Facelifted Chevy Cruze photos emerge

This is slighty unrelated to the article, but when I was hunting down a photo to use for this article, I came across a website that had a few design sketches for the Cruze: http://www.yosax.com/chevrolet-cruze-sketches

Try not to get angry when you see them.

I actually like those sketches... and prefer the taillight design of the sketch better than the Asian-automotive inspired rear end styling that the Cruze got. If there's one area of the Cruze I don't like, it's the rear end styling.

The foglamps actually remind me of something HSV would do.

I hope your optimism about the hatch is right.

I actually like those sketches... and prefer the taillight design of the sketch better than the Asian-automotive inspired rear end styling that the Cruze got. If there's one area of the Cruze I don't like, it's the rear end styling.

I think the sketches were great and got the rear end styling right.

The current production car, in comparison, looks like a commitee tried to tweak those sketches over coffee and ulitmately forgot about them.

The sketches are quite exaggerated compared to a production model and remind me a lot of Hyundai designs..

I got a Hot Wheels-feel when viewing them, but can see Hyundai too now that you mentioned it

Well, design work on the Cruze was well underway before Hyundai designers started work on the current Sonata.

I'll admit, though, if anything those sketches take a few cues from the original Mercedes CLS.

Those sketches don't bother me because they're way too exaggerated to be recognizable as something production-ready.

The new foglamp nacelles totally remind me of Corolla and Camry. They make me unhappy because of that.

I cannot wait to see the coupe.

The rear looks like an angry Transformer. If anything the rear in the drawing reeks of the new Regal which is not a bad thing but we already have one.

I tend to believe the rear of the Cruze will if anything go more the shape of the Volt to some degree. They have learned a few things to drop CD numbers with the Volt that expect to show up in other vehicles. Note how the quarters of the Volt are flat and come to a sharp edge on a somewhat flat tail. GM picked up 7 miles with them on the Volt in electric mode. I would expect there would be gains with gas MPG too. Toyota already has done something similar with the new Camry.

I just hope they keep up with the Cruze and keep it fresh every 2-3 years till it is due for a make over. I really was not impressed with the first preproduction I saw but I must admit it has really grown on me in styling. If anything the present rear is better than my Malibu. The present Bu is like they started at the front and ran out of money on the tail.

My wife just bought a Cruze on Monday. I like the front of it better than that updated version. I an VERY impressed with this car! Thats two Brand New GM Products in less than 2 months for us!

My wife just bought a Cruze on Monday. I like the front of it better than that updated version. I an VERY impressed with this car! Thats two Brand New GM Products in less than 2 months for us!

A lot of long time GM people who have not driven really don't understand how far this car has improved over the Cobalt.

I know the car deal as we did two in 3 weeks a little while ago. The Salesman put me on his Chistmas card list LOL!

The Cruze doesn't need a face lift. The front and flanks of the car are pretty enough. Class leading in asthetics from those angles actually.

The Cruze needs an ASS LIFT. The rear of the car is untidy and generic. A revision of the tail light cluster and adoption of cleaner, more tidy lines in the back will help.

The Cruze doesn't need a face lift. The front and flanks of the car are pretty enough. Class leading in asthetics from those angles actually.

The Cruze needs an ASS LIFT. The rear of the car is untidy and generic. A revision of the tail light cluster and adoption of cleaner, more tidy lines in the back will help.

This!!!

The Cruze doesn't need a face lift. The front and flanks of the car are pretty enough. Class leading in asthetics from those angles actually.

The Cruze needs an ASS LIFT. The rear of the car is untidy and generic. A revision of the tail light cluster and adoption of cleaner, more tidy lines in the back will help.

Maybe the MCE will adopt Malibu-style taillights..

The Cruze doesn't need a face lift. The front and flanks of the car are pretty enough. Class leading in asthetics from those angles actually.

The Cruze needs an ASS LIFT. The rear of the car is untidy and generic. A revision of the tail light cluster and adoption of cleaner, more tidy lines in the back will help.

This!!!

X2

I think these tallights help

http://www.aliexpress.com/product-fm-img/478594509-Chevy-Cruze-Mercedez-Benz-style-Type-LED-Tail-Light-Lamp-for-09-11-4P-set-wholesalers.html

I would not get too crazy yet. They showed the nose because they had a photo of it. That does not preclude that there will not be some change to the rear. Generally when GM does a clean up update they hit the nose and tail both. While they may not be major changes they often refine the look a bit.

