Despite reports to the contrary, the team at Car & Driver are reporting Chevrolet has no plans to introduce a Cruze SS model. But that doesn’t mean a more powerful version isn’t in the cards.
Wait? So wouldn’t a more potent Cruze be a Cruze SS, you’re asking? Not exactly.
Rather than a sport-compact-style machine, designed to compete with cars like the Honda Civic Si or Mazda3, a more powerful Cruze would be targeted as more of an up-scale machine. It could, however, make use of either the 182-hp 2.4-liter 4-cylinder currently found in some GM models. Better yet, it could also get the 2.0T that makes anywhere from 220 to 260-hp.
How this would differ from the new Buick Verano is then hard to see.
As for a sport-compact machine designed to appeal to a young male audience, look toward the sub-compact Sonic to fulfill that niche for GM.
[Source: Car & Driver]
Read AutoGuide’s 2011 Chevy Cruze Review here