Do test drive Kia Seltos GT 1.6 litre Turbo and LTD 2.0 litre edition

Technofreak:

 

dafman:

 

The Holden Equinox may be a good SUV, but the Holden brand is under a financial cloud. If (when) GM pulls the pin on Holden and ceases operations, what will be implication for support, parts or resale?

 

 

You seem to always bag Holden whenever someone suggests this make as an option. What's your angle? If Holden is under a financial cloud then so is GM.

 

GM are not likely to walk away from the Australasian market. For the last 30 years or so other than the Commodore (up till 2018) all Holdens have been sourced from other GM marques. For example the Equinox is sold in the North America as  Chev. Whether or not the Holden name continues long term is largely irrelevant.. Personally I think GM will keep the name for this region due to the strong ties the name has with Australasia. 

 

GM will retain their presence here and along with that the back up and support for any vehicles sold under the various GM marques including Holden.

 

I think your comments are unfounded scaremongering. 

 

Holden/GM have well and truly earned being bagged in the NZ market. For the last 5-10 years they have mostly sold junk cars (Captiva, Cruze, Barina etc). The Captiva was one of the worst quality cars I have ever seen. We had approximately 20 of them at work and had a greater than 50% failure rate (having to be off the road for greater than a week due to mechanical issues).

Total junk, especially compared to other vehicles at their price point. We replaced them with CX-5s and Outbacks and it's been smooth sailing.

We just got a 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander VRX and love it!

dafman:

 

Technofreak:I think your comments are unfounded scaremongering. 

 

 

These are objective facts:

 

• In the second half of last year, for consecutive months, Holden's Australian sales figures were the lowest ever in their entire 70-year history;
• And in December, the Holden CEO resigns unexpectedly and without explanation, after only 16 months in the job;
• And in January, Holden surprisingly announce they are exiting the car market and will stop selling their most popular brand ever, Commodore;
• And where I live, the Kapiti Holden dealership have covered up their Holden signage and walked away from the brand.

The OP asked for opinions. I'm simply passing on my thoughts, as are you.

 

I think you may be joining the dots incorrectly.

The poor sales and the exit of the CEO are no doubt related. The new Commodore hasn't gone well in Aussie despite it selling well in New Zealand, at least as well as the model it replaced. One wonders why the marketing strategy in Australia failed as the ZB Commodore is in many ways a better car than the model it replaces. Interestingly the new CEO is the guy who was running the New Zealand operation.

If you know the background there was no surprise Holden announced the end of the Commodore model. That model is sold in various markets under various labels. Buick have announced the end of the Regal which was their version of the Commodore.

The reason? The Commodore/Regal is made by Opel which is now owned by Peugeot. The engines and transmissions are still made by GM. Peugeot have announced they will no longer build the Commodore, mostly likely to replace it with a model with their own engines and transmisions.

It's not so much Holden wanting to get out of the car market but more they currently don't have a suitable RHD vehicle to sell once the Commodore ceases production. 

Holden like some other brands have been rationalising dealerships over the last 12 months or so. It's entirely likely the Kapiti dealer was one of the ones Holden cut loose. Neither party is likely to say so publically.

Handle9:

 

Holden/GM have well and truly earned being bagged in the NZ market. For the last 5-10 years they have mostly sold junk cars (Captiva, Cruze, Barina etc). The Captiva was one of the worst quality cars I have ever seen. We had approximately 20 of them at work and had a greater than 50% failure rate (having to be off the road for greater than a week due to mechanical issues).

 

Total junk, especially compared to other vehicles at their price point. We replaced them with CX-5s and Outbacks and it's been smooth sailing.

 

You are correct the likes of the Captiva and Cruze were not stellar vehicles. Nowhere have I said Holden haven't sold some pretty mediocre vehicles. I think there are models in any brand which can fit into that category. The absolute worst cars I've ever had anything to do with were Toyotas and Mitsubishis. You don't see me bagging these brands.

My reference was to comments like this "the Holden brand is under a financial cloud. If (when) GM pulls the pin on Holden and ceases operations, what will be implication for support, parts or resale" comments that don't stand up to scrutiny. 

Credit where credit is due, the likes of the Equinox and Acadia etc are an entirely different proposition to and are much better vehicles than the GM Korean sourced vehicles (Captiva, Cruze).

mattwnz:

 

Dunnersfella:

 

The latest Mazda CX5, if it gets the same interior update as the Mazda 3...

 

 

Does that mean it is missing the touch screen infotainment system too? To be forced to use only  the wheel is painful IMO.

 

Yup - no touch screen, it uses Carplay / Android Auto.

I personally hate touch screens, they suck to use while driving as you're always bouncing up and down so accuracy is effected... plus I hate finger prints all over my display.

The HUD on the new Mazda 3 is a massive step up on the one found in the CX5/7 etc too.

Interestingly when I was looking for a new car a few months ago, every car sales person asked if I was considering a Holden... and if so, don't.

They knew they were looking to get out of the car market and said to be cautious. Scaremongering? Probably! But in the end it was good advice.

Having said that, as I had driven a Captiva as a rental on numerous occasions I was never going to buy one.

I never use the touchscreen in my CX5 - I find that using the jog wheel is more comfortable than reaching forward to the screen. Having said that, I'm not really a CarPlay user as I find it a bit pointless. I'm happy using bluetooth audio for my podcasts and the built-in satnav.

As for GM, there are undoubtedly a range of opinions across industry observers. Some say they'll quit this part of the world as soon as this year, others disagree. Either way, buying GM product is riskier than mainstream alternatives because no-one in a sound state of mind would speculate that Mazda or Hyundai have any chance of bailing out of Australasia. 

There is this possibility and apparently there are 30 available. What more could you want for a SUV.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/119010120/defence-force-struggling-to-find-a-buyer-for-30-unwanted-armoured-vehicles

Geektastic: I test drove the new Forester yesterday and was pretty impressed.

Very well equipped and good pricing compared to some similar vehicles.

JaseNZ:

 

There is this possibility and apparently there are 30 available. What more could you want for a SUV.

 

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/119010120/defence-force-struggling-to-find-a-buyer-for-30-unwanted-armoured-vehicles

 

Yeah, be good. If you want to give it a cut and polish, take a weeks annual leave!

JaseNZ:

There is this possibility and apparently there are 30 available. What more could you want for a SUV.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/119010120/defence-force-struggling-to-find-a-buyer-for-30-unwanted-armoured-vehicles

Any recommendation for the same if priority is comfort e.g. no need to have the best engine or tech but rather focused on passenger comfort?

Ge0rge:

JaseNZ:

 

There is this possibility and apparently there are 30 available. What more could you want for a SUV.

 

 

 

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/119010120/defence-force-struggling-to-find-a-buyer-for-30-unwanted-armoured-vehicles

 

The amount of inaccuracies in that article makes me sad :(

Pray tell.

Batman:

Geektastic: I test drove the new Forester yesterday and was pretty impressed.

Very well equipped and good pricing compared to some similar vehicles.

That doesn't sound traditional! Normally foresters used to be overpriced, completely plastic and comes with a 4 speed auto! Things must have changed!