Archive for the ‘Holden’ Category

Euro Class, Aussie Brawn

Posted: July 13, 2014 in All, Holden, New Car Reviews
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After testing a few different Commodores I have to say they haven’t won my heart, or my head for that matter. Styling was dated and it has to be said not very exciting. Quality was definitely lacking especially when it came to the interior with cheap feeling plastics that had an amazing allergic reaction to whatever it was they were supposed to be attached to, and would try to run away. All this in $50,000 + machines was never a great look nor an economical purchasing option when you consider the quality and equipment levels one could get from a Japanese, European or Korean made alternative.

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Old Technology Versus New

Posted: October 26, 2012 in All, Holden, New Car Reviews
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With modern technology as it is today it is a wonder why some car makers are still sticking with technology that really should have gone the way of the Dodo.

Holden and Ford have seem to have hung on to what was once a great economical option and sure, once Arabs started popping each other off in order to get control of the world’s oil supplies, which resulted in petrol prices reaching record highs, it was definitely the cheaper option, and motorists, and in particular taxi drivers, had fuel conversion specialists rushed off their feet installing LPG systems.

 

 

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The Birds Are Angry

Posted: August 21, 2012 in All, Holden, New Car Reviews
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Is it just me or does the Holden Barina Hatch look like it’s designed to look like it belongs in an addictive computer game? Just add some feathers and a slingshot and you have an upset bird ready to attack some egg stealing piggies!

In reality you won’t need the slingshot because the Barina has enough power to squash those pigs with one dab on the go pedal. With its 1.6 litre DOHC 16 valve engine producing 85kW and 153Nm there is enough power to get you from point A, sitting next to your fearless feathered friends, to point B, into an unstable structure used in a vain attempt to protect some kleptomaniac popping pigs. (more…)

Sparks Will Fly, And They Did!

Posted: August 6, 2012 in All, Holden, New Car Reviews
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As I have mentioned before I am not huge fan of small cars but there are few that I do find to be quite fun to zip around in. The 2012 Holden Barina Spark is one of those cars. It’s nippy, comfortable, economical and has some very funky styling on the interior which is a massive change from the bland grey on grey most cars have.

As you would expect for a car in this class it’s not overly big on equipment but there are a couple of surprises in the Spark that I certainly didn’t expect to see. The comfortable and colourful seating were clad in grey and red Sportec trim but even more surprising than that was the heated seats. Usually an option saved for more luxurious cars it was a wee bit of a shock to see this fitted here, not that I’m complaining, I do like to have my butt cheeks toasted whilst heading off to work in the early hours of a chilly winter’s morning.

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It’s The Same, But Different.

Posted: May 3, 2012 in All, Holden, New Car Reviews
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We tested the Holden Cruze sedan last year and whilst it is a very good car I have to be honest I wasn’t totally sold on it. For some strange reason with the hatch I feel a little more attached. I have learnt to get used to the 1.4iTi engines slight lag although this tends to be a tad annoying when negotiating round-a-bouts, half way around you’ll tap the accelerator for a wee bit more oomph and not a lot happens, then the turbo kicks in with a bit more power than you want or expect. With most drivers this won’t be an issue and the lag will be almost unnoticeable, I for one could easily learn to live with it. Other than that it is a very good and enjoyable little power plant and economical to boot with an average of 6.4 litres of fossil fuel consumed per 100kms.

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Go For A Recession Proof Cruze.

Posted: November 30, 2011 in All, Holden, New Car Reviews
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In this day and age with not a hell of a lot of money floating around it’s good to know there are cars like the Holden Cruze SRi. Not because they are cheap, there are cheaper cars that will comfortably carry a load of groceries from the Pack N Don’t Save to your humble abode. But with a retail price of $36,900, the SRi as tested is nothing to be sneezed at. It’s good because of a couple of things, depreciation and economy. (more…)

Captivate The Family

Posted: October 19, 2011 in Holden, New Car Reviews
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Being in the market for a seven seater myself I was fairly excited to get my hands on the 2011 Series II Holden Captiva 7 CX, although it was in the back of my mind that this could very well be another poorly built re-badged Opel/Vauxhall. Oddly I was totally, completely and utterly wrong, that doesn’t happen often, unless you ask my wife of course.  The Holden Captiva was developed by GM’s South Korean division, Daewoo, sold internationally as a Chevrolet Captiva and the same platform is used in Europe for the Opel Antara. Thankfully though the Australasian specification derivatives are Australian built and individual for our markets, the quality is a huge improvement on other Holden models, previous and current.

 

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