The only thing we don't want is it to remain unchanged as the present Malibu has. The styling as not bad but it is getting stale with all the other new cars out.

The only thing we don't want is it to remain unchanged as the present Malibu has. The styling as not bad but it is getting stale with all the other new cars out.

Yes, 5 model years w/ no styling changes is a bit much (the only changes I can think of were the GM emblems and fender lights going away).

The only thing we don't want is it to remain unchanged as the present Malibu has. The styling as not bad but it is getting stale with all the other new cars out.

Yes, 5 model years w/ no styling changes is a bit much (the only changes I can think of were the GM emblems and fender lights going away).

Well considering the lack of money and so much to do it is understandable that there was little done. Just be glad they were stuck with this Bu vs the one before it.

If they had not had the money crash the 2013 would have been a 2010-2011.

Does the CRUZE get a 190-260 hp engine update? If not I don't want one.

Does the CRUZE get a 190-260 hp engine update? If not I don't want one.

I would expect a little upgrade in HP but not 260 HP unless they decide to do a performance coupe version. That would mean we would need a coupe first. I would not expect 260HP in the sedan. The sedan drives very well and gets good MPG which is what it's mission was. If you have not driven one yet you will be suprised that while it is not an all out performance car you are not beating the dash to get the car to go so you can merge with traffic. Even the Eco version is a good drive. The gearing may keep you in 4th more but with the 6sp man it is a nice drive.

Never say never since GM is speaking little about future plans but with sales as strong as they are I suspect they will not mess with it too much and try to remake this car into what it's not.

Will have to see if we get a Coupe or Hatch here. I suspect a coupe has a good shot but a hatch may have a more difficult time. I get the feeling GM is looking to do something like a Chevy Beat in place of a hatch.

I think you will be best to watch Buick. The new Verano with 220 HP will be a very good car and I expect Opel Astra GTC to arrive as a Buick and really become a hit. If they add more power a Verano coupe would ve prime for 270 HP shared with Opel.

We will just have to wait and see as they are giving few clues.

WOW, those aer some pretty interesting styling exercises. I see a happy face in the rear and a menacing face in the front. Leaves me with a shark like feeling, not bad but will wait to see the real thing.

What-no more photos?

I see a happy face in the rear

its ass is smiling?

Pictures of the wagon show the updated front-end. Sedan would look much better with the wagon's taillights, too.

The CRUZE is a SLUG at 138hp and 3100lbs.

Thanks for the info....

Chris Doane

January 29, 2013

I know I won’t get much, if any, sympathy when I say that, sometimes, there are letdowns when you review cars. Last week, the car I was evaluating was a $100,000, 400hp, German coupe. (Read my review of the 2012 BMW 650i xDrive coupe here) I’ve now stepped directly from that into a Kia Rio.

I’ll pause for your laughter.

For the price of the super coupe, you can buy 5.4 Kia Rios. You could keep that .4 for spare parts?

But don’t let price fool you. Oddly enough, there is something about the way the Kia drives that beats the German car hands down.

If you guessed power, speed or luxury, then you’re either not familiar with these cars, or you’re three martinis into “lunch” at the bar. What the much cheaper Kia does have over the German car is steering feel. The coupe from Deutschland has 262 more horse power, yards and yards of leather, but in the Kia, I actually have some sense of what the front wheels are doing via what I feel through the steering wheel. And I’ll take some feel over none any day.

If driving is something you enjoy, steering feel is pretty useful information to have when zipping through the corners. Even if driving is nothing more than a task for you, it’s pretty nice to know when the front wheels feel like they’re about to lose traction. While no one would ever mistake the Rio for a sporty, corner carving car, the Rio SX model has a sport-tuned suspension, 17-inch wheels, and light, responsive steering that, somehow, make this small, underpowered car a little bit fun to drive.

It’s a bit like a go-kart, only with airbags, a trunk and room for five passengers. Well, 4.5 anyway.

The main reason I say “a little bit fun to drive” is because of the 1.6L, 138hp four cylinder motor in the Rio. Those hot, 17-inch wheels on this Rio SX might make it look quick, but this hatchback ain’t going anywhere fast. While there is certainly power to be had from this little four-banger, you’ve got to rev the snot out of it to reach that power. Once the tachometer reads 4500-5000rpm, then you approach something that could be considered acceleration.

