Feedback on Holden Cruze?

[Scott142]

Hey guys and girls, just wondering if anyone has had any experience with the Holden Cruze (newer shape, sedan or hatch). My girlfriend is looking at a 2009 cruze today while I'm a work, and would just like to know what they are like. I.e any problems or issues with the car. Apparently I've heard they have issues with air cond. condenser? That's about all I've heard.

She has previously been driving a 2004 Mazda 6, which was unfortunately written off a few weeks ago, no fault of hers. She was intending to purchase another of the same car but this Cruze has come up for the right money.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated

[Smoke Pursuit]

Will be pretty ordinary once its out of warranty. Being a 2009 it would have been built in Korea not Australia.

I find that they lack room inside, especially shoulder room and leg room. I think she would be better off sticking with Mazda.

[SLO247]

I had one for a few weeks, top spec petrol auto.

Very underpowered, hopeless auto and a little small inside.

Otherwise a nice drive, no idea on quality or reliability.

For the missus should do the job fine.

[Cheese3]

Pretty hard to beat a mazda 6, i would try and search for another just abit newer year.

[Yellow_Festiva]

I did a write up on one. Was prob an 09 model as well. Can't comment on reliability however. I know of a few members here that own them, I guess they will answer you in due time.

http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthr...22#post3256622

I thought I would add to this thread after driving a Cruze for a week as a hire car in Coolangatta, covering 1400km.

Oh... We did book an XR6, but alas, on arrival at the Avis counter there were none available as they were late being returned. It was either wait a day or 2, or take the Cruze now with a nice discount.

Cruze it was then. Had 34000km on the clock, CDX model, auto, petrol engine, leather.

Not a bad car actually. If I were in the market for a small / med car I would def look for the same one if it were around the 20 grand mark.

Good points:

* Size: 4.5ish metres long, wide enough for 3 adults across the back. Very decent rear leg room (round 25cm), very large boot. Took 2 large suit cases, 4 carry on cases, a laptop bag and a small backpack no problems.

* Engine: Used for efficiency really, not performance. 1.8l should really be a 2L of around the 110-115kw mark. Was able to EASILY maintain SUB 7L / 100km on E10 with a driving style that consisted of 30% suburban / 70% freeway. This was not going by the computer, rather filling up, driving and recording the distance then filling up again to measure actual usage. Having said that, I did drive it over cautiously and smoothly as I was driving around an elderly couple in the back, as well as it not being my car. Engine is 'adequate' for its purpose.

* Gearbox: 6sp box works well with the engine it's bolted to. Steps up the gears smoothly, but can be a bit too eager to drop down. At 60-70km/h engine was spinning at around 1250rpm, at 90 around 1500rpm and at 100 about 1750rpm.

* Interior: Lots of storage spaces, very comfortable seats, easy entrance and exit space. Dash looks modern, only the driver can see the speed / temp display as they are deeply recessed. Switches / buttons and dials were easy to work out after 5 minutes of fooling around and were well placed for most of the time. Adjustable headlight function as well.

* Panel fitment seemed pretty good, ride was smooth and comfortable.

* Cabin noise is minimal from road and wind, but when the gearbox drops a gear or 2 and the revs increase you can really hear the engine through the firewall.

Bad points:

* I disliked the 'auto on head lights' function and could not work out how to turn it off.

* Air vents had very little room for adjustment. Levers to adjust direction of flow only moved 10-15mm.

* Boot has old fashioned dogleg hinges that intrude into boot space.

* The front central 'armrest' is way too far back, it really cannot be used as one unless you are 6 foot plus and slide the drivers seat back a fair bit.

* The LED's used to tell you what dash functions are on cannot be read in direct sunlight. All the vents and heating direction controls as well as the heated seat temp control are push button with orange LED's that are useless in the day time.

* The central cup holders are way too low. Perhaps they should have been integrated into the top of the arm rest and the armrest bought forward the 10 inches they take up behind the gear selector.

* The display screen at the top of the dash is all show. Put there to look like it has sat nav. (It measures around 8x15cm) It only shows the time / date and outside temp and changes for a short time only when you turn things on like the AC or the radio (then reverts back to date and time). They could have done a whole lot more with it to be honest.

* The blinker and wiper stalks are very stiff and the blinking noise is way too loud!

* The electric mirrors control is directly under the door opening latch on the drivers side arm rest, say 15-20mm away. They should have moved it further forward where there was space as I could see drivers with larger hands fouling on the mirror control each time they open the door.

