Chevrolet Cruze HB5 test drive since 2011 hatchback

Five days before the New Year

During a photo shoot at the DOSAAF airborne flying club blown up by all winds, we felt like polar explorers on the festival of workdays drifting in the ocean of the holiday.


Day First: Corporate
Imagine that you were honored to be on the corporate party of the federal ministry. Not bad! It would be nice to roll out such an event in a solid car. Who is the most serious in our company? Of course, Volkswagen Jetta! If the Polo and Golf hatchback with Walter’s design and strong, it seems to my taste, boring, then Jette is such seriousness to face. The White Sedan VW has recently settled in my yard, and for a long time I thought it was Passat B7. But it turned out Jetta. My girlfriend took VW for Audi. And this chocolate color is the last squeak of the season!

The back is spacious, only Renault Fluence is seconded to the supply of Jetta space among participants in the test. But only in the German car the rear passengers rely such luxury as a socket and blowing deflectors. And what a trunk here! A huge, correct shape, with a wide opening, with a net on the right and an elastic band on the left, allowing to fix quite large objects.

On the go, Jetta is exactly the same as Golf, who visited our test in the summer. Technically, the sedan differs from the hatchback in that it is 9 cm longer, and the wheelbase is more than 7.5 cm. So Jetta's smoothness is even higher. The machine is not susceptible to buildup, most of the long waves of asphalt do not at all affect the position of the body in space. The VW suspension cannot be called soft, but pierces it infrequently. Only deep potholes with sharp edges shake the body and respond with blows in the suspension. In general, Jetta controllability, if different from Golf, is only nuances. The car is slightly softer, slightly solid, slightly less athletic. Here is a slightly different mood that perfectly corresponds to appearance. But only one who went to Golf can catch these differences.

Cons are also well known. In Drive mode, the box goes too quickly to increased gears and then, with sharp acceleration, selects the desired gear for too long. In addition, the VW gas pedal is pressed with a delay: while the signal from the electronic gas pedal reaches the engine, while he thinks DSG, while the turbine then jetta jumps with slipping forward. If you press the gas, then to the floor, having previously transferred the DSG selector to the Sport position. Then the sedan pleases with both juicy traction and timely switching. The middle of Jetta does not tolerate. She is like a clerk, who lived a boring, measured office life, but once a year at a corporate party she breaks off in full.

The ergonomics are the same claims as the Golf: the step of the temperature control and the direct groove of the DSG is too frequent. But we also note know-how. So, the central armrest between the front seats is not regulated either in height or in length, located far, and its shape is such that the hand slides. And xenon, as in a real American, is not available even for surcharge. Another incomprehensible feature system of non -clock access. Firstly, the key remains the same as on all Jetta, large and with a stinging sting. Secondly, the place for the engine start button seemed to be looking at the last moment. Its location in a row of plugs in front of the DSG lever seems a little strange and not quite logical.

And the interior of the VW has nothing more. Soft plastic even at the level of knees, interior illumination after refusing the blue tint pleases with optimal brightness and color, the seats are almost perfect. Almost only because the back is adjusted, and comfort will not be 100, but only 99.9 percent. The adjustments ranges are huge, the buttons are located optimally, the multimedia system is logically arranged, the devices are easily read. Interestingly, the jetta instrument panel is not like Golf. The tachometer and speedometer are devoid of deep wells and share the total area. Multimedia, on the one hand, pleased with the excellent work of the navigation system, which knows not only all the main highways of the country up to Central Siberia, but also in detail aware of the roads, for example, Krasnodar. On the other hand, Jetta could not recognize my iPod Nano either through USB or AUX input. Disorder! But Nano is one of the most popular MP3 player models in the USA, in the main Jetta market.

Of course, nothing is free. And with the money that is worth the jetta with us (and this is not the most powerful engine), you can look already towards the sedans with the class above. However, I'm not sure that we compare Jetta C Passat or Mondeo for the same money, the sedan would look like a beating boy. But maybe in Russia, an American sedan with simple atmospheric motors, hard plastic, a slow can-walk and less price would still be more in Russia? There and Polo Sedan is yet inferior to its competitors from Hyundai and Renault, but something tells you that Jetta will have no problems with demand. A machine that can be confused with Passat and Audi cannot but be successful in Russia.


Day second: traffic jams
Fluence was the first Renault sedan for a long time, whose appearance does not cause rejection. Here is what the head of the brand in Russia Bruno Anselin says: we came up with a hatchback, so we always succeeded in cars with this body. All attempts to create a sedan on their basis led to the appearance of freaks. Therefore, we immediately developed Fluence as a separate model, and not just Megane with a trunk. And, as they say, the result is on the face. Especially in the Sportway version with a sports body kit and large beautiful wheels, which increases the price of the machine by 40,000 rubles.

