HENRI DU PLESSIS SAYS:
South African motorists are an amazing bunch and, despite all their foibles, I like them.
They are certainly mostly a practical bunch, a characteristic that I admire but also one that frustrates me.
The irritating part of it is that our roads are covered in white and grey (even if metallic) cars. That attitude of "please let me not stand out" combines with "white is easier to repair and keep clean".
In certain sectors of our population, the former is a well-entrenched mental condition. And I hate it that the second one often happens to be true.
I love red cars from a certain country where pasta is a staple. But that does not make me unappreciative of the efforts of other nations to produce four-wheeled transport.
Yes, I'd like to see more colour on our roads (red, among others). But mostly, I'd like to see people appreciate exciting cars more.
I say this from a position of weakness, stemming from the fact that I don't know whether to find the Chevrolet Cruze exciting.
I like the car's looks. Compared to some other General Motors products of Korean origin, the Cruze is one of the best looking family cars around.
And despite the opinions of my more heavyweight colleagues at other publications, I also think a lot of its road manners. In the light of its purpose in life, of course.
GM has found a really good formula here. The car is comfortable, looks good, comes in a selection of colours which seem to motivate South Africans to be more daring (I've yet to see a white Cruze, although I am sure there are a few) and is really pleasant to drive.
And I prefer the diesel engine. It is a bit of an industrial machine, quite a bit noisier than its competitors' engines, but I found the test car's purr comforting. As far as pulling power is concerned, it is not the best in its class but not the worst either. It gets the job done, and done quite well, without costing crocodile food.
In corners, there is some body roll. On the potholed straights, though, you do not need a kidney belt. The eggs in the shopping bag are unlikely to break.
You won't easily bump your head, knees or elbows against anything, unless you are Bakkies Botha.
The Cruze diesel is not the car I would take on a hill climb, but I would climb a hill in it with the boot is full of holiday gear and the dogs and camera bag on the back seat.
With a fuel consumption figure of less than eight litres/100km, enough thrust to be illegal if you don't watch out and seats that rarely made me feel the need to get out and stretch, I am quite willing to take it over many hills - on one trip, even.
See? Even I can be practical.
IAN WILLIAMS SAYS:
As a family car, or a rep-mobile, the Chevrolet Cruze isn't bad. In fact, it’s rather good. The cabin's comfortable enough, with all kinds of things to play with. The exterior, though standard jelly-mould sedan, is pretty enough, and the heart and soul of the car - the turbocharged two-litre diesel engine - is a beauty once you're used to it.
The Cruze definitely lives up to its name - as an economical long-distance cruiser, I can't fault it. Admittedly it isn't a performance car, but if it is fuel-sipping, stress-free motoring you’re after, consider the Cruze.
Getting into a different mindset helps. The obvious bonuses of the Cruze are the economic benefits of diesel and the huge amount of torque available. Re-evaluating your driving style takes a while, especially after being used to nippier petrol-driven cars, but once in Cruze-mode I started to relax and enjoy the experience.
On the daily commute, not needing to change gears as often as I’m used to was a plus. Likewise, once I'd learned to anticipate the behaviour of the turbo - a bit of lag there, admittedly - slotting in with faster-moving traffic was a cinch.
Noise, though, was a problem. At lower speeds, especially from cold, the engine noise is intrusive. On the open roads, though, matters quieten down.
The Cruze also handles better than I expected, easily thrown through corners on the open road and easy to negotiate through town traffic.
But, as mentioned, this is a car for the distance traveller. This was brought home to me by monitoring the "kilometres remaining" display - plodding about on short trips saw the figures plummet, but a lengthy run saw them miraculously boosted.
And with the fuel price continually yo-yo-ing, the frugal approach may just prove to be best in the long run.
Expect to pay from R269 200, depending on options. - Argus Motoring