Visually, we saw no reason for the fascia of the Chevrolet Cruze to change. At least – not in this direction. The nature of this nip and tuck echoes what we’ve seen across the Chevrolet passenger car lineup – overexaggerated looks that seem neither necessary nor improved from the more confident designs of before. We hope that these sentiments don’t lead to yet another unconfident knee-jerk design change in a far-too-opposite direction, but the peer consensus can describe Chevy’s current design direction as clinical and uninspired. Then again, looks are entirely subjective, and we think the front fascia seems to work better with the proportions of the 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback over the 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Sedan we tested, during the 2018 Midwestern Automotive Media Association Fall Rally.
On the inside, things are very much the same as before. Which means things are very ergonomic, the sight lines are adequate, there are USB ports aplenty, and all of the touch points are sufficient enough for the casual customer. The only difference we could point out from the previous model year was the introduction of GM’s latest infotainment system, no longer branded as MyLink. The icons are more crisp and the speed navigating around the seven-inch (diagonally measured) touchscreen seems improved as well, at first blush. This is a perfectly fine appliance.
Mechanically, the engine is the same, and the output is the same: a 1.4L turbocharged four-cylinder with 153 hp and 177 lb-ft of twisting force that accelerates from 0-60 in 7.7 seconds. Again, perfectly adequate for well-portioned runabout, and now the stop/start system can be defeated, and there will be much rejoicing. Power is still transferred through the same six-speed automatic transmission, unless the 2019 Chevrolet Cruze is a fleet model. In which case, a droning CVT will handle the job, returning 2 miles per gallon better in the city compared to the six-speed auto. Which is good for 28 mpg in the city and 38 mpg highway. The six-speed manual transmission has been dropped for the 2019 model year, including for the diesel variant. Apparently nobody interesting enough for DIY gearbox shops the Cruze.
Is that necessarily a problem? No. Look at the segment. The 2019 Chevrolet Cruze competes in an incredibly product-rich and strong compact sedan segment. Most vehicles here are strong offerings, but too few of which break from core market desires. That essentially marks all contenders – especially top-sellers from Japanese and Korean brands – as faces in the crowd. Thanks to a diesel offering and a hatchback variant, the 2019 Cruze breaks from this mold just enough. Though due to market shifts towards crossover products, the Cruze faces an uphill battle for the foreseeable future, to no fault of its own.
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About Chevrolet Cruze
The Chevrolet Cruze is a range of compact passenger cars currently consisting of a four-door sedan and five-door hatchback. It slots above the Chevrolet Spark city car and subcompact Chevrolet Sonic and below the midsize Chevrolet Malibu and full-size Chevrolet Impala.
The current model was introduced for the 2016 model year and represents the second generation of the Cruze nameplate. It rides on the GM D2 platform shared with the second-generation Chevrolet Volt and Buick Verano (in China).
Compared to its first-generation predecessor, the second-gen model is an all-new vehicle that is slightly larger, sleeker and more modern. The first-generation Cruze family was produced in sedan, hatchback, and wagon body styles, but only the sedan was available in North America. By comparison, the second-generation model is available as a sedan and hatchback. Though a wagon variant of the second-gen model was never produced, the hatchback model was made available in North America.
For the North American markets, the Chevrolet Cruze sedan is built by GM USA at the GM Lordstown factory while the Cruze hatchback is assembled by GM Mexico at the GM Ramos Arizpe factory.
Related News & Info
- GM news
- Chevrolet Cruze information
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Comments
I absolutely love my 17 diesel stick. I’m by no means nice to the throttle and the car returns 50 to 54 without trying. Glad I got it when I did as I plan to drive it into the ground. I guess the few of us who prefer to select the gears by hand are few and far between. Not gms fault. I dont blame them for dropping the stick. But it does ruin it for the rest of us. We will likely not see many manual vehicles in the very near future.
Agreed. The car you have is the one GM vehicle I would consider buying. Most people don’t understand the torque and real world mpgs diesels provide in cars. They also don’t understand driving, hence the demise of the pedal on the left.
For 2019:
No manual transmission
No genuine leather seats (replaced with leatherette – don’t worry, there’s NO cost reduction, they have the same upcharge as the leather seats did)
No 8″ touchscreen (7″ across the board)
No color DIC
No rear outboard heated seats
No automatic dimming rearview mirror
No ambient lighting
No Express-Up driver window
No wireless charging
No rear reading lights
No passenger seatback map pocket
No rear-door keyless entry buttons
No thanks.
And a 2 MPG drop in highway MPG. Are they trying to decrease sales of this car over at GM?
“No passenger seatback map pocket”
Is it just me or does it seem like Chevy is dilebertly doing things that customers and long time loyalists hate.
Think about it.
An a$$ ugly Camaro (For the most part, 1 trim looks good IMO).
An OK new Silverado.
Butt ugly new Asian inspired designs that do not look right on most vehicles.
A new blazer that is nothing like the model we all knew and loved.
A CVT in the Malibu.
Limited, bland colors on most vehicles.
Sh**ty advertising.
I’m sure there are way more that I am missing, but the point is there. Not only is Chevy pushing away the loyalists, but they are mainly just chasing after other brands in favor of sales instead of being different.
It’s just you
Here’s possibly the only photo available of the auto stop disable switch for the 2019 Cruze LT: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rinehart-video-productions/31112328218/in/dateposted-public/
My question is if they are now equipping new models with a disable switch for the stop/start feature will a software become available who want the feature disabled? It doesn’t seem popular.