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18/03/2011
REVIEW by EWAN KENNEDY
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Great news! Holden is building a small four-cylinder car in Australia for the first time in too many years. The latest Holden Cruze was previously imported from a Daewoo plant in South Korea, but is now being produced in Holden’s Adelaide factory.
This is far from being an assembly operation using imported parts. Many of the Holden Cruze components are made in Australia, including major body parts and plastics. Local content is approaching 50 per cent and Holden is working at ways of further increasing this.
Interestingly, the Cruze is built in the factory that once produced the Holden Monaro, though so many upgrades have been made it’s almost totally new inside.
As well as building the Cruze Series II in Australia, Holden has done a lot of design work on it. As Holden also carried out some of the design of the original the total of the local work is significant.
Holden invited engineers from overseas design teams of the same platform to this country so they could appreciate Australian drivers’ desires in suspension characteristics, as well as the harsh road conditions that apply in many country areas.
Body changes are relatively small, but are noticeable when you view the old and new Cruzes side by side. The front facia, which is dominated by a large Holden badge, and rear end have both been changed. Alterations to the rear aren’t just there to give the Cruze a new look, they also improve the flow of air off the back off the Cruze as part of the fuel reduction program.
Bold colours are part of the image of the new Cruze, with strong shades of red, green and blue drawing attention. There are also conservative shades on the colour chart.
At this stage only the four-door sedan variant of the Holden Cruze is being sold, a five-door hatchback is scheduled for later this year.
.jpg) Model choice are Cruze CD, Cruze CDX and a new sporty version tagged Holden Cruze SRi. The latter can be optioned up to a still higher level to Cruze SRi-V model that ties in with the Holden Commodore nomenclature.
The big news is the launch of an all-new 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine that we feel will be the most popular of all the powerplants. We say that after an extended test drive of all the engine options during the launch of the Cruze Series II that was organised by Holden out of Melbourne. It took us onto some of Australia’s best roads, encompassing the stunning Great Ocean Road and into the hills behind it.
The turbo-petrol is very European in its characteristics. Lively, responsive and more than willing to rev to the top end of the scale, it develops 103 kilowatts of power and 200 Newton metres of torque, the latter running all the way from 1850 rpm to 4900 rpm.
Fuel consumption of just 6.4 litres per hundred kilometres on the combined cycle is exceptionally low for a petrol car of this size and begs the question whether buyers will chose to buy a diesel engine that costs $2750 more.
The existing Holden Cruze 1.8-litre petrol engine has been significantly modified and a new design of 2.0-litre turbo-diesel has been introduced.
Steering is sharper than in the outgoing Holden Cruze thanks to the extensive rework of the system by Holden’s engineers. Interestingly, the 1.4 turbo-petrol engine comes as part of a package with a Watts-link rear suspension setup that offers even better control than the standard suspension.
Handling is precise, with good turn in and plenty of road grip and the ability to change direction without fuss if asked to do so part way through a corner. As is often the way in current model cars, the Holden Cruze has wide windscreen pillars that can create visibility problems.
Refinement in this small-medium Holden is very good, with a smooth, quiet ride on normal roads. Indeed, the sound and feel of the Cruze is like that of a small Commodore under these driving conditions. However, Cruze isn’t in the same class as the Commodore on rough surfaces, with a fair bit of tyre noise getting into the body and a deterioration in ride quality on corrugated dirt roads.
Holden has to be congratulated on the introduction of a four-cylinder model to its Australian-built lineup. As people become more aware of changes we seem to be making to the climate there’s likely to be a shift to smaller cars. Holden Cruze is sitting in the wings to take advantage of this.
When asked whether Cruze could one day outsell Holden Commodore, which has been the biggest selling car in Australia for the last 15 years, the company’s president Mike Devereux, said, “Whether people want to buy a Commodore or a Cruze that’s fine with us.” As the two cars are built on the same assembly line it’s obvious Holden is able to swing in either direction.
The complete Holden Cruze Series II range, with prices (excluding dealer and government charges) is:
CD 1.8-litre petrol: $20,990 (manual), $22,990 (automatic)
CD 1.4-litre iTi petrol: $22,240 (manual), $24,240 (automatic)
CD 2.0-litre diesel: $24,990 (manual), $26,990 (automatic)
CDX 1.8-litre petrol: $24,490 (manual), $26,490 (automatic)
CDX 2.0-litre diesel: $28,490 (manual), $30,490 (automatic) |
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