[quailallstar]

New front fascias and some added tech are among the biggest updates.

Just like the Malibu, both the Cruze and Spark have gone under the knife for a refresh. The two cars have been restyled and revamped, both inside and out, for the 2019 model year, adding a few unique cues that should help them stand out from the previous model year.

On the Cruze, the most significant update comes in the front fascia. The grille has been completely restyled throughout the range, on both the sedan and hatchback, with added chrome accents and sharp new detailing around the fog light fixtures, as well as LED signature lighting. Out back, the taillights now come with LED accent lighting, which Chevy says further enhances the all-new look.

New wheels and black accent details around the window moldings and emblem can be found on the RS package. And for the first time, Chevy is offering its hatchback model in an LS trim; the five-door vehicle accounts for about 20 percent of all Cruze sales, says Chevy, so it makes sense to expand the range of offerings.

The cabin also gains a few significant updates, particularly a handful of new color options – including "Umber" – as well as a standard seven-inch touchscreen with Chevy’s new Infotainment 3. The updated tech adds features like better Bluetooth connectivity, faster processing, more apps, and better graphics overall.

As far as power is concerned, the same 1.4-liter four-cylinder gas engine carries over, producing 153 horsepower (114 kilowatts) and 177 pound-feet (239 Newton-meters) of torque, paired to either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission. Buyers interested in diesel can still opt for the powertrain, the same 1.6-liter engine carries over producing 137 hp (102 kW) and 240 lb-ft (325 Nm), paired to either a six-speed manual or a nine-speed automatic transmission.

PRESS RELEASE

2019 Chevrolet CruzeChevrolet today introduced the restyled 2019 Cruze with a more premium appearance that enhances its on-road presence and strengthens its value for customers. The updates for 2019 position Cruze to continue its success in the compact car segment.
“Cruze is a cornerstone of Chevrolet’s car strategy, bringing new customers to the brand,” said Steve Majoros, Chevrolet marketing director for Cars and Crossovers. “In fact, 53 percent of Cruze customers in 2017 were new to Chevrolet. Cruze has been so successful at attracting new buyers to Chevy because its lineup offers something for every customer, from body style to fuel choice to trim and design.”

Recent introductions of the Cruze Hatch and Diesel models helped push the car to a 0.6-percent retail market share gain in 2017 and helped Chevrolet secure its third consecutive year of higher overall retail market share.

The 2019 Cruze’s front fascia and grilles are all-new. Revised grille designs reinforce Cruze’s premium appearance. In the Premier trim, Chevrolet’s signature dual-element taillamps now feature LED accent lighting, which adds to Cruze’s sculptural beauty.
“Cruze’s refreshed styling gives Cruze a more upscale look while maintaining its Chevrolet design DNA,” said John Cafaro, executive director, Global Chevrolet Design.

What’s new for 2019
Chevrolet is the most awarded, fastest-growing brand for the last four years overall* and as part of that, the first-ever Cruze Hatch LS continues Chevrolet’s commitment and momentum in offering a broad car portfolio with choices for every budget and need.

Additional updates include:

• New Chevrolet Infotainment 3 running on a standard 7-inch diagonal color touchscreen radio
• Remote start and automatic climate control standard on LT and Premier models
• New wheel designs
• Black window moldings, bowtie emblems and 17-inch (and available 18-inch) machined wheels for Cruze’s RS package
• New available Umber interior color

The 2019 Cruze goes on sale later this year, offered in sedan and hatchback models, with 1.4L turbo and available 1.6L turbo-diesel engines. It also features 4G LTE connectivity and a built-in Wi-Fi hotspot (with limited service trial), and one of the segment’s biggest rosters of available active safety features, including:

• Lane Change Alert with Side Blind Zone Alert
• Rear Cross-Traffic Alert
• Rear Park Assist
• Following Distance Indicator
• Forward Collision Alert
• Front pedestrian braking
• Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning
• Low Speed Forward Automatic Braking

FAST FACT: In 2017 — its first full year of production — Cruze Hatch accounted for 20 percent of total Cruze retail sales.