In regular, everyday driving, the lack of power isn’t really an issue. You’ll get through the city, and around the highways, just fine. But in some situations, like passing on even a modest incline, you might think twice. As I attempted to pass an older, slower Nissan on a slight uphill, the pass happened in such slow fashion that I would’ve had time to say hello to the driver, ask if he was hungry, make a sandwich, and pass it over. Wait, did he want Grey Poupon?

So we don’t have speed, but that should come as no surprise since this car is intended more for fuel efficiency. The Rio is rated for 28mpg city, 36mpg highway, and we observed a 31mpg average with sporty driving habits and more highway driving than city driving. There is also an “eco” button you can press that reigns in the engine, and transmission shift points, for increased fuel economy.

Even though the fuel economy is fairly good, the tank in the Rio is pretty tiny at 11.3 gallons. If you have a long commute, you’ll still be filling up a lot, but at least you’ll only be pumping in 11 gallons each time.

If you want to know when that tank is about to run dry, it’s not a good idea to rely on the digital, remaining range readout in the gauge cluster. One moment, the Rio SX told me I could drive another 31 miles before I was out of fuel. Less than 5 minutes of regular driving later, it told me I had no range remaining.

Inside the Rio, it’s about what you’d expect in a $18,545 car. A nicely designed, mostly hard plastic interior, but with soft touch material in the right spots and a backup camera. Wait, what? A backup camera in a $18,545 car? Touch-screen nav too? Don’t forget the power fold mirrors. Though, in a car this narrow, I’m not really sure why you’d ever need to fold in the mirrors.

Of those features, it’s the backup camera that is almost a necesity due to the massive blind spots the stylish C-pillars create. Without a rear-facing camera, backing out of a parking spot involves more prayer than driving skill.

Normally, in cars of this price range, the seats suffer when it comes to comfort. Somehow, the chairs in the Rio manage not to do that. They certainly aren’t heavily padded or bosltered seats, but after three hours of wheeling, I was perfectly comfortable, and ready for three more.

Frankly, the best part of the Rio is how fantastic it looks. If you venture back even a few years ago and look at the cars Kia was producing then, you’d never have guessed this company was capable of designing something this good looking.

Not only does the exterior design trump the Scion xB, Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris and Nissan Versa, but it certainly holds its’ own against the Chevy Sonic and Ford Fiesta as well.

2012 Kia Rio SX 5-door - $17,700

-Carpeted Floor Mats - $95

-Destination - $750

TOTAL - $18,545Thanks for the info....

Hope ya liked that Dave? If you didn't oh well ................... Just a reminder to GM. Oh and Chris Doane thought the 138hp 2675lb KIA was under powered.

Hope ya liked that Dave? If you didn't oh well ...................

Awww poor wittle babby got his feelers hurt.

Chris also just stepped out of a $100k BMW.

Meh on the BMW.

Hope ya liked that Dave? If you didn't oh well ...................

Awww poor wittle babby got his feelers hurt.

black knight............where did you come up with that thought? Are you a preteen or what? I don't get your juvenile remark

Hope ya liked that Dave? If you didn't oh well ...................

Awww poor wittle babby got his feelers hurt.

black knight............where did you come up with that thought? Are you a preteen or what? I don't get your juvenile remark

Ok, guess I am lost on the comments or it is an inside joke as this makes no sense to me.

So help me ....................... I don't get it.

Hope ya liked that Dave? If you didn't oh well ...................

Awww poor wittle babby got his feelers hurt.

black knight............where did you come up with that thought? Are you a preteen or what? I don't get your juvenile remark

There's a lot that you don't seem to get.

Either way, a Chevy Sonic will hand a Rio it's ass....

The Little RS should be a kicker...

Hope ya liked that Dave? If you didn't oh well ...................

Awww poor wittle babby got his feelers hurt.

black knight............where did you come up with that thought? Are you a preteen or what? I don't get your juvenile remark

Ok, guess I am lost on the comments or it is an inside joke as this makes no sense to me.

Me too....

I am not quite sure how a Kia Rio got photobombed into a thread about a future Cruze facelift. So help me..............I don't get it.

It would be fun to do a group comparison of Sub Compact and Compact Pocket rockets from America, Asia and Europe and see who wins.

It's a shame that GM still hasn't created a suitable replacement for the Saturn Ion. If only they'd just build a class-leading small car that's reliable, well-built, fuel efficient, roomy, and chock full of features and gadgets. I bet it'd become GM's best seller all over the world.

