Holden's 2014 Cruze arrives early

With a renewed focus on value for money and drivability, the 2014 Holden Cruze may look the same as the 2013 model but under the skin it's a very different vehicle. It's also a lot more affordable, with price cuts of up to $3500.

On sale from April 1, the upgraded Cruze line-up gains more standard equipment, a beefier 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine, new six-speed automatic gearboxes and MyLink smartphone integration technology.

The entry-level $21,490 Holden Cruze CD has been turfed out and is replaced by the Cruze Equipe, which at just $19,490 (plus on-road costs) undercuts mainstream rivals such as the Toyota Corolla, Nissan Pulsar, Hyundai i30, Mazda3 and Ford Focus, while adding more standard features such as 17-inch alloy wheels and rear parking sensors.

Automatic headlights, front fog lights, electric windows and mirrors, a six-speaker stereo with USB/Aux inputs, Bluetooth connectivity, MyLink infotainment system, plus six airbags, electronic stability control and a five-star ANCAP safety rating are also standard across the range.

All models are fitted as standard Holden's new MyLink touch-screen infotainment system - almost identical to the system that will be offered in the VF Commodore from late May. It allows users to connect Android or Apple smartphones and use Pandora and Stitcher apps to stream music and news for free - though it will eat into the data allowance of your phone.

Entry-level Equipe models are available with three engines - the standard 104kW/175Nm 1.8-litre petrol four ($19,490), a 103kW/200Nm 1.4-litre turbo-petrol ($23,190) and a 120kW/360Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel ($25,690).

Holden has also deployed a new six-speed automatic 'Gen 2' gearbox for all petrol Cruze models that has been specifically tuned for local conditions, which adds $2200 on top of manual prices.

It also spent all of 2012 retuning the Cruze hatchback and sedan's suspension to better match local conditions, going as far as offering two different settings.

The mid-spec sedan-only CDX auto is priced at $24,490 for the 1.8-litre petrol version and $28,190 for 2.0-litre turbo-diesel, representing a saving of $2850 in both instances.

The Cruze CDX gets the same gear as the Equipe but adds a leather-wrapped gear shifter and steering wheel, heated and leather-appointed front seats, metallic-look interior accents, climate-control, keyless entry and starting, and a reversing camera.

The range-topping SRi and SRi-V models are priced at $22,490 and $26,490 - down by $3500 and $3000 respectively - and offer a potent 132kW/230Nm 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine that’s new to the Cruze range, replacing the previous SRi's 103kW/200Nm 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine.

Cruze SRi models get similar features to the Equipe models but add wider, sportier 17-inch wheels and tyres (225/50 Bridgestone Potenza), electric power steering, a sports body kit, cloth-trimmed sports seats, plus a leather steering wheel and gear knob.

The range-topping SRi-V gets the full fruit basket, including bigger 18-inch alloys with 235/45 profile tyres, climate-control, heated and leather-appointed seats, a reversing camera and keyless entry and starting.

Holden's chassis engineers went to town on the new Cruze, with extensive testing taking place at GM’s Lang Lang proving ground in Victoria. Based on customer feedback two suspension tunes are now offered - 'comfort' for Equipe and CDX models and 'sport' for SRi and SRi-V models.

Buyers have more choice than ever as new models like the reborn Nissan Pulsar continue to populate the hotly contested small car market, but Holden is confident its new model can turn around its 2012 sales slide, which dropped from 33,784 units and a 14.5 per cent market share in 2011 to 29,161 and 12.1 per cent in 2012.

"Sales have slowed a bit in the last few months, I'm not going to shy away from that, but I think the pricing the features and base goodness of this vehicle is going to absolutely turn that around," said Mike Devereux, GM Holden Chairman and Managing Director.

"Today we need to have people reset their thought process on how good Cruze is," he added.

The GM Holden boss stated that reduced prices and increased equipment levels make the 2014 Holden Cruze "a compelling package that represents an exceptional deal for small car buyers".

2014 Holden Cruze pricing (previous pricing in brackets)

Equipe 1.8L MT - $19,490 ($21,490)
Equipe 1.8L AT - $21,690 ($23,790)
Equipe 1.4L AT - $23,190 ($25,040)
Equipe 2.0L AT - $25,690 ($27,790)
CDX 1.8L AT - $24,190 ($27,040)
CDX 2.0L AT - $28,190 ($31,040)
SRi 1.6L MT - $22,490 ($25,990)
SRi 1.6L AT - $24,690 ($28,290)
SRi-V 1.6L MT - $26,490 ($29,490)
SRi-V 1.6L AT - $28,690 ($31,790)

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