Holden Cruze Hatch On Sale In Australia
2012 HOLDEN CRUZE HATCH
Holden's all-new 2012 Cruze Hatch has made its Australian sales debut, following its international unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show in March.
The introduction of the 'JH' Cruze Hatch this week follows a nea
2012 HOLDEN CRUZE HATCH
Holden's all-new 2012 Cruze Hatch has made its Australian sales debut, following its international unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show in March.
The introduction of the 'JH' Cruze Hatch this week follows a nearly four-year development program spearheaded by Holden's local designers and engineers. For our market, it will be built at Holden's Elizabeth plant in South Australia.
Pricing and trim levels for the Hatch were revealed in September and, apart from revisions to suit the different bodystyle, its specifications are a mirror of its sedan sibling.
The range will kick off with the CD 1.8 litre petrol manual variant at $21,240, topping out with the SRi-V manual at $28,490.
“With the hatch program we started with a very good base having worked on the platform since 2008 but with the introduction of a new body style we needed to reassess areas such as ride and handling, noise and vibration (NVH), and powertrain,” Holden’s Program Engineering Manager for the Cruze program, Peter Siablis said.
“Through extensive evaluation, we’ve engineered and implemented a number of changes to the suspension, NVH package and transmissions to further improve driving dynamics, refinement and fuel economy.”
Watch for TMR's upcoming road test review of the Cruze Hatch.
- Click here for Cruze Series II specification and trim details
- Click here for Cruze SRi and SRi-V details
- Click here for all Cruze news and reviews
Engines - Cruze Hatch
Petrol
The Hatch enters the line-up with the recently-revealed Series II upgrades, featuring the same styling and mechanical upgrades - including the new 103kW/200Nm 1.4 litre iTi turbo engine that powers the CD 1.4 and the top-shelf SRi and SRi-V models.
Paired with Holden's new six-speed manual transmission, the 1.4 litre engine returns fuel consumption figures of 6.6 l/100km. This is 0.2 l/100km greater than the sedan - a fact that Holden attributes to the extra 14kg in support components for the Hatch's tailgate.
Holden has also recalibrated the optional six-speed auto, promising a smoother shift in downshifts at lower speeds, and improved tip-in performance at higher speeds. The improvements, developed at Holden, will be utilised on global Cruze models.
Fuel consumption for the revised automatic transmission, when paired with the 1.4 iTi engine, is listed at 6.9 l/100km.
Holden says we can expect improvements to "real world" fuel economy for both transmissions with the 1.4 litre engine, thanks to the introduction of a new clutched AC compressor, reducing engine load when the air conditioning isn't in use.
The Cruze's updated 104kW/176Nm 1.8 litre ECOTEC petrol engine is also available with the Hatch range.
Matched with the five-speed manual transmission, the 1.8 petrol returns 7.0 l/100km, while the six-speed auto delivers fuel consumption figures of 7.4 litres per 100km.
Diesel
Representing the Diesel side of things is Holden's new 2.0 litre DOHC common-rail turbodiesel, delivering 120kW and 360Nm of torque (at 1750rpm).
Fuel consumption for the new engine improves slightly, with the new six-speed manual transmission seeing a return of 5.6 l/100km, while the optional six-speed auto remains unchanged at 6.7 l/100km.
Home-grown upgrades
Like the Sedan, the Cruze Hatch gets a front MacPherson strut suspension with a Compound Crank Axle for the 1.8 litre petrol and 2.0 litre diesel models, or the performance-oriented Watts Link rear suspension for the 1.4 litre iTi models.
Modifications have been made to the front suspension for improved steering response, handling and ride quality - changes that will be reflected in 2012 models of both the Hatch and Sedan.
On models using the Compound Crank Rear Axle, adjustments have been made to the rear bushes, while both the Watts Link and Compound Crank variants gain unique torsion beam angles for improved road feeling and handling.
Holden says it had "significant input" into developing a unique rear-end noise, vibration and harshness package for the Cruze hatch, featuring a number of damping patches applied to specific body panels. This too will be utilised across the sedan and hatch range globally.
Storage
The Cruze Hatch offers 413 litres in the rear storage space with the standard tyre inflation kit in place, expanding to 1254 litres with the 60/40 split-folding rear seats laid flat.
Buyers choosing the full-size spare - a no-cost option - rear seats-up cargo capacity is reduced to 325 litres, although a number of cubby spaces that "wrap around" the stored spare wheel provide a useful rear cargo space.
Pricing
The recommended retail price (excluding delivery and govt. charges) of the Cruze sedan and hatch range is as follows:
- Cruze CD 1.8 litre petrol man / auto - $21,240 / $23,240
- Cruze CD 1.4 litre iTi petrol man / auto - $22,490 / $24,490
- Cruze CD 2.0 litre diesel man / auto - $25,240 / $27,240
- Cruze CDX 1.8 litre petrol man / auto - $24,740 / $26,740
- Cruze CDX 2.0 litre diesel man / auto - $28,740 / $30,740
- Cruze SRi 1.4 litre iTi petrol man / auto - $24,990 / $26,990
- Cruze SRi V 1.4 litre iTi petrol man / auto - $28,490 / $30,490