Holden details 2015 Cruze update

HOLDEN has given its Cruze small hatch, sedan and wagon range a new year cleanup with a restyled front-end and a dusting of new kit, but has dumped its most efficient 1.4-litre turbo-petrol and 2.0-litre diesel engines from the line-up.

Its new restyled nose will initially feature on both the locally built hatch and sedan models but Korean-sourced Sportwagons will get the fresh twin-grilled face with LED daytime running lamps from March this year.

With the discontinuation of the 2.0-litre diesel and 1.4-litre petrol, the Cruze range is now comprised of either normally aspirated 1.8-litre four-cylinder and a 1.6-litre turbo with the same number of cylinders.

Holden says the move to cull the most frugal pair of engines from the line-up is in response to demand, with a majority of customers either opting for the most powerful 1.6-litre or the cheapest 1.8-litre.

The shake-up could also form a preparatory strategy to remove the more expensive engined variants, making room for the arrival of the Astra GTC and VXR hot hatch in June this year.

All Equipe, CD and CDX variants will now be powered by the 104kW/175Nm 1.8-litre EcoTec engine, while more sporty SRi and SRi-V versions have the 132kW/230Nm 1.6-litre iTi turbo unit.

Entry level Equipe and sportier SRi variants get a new 17-inch wheel design and indicator repeaters in the door mirrors, as does the sporty flagship SRi-V with a revised 18-inch wheel style and the same integrated turn signals.

The range-topping SRi-V also gets rain-sensing wipers and the remote start function previously seen in the Commodore large sedan, allowing owners to fire up the air-conditioning or heating prior to entry on hot or cold days.

Suede seat inserts complete the upgrades for the SRi-V.

For the 2015 range, the Z-Series variant of the Cruze sedan has been dropped but the CDX makes a return to fill the gap, bringing voice-controlled cruise control with it.

The previous flagship SRi Z-Series variants have also been replaced with a return of the SRi-V offerings at the top of the sedan and hatch ranges.

Two new colours will accompany the facelifted Cruze with Jungle Green replacing Karma for the hatchback and Some Like It Hot will arrive in place of Fantale on all models.

Prices of all but Sportwagon and Equipe variants have all increased by a modest $250 with entry level sedan and hatch Equipe retaining their $19,890 before on-roads prices or $22,090 with an automatic transmission.

Top of the range SRi-V versions are affected by the increases, taking the sedan and hatch price up to $27,140 or $29,340 as an automatic.

No changes are made to the Sportwagon pricing which is now only available with a 1.8-litre normally aspirated petrol engine following the deletion of the diesel option.

The Cruze wagon starts with the CD at $24,090 or the more generously equipped CDX at $26,840. Both have an automatic transmission as standard with no manual option.

Holden Cruze pricing*

Sedan
Equipe 1.8	$19,890
Equipe 1.8 (a)	$22,090
SRi 1.6	$23,140
CDX 1.8 (a)	$24,840
SRi 1.6 (a)	$25,340
SRi-V 1.6	$27,140
SRi-V 1.6 (a)	$29,340
Hatch
Equipe 1.8	$19,890
Equipe 1.8 (a)	$22,090
SRi 1.6	$23,140
SRi 1.6 (a)	$25,340
SRi-V 1.6	$27,140
SRi-V 1.6 (a)	$29,340
Sportwagon
CD 1.8 (a)	$24,090
CDX 1.8 (a)	$26,840

*Excludes on-road costs.