DAVID CHAO & BOB MCHUGH

WITHOUT a doubt, the best compact car ever produced by Chevrolet is the Cruze, a worthy winner of the 2011 Canadian Car of the Year Award presented by the Automobile Journalist's Association of Canada (AJAC).

Already out and a hit in Europe and Asia, the Cruze is a global project that brought GM's design and engineering talent from Asia, Europe and North America together.

The result is a rigid-chassis vehicle with tight body panel tolerances and a roomy interior with quality touches you don't expect in a budgetconscious automobile.

Top-notch safety features include 10 standard airbags, instead of the usual six. And when it comes to technical refinement, the Cruze offers its new Ecotec 1.4-litre,

turbocharged four-cylinder engine. In addition to impressive performance, this engine can also deliver outstanding fuel economy.

I test drove both a Cruze Eco, with a sixspeed manual transmission, and a six-speed automatic Cruze TL. The $19,495 base price was the same for both vehicles and both came with the new Ecotec engine.

The entry level Cruze LS comes with an 1.8-litre engine that also provides good fuel economy. While it can match the Ecotec engine's maximum power output at high engine speeds, it doesn't possess the Ecotec's deliciously broad power band and high-torque characteristics at low engine speeds.

Clever active aerodynamic features allow the Cruze Eco to slip through air easier on its low rolling-resistance tires. Weight saving initiatives (right down to the size and location of body welds) trim 97 kilograms (214 pounds) from its total body mass. A taller sixth overdrive gear allows additional highway fuel savings, yet it's the Eco's city driving economy that is most impressive.

At the top of the trim range, the Cruze LTZ comes with 17-inch wheels, chrome door handles, four-wheel disc brakes and rear parking assist. It has leather upholstery on the inside, power adjustable heated seats, a Pioneer audio system, remote starting and available options include a full-feature navigation system with a 40-gigabyte hard drive.

The looks

The styling is decidedly conservative, but it's nicely proportioned and a handsome design that you tend to appreciate more over time. At the front, the Cruze sports the new split-grille corporate look that will also adorn the much-awaited Chevrolet Volt.

The Chevy Bow Tie logo is proudly and prominently displayed. Bigger than almost all its competitors, the Cruze measures 460 centimetres (181 inches) bumper-to-bumper and has an extra-long 268 cm (105.7 inch) wheelbase. This gives the car a planted "wheels pushed out at the corners" appearance with short body overhang.

Cruze has hidden sound-deadening features inside its body and its triple seal doors have fibreglass liners that allow them to close with an ear-pleasing thud. The Cruze Eco's aero tweaks include active grille shutters that close at higher speeds.

The inside

One of the roomiest cars in the compact class, Cruze offers decent space for four adults. The trunk is also almost the largest in this

class, just a little smaller than the new VW Jetta.

There's an amazing amount of fore-aft travel on the driver's seat and, combining that with generous headroom, this is a small car that big people should feel comfortable in. Adding to driver comfort, the steering wheel tilts and has a telescopic feature in all models, and it has a beefy, substantial feel when you grip it.

There's a handy covered bin centrally positioned in the top of the dash and the usual array of storage pockets. The front door pockets are actually bigger than they look, as they have a concealed section - a handy feature if you want to quickly hide stuff from prying eyes.

The trunk opening is large and the hinges park the lid up and out of the way when you open it. However, you do have to be careful how you pack the trunk as the arched hinges can crush items in their way when you close the lid. Like almost all in this class, the rear seatbacks can fold-down to expand truck space.

Safety

Cruze has more standard safety features than any vehicle in its class. It's an exceptionally good safety package that includes standard advanced electronic stability control and, as already mentioned, 10 airbags.

The extra passive protection comes in the form of knee airbags for the front passengers and side-impact airbags for the rear outboard passengers. The head curtain air bags in Cruze also provide rollover protection.

Cruze comes standard with the latest OnStar 9.0, which includes Automatic Crash Response plus a new enhancement, Injury Severity Prediction. Using data collected from built-in vehicle sensors, an OnStar advisor is alerted when a Cruze is involved in a moderate to severe frontal, rear or side impact, even when an air bag is not deployed.

The drive

Other reviews that I've read on the Cruze typically knock the horsepower output of the 1.4-litre turbo engine. But after spending time in both the Eco and LT trims with the little engine mated to both manual and automatic transmissions, I have a different opinion.

Loved the low-end torque qualities of this engine and it's more noticeable when linked to a manual transmission. It allows you to get into top (sixth) gear sooner and you can cruise along at 100/120 kilometres per hour with the lightest of touches on the gas pedal.

When you encounter small inclines there's no need to downshift, as the engine has diesel-like pulling power, from under 2,000 r.p.m.

It's a more relaxing drive, at typical highway legal speed limits, without the need to constantly downshift in order to make it over every bump in the road.

The Cruze's steering is power-assisted by electricity, the suspension ride is very good for a compact car and the cabin is impressively quiet. That said, the weighttrimming on the Eco version also makes the suspension noticeably noisier on rough road surfaces.

The score

Big on inner space and performance yet compact on the outside, the award winning Chevrolet Cruze is a great new addition to an ultra-competitive vehicle class.

The specs - 2011 Chevrolet Cruze Trim levels: LS, Eco, LT Turbo & LTZ Turbo Sticker price: $14,995 to $24,780 Power: 1.8-litre I4, 138 horsepower; 1.4-litre I4 Turbo, 138 h.p.

Transmission: six-speed manual/automatic Fuel consumption (Eco/ man): 7.8/5.4 litres/100 kilometres (city/highway) Fuel consumption (LT/ auto): 9.2/5.6 l/100 km (city/highway) Basic warranty: three years/60,000 km Powertrain warranty: five

years/160,000 km Rust warranty: six years/160,000 km

The competition Ford Focus: $15,999 to $25,099

Honda Civic: $14,990 to $25,880

Hyundai Elantra: $15,849 to $24,699

Mazda3: $16,295 to $25,425 Nissan Sentra: $15,398 to $23,398

Toyota Corolla: $14,835 to $23,480

Volkswagen Jetta: $15,875 to $28,055