When the Chevrolet Cruze was introduced in 2009 it was available only as a saloon, and Chevrolet's UK people were the first to admit that this wasn't an ideal situation. Saloons simply aren't as popular as hatchbacks in this country (though that's very much not the case elsewhere), so the introduction of a five-door body style was keenly anticipated.It arrived last year, and one of the first things to point out is that its load capacity with the rear seats in place isn't as good as that of the saloon - a not uncommon occurrence, and certainly not unique to Chevrolet. Still, at 413 litres it's much better than either of the sector leaders can manage. The Vauxhall Astra is quite far behind at 351 litres, the Ford Focus further still at 316.The Cruze's load sill is quite high, though, and it can't match the more popular cars for luggage volume with the rear seats folded down. Then again, you'd need to be in a fairly extreme situation to require more than the Cruze's 883 litres in this configuration.Now that it's part of the range, the hatchback accounts for the great majority of Cruzes, being available with a much wider range of engines and trim levels than the saloon. Ironically, the 161bhp two-litre turbo diesel engine and LTZ specification of the test car happen to be common to both body styles, but if you want a petrol engine and would like to save money by having less in the way of standard equipment, the hatchback is your only option.The diesel is quite a sturdy performer, and although it sounds a bit rumbly from cold and when the car is stationary it's reasonably quiet on the move. Our car had a six-speed automatic gearbox rather than the standard manual, and although this adds £1000 to the price, slows the car down and makes it less economical and more expensive to tax, it's not otherwise objectionable.The changes from one gear to another are smooth enough, and if anything the official fuel economy penalty seems to be pessimistic. According to the EU test the combined figure is 44.8mpg (some way short of the manual's 50.4mpg) but I had no difficulty improving on that in a week's motoring.Although the Cruze hasn't been around for long, even in its original body style, it already feels quite old, and its more recently-introduced Korean-built stablemates the Aveo and Captiva give the impression of having been designed at least a decade later.Against this is the fact that, among C-segment automatic diesels of similar power, it's remarkably cheap. Its nearest equivalent in the Focus range, for example, costs £4000 more.Of course, you get what you pay for, and the Cruze has none of the premium feel of a Focus. It's also less of a driver's car. The suspension is soft and not particularly well-damped, and for a while I was alarmed by the amount of unconstrained body movement, though you can get round that to a large extent by driving it with a very soft touch. A more muscular driving style does not, to put it mildly, show the Cruze at its best. Engine 1998cc, 4 cylinders Power 161bhp Transmission 6-speed automatic Fuel/CO2 44.8mpg / 167g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 9.8 seconds Top speed 129mph Price £18,795 Details correct at publication date
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