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Holden EOY Media Drive Event: Cruze Wagon

3K views 26 replies 17 participants last post by  SonicAerio 
#1 · (Edited)

Definitely a looker. Possibly the most cohesively-styled variant.

Holden Cruze Wagon
Mark Cadle
BBDOS cv8
10 December 2012

The least-standout car at the Holden End of Year Media Drive Event was unexpected: don't get me wrong, the Cruze Wagon is a fine piece of kit. It takes the hatch's space behind the back seats from 315 litres to 500 - only a dozen shy of larger wagons - and retains all the standard Cruze virtues: generous rear seat room, maximum safety rating, safe and solid handling, combined with one of the quietest and smoothest rides in the class. Plus, with park assist and lots of standard gear with the streaming/iPod version of Bluetooth with voice recognition, it's well-equipped in either version.



It's just that, the Barina CDX was suprisingly good and not just for Mylink, and the auto Barina Spark nearly stole the show (not quite, but it's competence and enjoyability was a very pleasant surprise to the general media contingent). So the wagon was least-discussed. Wagons aren't sexy (except to MikMak) even if practical so it tended to be ignored a little.

The wagon costs $2000 on top of the price of the auto hatch or sedan, and the only deficit I can think of is the lack of an SRi or -V version; largely due to Korean origin. If it is true that Bupyeong will not be making Cruze in future, it opens a whole new opportunity for Australia to supply export Cruzes of all variants to the Asia-Pacific region.


Wagon (above) and hatch (below) - wagon doesn't quite have as much room seats-up as hatch seats-down, just seems so. Low, wide, flat load area is welcome - and enormous for a small car.


It seems curious that the base CD comes with either the base 1.8 petrol or diesel and auto only, whereas the upspec CDX has only the 1.8 available, but that is apparently how they are ordered. There is no other reason not to offer the diesel and it may happen. It depends on volume. The CDX sedan originally didn't have oilers, either.


With the wagon, you can take passengers and gear

The newly-remapped trans does a good job of hiding the torque deficit of the 1.8 and it motors along acceptably if not with scintillating performance. The diesel, like in the hatch, is A Good Thing and the pick as a driver's vehicle. Even so, on the open road I found even with the 1.8 that on any flat the speed would creep up, so cruise control is handy to keep your licence! The aero must be good.



A lot depends on volumes; if it proves to be more than 10% of the total take, I would expect the wagon range to grow and production possibly to come onshore. There appears no penalty to owning it, as in theory it is heavier but you'd have to line up a sedan or hatch to notice a performance difference. To drive, it feels almost identical.

You get a sensation of a larger chasm behind your seat - but no more noise or boominess, even empty. Otherwise, the handling is equally balanced and the extra weight of the rear produces if anything a more even weight distribution. With extra people in the car it doesn't detriorate, either.

So it may not have been the talk of the town at the drive event, but I am sure many people will be a taking a close look at the various versions, and it will be interesting to see where the model mix goes from here.
 
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#3 ·
A Cruze wagon with the diesel engine in the US would be a very popular niche filler for Chevy.

Too bad that the popular wisdom is that Americans don't buy wagons.
 
#8 ·
GM - Ok, not in so many words but by their actions isn't this what we hear from the General?
Agreed! Truth be told, "Americans don't want CRAPPY coupes, hatches, wagons, diesels or vans." Unfortunately, that's exactly what GM gave us. When they did it right, they failed to keep it up to date and let it hang on far too long unchanged so that it became old, dated, and uncompetitive. Why is it that the Asians and Europeans can continue to sell in America minivans, midsize coupes, and diesel powered passenger vehicles? Because they do it right and continue to do it right. That's why you see Siennas, Odysseys, Routans, TDI Passats and Golfs, Accord coupes, Altima coupes, etc. Yet look at the last iterations of comparable models from GM and you'll see laughable attempts at competing in those segments. Get serious, GM!
 
#7 ·
What percentage of purchases in Australia are 5 doors, meaning hatches and wagons. I only ask because I want to know how is it possible to justify the cost of tooling and product development in their market and not at least bring it to our market?
 
#15 ·
Hatches are most of the market: proportions would probably be 50/40/10 hatch, sedan and wagon where such an option exists, give or take a few %. Corolla, Astra, Focus, Lancer, VW, Hyundai, Kia and otheres have all offered small wagons at one time or another or still do. Baby SUVs have somewhat taken that market, but there's still demand from more sensible people and a small wagon is usually less expensive to buy and run.

As far as the 1.8, a revised version is coming and it should bring the base models up to par with the opposition. Considering the base 3 still uses the old 2.0, all Corollas the ancient 1.8 combined with a crap CVT, Focus a scurvy 1.6 and VW the Polo's 1.2T the 1.8 doesn't looks so bad. It drives OK in the wagon and most owners would be happy with it. Especially with a $180 service cost.
 
#9 ·
It's a shame we are not offered the wagon variant in the States. This is a vehicle that I would actually BUY - not say I want offered in the US, but slap down my hard earned Dollars. The previous posts really hit it on the mark - Americans don't want bad wagons, but deliver something like the Cruze and GM could change some minds. Now a diesel wagon - why should VW have all the fun? Come on GM, carve out a niche!!
 
#27 ·
Actually - a little known secret its always been available for an extra $90 ;)

In the US you can switch the Bluetooth PDIM from the Camaro into the Cruze and stream Pandora - did it to my 2012 (Cruze forums rock) :D

Not sure if Aussies can do the same but might be worth a try!
 
#22 ·
When it comes down to it if I was going to buy a Cruze then I go for a diesel CD spend some money on a nice set of rims and whack decent stereo in it.
The leather seats are pissing me off in the Captiva so I can live without the leather the CDX has and a decent after market stereo will do the same if not better the system in the SRI-V..
I've got a TS Astra now and it's great for it's purpose driving to work and back, and the occassional trip to the shops but the 1.8 really is uninspiring but cheap to run I live 5km from work so I'm not in it all that long each trip.
i am however pimping the Astra as we are going to keep it for now as there's not really much wrong with it and besides that it goes around corners really good I think I've reset the top to bottom car park record more then once in it.
 
#24 ·
Ah go on, you know you want to.........

It is done very well.

I don't know if there'll ever be a manual wagon, but I am betting we'll see a CDX diesel and an SRi when production comes here - I'm betting it will, and definitely when the next Gen comes out.

You really gotta drive some of these newer autos, the diesel hatch I had was fantastic. I'd still take a manual if offerered, but I've gone from grudgingly accepting the auto to being very impressed in a number of vehicles across the size and engine capacity spectrum - and that's on everything from the Captiva, VE V6 and V8, Colorado, Cruze, Barina, Astra, Insignia. They are really gettting the mapping down - snappy changes, better economy, more driving fun and the automanual function is much, much better. It's just mostly, the trans now shifts so well (finally) you can't pick gears better.
 
#25 ·
I quite like the 6spd auto now, took me a bit to get use to in the Captiva has it's own little foibles but once to know them it's cool. The only thing i didnt like was it got a bit confused sometimes on the highway but I normally have it in sportshift now and it solves the issues. Just dont use eco on the highway makes it change gears more specially going up hills.
 
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