* A very annoying rattle from what I think was the boot hinge while on rough roads.

* The 'flip out' key had a lot of movement / wear already.

So there you have it. Would hire the same car if the same situation arose to be honest.

Cheers,

Jason

[ohzone]

Aussie built cruise has very soft steel prone to dings and dents but the Korean is even worse. I also see a lot of Cruzes and Captivas on the hoists with auto gearbox problems, manual clutch problems and engine oil leaks

[Hulsty]

Originally Posted by SLO247

I had one for a few weeks, top spec petrol auto.

Very underpowered, hopeless auto and a little small inside.

Otherwise a nice drive, no idea on quality or reliability.

For the missus should do the job fine.

I'm surprised the people I have spoken to say the turbo donk drives along nicely, much better than the 1.8L N/A

[johnydep]

Originally Posted by Scott142

Hey guys and girls, just wondering if anyone has had any experience with the Holden Cruze (newer shape, sedan or hatch). My girlfriend is looking at a 2009 cruze today while I'm a work, and would just like to know what they are like. I.e any problems or issues with the car. Apparently I've heard they have issues with air cond. condenser? That's about all I've heard.

She has previously been driving a 2004 Mazda 6, which was unfortunately written off a few weeks ago, no fault of hers. She was intending to purchase another of the same car but this Cruze has come up for the right money.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated

My mate bought one of the first; black, he de-badged it, dark tint and huge wheels with low profiles. Looked amazing, very European. Biggest let down - under powered.

I'd stay clear of the early models, and as someone suggested, go for an Aussie build.

Below is a couple of links with info. My wife and I took a couple for a drive at Christmas time; the 2L petrol is fine in the city, gets up to highway speeds ok but you have to rev it's tits off in hilly regions.
The turbo petrol is my choice, it's no race car but it has the power required to make it a nice cruiser. My wife didn't like the surge of the turbo kicking it, I did.

http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11354263

http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11370526

[Cam]

As above, the petrol one I drove was stupidly underpowered. I also found the auto to have a mind of its owns. Downshifts upon deceleration were ridiculously harsh, sometimes dropping the car back to 3000ish-rpm whilst rolling to a stop.. Car had 15k at the time and had just been serviced. According to the owner it was always like that..

Interior is a fantastic place to be, seats are SO comfy, and I really liked the entire layout..

But the lack of power and the 'box was enough to put me off...

[crymoarpls]

i have driven a turbo diesel version in auto. it goes fine for a 4 cylinder. comfortable with plenty of features. interior is fine for my needs. people say they're under powered. i disagree. they have enough power for the chassis and what the car is designed for. it ain't no sports car or grand tourer. it is just a car. that's my 2c.

[SLO247]

One I drove was not turbo, and was definitely very underpowered. Hills, freeway onramps and overtaking were all a struggle, auto trans didn't help as it was too slow to react and never knew which gear it wanted. My daily car is an AU XR6 VCT, not exactly a performance car but it felt like a fire breathing monster when I got back in it. I suffered average economy probably due to having to wring its next to get up to speed!

I had no other complaints, I could see a turbo model being a nice drive with the extra power.

[290v]

Cruise :we have had issues with Coils on the 1.4Lt turbo between 40,000 to 60,000Kms on the clock we had a Diesal one 7,000 Kms engine rebuild cam and cam bearings worn out in the 1.4Lt very under powered going over a bridge (railway) while on cruise control engine has to kick back to 2 or 3 just to get over the bridge and back to the dealer for engine lights coming on

[blk6t]

My wife wanted a Cruze, she loved the look. The after a test drive she said is was too gutless.

She went with the Mazda 3 instead, SP25, which is in my opinion a much better car.

Not too sure on the new models, apparently the turbo version is pretty good.

[Scott142]

Thanks heaps for the info guys! She took it for a drive today and apparently much preferred the Mazda 6 over the Cruze.. I'm assuming the fact that it lacks power probably was part of the reason.

By the sound of it, the Cruze is 'just a car'. So in glad she preferred the Mazda.

Cheers for the help!

[mash again]

never understood why people buy a new crap car (IMHO)when for the same money you can have a low kms good car. But hey as long as your missus is happy, its all good for a quiet life.................until it breaks but any car could do that!

