April 26, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR] Featuring 360 degrees of advanced protection technology, driving seems to feel safer with the new 2017 Chevrolet Cruze.

GM Korea first unveiled the newest model of its Chevy Cruze last month, with safety at the vehicle’s forefront of appeal and attraction for the everyday driver. Whether it’s navigating through congested downtown streets or heading out on the open road, the new 2017 Chevy Cruze four-door sedan boasts some of today’s most advanced safety features.

The company held a media event Wednesday morning, allowing reporters to test drive its newest product. 

In a city populated with some 10.3 million people living in the so-called land of “ppali ppali” culture (meaning “hurry up!” in Korean), just the idea of navigating through this concrete jungle can be daunting for some drivers.

However, with the new vamped-up safety features of the 2017 Chevy Cruze, dealing with traffic and the all too ubiquitous red light gunners can become a little less nerve-wracking, the company highlighted.

The Cruze is offered with all-around accident protection systems including: land keep assist, rear vision camera, rear park assist, rear cross traffic alert, slide blind zone alert and forward collision alert.

The forward collision alert uses a camera to scan traffic for slowing or halted vehicles and will beep to alert drivers of possible danger. The car’s lane keep assist and side blind zone alert also advising drivers when not to switch lanes or to be alert of objects of other vehicles that are considered dangerously close.

But while there’s no question Chevy has stepped up its game in terms of making the Cruze intelligently safe, it‘s difficult to ignore a glaring flaw with the car’s built-in navigation system, which had more than its fair share of hiccups and odd route selections during the test drive.

While the navigation system is not directly linked to a vehicle’s safety ratings, faulty GPS instructions do tend to leave drivers less alert of their surroundings and more frustrated while trying to get back on the right path.

Needless to say, driving around Seoul in the Cruze inevitably means one’s music will often be interrupted by the sounds of these safety warning beeps. This can be seen as either a pro or a con, depending on the driver’s point of view. But ultimately it can be safe to assume life ranks higher on the importance scale than jamming out to the new “Fifty Shades Darker” soundtrack interruption-free.

On the downside, Cruze offers customers only a single engine, a 153-horsepower, 4-liter turbocharged four 4-cylinder, limiting its capabilities in the performance sector. The car has a kilometers per liter rating of 12.1 in city and 15.5 on the highway.

The 2017 Chevrolet Cruze is available in five different trims -- LS, LT, LT Deluxe, LTZ and LTZ Deluxe -- and ranges in price from 18.9 million won ($16,500) to 24.78 million won.

Purchasers of the latest Cruze can select to stand out in Korea’s largely white, black and silver sea of cars as the new model is being offered in 10 color options including party red, dark scarlet red, burnt coconut, blue eyes and navy gray.

Rating (out of 5 stars):

Design: 3 stars
Safety: 5 stars
Gas Mileage: 3 stars
Price: 3 stars
Overall: 14/20

By Julie Jackson/The Korea Herald (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)