Repost: 2016 Cruze (North America Version)

"Hooker" (Hooker) 05/07/2015 at 11:05 • Filed to: None

0

47

I have been impatiently awaiting these photos (thanks Left Lane!) I know the Cruze isn’t the “set the market on fire” (or your soul for that matter) kind of car. However, I have one and I like it a lot. When the Chinese version came out earlier in the year I was left disappointed. Thankfully, GM came through on their promise of a largely different Cruze altogether for the North American market.

First impressions? I think it’s a nice evolution of the current design details while giving the car an upscale look and feel. Just my .02.

Head on over to LLN to get more pics.

Updated and re-posted for the morning crowd. And because it’s sexy and I want to share it with more people.

ly2v8-Brian > Hooker 05/06/2015 at 17:52

0

Not bad

boxrocket > Hooker 05/06/2015 at 17:53

1

I see a LOT of Elantra, with the Volt/Mehlibu front end. Which I suppose is better than the current car, which without the badges looks like an evolution of the 2008-2012 NA Ford Focus.

E. Julius > Hooker 05/06/2015 at 17:54

1

I like it. I think if you could travel back to 2005 and show a Cobalt owner this they'd shit their pants.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Hooker 05/06/2015 at 17:55

1

I like it.

LongbowMkII > Hooker 05/06/2015 at 18:23

1

Is it behind the civic?

472CID > Hooker 05/06/2015 at 18:32

0

Looks better than the new Malibu, I sort of like it.

Jayhawk Jake > Hooker 05/06/2015 at 18:49

0

I like it, even if it is doing the whole ‘look like the competition to compete’ thing.

Now where's the next Sonic?

El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! > Hooker 05/06/2015 at 19:42

0

Is this supposed to blow me away?

Cause it doesn’t.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Hooker 05/06/2015 at 19:53

1

Oh thank god, that actually looks really good. Much, much better than what I thought we were going to get. Hopefully there's a hatchback version Cruze-ing (aren't I so funny?) around somewhere, maybe with a 2.0T and a manual and some Z-Spec or SS badges. :D

BaconSandwich is tasty. > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 05/06/2015 at 20:39

3

I almost thought that’s what it was at first.

Hooker > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 05/06/2015 at 21:23

0

Yeah, I think this was a smart move on their part. Though, now that the Cruze and the Volt are even more similar, I would think that would keep costs further down and make the price of the Volt better than it came out to be.

Hooker > boxrocket 05/06/2015 at 21:23

0

I’m just hoping it improves on the current gen. It’s a good car, however, not class leading. Hoping for more.

Hooker > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 05/06/2015 at 21:25

0

Yeah, all I saw was spy shots of a Sonic esque front end and that was it. It wasn’t bad, just not what I was hoping. Also, glad they ditched the Impala sweep line over the rear end. That just wasn’t going to work on such a short car. I like the way you think sir.

Hooker > Jayhawk Jake 05/06/2015 at 21:26

0

That’s what I am looking for. I think this is the year of the Camaro, Malibu, Cruze, Volt, and Spark. Sonic is likely next year.

Hooker > E. Julius 05/06/2015 at 21:27

2

I think if you show this to anyone who ever owned a Cobalt, they’d shit their pants. I almost did.

Hooker > LongbowMkII 05/06/2015 at 21:28

0

Hardee har har. Listen, the design studios only have so much to work with with aero and fuel economy standards. Most cars today resemble each other as a result. However, looking at the headlights dead on, they have more of an upsweap like the current Cruze than anything Honda is putting on the Civic.

Hooker > 472CID 05/06/2015 at 21:28

0

That’s what I was thinking. And I really liked the new ‘Bu. This could be really good for GM.

Hooker > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 05/06/2015 at 21:30

0

It’s a compact, so no. But it’s a nice improvement. The current Cruze lines and themes have been modernized and I think the details of this car are a lot nicer.

Hooker > ly2v8-Brian 05/06/2015 at 21:30

0

Agreed. I like it.

jdmrookie > Hooker 05/06/2015 at 22:33

0

The bowtie looks great when it is integrated into the grille. They should move it on the new malibu.

ly2v8-Brian > Hooker 05/07/2015 at 00:15

0

Also, I noticed as I looked closely at the image that this is the Cruze RS package.

Hooker > ly2v8-Brian 05/07/2015 at 09:25

0

Yes. I also assume this will likely be the LTZ (Premier?) looking at the wheels and how big they are. I’ll reserve final judgment until I see the mid range LT. Also, if they don’t keep projectors across the board, that’s stupid. It must cost more to have two different units.

Hooker > jdmrookie 05/07/2015 at 09:26

0

Agreed. I think it looks out of place otherwise. Disrupts the clean lines it has.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > E. Julius 05/07/2015 at 11:10

1

Yeah, I was pretty blown away when I bought my Cruze after my Slobalt was totaled. It is a better car by far in every single imaginable metric.

Funktheduck > Hooker 05/07/2015 at 11:11

0

I thought this was a Corolla at first.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Hooker 05/07/2015 at 11:12

1

I love my boxy looking ‘12 Cruze just fine. I think the RS treatment makes it look great. I’m really not feeling this now look though.

