Appearing soon after General Motors announced its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, the Cruze – which launched in Oz almost two years ago– aims to appeal to buyers that would normally not buy a Holden. Its key competitors in the Australian market are the Toyota Corolla, Mazda3 and the (European) Ford Focus.
With the recent launch of the Aussie-built Cruze Series II, we thought it was about time we tackled GM’s “game changing” small car. The 1.4 L turbo is said to be the cherry on top of the Cruze cake, and the perfect target for a review. The question is: can it live up to the hype? Read on…
Overview
The SRI-V is the kingpin of the Cruze Series II range. Fitted with the new-to-Oz turbocharged 1.4 iTi donk producing 103kW and 200Nm (138HP and 147.5 lb-ft), an improved chassis and a Watts link performance suspension, the SRI models set out to be the sports-flavoured icing on the Cruze cake.
The 17-inch five-spoke alloys, sports body kit and bootlid spoiler help establish the SRI and SRI-V as the Commodore SV6’s little brother. It also has a unique grille design to further differentiate it from the “beiger” members of the Cruze family.
With a recommended retail price of AU$27,990 (plus AU$2,000 for the 6spd auto), the Cruze SRI-V is positioned against the Toyota Corolla Ultima, Mazda3 Maxx Sport and Ford Focus Zetec. Even against this stiff competition, the Cruze is better equipped than all three and on par with the Corolla and Focus in terms of performance.
Inside Scoop
As is befitting the range-topper, the SRI-V is very well equipped with heated front seats, leather-galore, satellite navigation, reverse parking sensors and auto-headlights. The air conditioning is “semi-automatic” in what I assume is a concession to not having climate control. It’s all very easy to use and intuitive as you would expect.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the Holden iQ-esque information display and radio controls. Though I’d like to think that I’m pretty tech-savvy, the only features I found to be obvious were the volume and station selection knobs.
And although there’s a full-size spare in the boot (albeit as a cost-option) it doesn’t match the 17-inch alloys. Speaking of the boot, it’s very deep but the aperture is very small. Good luck getting a decent sized suitcase in there without scraping the lip. On the plus side, the seats are wide and supportive, and the steering wheel is comfortable to grip. It’s time to hit the streets and see how the Cruze performs....
On The Road
On the highway, the Holden Cruze is in its element. It’s a quiet, comfortable cruiser (or Cruze-r if you’re in the mood for puns) and is happy to strum along at 2,000 rpm. In suburban areas, the 6spd automatic gearbox begins to struggling, almost randomly shifting up and down on hills. Another disappointment is the steering, which manages to be both too light and too doughy and makes cornering above 40 km/h a bit touch-and-go.
On the plus side, there’s not much turbo lag and it only becomes apparent when you jam your foot down - which you’ll never need to do, as the 1.4 L turbo accelerates like a real champ.
A big person like me has to sit down low in the Cruze, and the narrow side-windows and steeply raked windscreen can be a bit claustrophobic at times. Still, it gives the Cruze an air of sportiness on the outside and inside makes you feel somewhat secure. My only other qualm was the auto headlights, which have a tendency to come on when the sun goes behind a cloud. Not intolerable, but not good either.
The Final Word
In summary, the Holden Cruze SRI-V is a good all-rounder and worthy contender for the small car crown. Though not as roomy as its competition, it more than makes up for this with pep, creature comforts and its easy-going attitude on the open road.
Tighter steering, a larger boot aperture and a less complicated radio / navigation setup would have made the Cruze all the more better; these are lessons its bigger brother (the Commodore) would be more than willing to teach.
With the 1.4 L turbo, Holden has given the small sedan a much needed boost of power that should make it appealing to many buyers. Its well-equipped, comfortable and a pleasant drive. Not exactly sporting, but more than capable.
By Tristan Hankins
*All photos copyright Tristan Hankins / Carscoop
Quick Specs
Model:
2011 Holden Cruze Series II SRI-V
Engine:
1.4 litre DOHC 16-valve 4-cylinder iTi turbo petrol
Power: 103kW @ 4900 rpm
Torque: 200 Nm 1850-4900 rpmFuel economy (ADR 81/01):
6.4 litres/100km (1.4L petrol manual)
6.9 litres/100km (1.4L petrol automatic)Emissions:
CO2 emission levels (1.4L petrol manual): 153g/km (4.5 GVG rating)
CO2 emission levels (1.4L petrol automatic): 164 g/km (4.0 GVG rating)
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14 Comments:
looks SO much better than the european/north american version. want.
GM should leave it this way, other than the righthand drive, and sell it in the States as a Holden. It is what it is. Just say no against rebranding!
"Just say no against rebranding!"
You don't get it, do you? 40 fucking years on from the first rebadged cars and you STILL can't get over it.
This isn't like the matrix where suddenly you've discovered that the whole global auto industry has been playing consumers for suckers.
Rebranding/rebadging is an INDUSTRY WIDE PRACTICE that is here to stay FOREVER.
Unless you're selling prodcuts in such a large enough volume and your brand is in position of desireablity, you're not going to survive selling one car at one price point, EVER.
Just say no against rebranding! It'll put a lot of useless people out of work. Maybe they can become realtors?
Stop rebranding lol, show its real badge DAEWOO
This actually looks good, problem with the Cruze is almost all the ones I have seen look so bland as they are basic models (no sport package, no bodykit, no sporty alloys etc). Make all of them look more like this and we have a winner along with the new Focus.
On par with Corolla for performance? Exsqueeze me?
Perhaps that should be revisited. This will tear the doors off a 1.8 Corolla. (says more about how slow the Toyota is than how fast the Cruze is).
@ beltedradial
You should change that to belted brain.
'Exsqueeze me?' - yeah you should be squeezed by the brain. Even if you re-badge a Korean car to a crappy GM brand its not going to make this car any better. Saying its on par with a Corolla is over the top and into the shit marketing itself.
Check out the 2011 Corrola safety ratings and then compare cars.
Corrola is better hands down, no comparison. People who buy Toyotas dont cross shop with any of the domestics even not ford, nevermind GM
Yeah, but they you are driving a Corrola, and they haven't had an ounce of cool since the AE86 hatch. Driving a Corrola says you've given up on driving enjoyment and life in general.... As for the "rebadging" whiners, it's only a bad thing when the same car is marketed under two or more brands sold in the same country (ie: Cavalier/Sunbird/Sunfire or any GM, Ford or Chrysler car in the '80s). The only time you're going to see a Holden Cruze in North America is if someone pony's up and ships the parts over here for their car.
I find it funny how Holden's cheaper, small sedan has a much better interior than their larger Commodore model.
Unlike the Cruze, you cannot even get a carpet boot-lid lining in even the most expensive Commodore!
Even this handsome facelift can't disguse the fact this car looks at least 6 years old -which in reality it's only 3.
Driving a Corrola says you've given up on driving enjoyment and life in general..
best/funniest post i've read on carscoop...EVER!
"Driving a Corolla says you've given up on driving enjoyment and life in general..
best/funniest post i've read on carscoop...EVER!"
- And what's the yummiest thing you had EVER!?
SHIT.
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