacks.

The Cruze 5d will share its engine lineup with the four-door model, which means buyers can choose between 1.6-liter and 1.8-liter gasoline units producing 124HP and 141HP respectively, while there's also a 163 horsepower 2.0-liter turbo diesel. Sales in Europe will start in mid 2011, with pricing to be announced closer the launch date.

Chevrolet Cruze features traction control

Chevrolet Cruze

Chevrolet Cruze

Chevrolet Cruze Driving and Control

This time, the Civic and Altis discover new rivals who could not be ruled out in terms of ride and control. Cruze steering feels accurate, although not sekomunikatif Civic. Power steering hydraulic still rely on conventional methods. Nevertheless, the steering still feels light at low speeds, when necessary agility, and become heavy as they should when speeding.

Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback

Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback

It is not difficult to obtain an ideal sitting position while trying to drive the Cruze. This is thanks to the regulator seat and steering wheel settings telescopic model. Visibility was very satisfactory, and this gives more confidence to those who first drove the Cruze. Feel how the Cruze faces the street. To be sure, Cruze features traction control and electronic stability program (ESP) that can be disabled via a button near the gear lever. The suspension is MacPherson strut front of him embracing model with compound crank on the back.

Suspension compound crank is used because it can provide stability at every level of acceleration. Excess suspension of this model is the camber angle (tilt wheel) that is not easily changed, especially when the car maneuver. In addition, a relatively simple mechanism to make the suspension compound crank light, strong, and does not take place. Torsion bar which contributes to the distribution of light weight vehicles. Damping suspension feels solid at various levels of speed. Felt that this car is not much swing at high speed, thereby providing confidence when maneuvering.

To stop the speed, Cruze equipped disc brakes on all four wheels. Additionally, features like ABS, EBD (Electronic Brakeforce Distribution) and BA (brake assist) pinned to help maintain the quality of braking. As a result, the brake will stop the Cruze that has a weight of 1.4 tons within a distance of 27.1 meters in 2.7 seconds (the speed of 80 kpj). However, the figure is still less with the Altis which only need 25.8 meters and 2.4 seconds to stop from speed of 80 kpj. Indeed, the weight Altis only in the range of 1.2 tons.