[Uncle_Ken]

Mazda over the cruze everytime

UK

Or you could suggest an nice auto AU Good cars Ford so I been told

[johnydep]

Originally Posted by 290v

Cruise :we have had issues with Coils on the 1.4Lt turbo between 40,000 to 60,000Kms on the clock we had a Diesal one 7,000 Kms engine rebuild cam and cam bearings worn out in the 1.4Lt very under powered going over a bridge (railway) while on cruise control engine has to kick back to 2 or 3 just to get over the bridge and back to the dealer for engine lights coming on

That should all be covered under warranty; do you work for a Holden dealership?

Or are you saying that you've owned a petrol and diesel model?

[burnz]

cant coment on the petrol versions, but the diesel a cracker.
80,000 k's not a problem, never had an issue.
ave fuel 5.8/100
city 7.9/100
hwy 4.7/100

long legged auto, 1200 rpm @ 110 kph, pulls the hills with ease.
paint doesent chip, fade. body solid doesent dent easy..
gearbox doesent get confused contrary to popular beleif's, no oil leaks.

the only issue is with the crome peeling on the inside door handle.

[SpoolMan]

My review from a 24 hours hire, I found it comparable 2002 model Hyundai.
Under powered and the automatic trans is underwhelming and I didn't like the seats.
LW 2012 2.0 Focus drive one you will buy it..

[GreenR]

Originally Posted by Uncle_Ken

Mazda over the cruze everytime

My sister went the other way. Had a Mazda 3 for a short time then swapped it for a Cruze.

[Fiesta_Man69]

Buying a Cruze demonstrates you are a sheep and know nothing about cars. The Cruze is a true A to B whitegood appliance. A Corolla is better. Which, in 2012, is saying something.

[The Snout]

Screw the cruze. This is a Ford Forum. Go the Focus for the win.

Not much help to you, but had to be said.

[JC]

Or the VW Polo TSI.........

Forget the cruze - it may be Australian made, but it's heritage is Daewoo, and there's a reason Hyundai is fast becoming the largest car manufacturer and not Daewoo (who went broke and were bought out by GM).

[BleedBlue]

There is alot of small cars on the market that are better to drive and better value than the Cruze.

I get rental cars each Friday for work, they vary from Commodores, cruzes, Falcons and Lancers. My summary - The holdens are unpredictable i.e. they dont accelerate or handle as you would expect and the Cruze is surprisingly thirsty for a small car (The Falcon is simply brilliant). However if you want a great small car go the Lancer, these cars blow me away with how they drive. I have also heard from others at work that have had a Hyundai i35/45 rental that these are simply sensational, definately worth a drive.

[Fiesta_Man69]

Would take the brand new i30 anyday: had sensational write ups comparing it to Golf quality with brilliant handling and equipment. The cruze is just a warmed over Daewoo.

[Brazen]

Cruze 1.4T is better than the Mazda 3, the Mazda 3 is better than the Cruze 1.8. Corolla is the worst of the lot.

[johnydep]

Originally Posted by Brazen

Cruze 1.4T is better than the Mazda 3, the Mazda 3 is better than the Cruze 1.8. Corolla is the worst of the lot.

And, at least the Cruze is built in Australia.

My mate works at Holden's and he is part of a team that travels around the world, helping improve/set up GM factories. They work on vehicle designs and quality control, and was part of the design improvements on the Korean built Cruze and Captiva.

The Cruze is not that bad a car, if it had a few more creature comforts my wife would probably be driving one instead of the Honda. The biggest like - very quiet inside.

I know it's hard on here because of the Ford vs Holden rivalry, but you've got to give credit where it's due; Holden build a large and small car in Australia.

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by BleedBlue

There is alot of small cars on the market that are better to drive and better value than the Cruze.

I get rental cars each Friday for work, they vary from Commodores, cruzes, Falcons and Lancers. My summary - The holdens are unpredictable i.e. they dont accelerate or handle as you would expect and the Cruze is surprisingly thirsty for a small car (The Falcon is simply brilliant). However if you want a great small car go the Lancer, these cars blow me away with how they drive. I have also heard from others at work that have had a Hyundai i35/45 rental that these are simply sensational, definately worth a drive.

+1 on the Lancer's. Very underrated car and pretty good build quality.

[music189]

Originally Posted by blueoval

+1 on the Lancer's. Very underrated car and pretty good build quality.

yeah plus a 5 year warranty and 10 year warranty on drivetrain for the original owner

[stevz]

Originally Posted by Brazen

Cruze 1.4T is better than the Mazda 3, the Mazda 3 is better than the Cruze 1.8. Corolla is the worst of the lot.

Spot on.