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It does not matter what you have thought of Holden’s before, the 2010 Holden Cruze CDX needs to be driven and looked at before anybody lets their prejudice and past experiences get in the way of facts. And you need to take this close look even before you look at the Holden prices.

New Holden Cruze

New Holden Cruze

The new intercooled turbo-diesel engine is a high-pressure common-rail design which allows multiple injection performance and maximum injection quality within the combustion chamber. The effect is three-fold. Firstly it reduces fuel consumption, secondly engine noise is also considerably reduced and lastly the exhaust is cleaner.

Another feature that improves fuel economy and reduces emissions is the two continuously adjustable camshafts designed to optimize the charge cycle which also delivers higher power and torque.

The Holden Cruze CDX comes either as a 1.8-litre DOHC four cylinder 16-valve ECOTEC petrol engine or as a more powerful 2.0-litre SOHC four cylinder 16 valvle common rail turbo-diesel. Both are fairly impressive when it comes to fuel economy and minimal exhaust emissions.

To give you the numbers, the manual 1.8-litre Cruze consumes only 7.01 litres for every 100 kms. Contrast this to other vehicles in the same class like the Mitsubishi 2.0-litre Lancer Sedan which takes in 7.61 litres for every 100kms and Toyota’s 1.8-litre Corolla Sedan which burns 7.41 litres to do 100kms.

The 2.0-litre Cruz diesel is even more economical requiring only 5.71 litres to cover 100kms.

Fuel economy does not mean that the 2010 Holden Cruze CDX is short of power. Nothing can be further from the truth. The petrol version gives 104kW at 6200rpm while the diesel version produces 110kW.

The consensus at New Car Shopper is that these features will make the already attractive Holden Cruze CDX price even more appealing.

 

A list of impressive features are all packaged in the five star safety rating for the Holden Cruz. Results from crash tests in Germany, Sweden and Korea confirm Holden’s long term commitment to safety.

Safety and safety related features that are standard across the Holden Cruz range include Traction Control, Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) as well as Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD).

The Holden Cruze stands out in the small car segment with its five star safety rating when you add features like front side and curtain airbags. Indeed the driver airbag (60-litres) can fully inflate in 60 milliseconds while the front passenger airbag can inflate to its capacity 130 litres in 70 milliseconds.

Side airbags are mounted on the driver and front passenger seats as well. Additional head and neck protection are taken care of by head curtain airbags mounted to the roofrails.

The unibody of the Holden Cruze is a high-strength steel structure with frame rails and safety cage in a single welded unit. This provides maximum protection for driver and passengers as BFI (body-frame-integral) or unibody structure and structural integrity is very important to a vehicle’s crashworthiness.

Additionally the pedals on the floor of the driver’s cabin have also been designed to collapse on impact which dramatically reduces the chances of lower limb injuries to the driver in the event of an accident.

Holden prices are expected to hold steady, and especially the Holden Cruz price, despite all the commitment and attention to detail the carmaker is giving to safety features.

 

It is easy to figure out why the 2009 Holden Astra is the most improved selling product line at General Motors. There are the high customer satisfaction ratings for starters. Looks are always important but for those who put them at the top of their lists, falling for the Holden Astra should not be too difficult.

It is without doubt a very attractive job with a dash of continental flair which is hardly surprising because most of it was actually built in Europe and has been sold there for a number of years as the Opel.

The main strength of the 2009 Holden Astra has to be in its’ suspension. It almost causes corners to disappear by neutralizing them and smoothing out emergency transitions.

Add to this the excellent braking with a linear feel and you have a car that is superior to many others in its’ class. Some of the Astra’s weaknesses include a fuel tank capacity that some consider to be too small  and not enough thrust at any speed.

This becomes even more evident when you get off the highway. The 2009 Holden Astra comes in 2 trim levels. The base XE is just for the five door enthusiasts. Other features include cruise control, CD player, trip computer, rain sensing wipers and a tilt/telescoping steering wheel.

The XR comes with alloy wheels, steering-wheel ancillary audio controls, air conditioning and lots of safety equipment.

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