AM > Hooker 05/07/2015 at 11:16

1

Huge improvement over the current Cruze. I’m liking Chevy’s new corporate front fascia, looks really good on this car.

Greenhouse looks pretty big still which is also a huge plus.

Hooker > Snuze: Needs another Swede 05/07/2015 at 11:16

0

I think the most surprising thing for me (even today with newer entrants from Honda/Toyota/Nissan) was that the Cruze seemed more solidly put together and drove better than most in its class. Was it perfect? No. But when the doors close with a thud (and bumps are felt with aplomb) while the comparable Toyota or Honda feel like tin cans, GM did something right.

Hooker > Snuze: Needs another Swede 05/07/2015 at 11:18

0

I will reserve final judgement until I see it in person. I agree though, the current, more upright and well balanced design is more attractive at the moment. Proportions are really good on the current gen.

Hooker > Funktheduck 05/07/2015 at 11:19

0

See, haven’t seen that. Thankfully. If I did, I would hate the car. I don’t want that. However, I will say that these days, it doesn’t matter what you are designing. With safety standards and design trends, you’re going to end up with something that looks like a lot of other things on the road. It’s a casualty of the times.

Hooker > AM 05/07/2015 at 11:22

1

I agree that the new corporate mug is nice. Also, there seemed to be a tweener stage of this corporate treatment that was out of proportion and just looked awkward. I’m glad they ditched that. The taller greenhouse is going to be nice and I bet this has excellent forward visibility. I think those are A-pillar windows a la the Chevy Trax. If so, that will be nice in cornering. Rear visibility will only be good when in reverse with the camera.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Hooker 05/07/2015 at 11:24

0

I went to LLN and looked, that picture you posted above really turned me off to it, it looks too pinched in the front. But looking at some of the other pictures, I like it more. And like you, I’ll also reserve final judgement until I see it in person.

AM > Hooker 05/07/2015 at 11:26

1

Visibility looks to be promising except for out the rear. This new Cruze adopted idea of having an extremely high rear end with low visibility that plagues visibility this entire segment of cars.

Hooker > Snuze: Needs another Swede 05/07/2015 at 11:27

0

Yeah, I tried not to crib too much from their site. It’s their thing. Figured I throw them a few page views though. I agree it’s not its best angle.

Hooker > AM 05/07/2015 at 11:28

0

For all intents and purposes, the current Cruze was no great player in the rear visibility segment either.

AM > Hooker 05/07/2015 at 11:40

0

I think we can all expect this segment to have poor rearward visibility. The Focus sedan is by far the worst offender for this. A tiny rear window and a tall ass end. The rear headrests are also large and in the way as well.

Funktheduck > Hooker 05/07/2015 at 11:42

1

Yeah. A lot of compacts are going with what I call the pinched face. They’re making the grilles small for aero and match it with narrow headlights. Results in a car looking like it’s sucking on 3 warhead candies at once.

That's part of why I like my 3 so much.

Dean Beyer > Hooker 05/07/2015 at 12:11

1

Look, I’m a big GM fanboy and I love the new Malibu, Volt, and Impala. But this... that face is WAY too complicated and the rest of it is kind of... cobbled together. Maybe it’s better in person, I don’t know but I’m not loving it. But, if I were going for a car this size I’d get the Volt anyway.

Hooker > Dean Beyer 05/07/2015 at 12:30

0

I just wish they had reduced the price of the Volt just a hair more. I think that’s a rather large misstep. I know that with the tax credit, it’s significantly less, however, I can’t take advantage of the whole credit so it’s not all that helpful. Also, I feel like GM should take a loss on that car (a la the Prius) for this generation. Lower the price without tax credit and see what happens. I feel like it would help build the brand up for the Volt as well as future Volt based things. The amount of brand equity they could get out of that move could line their pockets for years if done right. Just my personal opinion though.

Hooker > Funktheduck 05/07/2015 at 12:30

0

What gen is your 3?

Funktheduck > Hooker 05/07/2015 at 12:31

0

3rd. 2015. Gf has the happy faced 2012

Hooker > AM 05/07/2015 at 12:32

0

I consistently remove rear head restraints from my cars. I have a stash of them at my house from when I forgot to put them back on. I understand their existence, however, they reduce visibility quite a bit. The new Trax/Sonic have a trick head restraint that is low pro until you need it.

AM > Hooker 05/07/2015 at 12:44

0

The rear headrests on my Jetta are pretty big but I only ever drive it on the highway so I don’t need to see that much behind me. The Yukon has literally no blind spots due to large side/rear windows, tall roof, etc. so I don't even noticed headrests.

Hooker > Funktheduck 05/07/2015 at 12:48

1

I always really liked the happy faced ones. Not sure why. The 3rd gen is amazing though I will give you that.

Funktheduck > Hooker 05/07/2015 at 12:52

1

I've gotten so many compliments on it. Makes me feel warm and fuzzy. Makes me realize how crappy everyone thought my Corolla was though.

Hooker > Funktheduck 05/07/2015 at 12:59

1

Just be happy for the improvement. Revel in the awesome. It’s a good thing.

Hooker > AM 05/07/2015 at 13:14

1

Someday, I am going to have the money for a big car. Maybe an Impala? Something with better visibility. Maybe the Impala is a bad example. But honestly, even with its shortcomings, the small cars have my heart. No idea why.