- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
1.4T, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
103kW, 200Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (91) 6.4L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Manual
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2013 Holden Cruze SRi Manual Hatch Review
2013 HOLDEN CRUZE REVIEW
Vehicle Style: Small hatchback
Price: $22,490 (plus on-roads)
Engine/transmission: 1.6 litre turbo/six-speed manual
Power/torque: 132kW/230Nm
Fuel Economy claimed: 7.4 l/100km | tested: 11.0 l/100km
OVERVIEW
With a price tag well under $23k, you could be forgiven for thinking that the Cruze SRi is just another small hatchback.
But you’d be mistaken.
Here is a car that performs so well for its price that its bang-for-buck equation results in plenty of the former - that is, "bang" - for just a modest amount of the latter - "buck".
Interestingly, aside from a fiesty donk and the addition of Holden’s MyLink infortainment system it’s broadly the same ol’ Cruze as before.
But if you value on-road performance and stunning grip, the Cruze SRi is hard to look past.
INTERIOR | RATING: 3/5
Quality: The Cruze’s interior is pretty ho-hum by now. The small car segment has some really classy interiors. The Cruze is outclassed with plastics and an interior feel that lags behind cars like the Golf, i30 and Corolla.
It's no doubt robust, Holden builds durable cars, but some of the finishing off and trim edges is also behind the segment leaders.
Comfort: The front seats are commodious and comfortable, with fairly good lateral support in the backrest.
Headroom and legroom are plentiful and the tilting and telescoping steering column makes it easy to get settled behind the wheel, but the absence of a proper footrest is irksome.
The back seat is just as accommodating as the front, with good legroom and ample headroom. The Cruze isn’t quite wide enough to comfortably seat three adults across the rear bench, but two adults are an easy fit.
There’s a wide centre armrest too (no squabbling for elbow room here), as well as rear door bins, map pockets and a 12 volt outlet. However, there’s no face-level air vents - a liability in a hot Australian summer..
Equipment: Standard on the SRi are features like cruise control, manual airconditioning, Bluetooth phone and audio integration, a trip computer, dusk-sensing headlamps, power windows and power mirrors.
One of the SRi’s more notable features is the MyLink infotainment system, which is a new addition for the 2013 Cruze range.
Able to connect to the internet via the driver’s mobile phone data connection, MyLink also integrates Bluetooth audio streaming and a USB auxilliary input with the car’s stereo system.
Currently the only internet-enabled MyLink apps are for the audio streaming Pandora and Stitcher services, but more apps will be added as the MyLink system matures. Additional apps can be added by Holden dealers as they become available.
With car buyers placing an increasing importance on infotainment and connectivity capabilities MyLink’s expandability could hold significant appeal to tech-savvy motorists.
Storage: At 413 litres the Cruze hatch’s boot space is large compared to many of its competitors. Go for the optional full-size spare, though, and storage space is slashed to just 325 litres.
With the 60/40 split fold rear seats folded, luggage capacity rises to a handy 1254 litres.