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The new Holden Cruze comes from South Korea and is no relation to the small Holden Cruze 4WD sold in Australia between 2002 and 2006. That first Cruze was Suzuki based, though it had a fair bit of Australian design input. The 2009 Cruze is a four-door sedan that's considerably larger than the somewhat toylike first Cruze. In the Holden lineup, the Cruze sits above light-car Barina and below medium-large Epica.
The new Cruze also has a fair bit of Australian expertise in the design of its body and mechanical components. Styling is a strong feature. It’s thoroughly modern in its shape with more than a hint of Holden Commodore around the front end. And there's certainly no harm in having a resemblance to its big brother, at car that's been the biggest seller in Australia for many years.
Though it's promoted as a small car, Holden Cruze is quite large. It is 4579 mm long with a 2685 mm wheelbase and offers good leg and shoulder room for two adult rear seat passengers. The boot offers 400 litres of storage space. However, some 75 mm is lost in depth by the use of a full-size spare tyre instead of the standard space-saver fitted in other markets. The boot hinges intrude into the cargo area to an awkward extent. The rear seats have a 60/40 split which greatly increase the size of the boot, the rear seats fold almost flat for added versatility.
Holden Cruze is powered by either a 1.8-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine, or a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged common-rail diesel. Both powerplants are also used in the Holden Epica and Captiva so are well known to Australians. Buyers have a choice of either engine being mated to a five-speed manual transmission or a six-speed automatic transmission, the latter with semi-manual overrides.
Our test car was the Cruze CD and was diesel powered with manual gearbox. This diesel produces 110 kW of power and 320 Nm of torque. Clever design means that 90 per cent of the torque is on offer between 1750 rpm and 3500 rpm. So, most drivers will have the benefit of maximum pulling power for most of their driving time. We found the turbo-diesel to be noisier than we like, even for its type. Turbo lag is a poor feature of the engine in the Cruze and it's necessary to think ahead, particularly if you're accelerating in traffic or to join a major road. Overtaking needs even more careful planning than is normal.
Fuel consumption will be in the six to seven litres per hundred kilometres range when cruising Cruze in the country and/or on motorways. This isn't likely to rise much above eight to nine litres in town driving. We really liked the quality of the Holden's fit and finish. We found the CD variant's cloth trim comfortable and easy to relax into. These are the pleasant type of front seats that you sit in, rather than sit on. What we did not like was the ache in the left ankle caused by the car having no footrest, a surprising omission in a car that's otherwise well endowed in the area of safety.
Other than that, comfort is generally good and noise, vibration and harshness are well suppressed. Rough roads do challenge the suspension at times, but for its class Cruze is acceptable in the way it rides. Not that we would like to spend extended periods in harsh outback conditions. Then again, that's where the Holden Commodore excels.
Handling is good for a car in this class, with responsive turn in and a reasonably neutral balance preceding safe understeer if you do get too enthusiastic. However, the Cruze we drove tended to wander slightly a lot of the time when it should have been cruising straight. This required constant small steering corrections. Safety is an important feature of this Holden, indeed of all Holdens as the Australian company has been running strongly in this area for many years. In the primary safety stakes, Cruze offers electronic stability control and ABS as standard. Secondary safety is enhanced by the fitment of six airbags and collapsible pedals. This budget priced Holden impresses by having a five star Australian NCAP rating.
Holden's entry in the small-medium car market is well priced, offers good interior space and is generally comfortably and quiet to ride in. It deserves to carve out a healthy niche for itself in its highly competitive market segment.
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE AND PRICING
CD 1.8-litre petrol four-door sedan: $20,990 (manual), $22,990 (automatic)
CDX 1.8-litre petrol four-door sedan: $24,490 (manual), $26,490 (automatic)
CD 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-door sedan: $23,990 (manual), $25,990 (automatic)
CDX 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-door sedan: $27,990 (manual), $29,990 (automatic)
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard in all models
Air Conditioning: Standard in all models
Automatic Transmission: $2000 option in all models
CD Player: Standard in all models
Central Locking: Standard in all models
Cruise Control: Standard in all models
Dual Front Airbags: Standard in all models
Front Side Airbags: Standard in all models
Stability Control: Standard in all models
Traction Control: Standard in all models
SPECIFICATIONS (Holden Cruze CDX 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-door sedan)
ENGINE:
Capacity: 1.991 litres
Configuration: Four cylinders in line
Head Design: SOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 17.5:1
Bore/Stroke: 83.0 x 92.0 mm
Maximum Power: 110 kW @ 4000 rpm
Maximum Torque: 320 Nm @ 2000 rpm
DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Front
Manual Transmission: Five-speed
Automatic Transmission: Six-speed
Final Drive Ratio: 3.251:1
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4597 mm
Wheelbase: 2685 mm
Width: 1788 mm
Height: 1477 mm
Turning Circle: 10.9 metres
Kerb Mass: 1380 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 60 litres
Towing Ability: 750 kg (1200 kg with braked trailer)
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: Independent, MacPherson struts
Rear Suspension: Compound crank axle
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Disc
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: NA
Standing 400 Metres: NA
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Type: Diesel
Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 5.7 L/100km
GREEN VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS:
Greenhouse Rating: 7.5/10
Air Pollution Rating: 5/10
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Three years/100,000km
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