2003 Holden Cruze AWD review from Australia and New Zealand
"Great car for 2nd car use"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Clutch is quite fierce.
Paint fading on hatchback door.
No other issues.
General comments?
Car bought new in Sydney 2003 travelled over 45,000km up until 2005 then moved to New Zealand and car has now covered 64,000km.
Great car around town and up local hills despite small motor. Does about 6.8L per 100km around town.
Biggest irritation is clutch which is fierce and its easy to stall car. Has been adjusted twice but no better.
Hard to get into reverse - found clutch needs to be all the way to the floor to achieve, even then it needs to be let in and out sometimes to get into gear.
Love the 4WD up hills in New Zealand where it really shines, despite small motor.
Open road travelling. Happy to cruise at about 105 to 110km. (Sydney to Coffs Harbour or Wellington to Auckland. Short wheelbase makes car "feel" a little unstable at these speeds but its purely a mental thing as have never had any issues with losing control.
Has been exceptionally reliable. Only repairs in 64,000km and 5 years, have been rear brake bulb, tyres (2), windscreen wiper blades, and general servicing. Used daily, generally driven 50-60kms each day. 1 set of brake pads so far.
None of the other problems experienced by other reports such as brakes, gearbox, steering. etc.
Biggest gripe is Holden will not transfer warranty to N.Z. so we have been on our own since bringing it over in 2005.
Paint is generally very good except numberplate light surround and top of tailgate are fading (Colour Yellow) may have been repainted at factory.
Brake light: quite hard to replace bulb. Needed to put on car hoist to find and get at.
Luggage boot cover is a flimsy useless thing that has been discarded. Boot is small but with seats down flat there is plenty of room. Have picked up and transported large appliances such as TV and Oven in it easily.
Upholstery - no signs of wear or bits falling off. Lots of storage space. Seat covers fitted since new.
Highly recommend this as there is virtually nothing else in its class ie: small, compact 4wd shopping basket. Nothing like it being made any more. I would buy another if I could.
Also known as Suzuki Ignis and Chevrolet Cruise.
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| First year of ownership | 2003 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2008 |
| Engine and transmission | Manual |
| Performance marks | 6/10 |
| Reliability marks | 8/10 |
| Comfort marks | 5/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 0/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 200 kilometres |
| Date of Entry | 27th April, 2008 |