THE compact sedan class, the perennial battlefield for everybody, that's anybody in the automotive world, especially in the Philippine market. Long ruled by a few iconic players that have passed on the torch so rarely, this boat nonetheless gets rocked and steered in the right direction on occasion. As it will be in this new era of quality-, style- and performance-driven times, in no small part by the hearty, handsome and athletic new kid on the block, the 2010 Chevrolet Cruze. Available in L, LS and LT trim. The Cruze is poised and ready to fulfill a lot of discriminating individuals' automotive dreams.

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From its striking sheet metal down to its stocky rolling rubber, the Cruze's lines and curves make no excuse for what it is—a performance-oriented four-door thoroughbred. Its two-tiered, wire mesh grill belies its bigger SUV/truck brethren, while its angular headlamps and sharp contours reveal its sports car lineage, looking to all the world like a baby Pontiac G8 (the Cruze's steroidal sedan stable mate). With the rarity of such practicality of a four-door coming in such a stunning shape, you'd be hard-pressed to find as attractive a compact to ever hit Philippine automotive shores.

Inside, the Cruze's accents maintain synergy with its distinctly beautiful exterior. The driver can stare all day at the triple-arc, optitron instrument cluster and the 3-spoke wishbone steering wheel with audio controls. The rest of the cabin's occupants' view is highlighted by a subtle, aluminum-finish, sweeping bow dashboard which smoothly crosses over to flanking door panels, giving the impression of being encapsulated in one continuous piece of stylish metal. The dashboard even streams fluidly down to a horseshoe gear-column done in the same metallic finish.

Matching its muscular bearing is a standard 138-horsepower 1.8-liter inline-4 across the board, mated to either a 6-speed manual (for L and LS) or 6-speed automatic (for LS and LT) transmission. Rolling stock consists of 16-inch wheels and tires for the L and LS, while the LT gets 17-inchers all around. These attributes bring the manual transmission Cruze models to a realistic top speed rating of around 200kph while the automatic version drives up to around 190kph. Clearly, there's no need for Cruze buyers to compromise between performance and price range. Whatever the trim level, the Cruze is meant to cruise.

All that zest, of course, comes with unprecedented safety. Standard are 4-wheel disc brakes, anti-lock brake system (ABS) and electronic brake force distribution (EBD). Cruze LS and LT also come with standard electronic traction control (ETC), a first in the 1.8-liter class. A driver supplemental restraint system (SRS) airbag is standard on ALL trim levels, with dual airbags for the LS and LT and even side airbags on the sports-oriented LT. Seatbelt pretensioners and load limit sensors round out the safety bubble. Together with other structure-specific safety designs, this earned the Chevrolet Cruze a European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP, Europe's car safety performance assessment program) rating of 5-stars, the first time any car in the Cruze's segment was ever bestowed such a rating since the appraising organization's inception in 1997. In their safety assessment, the Chevrolet Cruze surpasses all Japanese and European cars in its class.

In the features department, the Chevrolet Cruze fairs just as well, loaded to the brim above the expected power amenities. In the audio/infotainment area all Cruze variants come with a CD/MP3 player (6-CD for LS and LT; single CD for L), steering wheel-mounted audio controls, 6-speakers, USB port and auxiliary input, graphic information display and multi-information display. Other niceties include a trunk lid with touch pad, rear fog lamps, automatic headlamps and rear park assist (ultrasonic) sensors. The LT model even comes with power-folding side view mirrors and rain-sensing wipers.

On top of everything that the Cruze is, it is a product of peerless build quality and exacting standards. It has existed for a long time in the engineering bowels and trial facilities of Chevrolet, tested for many years under various conditions to ensure that all kinks and jagged edges have been smoothed out when the Cruze enters the automotive fray.

Performance for the compact tuner, style for the young executive and quality for the practical homemaker, you can expect the 2010 Chevrolet Cruze to forever change the face of the compact sedan world.

For more information, visit Chevrolet Pampanga located along Jose Abad Santos Avenue, City of San Fernando, Pampanga with telephone number (045) 963-3333. (www.LausAutoGroup.com)