Holden Epica (2007-2011)

This car has been amazing – We bought a 2010 2.5l 6cyl CDX Holden Epica in 2013 with approx. 42000km on the clock. Since our ownership this car has been amazing. Very comfortable and spacious. We have now 272000 km on the clock and only now is the automatic gearbox showing ever so slight signs of giving up the ghost. It has that bump when engaging reverse gear and on… Read more

occasion it bumps changing gears between 3rd and 4th. However it still runs well and still changes gears smoothly on most occasions. When the gearbox does fail eventually we will retire the Epica and remember the good times we had driving it. The Epica served us well for sure. On Thursday evening 23rd May 2024 at 19:10 the Epica's gearbox finally failed with 284,239km on the dial. Rest in peace. The Epica truly served us well.

This car has been very reliable – Purchased a 2008 epica TDI that had 150,000 klm, we have had this car for 5 years and it now has 360,000 klm on it. Transmission started slipping not long after we bought it, straight in to the machanic, changed oil and filters in it and no more issues with the trans. I see peoples reviews on here about the Transmissions, i believe having the… Read more

right machanic can make a big difference and regular services, i also see complaints about doing brakes and CV joints when people have purchased their cars cheap and who knows the service history on the cars. We have replaced brakes and CVs as well as aircon compressor but these are all parts that wear, if you don't want to replace parts then don't drive the car just leave it parked, then you will have the perfect vehicle.

Transmission failure – Like many others on here, my partner and I purchased a 2010 Epica CDX 2.5 Auto three years back. After only having the car 5 weeks we had to have the brakes done, rotors machined and new pads. Went well for the next year before the transmission started slipping and making horid noises at 117k kms. Its been parked up in our garage for 12 months and… Read more

she's still stuck paying a loan for a car she can't even drive. To make it worse she still pays rego. If Holden won't fix the problem then i want to know what gearbox or even motor-gearbox combo i can buy to fit in this car.

WORST EVER! – 2008..under 2000ks and I paid 2nd hand $ 2500 and in 5months spent $3500 in repairs! CVS .. radiator.thermostat,,and now ..a broken Transmission. NEVER AGAIN.. I really liked this car. Not again. Before you buy a car,,see how many are on the road Show details

Holden Epica Transmission failure – Holden Epica petrol auto 2.5L got a transmission failure on 10 June 19, 400km away from home. The car has been regularly serviced and I drove it carefully. Air compresser down last year. Holden dealer inspected the car and confirmed transmission failure, but new parts stopped produce a few years ago and NO good quality used parts were available.… Read more

Contacted Holden Australia. The customer care staff only said they could ask the dealer to find a used part. Remember the dealer already said no good part available. A way to brush dust under carpet. My car has lost all of its future value. I asked Holden Australian for compensation of loss of value as per Australian Consumer Law, but the request was rejected. A bad buy. Never Holden again

Perfect famaily car – This is perfect family car. I own this car for last 9 years and it runs very smooth. Its economy has slightly deteriorated in recent year however it covers 450 km on semi-urban roads Show details

Failed transmission twice epica 2010 auto – Brought epica in 2011with 22,000 ks on clock, transmission failed at 75,000 ks cost me $5500, for a New one, now also failed 3 years later after only 35000ks. Holden needs to take some responsibility for this happening...its obviously a common problem, there must be some support somewhere for us.  Show details

Good cheap family car – Comfortable to drive short or long distance, stable at speed, but there is a lot of road noise at highway speed. Economical diesel, but the auto (6-speed) is slow to shift, and there is some turbo lag when taking off. You get used to it very quickly and just adjust your driving style to accommodate. It's not a problem, but I would suggest the… Read more

transmission is the worst part of the car. Everything else has been great and I've had mine for 10 years and 180,000 km.

Plenty of room, good air conditioning (my air con pump needed replacing at around 8 years old), good safety rating (4-star ANCAP).

Chrome-coloured plastic in the interior is poor quality, but parts are cheap to replace compared to other brands of vehicle. It does occasionally get stuck in Park because the brake light switch needs a clean (takes me approx 2-3 minutes to remove, clean and reinstall). This has happened maybe 4 times in my 10 years.

It's an old car now, and its lack of Bluetooth, satnav, reverse camera and other tech is noticeable when you first drive it, but it has reverse sensors, auto headlights, cruise control, 6 airbags and lots of other good inclusions.

Could do with more cupholders, but it that really something to compain about? There's no problems with the car, so I guess I'm bringing that up. That should be a good sign to anyone reading this.

If I could go back to when I bought this car off the showroom floor, I'd definitely do the same thing again. It's been a great car for me and my family.

Transmission – I have had my 2011 epica cdx 4 years brought secondhand with 35,000km it is now at 96,000 km serviced regularly..run locally 30km if that 4 times a week and an occasional long run . I find it Roomy great boot space but ever since I brought it had the small issue of the gear getting stuck in park on rare occasion which I needed to use key to… Read more

press into slot near gear shift to release . Then a week ago the odd rev out in gear when driving this week totally ceased up and stopped transmission gave up very disappointing and frustrating stuggling to be able to repair & at cost of this will be just under half market value of car now if running So in the end did not last as long as expected. I also had problems with plastic Chrome lifting off around gear stick as I noted in another review.

2009, CDTi, 4 cyl, diesel, turbo – Bought with 50,000K (ex-Govt): took it around Australia for 9 months. Reliable, road-grip excellent & V stable at 130+Kph on WA, NT highways. Had no major mechanical troubles since then - took a bit of time getting used to 'solid-ish' power-steering & sensitive acceleration. Just gave it 140K service & still going like a champ!  Show details

This car is perfect !!! – I'm the third owner of our vehicle with it only have 145,000 km's at 700km to a tank Ulp 91, Brought for my missus 2.5 auto with leather cream interior. just finished full service and I'm more than happy with its condition, Not sure why a few have had bad reviews on the car as all i can see is that its very reliable. Sounds like people… Read more

have brought the car in a abused state and they need to check cars service history before they commit to buying any cars.

