Tuesday, July 14, 2015

2016 #Cruze Vastly Improved Over Boxy Predecessor [Auto Styling News]

The 2016 Chevrolet Cruze has debuted and it looks like a vast improvement over the 2015 model, which had a rather dowdy, clunky and boxy in appearance. 


While it's perhaps unfair to accuse designers of lifting design cues from other models (NO! Of course they would NEVER do that!) it is easy to see echoes of the Cruze's competitors in this design, including the Toyota Corrolla and Honda Civic.

Other influences come to mind, such as the Fusion-style tail lights and trapezoidal grille, which is very attractive here, as they are on the Fusion. The headlamps are vastly improved over the rather boxy 2015 version's and the entire front end (which features the split Chevy-style grille work that is now typical of the brand) is smooth and attractive. The hood's curvature, which continues along the windshield, slightly mimics the Honda Civic, and is nice here, too.

One could also be reminded of the Chrysler 200 here, especially of the front lights and "pinched" front end, and yes, the 200 definitely IS in this car's class, despite the 200's silly pretension that it's a 'luxury car.'

If anyone knows what the Ford Fiesta looks like, echoes of that curvy vehicle can be seen in the almond-shaped rear quarter panel, along with some rather odd double bands that break up that curve, which I suppose keeps it from looking exactly like a Civic. 


The rear quarters also resemble the Civic's, though the tail lights (and the licence plate zone) are an imitation of the Ford Fusion's, which, again, isn't a bad thing. The angle of the rear window and other elements here look much the same as the 200, and the side panels remind one of the Civic.

 There's no question this is a better looking Cruze, and it's a serviceable and definitely contemporary design. But as this review should have hinted at by now, it looks an awful lot like several other cars, and it's unclear whether this derivative styling choice will help it rise to the level of the other designs, or simply fade into all the others in bland similarity.

Perhaps the 4G LTE Wi-Fi that's offered with this and other Chevy models will tease buyers back into the bow-tie brand. But that's sure a heavy weight to put on one unique feature, even if Millennials sure love their Wi-Fi.