| First Drive | Santander, Spain | Chevrolet Cruze |

Chevrolet promotes itself in the UK as a champion of value for money and with its new Cruze saloon it hopes to upset some of the established players in the small family car class. The Chevy is undermined in hatchback-obsessed Britain by coming only as a saloon for the foreseeable future, but it offers plenty of equipment at reasonable prices. Even so, Chevrolet reckons on only a 1,000 sales for its new saloon in 2009.

In the Metal

Gone are the rounded, roly-poly looks of some other Chevy models and in comes sharp creases. The Cruze is a good looking car and points the way for all future Chevrolet models that will come to Europe. It is only a four-door saloon, though, which is a drawback in the UK where most buyers prefer a five-door hatch. Chevrolet says a hatch is a possibility, but it will be a long way in the future.

The dash and interior are also a big step forward for Chevrolet and its main instrument binnacle has a 'floating' shroud over it. Additionally, the centre console has a clear-cut look that sits easily with the modern exterior lines. One downside is that the reach and rake adjustable steering wheel doesn't quite tilt up high enough for taller drivers, so the top of the dials can be cut from view. Still, there's plenty of space for the driver, front and rear passengers, and the boot is a decent size that can cope with a family's holiday luggage.

What you get for your Money

This is where Chevrolet hopes it will get the jump on most rivals. There are three trim levels: S, LS and LT. Most buyers are expected to skip the S (which still comes with electric front windows, six airbags and ESP) and head straight for the LS, which adds air conditioning, rear parking sensors and 16-inch alloy wheels, so it's fairly well kitted out for the cash. The LT ups the game with climate and cruise controls, electric rear windows, 17-inch alloy wheels and the option of an integrated satellite navigation system.

The LT only comes with the larger 1.8-litre petrol engine or the 148bhp 2.0-litre turbodiesel, while the S and LS come with the 1.6 petrol unit and will also be available with the 123bhp turbodiesel when it arrives on the scene after the Cruze goes on sale in July. All models come with a five-speed manual gearbox as standard and there will be the option of a six-speed automatic gearbox for the two petrol engines.

Driving it

With its crisp looks and Chevrolet's commitment to the World Touring Car Championship, we had dared to hope this would be the car to banish Chevy's dynamic blues. Sadly, this isn't the case and the Cruze is not the car that will take the driving fight to the best Europe and Japan have to offer. The steering is the best bit thanks to quick responses and a tight turning circle for town driving. It also points the Cruze into corners quickly and accurately, but the Chevy doesn't have the composure to compete with a Ford Focus or Honda Civic. The Cruze also leans more and relinquishes grip sooner than these rivals do.

Add bumps into the surface equation and the Cruze soon starts to look mediocre up against the best in this hard fought class. There's a firmness at lower speeds that we could live with if it was compensated by nimble handling or a supple motorway performance. Sadly, neither of these comes true for the Cruze, though its ride feels a good deal more composed at higher speeds than it does in the city.

Both of the petrol engines need to be wrung out to give anywhere near acceptable performance. Do so, however, and you put your ear drums at risk from the coarse din they make. Treated a little more gently, the petrol engines are still too noisy to be considered serious rivals to the class best. It's the same story with the turbodiesel engine we tried in 148bhp form. There's not the urge we'd expect from an engine of this size and power (it packs 236lb.ft of torque at 2,000rpm) and is also hamstrung by its poor refinement. At least the manual five-speed gearbox has an easy, accurate shift, which would steer us away from the sluggish automatic six-speeder.

Worth Noting

The two petrol engines can only muster 41.4mpg combined economy. The 148bhp diesel turns in 50.3mpg, which is reasonable but nothing to shout about. Carbon dioxide emissions for the petrol engines are an identical 159g/km for both the 1.6- and 1.8-litre versions, while the diesel manages a more impressive 149g/km. Chevrolet promises us that the less powerful diesel will be more frugal and cleaner and its price undercuts the more potent diesel by some margin. Even so, the petrol engines are cheaper still and look like being the models to opt for - in the UK at least.

The other two points worth noting about the Cruze are quality and used values. Sadly, it's not good news on either front. Every one of the launch cars we drove suffered from some sort of rattle, creak or squeak. This just isn't good enough when some of the cars the Cruze is pitted against are among the best made cars in the world, regardless of price. As for residual values, don't expect any Cruze to hang on to more than approximately a quarter of its list price after three years and 36,000-miles.

Summary

Chevrolet has undoubtedly made a huge effort with the Cruze and it has made a significant stride forward in design and style terms. Every car in the range is well equipped and competitively priced, while running costs should also be welcomingly low. However, the Cruze needs to be better built, better to drive and, ideally, a hatchback to make any real impact in the UK small family car market.