For The Cruze has a much better cabin than existing Chevrolet buyers will be used to, and it looks pretty funky, too. The bargain-bucket price will be tempting
Against The petrol engines are gutless, it's not particularly exciting or comfortable to drive and it's not as practical as a hatchback
What Car? says
Quite a lot of car for not a lot of cash, but remember – there's a reason why it's so cheap
There are 6 Chevrolet Cruze versions available
Buyer's notes
Target Price team says:
The Cruze is cheap, and the best way to maximise the value for money you get is to keep it as cheap as possible. That's why we'd recommend the 111bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine. Sure, it's noisy and it feels desperately flat unless you're revving it to the redline, but it’s much slower than the 139bhp 1.8.
There are two 2.0-litre diesels, too. We haven’t driven the 123bhp version yet, but once we have, we reckon this could be the pick of the range. It's still reasonably cheap to buy and run, and the extra pull over the petrols means it should be miles better to drive. We'll keep you posted. The 148bhp range-topper is the best version we've driven, but it makes the Cruze too pricey, at over fifteen grand.
The basic S trim is a touch too basic for our tastes because you don't get air-conditioning, but there's an S AC version that plugs this gap. That's the one you want. LS and LT versions give you more toys, but only spend the extra if you can't live without them.
Reader test team says:
Chevrolet Cruze Saloon 2.0 VCDi 150 LT 4dr
I bought this car in August 2009 and got an…
Cruze used rivals
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