Holden Cruze, Australia's Safest Car under $25,000

The new Holden Cruze is the safest car in Australia available with a price tag below $25,000. At least, this is what the NSW Minister for Roads, Michael Daley, said after conducting a new report together with the RTA. The new Cruze, which was officially launched in June 2009, has already received the maximum five-star rating from the ANCAP after scoring 35.04 points out of a possible 37.

Michael Daley also encouraged new car buyers to "keep safety in mind" when buying a new car, and pointed to the new Holden Cruze which is the safest car priced below $25,000.

The Center for Road Safety also mentioned a couple of safety features that buyers should be demanding when buying a new vehicle:

• Electronic Stability Control which compares the driver’s intended path with the vehicle’s actual path and applies brakes to selected wheels if the two don’t match
• Electronic/Emergency Brake Assist systems which applies the maximum amount of pressure on the brake if the driver brakes suddenly
• Active Head Restraints to help prevent whiplash
• Dual Front Airbags
• Side or Side Curtain Airbags
• Seatbelt Pre-tensioners

According to the ANCAP tests, Holden Cruze is the safest car in Australia with 35.04 points (out of 37). Ford Focus comes second with 34.46 points, followed by Ford Fiesta - 34.44 and Mazda2 - 34.33. Hyundai i30 SLX completes the top 5 with 32.54 points.

As for Holden Cruze, it is offered in two engine configurations, 1.8-liter DOHC 16V ECOTEC 4-cylinder and 2.0-liter SOHC 16V 4-cylinder Common Rail Turbo Diesel. There are two transmissions available, namely a 5-speed manual unit and a 6-speed automatic gearbox with Active Select.