2012 CHEVROLET Cruze Wagon 1.8L 6MT FWD (141 HP)

Vehicle Overview

Four years after the launch of the Cruze, the entire lineup received a well-deserved facelift, and the wagon version was added to the range.

When Chevrolet launched the Cruze in 2008, it didn’t consider making a station wagon version. But fast forward four years, and the carmaker understood that it had to do that from the beginning.

For the 2012 model year, the car sported several upgrades on the front fascia, which received minor changes for the grille and the headlights. In addition, the front bumper lost its horizontal intakes. Instead, it gained a pair of much more dynamic vertical ones, placed on the outer sides, flanking a split-opening on the apron. After selling more than 1.2-million vehicles on the European market, the carmaker thought it could boost its sales with the station wagon, but it made it look appealing. Its ascending beltline and the racked-forward D-pillars made the car looks more like an extended hatchback than a regular estate vehicle.

Inside, the wrapped around dashboard design surrounded the driver. Depending on the options, GM placed a new MyLink infotainment system on the center stack that included the navigation. At the same time, the less-equipped version featured just a CD stereo. A silver plastic trim covered the center console and encircled the air vents. In the back, the 60/40 split-folding bench increased the trunk from 500 liters (17.6 cu-ft) to 1,478 liters (52.2 cu-ft).

Under the hood, GM dropped a range of engines carried over from its European sibling, the Opel Astra. Thus, the base version featured a 124 hp 1.6-liter naturally aspirated, while the top of the range model received a 1.4-liter turbocharged powerplant. In addition, the carmaker offered two engine choices for diesel fans, with 130 hp and 163 hp, respectively.