This is the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze 1.6 LT I bought in 2012 to replace my 2004 Rover 45. It had done just 5000 miles when I got it, and was an 11 month old demonstrator. It had lost over a third of its value in the first year, and so was a classic case of wonderful car: terrible depreciation.
In black, it looked super, and was well specified with air conditioning, an AUX input for the stereo, cruise control, six airbags, ESP with EBD, ABS brakes, parking sensors and all kinds of other refinements. I missed the direct steering feel, the comfortable seats, the wood on the interior and adjustable lumbar support from the Rover 45 (and also the size, as the Cruze is a much bigger car), as it has electric power steering and no adjustable lumbar support, but in every other way it was better.
For some reason, General Motors, who own Chevrolet, took it up on themselves to remove the spare wheel, and so it only came with a tyre inflation kit. A space saver (not full size) spare wheel was £300, which I thought was ridiculous, and apparently it robs boot space too.
Apart from that, and slightly disappointing fuel economy (one of the reasons I eventually swapped her for a diesel version of the same car), she was better than the Rover in virtually every respect. The cruise control made her better on motorways, there was more rear legroom, a better stereo, a bigger boot and vastly superior switchgear and build quality.
Most of all, especially as she was so new, the reliability was vastly improved. I had virtually no problems with her at all, apart from the driveshaft oil seals failing (which is a common fault with all Cruzes, apparently, as my 2014 Turbo Diesel had the same problem) and it had a recall to have the brake hoses replaced. Apart from that (and some self inflicted damage I undertook in a car park in Hatfield in 2014), I would have kept her, but a friend of mine needed a car like mine, and so I sold her to him in 2015 eventually with just 37,000 miles on the clock.
I had paid around £9,000 for her originally, but I sold for for just over £4,000, which was a heinous loss. He also sold her for not much money when he got a company car, which is why these cars are absolute bargains these days!
The fuel economy and performance are merely average, and the steering is over-assisted, but for comfortable, well-equipped family transport that is reasonably stylish, a Chevy Cruze is pretty hard to beat... I hope to own another some day!
