The Cruze represents a major leap forward compared with Chevrolet’s Lacetti saloon. Bold styling, a good spread of petrol and diesel engines as well as neat handling are all things the Lacetti saloon lacks – but that’s not the case with the Cruze. The diesel might be a little noisy, but at least there is one available (this was never offered on the Lacetti in the UK) with a choice of two power outputs.

The interior has been attractively styled, too and although the Cruze competes on price with the Kia Ceed, Hyundai i30 and Skoda Octavia, it is significantly larger, making customers feel like they’re getting more for their money.