Category: Holden

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2018 HOLDEN TRAX LTZ REVIEW

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When the Trax first arrived here in 2013, it was a clear indication that Holden was taking a punt that the small SUV segment would grow into the juggernaut that is the medium and large SUV market. Other manufacturers soon followed suit and small SUVs have become the new battle ground for enticing the younger, edgier crowd. With the big players like the Mazda CX-3, Honda HR-V and Toyota CH-R, bringing their A game, Holden is hopeful that refreshing the Trax will keep it in the game. We put the… Read more

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HOLDEN ASTRA WAGON ARRIVES

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Holden has introduced the latest Astra station wagon (Sportwagon in GM-H terminology) to join the hatch and sedan that arrived earlier this year. It’s good to see the stylists have gone for a functional rear end rather than the sloped-coupe look. Holden has a long history of practical wagons and we suspect the Aussies on the design team have had a hand in this feature. Sportwagon was designed alongside the Astra hatch sibling, at Opel’s Russelsheim headquarters in Germany and is built in England at Vauxhall’s factory. As with the… Read more

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HOLDEN’S NEW WORLD TAKES SHAPE WITH ASTRA SEDAN

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Home-grown Holdens may have been consigned to the realm of the dinosaur, but the Australian arm of General Motors is keeping up with the times, cherry picking the latest vehicles from around the globe. A recent arrival Down Under is the Astra sedan, which slots nicely into the gap between the hatchback, launched late last year, and the wagon, to be unveiled by year’s end. It makes sense, for in these days of sporty hatches, sleek coupes and versatile SUVs, there still appears to be a place for the traditional… Read more

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HOLDEN STATESMAN AND CAPRICE 2003 – 2015

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2003 Holden Caprice

With Holden about to pull out of local manufacturing and start importing the next generation Commodore from Germany other car companies are rushing to try and fill the gap. But none of them can offer a large spacious sedan like the Holden Statesman or Caprice. These long wheelbase versions of the standard Commodore sedan offer stretch out comfort in the rear seats. Though not as refined as the large, upmarket European sedans these big Holdens are better suited to local road conditions than the Germans, Brits and Japanese. Will the… Read more

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FIRST CHANCE TO SEE NEW HOLDEN COMMODORE

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Holden’s all-new Commodore will go on public display for the first time at Motorclassica, Australia’s premier classic and collector car exhibition. The eagerly awaited German-built Holden is crammed with the latest in technology and is driven by either a V6 to all four wheels, or a high-tech turbo-petrol four-cylinder connected to the front wheels. It will be greeted at Motorclassica by all eight generations of Australian-made Commodores. Motorclassica 2017 will also be marking 100 years since the first Holden-bodied car was made in Australia, almost three decades before General Motors… Read more

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2017 HOLDEN ASTRA LTZ SEDAN REVIEW

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Holden is very serious about its small-to-medium Astra range. In December 2016 it launched a five-door hatch; a four-door sedan – the subject of this test in topline LTZ format – came out in June this year, and a station wagon will be added to before the end of the year. Sales of the hatch weren’t as high as GM-Holden anticipated and weren’t helped by the traditionally slow January / February holiday AND back-to-school periods. So recommended prices were dropped a few months after the launch to try and kick… Read more

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HOLDEN CRUZE 2011 – 2016

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2009 Holden Cruze

For what’s classified as a small car the Holden Cruze is quite large and has good leg and shoulder room for four adults. Three children in the back and parents in the front all have room to move. You get a lot for your money if you’re mainly seeking comfortable travel, but if you’re looking for a smaller sportier Commodore you won’t find it here Comfort is generally good and noise, vibration and harshness are well suppressed. Rough roads do challenge the suspension at times, but for its class Cruze… Read more

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NEW GENERATION COMMODORE: FIRST DRIVE

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Can a Holden Commodore made in Germany be as good as a Holden Commodore made in Australia? To save you the trouble of skipping to the end of this article, here’s our conclusion. A very definite Yes. Holden engineers began modifying German family cars, and renaming them ‘Commodore’ almost 45 years ago. The later models had an ever increasing Australian content, but there was still some interaction at an engineering level between Australia, Europe and the USA. Though the upcoming next generation NG Commodore will be built in Germany instead… Read more

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HOLDEN DREAM CRUISE

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The first six Holdens

All Holden enthusiasts have been invited show their pride by joining the Holden Dream Cruise on the streets of northern Adelaide on Sunday, 15 October. The Holden Dream Cruise will be a giant street parade of Holden cars followed by a family fun day with displays, entertainment, food and a show ‘n’ shine competition. It will be led by the first and last cars built in Australia by Holden – a 1948 48/215 and a 2017 VF Commodore. Holden is encouraging owners of classic and iconic cars to register for… Read more

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HOLDEN BARINA 2005 – 2016

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2005 Holden Barina

Holden Barina is a small car that’s generally tough in its build and put together to a good standard. It has a good reputation for being simple to drive and park and long lasting if driven and serviced correctly. It was the smallest car sold in Australia by Holden for many years, an even smaller model, called Barina Spark and later just plain Spark was sold from 2010, but isn’t the model being surveyed here. The first Barinas were made by Japanese Suzuki and introduced here in 1989, then from… Read more