2019 Cruze Sedan Premier: Static B-Roll: 2019 Cruze Sedan Premier: Static B-Roll

2019 Cruze Hatch RS: Static B-Roll:2019 Cruze Hatch RS: Static B-Roll

SOURCE 1:https://www.motor1.com/news/238364/chevrolet-cruze-spark-2019-update/

SOURCE 2: Chevrolet Pressroom - United States - Images

 

[quailallstar]

Can't say I'm a fan of the new nose with even more chrome. I do however love the hatch tail lights! Looking forward to seeing the LED treatment on those and what they look like. I see a tail light upgrade in my near future

 

[neile300c]

The refresh seems similar to the midcycle refresh of the 1st gen, add more chrome. I'm the same way, don't like the chrome on the grille. But, man, the RS grill looks better, I bet it would look great on a dark color. It looks like by adding auto climate control to the LT now, and adding the option of remote start and cruise to the LS, they are planning on making the LS the volume seller.

 

[jmlo96]

I'm interested to see what they do with the CVT. GM just announced the Malibus with the 1.5 turbo loose the 6 speed auto in favor of a CVT. If GM makes the 1.5 turbo and CVT standard in the Cruze I see that as a huge mistake.

I think the regular automatic is a selling point in the Cruze...

 

[MP81]

I'm hoping they do a blackout package with all the chrome. I do like the new front end, though.

The new MyLink 3 is very nice. I love my MyLink 2, and the new one is even better. Just as quick and fluid, but nicely updated and very easy to use.

 

[JohnARM]

I'm hoping they do a blackout package with all the chrome. The removal of the manual is pretty dissapointing - especially on the diesel.

The new MyLink 3 is very nice. I love my MyLink 2, and the new one is even better. Just as quick and fluid, but nicely updated and very easy to use.

Am I missing something? When I read the press release, it says "6 speed manual" for both gas and diesel.

 

[MP81]

Other "releases" I've seen all said there was no longer a manual...but reading GM's, I see there is...so I'm not sure what to believe. I was hoping they wouldn't ditch the manual, so maybe they aren't.

 

[JohnARM]

Other "releases" I've seen all said there was no longer a manual...but reading GM's, I see there is...so I'm not sure what to believe. I was hoping they wouldn't ditch the manual, so maybe they aren't.

Yea I understand. Weren't those based on speculation surrounding the VIN data?

 

[MP81]

Originally, yes, but these latest ones all were accompanied by the official pictures and what not.

 

[frankh]

No automatic braking for front crash avoidance? Larger cars like the Chrysler 300 offer this, I thought this would be an option on all vehicles by now.

 

[neile300c]

My wife's 15 Equinox has collision alert, and in the past 6 months 3 times it has warned us we were about to hit something, and there was nothing around us. It shut the cruise control off and kind of shocked us. I guess that's the point, but I wish it was more accurate. Hopefully the tech has gotten better over the past 3 years.

No automatic braking for front crash avoidance? Larger cars like the Chrysler 300 offer this, I thought this would be an option on all vehicles by now.

 

[jblackburn]

My wife's 15 Equinox has collision alert, and in the past 6 months 3 times it has warned us we were about to hit something, and there was nothing around us. It shut the cruise control off and kind of shocked us. I guess that's the point, but I wish it was more accurate. Hopefully the tech has gotten better over the past 3 years.

Mine false-alarms at nothing at least once every 2 weeks.

 

[wildabouthorses]

Anyone notice that the bowtie moved from upper grill to between the grills like the Malibu has it? It was one way I could tell right away the difference between the two! I don't like the larger lower corners black areas on this new cruze.

 

[IPhantom]

Don't like it at all. This huge gaping hole up in front with a huge mesh revealing the "pretty" internals WTF? Let's use the same old fog lights and make them fit into a new environment somehow, regardless how it looks.
The current bumpers picked up the body lines very well and it matched rather good. Now they ruin it with the new design while the rest of the body remains unchanged. Total disharmony.
Great now i am gonna be stuck with this ****, since they didn't release the RS package here yet. I hope the rear bumper remains unchanged at least.
Looking forward to the tail lights tough.

