There isn’t a blander arena in all of cardom than that of the booted, C-segment sedan, otherwise known as rental car heaven. Most contenders only survive as four-door fleet fodder, fit for everyone from the travelling salesperson to the middle manager. But it’s not a segment to be sneezed at. In any market situation, bread and butter volumes are essential. You would have thought that GMSA had the perfect car to capitalise on this with the value-packed, but bland-as-old-boot-soup Daewoo-sourced Optra. Perhaps age, brand adoption issues and nonexistent styling conspired to deter fleet buyers from trading in their Tiidas and Corollas. So in replacing the Optra, GM decided to go global with a brand new car, built for most world markets, including the US. They also decided to actually design it this time. Enter the first ‘proper’ Chev to hit our shores in many a decade, the Cruze.  

Ship shape

When it comes to memorable car styling, simplicity is key. Side profiles defined by a couple of continuous lines tend to stick best. VW’s three-arc Beetle for instance. In a world of complicated surfacing and fussy lines, the Cruze stands out. It’s by no means a classic, but the single-arc roofline, good proportions and clean surfaces make for an attractive sedan. Everyone I asked responded positively to the looks, with petrolheads crying ‘baby Lumina’.

It may be distinctive, but I’m personally not much of a fan of the two-tier grille and the kitsch gold colour of Chevrolet’s enormous bowtie emblem. Gold is old and, as my wife says, it doesn’t go with everything, especially not the flat red hue on our test car. More clever is the way the clamshell bonnet shutline splits around the headlight, continuing down in a curve parallel to the wheel arch. It’s a visual trick that neatly reduces the otherwise long front overhang. Usefully larger than its targeted rival, the Cruze is 57mm longer, 28mm wider and 27mm taller than a Corolla.

Cabin class

The good news continues inside where GM’s colour and trim department has injected some digital pizzazz into their CAD software. The result is a surprisingly cohesive mix of colour, texture and shape. Our top-line LT model featured tan on black two-tone leather, chrome accents and plastics in conventional textured black, piano black and perforated metal effect. Sounds garish, but works really well. Classy main instrument dials and a stylish steering wheel round it all off. It’s much more of an occasion than sitting in a Corolla. Build quality seems tight too – squeak and rattle-free. In fact they’ve almost pulled off a genuinely premium cabin. Almost because it’s let down by a lack of squishy plastics, ill-fitting side mirror access covers and a central LCD screen that could do with a higher pixel count. Equipment and spec levels look comprehensive, with everything you could ask for from a range-topper at this price point.