The problem with any Corolla-class car is that it's always compared to the Corolla. And, even if said Corolla rival is any good, it won't matter because Toyota has the segment in a choke-hold anyway.
Take Chevrolet's Corolla-rivalling Cruze for instance. Lines will inevitably be drawn between the two cars, and on the face of it the Cruze has the Corolla beat in pretty much every department.
In the case of the Cruze 2.0D LT, which is the subject of this review, it's more powerful, better equipped and costs much less money. Strange then that the Corolla is one of South Africa's most popular cars and the Cruze, well, isn't.
I guess it comes down to the market being targeted. Buyers of C-segment sedans care little for whizzbang performance, candy-coated trimmings or unnecessary features and the very fact that they're window shopping at Corolla level means that they probably won't get past Toyota's shop window at all.
The Cruze, however, is slightly more candy-coated than a Corolla. Its exterior skin, in my eyes, is a tad more aggressive and the interior styled with more wasabi than Toyota's strictly business approach.
There's a large aqua-blue display mounted up high in the fascia that reads out radio and climate control settings and all other backlighting is of similar hue. The radio controls themselves look as if they've been stolen from Robocop's iPod and, just like an iPod, they're pretty easy to use.
What's not easy to use is the trip computer which requires a push of a button on the end of the headlight stalk and then some counter-intuitive twists of a spring-loaded ring around the same stalk.
It took a good few minutes to work out some basic info on range and average fuel consumption, and I'm still not sure if I got it right. The owner's manual, which I'm sure was written as a kindergarten class project, wasn't much help either.
I also noticed that on of the aircon control knobs was perfectly positioned so that my left knee inadvertently adjusted its fan speed every time I took my foot off the clutch and rested my leg.
I will give the Cruze credit for being very comfortable, though, and the combination of leather seats (standard on diesel models) and softly-sprung suspension was nice on the butt even with standard 17" alloys and lowish profile tyres. I'd fully endorse this car for photocopier sales reps doing long daily distances.
Diesel consumption averaged out at 7.8 litres/100km and, while it's not a bad figure considering all that's out there, it is a bit high compared to other two-litre turbodiesels we've reviewed.
The diesel Cruze's gearbox houses only five forward ratios; I'd normally want six in a car like this for consumption reasons but it's okay because this top gear is tall one and at 120km/h engine revs are hovering at just about 2000rpm.
STRANGE SLACKNESS
Unfortunately, as is the case with many small turbodiesels, there's a lot of lag. Take-offs from standstill and lazy upshifts are met with massive holes in the powerband that can catch you off guard if you're trying to keep up with the frantic flow of Jozi traffic.
There's also a strange slackness in the diesel Cruze's drivetrain that makes clutch control, especially at low speeds, extremely difficult and frustrating.
It seems as though something's not connected tightly between the engine's crankshaft, the gearbox, the driveshafts and, in turn, the wheels.
Momentary pauses between forward drive and freewheel coasting result in harsh jolts that can make even seasoned drivers look like beginners.
The shudder can be smoothed out though with some clever clutch control or, at worst, lengthy periods of time (read practice) with the car.
But once past the jerky take-off, and then beyond the turbolag, there's a healthy dose of power available. Power is rated at 110kW and 320Nm and, for a short window period in each gear it feels like there may be even more.
Our performance tests showed a 0-100km/h time of 10.2sec and the quarter mile went by in 17.3 - not exactly drag-racing material, but perfectly reasonable for a car in the Corolla class.
VERDICT
If the question is Cruze or Corolla, then I'd have to say Corolla - but only if we're talking about diesels. The Cruze's overall package is very tasty for the as-bland-as-butter segment it competes in but there's something amiss in the diesel's drivetrain - and the turbolag issue needs some ironing out too.
Not having driven either the 1.6 or 1.8-litre petrol-powered Cruzes I'll have to reserve judgement but I suspect a pair of Corolla-beaters there in terms of specification and price.