EDIT*
Just realized the tail lights are shown in the video. Don't like them either. Now they lost character without the two white squares. Looks like generic japanese/korean with a touch of Audi light bar pattern.
Thanks, Chevy... complete disappointment and failure.

 

[wildabouthorses]

https://youtu.be/PoBY_uTcNGs. Hatchback and sedan a good look see. The more I look at them, the more I dislike it, like my 2017 lt RS sedan way better!

 

[wildabouthorses]

http://autoweek.com/article/car-news/heres-your-2019-chevrolet-cruze-and-spark. "Chevy also cut half of the ways to build the Cruze, making the ordering and the building process both easier. "

 

[wildabouthorses]

http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/ne...-cruze-spark-design-refresh-article-1.3918833. "Unfortunately, some bad news is served alongside the upgrades to the 2019 Cruze - Chevrolet has confirmed that going forward, the compact vehicle will no longer be offered with a manual transmission, because according to the automaker, a measly 2% of Cruze buyers opted to row their own gears."

 

[wildabouthorses]

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/2...ud-based-infotainment-and-styling-tweaks-news
"Inside is Chevrolet’s new Infotainment 3 system, which is a reskinned version of Cadillac’s latest version of CUE. It’s controlled by a 7.0-inch touchscreen that also responds to swiping gestures and is standard across the line. Higher trims with navigation can store and load user profiles from the cloud, allowing transfer of a driver’s home screen, audio presets, saved destinations, and contacts into any compatible Chevy. Wireless software updates and live traffic are also included. Elsewhere, the interior design is carryover, save for a new brown leatherette on the Premier and additional black trim on all models.

Chevrolet also is a little more generous with equipment. The Premier now adds automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection to the suite of driver assists (most of which aren’t available on lesser models) and standard automatic climate control. Remote start is now standard on the LT, and a heated steering wheel is a new option.


The two engines and two automatic transmissions stay the same, but the six-speed manual is no longer (GM cited a take rate of just a couple percent). The turbocharged 1.4-liter inline-four with 153 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque pairs with a six-speed automatic, and Chevrolet is estimating its fuel economy as up to 40 mpg highway for the sedan, 38 mpg for the hatchback. The 137-hp 1.6-liter turbo-diesel with its sturdy 240 lb-ft is expected to offer even better fuel economy, at up to 47 mpg with the diesel-exclusive nine-speed automatic. That’s impressive, except the 2018 Cruze diesel sedan with the manual posted a 52-mpg highway rating.

Expect the first 2019 Cruze models on sale by the fall. In states like Michigan where front license plates aren’t required, they’ll look even better."

 

[wildabouthorses]

https://www.thecarconnection.com/overview/chevrolet_cruze_2019 (the 2017 hatchback was 5 inches shorter than the sedan, I could feel the difference in the driver's seat! The 2019 hatchback is 8 inches shorter!)

"The Cruze hatchback’s wheelbase stretches the same 106.3 inches as the sedan’s, but its truncated rear end shaves a hefty 8 inches off of its overall length. So much for hatchback utility."

" The sport-styled RS trim package available on higher Cruze trim levels now features black wheels and emblems."
( If you look in the video I shared above you can see the shortness around the gas tank door compared to the sedan it's very short there, so is the trunk smaller or inside for passengers?)

 

[jblackburn]

Chevrolet also is a little more generous with equipment. The Premier now adds automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection to the suite of driver assists (most of which aren’t available on lesser models) and standard automatic climate control. Remote start is now standard on the LT, and a heated steering wheel is a new option.

Finally!

I am kinda surprised the diesel manual was axed after only 1 year, but not that surprised about the 1.4T manual being axed - it wasn't good paired with the Gen 2 motor. The automatic keeps the engine much more in its powerband without enormous ratio changes between the gears. I would like to see the 9AT in the 1.4T Premier, though.