Lynne Kramer

2016 Chevrolet Cruze

••3.0

Posted On: May 9, 2024

2016 Silver Chevy Cruze Limited

Pros
Gas mileage, Comfy seats

Cons
A little small inside, Needs bigger drink holders

The vehicle gets very good gas mileage, even you use the air conditioner. You don't need to run the air conditioner on high to keep the car cool when it is hot outside. The tires are very good for the weather and the highway driving here in Arizona. Being a smaller sedan, you can steer and squeeze in and out of tight spaces quick. Radio has good sound. Bluetooth connection to my phone is so easy ... Read more

2016 Chevrolet Cruze Review

Pros

Amazing fuel economy
Good amount of space
Lots of convenience features

Cons

No choice of powerful engines
Cruise control not available in lower trims

The Chevrolet Cruze is available in four trim levels – L, LS, 1LT, and Premier. It is powered by a 1.4 L four-cylinder turbocharged engine that produces 153 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque.

Overview

The Chevrolet Cruze has undergone a ground-up redesign for the 2016 model year. The car looks rather handsome and quite futuristic inside out. It starts at an MSRP of $16,620 and goes all the way up until $23,120. The Chevrolet Cruze is available in four trim levels – L, LS, 1LT, and Premier. It is powered by a 1.4 L four-cylinder turbocharged engine that produces 153 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque.

Pricing and Features
8.0/10

The 2016 Chevrolet Cruze is offered in four trim levels – L, LS, 1LT, and Premier. All of the trims come with a 1.4 L turbocharged engine, which is mated either to a six-speed automatic or six-speed manual transmission. The car has a front-wheel-drive platform as standard.

Trims	L	LS	LT	Premier
MSRP	$16,620	$18,120	$19,820	$23,120
Key Features	15-inch steel wheels	Adds/ upgrades to L	Adds/ upgrades to LS	Adds/ upgrades to 1LT
	Air-conditioning	Front center armrest	16-inch alloy wheels	17-inch wheels
	Height adjustable driver seat	Carpeted floor mats	LED running lights	Upgraded rear suspension
	Four speaker audio system with USB port	Optional automatic transmission	Heated side mirrors	Ambient interior lighting
	Tilt and telescopic steering wheel	Dealer installed optional extras	Cruise control	Heated steering wheel
	7-inch central touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto		Six speaker audio system with satellite radio	Leather upholstery and height-adjustable front passenger seat

We Recommend

We found that the LT trim was the best one available as it comes with features such as cruise control and a six-speaker audio system with satellite radio. The LT also makes the car eligible for the Convenience package, which adds keyless ignition and entry, heated front seats, eight-way power driver seat, and remote engine start. It is also the cheapest trim that is eligible for the RS appearance package and Driver Confidence package.

Engine and Performance
7.6/10

The 2016 Chevrolet Cruze is offered with only one engine. This engine is a 1.4 L turbocharged engine that produces 153 hp at 5,600 RPM and 177 pound-feet of torque at 2,000 RPM. The engine can be paired to either a six-speed automatic transmission or a six-speed manual transmission.

The car has a front-wheel-drive drivetrain just like its rivals the Hyundai Elantra and the Toyota Corolla. Luckily for the Cruze, none of these cars offer power plant options that are too exciting, to begin with. The sedan completes the quarter-mile in 16.3 seconds while taking 8.2 seconds to reach 60 mph from a standstill.

Model	Chevrolet Cruze	Hyundai Elantra	Toyota Corolla
MSRP	$16,620	$17,250	$17,300
Engine	1.4 L turbocharged in-line four	1.8 L naturally aspirated in-line four	1.8 L naturally aspirated in-line four
Drivetrain	FWD	FWD	FWD
Transmission	Six-speed manual transmission	Six-speed manual transmission	Six-speed manual transmission
Power	153 hp @5600 rpm	145 hp @ 6500 rpm	132 hp @ 6000 rpm
Torque	177 lb-ft @ 2000 rpm	130 lb-ft @ 4700 rpm	128 lb-ft @ 4400 rpm
0-60 (MPH) (seconds)	8.2	9.5	8.5
Quarter Mile (second)	16.3	17.1	16.6
Top Speed	125 mph	122 mph	122 mph

The Chevrolet Cruz has introduced something for the first time in the segment, and that is a turbocharged engine. For this very reason, power comes on very early in the Cruze as compared to the Elantra and the Corolla. The Elantra is the slowest of the bunch and has a lethargic 0-60 mph time of 9.5 seconds, which makes it a slouch. The Corolla, on the other hand, performs satisfactorily well despite being low on power output.

Fuel Economy
8.0/10

Fuel efficiency has traditionally been a strong point of cars in this segment, and the fight only seems to get more serious with age. The Cruze aims to disrupt the status quo and introduce the most fuel-efficient car in this segment with its brand new turbocharged engine. With a combined fuel efficiency of 34 MPG, it has actually succeeded in doing so.

