First Drive: Chevrolet Cruze 1.7 VCDi LTZ

Until now the Chevrolet Cruze has lacked a low-emission variant. While the 163bhp 2.0 VCDi gave it the sporting oopmh and was fairly economical for the power output, less powerful engines from its rivals offered much greater efficiency leaving Chevrolet way off the pace in the fleet sector.

Chevrolet believes the introduction of the new, more efficient 1.7 VCDi diesel engine will change this. Although power is downgraded to 130bhp, Chevrolet is confident this still offers sufficient performance for drivers with the added appeal of lower CO2 emissions and improved fuel efficiency. The car is key to its growth aspirations in fleet.

Combining 130bhp with sub-120g/km CO2 emissions is a feat achieved by few rivals. The 1.7 VCDi also offers 62.7mpg on the combined cycle, which is a 12mpg-plus improvement over the 2.0-litre variant. This will help overall running costs of the Cruze become much more competitive.

“Our fleet proposition will be a lot more competitive with the 1.7 VCDi engine,” said Zoe Lavender, product manager at Chevrolet UK.

“Its 17% benefit-in-kind tax band is really important to us. We didn’t want to sacrifice performance for economy, and we seem to have struck a good balance.”

While CO2 emissions of 117g/km are not class leading, the 1.7 VCDi Cruze’s starting P11D price of £16,670 results in a competitive package.

Three equipment grades are available. We tested the range-topping LTZ which comes with cruise control, alloy wheels and automatic headlights and wipers as standard, and is priced at £18,685 on the road.

Available as a five-door hatchback initially, an estate version will arrive in September. The CO2 emissions figures for this model, and its price premium over the hatchback, have not yet been confirmed.

Although the Cruze’s interior is a little plain, controls are intuitive and simple to understand, while a 413-litre boot allows it to compete with the best load carriers in the lower-medium sector. Its cabin is spacious too, with plenty of room for all occupants.

The only real criticism of the Cruze is that it lacks the sparkle of some cars in the sector.

On the road there is too little communication from the steering compared with sector rivals such as the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus.

However, the Cruze is a comfortable car to drive, with decent suspension and good body control, proving itself as a business-like non-mainstream alternative.

It will appeal to many fleets as it does represent good value and have a generous equipment level.

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