Oh wait...

Well, I hope they get rid of the wheezy and not particularly economical 1.4T. Just put an Atkinson cammed 2.5 DI four in that thing and they'll get better mileage and about 150 hp / 150 lb-ft. And, given the aluminum block (vs iron on the 1.4T) and the elimination of the turbo and IC subsystem, mass will be roughly equal. Dropping the turbo improves residual value and reduces long term maintenance and repair costs too.

It's time to wake up to the simple fact that displacement doesn't matter. Fuel consumption does.

Hope ya liked that Dave? If you didn't oh well ...................

Awww poor wittle babby got his feelers hurt.

black knight............where did you come up with that thought? Are you a preteen or what? I don't get your juvenile remark

There's a lot that you don't seem to get.

Well black knight ................... enlighten me. Come on speak up like a man if you have something to say. No need to add emoticons or act like a child ..... What is it you have to say?

Well, I hope they get rid of the wheezy and not particularly economical 1.4T. Just put an Atkinson cammed 2.5 DI four in that thing and they'll get better mileage and about 150 hp / 150 lb-ft. And, given the aluminum block (vs iron on the 1.4T) and the elimination of the turbo and IC subsystem, mass will be roughly equal. Dropping the turbo improves residual value and reduces long term maintenance and repair costs too.

It's time to wake up to the simple fact that displacement doesn't matter. Fuel consumption does.

Agreed.

Find it funny that a 3.5 powered Impy could pull mid 30s on the freeway......

Then they could slap a turbo on for the fun car....

Hope ya liked that Dave? If you didn't oh well ...................

Awww poor wittle babby got his feelers hurt.

black knight............where did you come up with that thought? Are you a preteen or what? I don't get your juvenile remark

There's a lot that you don't seem to get.

Well black knight ................... enlighten me. Come on speak up like a man if you have something to say. No need to add emoticons or act like a child ..... What is it you have to say?

Well, my my. Isn't that precious! Look who got out of bed and decided to be a big boy today! Did you graduate from Pull-Ups all on your own or did mommy help you?

Drop the psuedo-macho smart-ass attitude and quit making feeble attempts to troll threads first and then we'll really talk man to man. This thread was content being a year-old and virtually dead before you decided to step in with your absolutely brilliant "CRUZE IS A DERP DERP DERP" post. As a matter of fact, you've contributed very few relevant posts since you've been on here. It isn't a big deal if you bring a thread back from the grave, but at least add to the discussion (for once) and be constructive. On the whole, your posts look like the inflammatory ramblings of an infantile simpleton.

I think it's clear Rj wants a more powerful and fun GM compact to replace his lively 2.4L ION. I see nothing wrong with that, per se. If he has driven the 1.4t Cruze and is dissatisfied, that is his right to communicate his displeasure. And he doesn't come in that often. I'd like to hear more Solstice stories while he waits for GM to wake the Cruze from its slumber (as long as they don't involve a guard rail).

I myself feel that GM is repeating past mistakes with the Cruze, with no meaningful updates since launch, it is in danger of losing relevance in a very fast-moving compact market class.

People are still buying Civics and Corollas. There is no Cruze coupe (yes, it's one of my broken records), no style updates... no hatch or wagon to stand out in the market. The diesel variant is most welcome, but this car could, and should, be so much more... it could be a modern Chevelle, in a way, with a host of variants under the Cruze nameplate. Instead, here in America, all we get is a sedan. Blah.

black knight if you do or don't like what I have to say or when I say it thats fine with me..........I just don't understand why you act like a 13yr old puss.

both of you back to your corners.

RJ, if the Cruze doesn't have enough power to suit you, a Buick dealer would be more than happy to talk to you about a Turbo Verano.

both of you back to your corners.

RJ, if the Cruze doesn't have enough power to suit you, a Buick dealer would be more than happy to talk to you about a Turbo Verano.

I'm sure Buick dealers would be more than happy to anyone that stopped in to talk about a Turbo Verano, but it's not going to be me.

What don't you like about the Verano 2.0T, Rj? It's a pretty sweet (but expensive) machine.

What don't you like about the Verano 2.0T, Rj? It's a pretty sweet (but expensive) machine.

I'm not old enough to drive a Buick ...................

Who was it told me that you recently signed up for AARP? I'm trying to think...