Model	Chevrolet Cruze	Hyundai Elantra	Toyota Corolla
MPG (City)	30	27	28
MPG (Highway)	40	37	37
MPG (Combined)	34	31	31
Range (City/Highway)	411 /548 mi	345.6/473.6 mi	369.6/488.4 mi
Fuel Capacity	15.6 gallons	12.8 gallons	13.2 gallons

The category gets a new benchmark in the form of the new Chevy Cruze. The car that impressed us with the most amazing performance of the bunch has again done the same with its fuel efficiency. This is not to say that the rivals are any worse in terms of fuel efficiency. Both have a combined MPG of 31, which is excellent. The bigger fuel tank of the Cruze makes it stand way ahead of the rivals in the range section.

Interior
8.0/10

The interiors have come a long way from the already competent ones that we found in the previous generation Chevrolet Cruze. The material quality is significantly better, and the interior is now more stylish than ever.

There is a new two-tone layout for the dashboard and higher trims get an extremely plush leather seat. The sedan accommodates five passengers with ease, and the ride quality is also significantly better. The sedan comes with a cargo capacity of 14.8 cu-ft.

Model	Chevrolet Cruze	Hyundai Elantra	Toyota Corolla
Seating Capacity	5	5	5
Front Row (Head/Shoulders/Legs) (.in)	38.9/ 54.8/ 42	40/ 55.9/ 43.6	38.3/ 54.8/ 42.3
Second Row (Head/Shoulders/Legs) (.in)	37.3/ 53.7/ 36.1	37.1/ 54.8/ 33.1	37.1/ 54.8/ 41.4
Cargo Capacity (cu. ft)	14.8 cu.ft	14.8 cu.ft	13 cu.ft.

Looking at the amount of interior space offered by the Chevrolet Cruze and its rivals, we can understand that they are all pretty closely stacked up against each other. The Corolla offers the most amount of legroom, especially in the rear, while the Hyundai suffers in this department. The Cruze has no inherent weak points when it comes to the interior space. The main interior features of the 2016 Chevrolet Cruze include:

All-weather floor mats
Stainless steel door sill plates
4 one-touch powered Windows
Single zone front air-conditioning
Interior air filtration
Front door pockets

How intuitive is the infotainment system in the 2016 Chevrolet Cruze?

One of the biggest changes in the 2016 Cruze has been in terms of the infotainment system. All trims now come with the latest myLink infotainment system.

There is a centrally mounted 7-inch touchscreen and an optional 8-inch portion for the higher LT and Premier trims. The standout infotainment features of the 2016 Chevrolet Cruze include:

7.0” touchscreen display interface
Auxiliary audio input
USB with external media control
AM/FM stereo
Speed sensitive volume control
4 Speakers

Exterior
7.5/10

The exterior styling of the 2016 Chevrolet Cruze is incredible and ditches the conventional approach that was taken by its predecessor. It is now more adventurous and looks the part. It comes in a wide range of exciting exterior colors, and the design is consistent on the outside and inside of the car.

Model	Chevrolet Cruze	Hyundai Elantra	Toyota Corolla
Curb Weight (lbs)	2932 lbs	2773 lbs	2800 lbs
Length (.in)	183.7 inches	179.1 inches	182.6 inches
Width (.in)	70.5 inches	69.9 inches	69.9 inches
Height (.in)	57.4 inches	56.3 inches	57.3 inches
Wheelbase (.in)	106.3 inches	106.3 inches	106.3 inches
Ground Clearance (.in)	N/A	5.3 inches	5.5 inches

The Chevrolet Cruze, being traditionally American, is the heaviest car among its rivals but only by a small amount. It is also the biggest car in all dimensions except wheelbase. When it comes to wheelbase, all the sedans have the same measurement of 106.3 inches. All cars have about 5.5 inches of ground clearance and hence should not ever be a problem. The main exterior features of the 2016 Chevrolet Cruze include:

Painted body side moldings
Big chrome accent Grille
17-inch alloy wheels
Front fog lamp kit
Front license plate bracket

Safety
9.3/10

The Chevrolet Cruze has not yet been crash-tested by the NHTSA or the IIHS. However, when it does get subjected to the crash tests, we expect good ratings to come out of it. The car has amazing build quality and also has excellent safety features to back that up, and hence is a very safe car. Some salient safety features of the 2016 Chevrolet Cruze include:

Antilock disc brakes
Traction and stability control
Front and rear side airbags,
Curtain airbags and front knee airbags
OnStar automatic crash notification
Tire pressure monitoring system

Final Verdict

TheChevrolet Cruze has been a favorite among buyers looking for compact sedans. With the 2016 redesign, the car has not deviated from its path of being a popular choice. The sedan has everything you need: whether its impressive performance, frugal economy or premium interior. It is hard taking on a car like the Corolla but the Cruze does so and wins as well.

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2016 Silver Chevy Cruze Limited

ProsGas mileage, Comfy seats

Cons A little small inside, Needs bigger drink holders

2016 Chevrolet Cruze Review

Pros

Cons

Overview

Pricing and Features8.0/10

Engine and Performance7.6/10

Fuel Economy8.0/10

Interior8.0/10

How intuitive is the infotainment system in the 2016 Chevrolet Cruze?

Exterior7.5/10

Safety9.3/10

Final Verdict

Pros
Gas mileage, Comfy seats

Cons
A little small inside, Needs bigger drink holders

Pricing and Features
8.0/10

Engine and Performance
7.6/10

Fuel Economy
8.0/10

Interior
8.0/10

Exterior
7.5/10

Safety
9.3/10