Moscow, New Year's Eve and Snowfall. If these ingredients are mixed together, then the mixture will turn out to be explosive. It was in such conditions that I had to go home to Fluence. And, frankly, I was happy this perspective. As befits the Frenchman, the car takes its smoothness. Standed variator, soft suspension, comfortable soft seat, steering wheel, deprived of any feedback at low speeds, what else is needed in traffic jams? We need a driver, because in Renault, by the standards of the class, a very large supply of space for him, and even curtains are on the windows. The central tunnel of the French sedan is practically not visible, so you can comfortably sit down with the three. Fluence leads in acoustic comfort, because when you smoothly driving, the variator simply does not allow the engine to reach high speeds. But if you press the gas in a seriously, then the turnover depends on close to the maximum. This is cacophony, I'll tell you! It is good that Fluence does not provoke such accelerations.

And what about the turns? Jetta is far away, although the general principles of setting up the steering wheel are similar. Looking ahead, I note that only Chevrolet Cruze has a different amplifier algorithm. The steering wheel is empty in the near -Zone, but already with a rejection of 20 degrees, the force increases sharply. The difference is that Fluence has a greater difference in these efforts than Jetta, precisely due to an empty steering wheel. The silver sedan confidently goes in a straight line, only swaying on the waves, willingly dies into a turn, and first with a slight demolition, but then the rear suspension is included in the work, and the behavior of the car becomes neutral. And still I do not want to be active. Not in order to drive, this machine was created. You slip out from the soft seat, the car itself is swinging, the motor roars why all this? Where do we rush traffic jams in this city? It is much better to turn on Patricia Kaas with a worse Patrica from presented to me at one time at the presentation of the new Megane disc and roll home.

I want to talk about Fluence radio separately. On the one hand, it sounds very good for an inexpensive device. On the other hand, she is the main ergonomic puncture of the car. The radio is completely blocked by the gearbox lever, the volume button is located right at the hand of the driver, but, firstly, it is not available to the passenger, and secondly, the driver has a full buttons on the steering wheel! The location of the buttons is chaotic and does not lend itself to any logic. And I could not get used to the fact that the volume is adjusted not by a large round in the center, but by a small regulator in the corner, I could not. In general, Fluence has enough French things. Well, who came up with the idea of \u200b\u200bplacing a heating regulator from the end of these same seats? To see them, you need to open the door! Moreover, they do not have a fixed position, therefore it is impossible to choose the intensity of heating by touch. But the plastic is so soft that, closing your eyes and relying exclusively on tactile sensations, you can take Fluence for the car with a higher class.

In general, Renault is a very comfortable car, its creators deliberately paid a lot of attention to increasing comfort, and not honing controllability. The climate control has three automatic operating modes: Auto (automatic), Soft (soft and silent) and Fast (for quick ventilation of the salon after parking in the sun). The compartments for the trifle were set as much as 23 liters. And non-clock access is organized in Renault better than in other premium cars. And now it is not necessary to insert the card into the slot, as it was before: went to the car, pressed the button on the handle, sat down, pressed the Start button and rolled it! And due to the fact that the electronic key is made in the form of a card, it is convenient to wear a shirt in a pocket or in a purse. Fluence is perfect in the quality of a taxi, a flue park, for age-related customers or just for those who have grown Logan.

Day third: photo shoot
Constant thaws turned Moscow into the kingdom of dirt, water and gray snow, so it was normal to shoot cars only outside the city. We were sheltered by Dokino Park, under Serpukhov, so I had to make a small march on the roads of the Moscow region. My partner on the trip was Ford Focus 3. In the summer I really liked Focus, and the only, but the most weighty argument against the novelty was the lack of a machine with a 1.6 -liter engine. All the more interesting for me was a meeting with a two -liter machine. Maybe 150 liters. With. And the PowerShift robot will heal Ford from powerlessness?

Well, here, a completely different matter! Now I find out in a newcomer dashing cars of the first and second generations. Now the magnificent chassis has received a worthy accompanist! I wanted to light up the suburban tracks all the time. And not just rushing quickly, overtaking the neighbors in the stream, as on Hyundai Elantra, but to attack the turns, enjoying the juicy effort on the steering wheel, stinging the rear suspension, screwing the sedan into any turn, excellent tuning the brakes. Focus is not just good, it is magnificent. If earlier, Ford was inferior in something sweet couple of Golf/Jetta, then those times in the past. And in terms of smoothness, Focus is completely beaten by Jetta! Of course, this is not soaring over the expensive Fluence, but he does not allow breaks, like a German car. Flaws? The steering wheel could have been a little more hard. However, the current settings are better combined with a slightly calmer character of a new machine.

