Cruze Sportwagon priced from $25,790

GM Holden has announced a $25,790 starting price for the Cruze Sportwagon, which will arrive in local showrooms in coming weeks.

Fully imported from Korea, the first Cruze wagon arrives with the same 1.8-litre petrol and 2.0-litre diesel engines – and the same CD and CDX equipment grades - as the Australian-made Cruze hatch and sedan.

However, while the six-speed automatic-only Sportwagon costs just $2000 more than the equivalent Cruze hatch and sedan, it will not be available with the existing Cruze’s 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine or in SRi or SRi-V grades.

The third Cuze body derivative joins a sparse segment in Australia, where the only other small wagons are the Hyundai i30cw, Volkswagen Golf Wagon and sister brand Opel’s Atra Sports Tourer.

Although it is almost $15,000 cheaper than its large homegrown wagon namesake (the Commodore Sportwagon, priced from $39,990), the load-lugging Cruze undercuts all of its rival except the i30cw, which costs as little at $22,090 (2.0 SX), but increases to $27,590 for the more comparable 2.0 SLX auto.

Compared to the entry-level Cruze Sportwagon CD 1.8 petrol auto ($25,790), the base Astra Sports Tourer 1.4 auto ($27,990) and Golf Wagon 1.4 90TSI manual ($26,990) and 1.4 118TSI auto ($33,990) are all more expensive.

Similarly, at $29,040 ($2000 more than it hatch/sedan equivalent), the top-shelf Cruze Sportwagon CDX 1.8 petrol auto is cheaper than the Astra Sports Tourer 1.6 Select auto ($32,990), but not Hyundai’s similarly-named i30cw flagship, the 2.0 Sportwagon auto ($28,990).

Completing the three-model Cruze Sportwagon line-up is the CD 2.0 diesel auto at $29,790, making it $2000 more than the equivalent Cruze sedan/hatch but more affordable than Hyundai’s cheapest i30cw diesel auto, the 1.6 SLX CRDi ($30,090), as well as Opel’s Astra Sports Tourer 2.0 CDTi auto and VW’s Golf Wagon1.6 77TDI auto – both of which cost $31,990.

The Euro-styled Sportwagon is 78mm longer overall than the sedan (and 230mm shorter than the Holden Sportwagon) at 4675mm, and also adds silver roof-rails and a 500-litre cargo area that expands to 1500 litres with the rear seats folded.

As with the Cruze hatch and sedan, all Sportwagons will come standard with six airbags, electronic stability/traction control, an anti-lock braking system and rear parking sensors.

The CD petrol and diesel wagon comes standard with a six-speaker CD/MP3 player, 16-inch steel wheels, air-conditioning, power windows and mirrors, cruise control, Bluetooth connectivity with voice recognition, iPod integration with steering wheel controls, cruise control and automatic headlights.

In addition, the petrol-only CDX offers leather seat trim, a leather-clad steering wheel and gearshifter, heated front seats, chrome highlights, climate-control, 17-inch alloy wheels and front foglights.

“The beauty of the Cruze Sportwagon is that it offers all the style and high-tech features of the popular hatch and sedan, but also offers an added level of versatility for those customers looking for the practicality of a wagon,” said GM Holden Executive Director of Sales and Marketing, Philip Brook.

“The Cruze has been an instant Aussie favourite since going on sale and the Sportwagon complements the range perfectly.

“This nameplate has sold in excess of one and a half million vehicles globally since it was launched in 2009 and there’s a very simple reason for this – it’s a fantastic car.

“We’re really excited about competing in the small wagon segment again. Cruze Sportwagon is a compelling offer so I’m pleased once again to offer a great car for these buyers.

“This wagon is the perfect addition to the Cruze range and, like the Commodore Sportwagon before it, it will put excitement back into this traditionally conservative segment.”

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