Category: Holden

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TURBO ADDS A NEW TWIST TO TRAX

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Holden reckons it has all sports utility vehicle bases covered, from small (Trax), medium (Captiva 5) to large (Captiva 7, Colorado 5 and 7) and now has injected a little tonic into its Trax with a turbocharged engine. The LTZ 1.4 iTi tops off the Trax range, first seen here just over a year ago, with the addition of a 1.4-litre petrol engine mated with a six-speed automatic transmission driving the front wheels. Delivering 103 kW of power and 200 Nm of torque, Holden claims fuel consumption of 6.9 litres… Read more

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FJ HOLDEN

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The FJ Holden was launched in October 1953, and although not the first Holden but an updated version of a car that was nearly five years old it has become the icon of Australia in the 50s and 60s. The FJ introduced the long-running Holden policy of facelifting. No glassware or external sheet metal was changed, the main styling changes being a new grille, different hubcaps and bumper bars and more chrome on the body. Few changes were made to the mechanics; both engine and gearbox from the 48-215 were… Read more

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SOPHISTICATED HOLDEN COLORADO

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The long-term future of the Australian automotive industry is starting to take shape. Though Holden is going to close its factory in 2017 and move to full importation, it’s certainly not pulling out of local design and engineering. The just released MY15 Holden Colorado pickup is a classic example of this with many changes to improve its ride and handling, as well as to give it a quieter, more sophisticated feel. The good news is that this hasn’t resulted in a price increase. The even better news is that a… Read more

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2014 HOLDEN CRUZE SRI-Z HATCH REVIEW

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Holden’s small sedan and hatch, the Cruze, has been a little lost for sales since the Commodore’s VF-led resurgence. Made in both Australia and Korea, the Cruze’s popularity has suffered somewhat as big brother stole the limelight. The Z Series release was meant to alleviate things with a bit of extra bling, particularly on the SRi, but little else to write home about. We tested an automatic sedan a while ago and were impressed with the size, the chassis and the steering. The Cruze 1.6 turbo manual hatch was next… Read more

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HOLDEN GEMINI

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1975 Holden Gemini TX

The Holden Gemini was GM-H’s version of the parent company’s World Car, but thankfully it was a version significantly re-engineered for Australian conditions. Gemini replaced the small TA Torana. Initially the car should have been an adaption of the German Opel Kadett but GM-H wanted something more suited to the local market and a joint development with GM’s Japanese partner Isuzu produced the Australian/Asian version of the T-car. In Australia GM-H coded the Holden Gemini the TX, which was planned as a counter to the steadily growing Japanese domination of… Read more

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2014 HOLDEN TRAX LTZ 1.4 TURBO REVIEW

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About a year ago, Holden introduced the boxy Barina-based Trax compact SUV with a noisy, coarse 1.8 litre naturally-aspirated engine. It was a huge shame because, despite some cynical, preconceived notions about the car, it turned out to be otherwise quite good. Now the Trax has dropped in the 1.4-litre turbo that usually does duty under the bonnet of the Holden Cruze and the warm-hatch Barina RS. It could just be the making of the weirdo Trax. VALUE The Trax range has but one turbo model, the top-spec LTZ. The… Read more

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MORE POWER TO HSV RANGE

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HSV ClubSport R8

We recently ran a news piece on what is arguably the world’s most powerful ute, the stunningly quick HSV Maloo GTS limited edition. If you want a sedan rather than the Maloo, HSV has just released details of the upgrades to its Gen-F series. Upgrades to the Gen-F include the extraction of even power and torque from the big V8s, a facelift to give an even more positive stance on the road, additional colour choice and new personalisation items. The upgrades start with an increase in power and torque, to… Read more

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HOLDEN COMMODORE 1997 – 2014

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2004 Holden VZ Commodore SV6 sedan

Commodore was the best selling car in Australia for many years so there are hundreds of used family Holdens on sale at any one time, meaning that smart buyers can take their time and find exactly what they want. Australian designed and built Holden Commodore is very well suited to local driving conditions and has exactly the kind of feel that keen Aussie drivers demand. This is a genuine five-seater, though the person in the centre-rear seat may find foot space compromised by the bulky transmission tunnel. Boot space is… Read more

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HOLDEN VECTRA 1997-2006

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2004 Holden Vectra sedan

Holden Vectra was designed and built by Opel, the German division of General Motors. Some models were assembled by Holden in Australia with some changes to suit Australian driving conditions as well as Australian drivers’ tastes. The Vectra was medium sized when launched in Australia in June 1997. From March 2003 it became significantly larger, being close to the first generation Holden Commodores, (1979 to 1988) in size. Vectra became increasingly expensive and sales slowed significantly, forcing Holden to cut prices in 2004 and again in 2005. Things didn’t improve… Read more

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HSV ANNOUNCES MALOO GTS UTE

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Though Holden, sadly, is pulling out of local manufacturing in 2017, its high-performance HSV division is certainly not lying down and waiting for the end. Indeed, HSV has given us details of a new limited edition model in the hottest market segment in Australia – which these days is the sports ute. A limited edition, the HSV GTS Maloo ute gets the big 6.2-litre supercharged V8 LSA engine with 430 kilowatts of power and a stirring 740 Newton metres of torque. Its not just about grunt, the GTS Maloo also… Read more