Thanks to the spotlight of the cabin with all the colors of the rainbow to choose from, you can choose the mood yourself. If you want to drive, choose red, you want to relax with a blue or green autobahn. By the way, about the autobahn. Focus cruise-control is active, so you can relax on the long journey and only hold the steering wheel. And do not be afraid that the sedan according to the old Fokusian habit suddenly jumps to the side on the rut of the third generation from this ailment.

As for ergonomics, here Ford was a slightly more advantageous position than during the first test I was already familiar with the work of its systems, the location of the buttons, these functions of activating, with the intricacies of its menu. If during the first meeting it seemed to me that the central console was overloaded with buttons, that not all buttons on the steering wheel are conveniently located, which in the nooks lumps of the menu, which two LCD displays have different ones, can be plucked, then there were no more problems when repeated. No. So, they will not be in daily use. Ford finally reached VW level and in terms of ergonomics. Of the obvious shortcomings, one can only note that the headrest and armrest too pressing on the back of the head, which, if it is put forward, threatens to overturn the drinks in the cup holders. By the way, the Ford multimedias system perfectly figured out my player, saw all the playlists and read all the Russian -speaking tags. The only puncture is the trunk. Small, inaccurately trimmed, with a lid, devoid of a handle. And this is a car claiming the title of People's!

But I remember something else. Focus has become the first car to be pleased to talk with! Our car was equipped with a voice control function that really worked. Moreover, the car only a couple of times could not make out my voice and the radio instead of a frequency of 91.2 was included in 91.0. And how convenient it is in the underground parking! When the windows and rear -view mirrors began to fog up rapidly, it was only worth pronouncing Climate, Defrosting on, and the car began to avoid. At the same time, the hands continued to twist the steering wheel and change the regimes of the CP. Voice control allows you to change the temperature, fan speed, turn on the heating of the glasses, choose radio frequencies, track or playlist. At the same time, if you do not choose any function, a polite lady will utter possible command options. Even if you do not know English, then the necessary words Focus will teach you to pronounce yourself. Then I found out that in recent years, such an option was available for the car of the past generation. Moreover, even those cars that did not initially have it were initially understood by this option. Moreover, both official dealers and in any garage, this process is so simple.

I think you already realized that I liked Ford. Only now the design of the sedan personally scares me away. In my opinion, feed with the front part is not combined. Hatchback, and even better the station wagon here is my choice.


Day fourth: Mkadburgring
I recently wrote about the new Hyundai Elantra, but then it was about a car with automatic transmission. Now, in my hands, there was a machine with mechanics and in a simpler configuration. Even the automatic Elantra seemed to be a very sports machine, so I expected a perky disposition and a funny nature from the sedan with the manual transmission, and I was not deceived in my expectations. Some thoughtfulness disappeared, and sometimes they began to slip the wheels even when switching from the second gear to the third! However, the matter is more likely in disgusting tires, and not in power. As for the box itself, then, frankly, it cannot be called exemplary. It seems that the lever is not long-term, and the transfers are turned on clearly, but there is some kind of toy in switching, as if you click a lever of an advanced steering wheel for computer games Logitech G25.

The lack of engine thrust is 1.6 liters only when trying to move too smoothly at small speeds. The machine begins to shake with the whole body as soon as the speed falls up to 1200. Therefore, it is better not to switch in the traffic jam to the second. In general, up to 4000 rpm. The engine is sleepy, but if you promote the motor, then I don’t want to stop just having time to put the programs so as not to fall out of the revolutions. The energy -intensive suspension also promotes fast driving. Turns can be safely attacking, without fear of shaking on bumps. On small irregularities. If there are potholes or bare joints of the overpass under the wheels, then Elantra begins to play Solaris. The sedan begins to swing and changes the trajectory. Moreover, sometimes the trajectory is distributed in width, and sometimes, on the contrary, is twisted. Unpleasant! It is good that the stabilization system is on guard, and if you reduce the speed to the prescribed rules, then the problems will disappear.

