PROS
- Looks Great
- Fun to drive
- Very comfortable on long drives
CONS
- Scary reliability reports
- Bad resale value
- Holden doesn't exist anymore
About the Holden CRUZE
N J purchased this Holden CRUZE used for $24,000 (including all on-road costs) in 2015. N J would buy this car again because: “I would absolutely buy one again because I can’t find another car on the market that is such a good all-rounder car. Nothing else in the market in this size is available in manual, with a punchy turbo engine, great sound system, and a solid road feel.”
How reliable has your car been? Tell us about any issues.
Despite being a Cruze, I am yet to have one once of trouble with mine.
I am just about to hit 120,000km of mixed city and country driving and so far the Cruze hasn’t given me a hint of trouble. I would feel very comfortable driving around Australia in this car, I honestly believe it wouldn’t let me down!
What do you think of the ownership experience with your car?
The vehicle I had before my Cruze was a Japanese hatchback well know for its reliability. With that car, from day one it caused me nothing but issues.
It was brand new, and within six months of owning it I had multiple CVT transmissions replaced, exhausts, and a lot of other things that just shouldn’t go wrong with a brand new car. The issues I had with that car led me to just hate it.
I had a Cruze before it, and all I wanted to do is get rid of it for another Cruze. Eventually I traded the Japanese hatchback in for the Cruze, and it has been night and day in terms of reliability, customer service, and overall ownership.
Are you happy with the price and features of your car?
In 2014, I can’t think of another car in the class that matched the Cruze for features.
However in America, the Chevrolet Cruze was available with blind-spot warning, rear traffic alert, and remote start.
The Chevrolet also has the option for a sunroof, which would have been nice to have. In saying that for the price that these cars were selling for when new, one can’t complain about not having enough kit.
I have not ever gotten into my car and wished it had more features.
What do you think of the performance and economy of your car?
Being the SRi Z Series, my car has the 1.6 turbo engine producing 132kW of power. Mine is the six-speed manual and I find it to be the perfect amount of power for this car. I have had a few people in cars from XR6 Falcons, SV6 Commodores and even a Magna VR-X try and race me off the lights.
Not once have I lost. The Cruze has great gearing, it’s very zippy and gaps traffic quickly well before the guy in the SUV has. Fuel economy is pretty good. It’s not class leading, but I have managed to get from Brunswick VIC to Newtown NSW on one tank of BP 98.
I don’t find it thirsty at all, especially for the size and power of the car.
What do you think of the technology in your car?
Again for the age of the Cruze, one can’t really complain. Mine has built in navigation, proximity key, 7.0-inch Holden MYLINK screen.
There are third-party installers who have a system upgrade for the MYLINK giving it Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
This is something I will consider as the car gets older, and map updates get hard to get. Overall, again I feel like the Cruze has aged well in regards to technology.
What do you think of the ride comfort and handling of your car?
I am a big fan of how my Cruze drives. I did find it really bumpy when I first got it, but I quickly got used to the Australian tuned sport suspension that comes on the SRi models.
I find the car happily grips the road with ease, and I always feel very safe in my Cruze, no matter what road surface I am driving on. You can tell this car was an Australian-made car, made for our road conditions.
Do you have any additional comments about your car?
I truly love my Cruze. I can’t see me wanting a new car anytime in the future. I see myself running my Cruze into the ground, and replacing it because I have to, not because I want to.
Keyword: 2014 Holden CRUZE owner review