Nevertheless, it is not possible to go to Elantra calmly. It is painfully mischievous design, and this old -school motor, which has all my life at the top, and I feel this spent steering wheel, many Elantra owners will regularly exceed the speed and play checkers and most owners of these machines will be young. Moreover, in terms of practicality, Hyundai has problems: the trunk can only be opened from a keyen or from a salon, the roof presses the rear passengers on their heads, and the passengers themselves slide off a short seats. Mature clients and excessive noise will not like it. In general, many cars developed for the American market sin in poor sound insulation, but here it is still multiplied by noisy tires. This is not the first time that Hyundai-Kia cars are not the best winter tires from Korean manufacturers. As a result, the machines are skipped at starts, the wheels are blocked during braking, they make noise, and sometimes they begin to slide early.

You can still scold Elantra for the cutting of the eye of blue backlight, plastic of different textures on the front panel, unsuccessfully located a handbrake and a steering wheel regulated only in height. But an interesting story came out with the steering wheel. Despite the fact that it is regulated only in one plane, neither I nor Denis Halfin experienced any problems. Not every car with all the adjustments can sit with such comfort! Good car, it's a pity that dear.


Day Five: Jubilee
Chevrolet Cruze in this company is a little alien. The American machine is cheaper than the rest, it is easier to technically and is positioned as a more budget. Therefore, I was originally configured to the blue sedan condescendingly. Chevrolet is a bizarre mix of GM GM units. The platform here is the same as the Astra J, but the rear suspension simplified without Watt mechanism. The engines are even the good old Ecotec, which were still placed on Astra H. Here is the old 5-speed KP, the same fog lights and turning repeaters, like on an old Astra, but new steering wheel levers. In a word, Koreans, and the GM DAT division was responsible for the development of Cruze, they tried to make a car cheaper, but if possible no worse than competitors.

And they succeeded! Cruze does not really require any condescension. He has a stylish exterior and interior design, a spacious interior, a large trunk, an almost perfect ergonomics, and handling and dynamics at a rather decent level. Of course, the Chevrolet sediment manners lack VW and Ford, the car is not as solid as Renault, and not as sports as Hyundai, but it is by no means wretched. Moreover, progress in comparison with Astra H, not to mention Lacetti, is obvious. In terms of controllability, Chevrolet is emphasized: the car confidently keeps the road on a straight line, ignores the ruts, it is on the bend from behind the roll, and when the speed in the bend exceeds the front axis slides. All this is much more like the previous Astra than Lacetti! Only the settings of the steering amplifier are upset: not only is the steering wheel empty at zero, like other participants in the dough, so the force does not increase as the angle of rotation of the wheels increases. Therefore, I do not want to rush. Yes, it will not work out especially, even if you want!

On the test Cruze was my old familiar Z18XER engine. At one time, he received the letter R after modernization in 2006, when the capacity increased from 125 to 140 liters. With. Only now it became available almost at the very cut -off, so you will never see most of these horses. Our car was also released in Korea, so its engine meets Euro 5, which, as you know, did not add dynamism to the machine. The character of the motor has really changed: there was a kind of picking up at 3500 rpm to ride it became more interesting!

The main disadvantages of Cruze, in addition to not the best motor in the world, are too long moves of the KP lever and an unsuccessfully located air conditioner temperature controller. Tall and large people like Anton Borisenko and Halfin managed to unscrew the temperature at least, after which a real cold occurred in the cabin. It is interesting that I did not have such problems, although I am only 7 cm below Anton (186 versus 193).

And a pleasant feature of our Cruze was a special execution of the anniversary series. Such a Chevrolet differs from the usual other bumpers, a spoiler on the trunk lid, chrome -tumor chrome -tumor, thresholds, special blue and blue tissue inserts on seats and the front panel. The price of such cars: 688 200 rubles per sedan with a 1.6 liter engine and 722,400 rubles. per 1.8 l. Hurry, the number of cars is limited!


SUMMARY

Evaluation will help to arrange cars on the rank. They are subjective and authorized only within the framework of this particular comparative test. 10 points for the quality of the Jetta interior do not at all put it with Maybach, just against the background of the rest of the golf class this is the standard. So, VW won the points that he was not a surprise. The car is more close to the ideal. But what about Focus, which I praised so? Look at the points, Focus lost VW mainly because of the small and sloppily trimmed trunk!

Renault breathes in the back of Focus and only loses VW! And all because the French bet on comfort in which Fluence has no equal in this test. The final triumph was prevented by ergonomic punctures and lack of dynamics.

Hyundai is the second from the end, and I did not expect this. Elantra loses due to the inconvenience of the rear passengers, less high-quality materials of the interior and low acoustic comfort. But at the same time, the Korean is such that he wants to forgive many shortcomings. What is the reason? In design? Mischievous morals? Most likely yes, although this is unusual to talk about the Korean machine. Chevrolet took the last place, but it is not as much as worse. An honest car for your money.


 

Source: Cars