Brakes and suspension – Brought car in 2011 built April 2011 in 2013 at 25000 had the front disc machined and new pads fitted now at 50000ks just had to Chang the camber pins in the steering have had issues with the solenoid for the shift lock so the car is costing me money  Show details

Super reliable, never missed a beat – Bought this car from new in April 2008 (Oct 2007 plate). It is the CDX auto, 2.5l, 6 cylinder model. The car has never missed a beat and have never had any problems with it - starts first time, every time, drives well with plenty of "grunt" when driving on open road /motorway. It is very quiet and has spacious interior and huge boot. Just on… Read more

80,000kms and looking and driving as good as new.

This car is an absolute ripper and because of the sometimes negative media reviews (based purely on its Korean associations and ignoring all other factors) it is an exceptionally good used car bargain.

Very good vehicle never been a problem – We purchased the diesel powered vehicle new in 2009 and really had no problems other than a failed "o" ring in the fuel filter but we do have it serviced as per the recommendations. Excellent on fuel and comfortable to drive, we have done well over 100,000 km. However the 'chrome' over the plastic gear indicator cover is now failing.  Show details

good car – I bought a 2 year old epica for less than half of its $29000 new price thanks to the negative press. Holden dealer looked after me very well (rockingham). Problems such as sticking in park, cruise control not working and traction control light coming on were all attributable to the brake light switch being faulty. Easy fix. Pretty happy all… Read more

round. Powerful enough, fuel economy about 9 litres to 100k. Around 600k to a tank on the open road. So if youve bought one, dont listen to the doomsayers.

Nothing but problems – Our Epica is 6 years old and we have owned it for 2 1/2 yrs. not long after buying it, the airbag light came on, a fault which may have been there from the previous owners. It was over $1000 as we had to replace the entire seat, and that wasn't new. We also had to fix the brakes which appears to be a common problem in these cars. But last week… Read more

took the cake....our transmission has failed and we are looking at $3000-$6000 for a car we couldn't sell for $8000! We have regularly serviced our car and are extremely unhappy that a 6 year old car basically has to be written off. Should Holden be responsible, because as a hard working couple with young kids, I don't think we deserve to be.

Epica transmission common problem – First the ridiculous acknowledgement by holden of a ptoblem with the epica transmission system. Changing gear to reverse or into Drive the Epica will not change and stays in neutral….move the leaver forward or back incramentally and Auto kicks in with a whooping big THUMP ! Then the Auto will not change gear so i drive home in 1st gear. NOW… Read more

THIS SOUNDS STUPID” This is a known EPICA problem as they give instruction in book of instructions (now get this) to take of small plastic cap and insert a key or screw driver in that slot that is just infront of gear lever to cure problem and then call Holden agent ASAP.

Then now with car only 140,000 km my sons 2010 epicas transmission has been advised as needing replacement at a cost of $6000 including labour. The cause of grief stated by a number of mechanics being the transmission system is a common problem because of defects.

If such a common problem why are holden not offering do something about. Just want to sell cars that don't lasy so need buy more.

Regretting my purchase!! – Bought a 2009 diesel epica just over 12 months ago with 35,000 on the clock - yes very low kms. Had nothing but problems since. Spent $3,500 on replacing whole aircon system, chrome peeling off doorhandles, car got stuck in park and had to get springs replaced and now injectors are gone too @ $600 a pop to replace plus labour!! Worst decision… Read more

ever!!! Anyone would think the cas has done over 200,000 kms with the amount of problems its had!

Update: 80,000kms on clock and have had to replace both drive shafts (CV's) as they were totally stuffed, braking system was buggered and many other small problems in between! I hate this car!

A Good Car Overall – I came to this website originally and many of the reviewers helped in convincing me to buy one. I looked at many reviews across many sites. I can NOW say after a number of months of owning one that it was an excellent choice. I bought the CDX 6 Speed Petrol and I am very surprised and happy with it. These are my experiences with the car. … Read more ·  2

Very comfortable ride in my and several family members opinions, not a lot of road noise enters the cabin at 110km/hr, gear box is excellent just as refined as my previous Ford FG XR6 Falcon it pulls around 2000RPM at 110kms/hr, in addition i drove it for about 4 hours straight by myself several times on the freeways i felt quite fresh still.

Going from Gippsland VIC though the heart of Melbourne and on to NSW it does a little more than a third of a tank on E10, same on the return run. Around town it's heaps better than the FG Falcon was.

Parking is quite easy, turning circle is good for a car that size, it is not as wide or long as the Commodore or Falcon. Lights and high beams are good for a Korean built car, speakers are reasonably good. Boot is huge and you can fold down the seats, once the seats are down the opening is much wider than the Commodore Omega Sedan.

I have owned an Ford FG Falcon and regularly drove the family Holden VE SIDI Omega Commodore, both are better cars than the Epica. BUT overall the Epica is not that far behind them, the price on the second hand market means it is great in terms of value for money, Both Falcon and Commodore cost a lot more brand new than the Epica as well.

Power wise it's built for refinement, not speed. Overtaking is the main time you wish that there was a little more, however day to day no problems at all.

Reliability, a friend of mine has had two of these the first one was 2007, the second 2011 he hasn't had any problems with either of them.

This is one of those cars that if you owned a BMW than this is not going to impress you greatly, for most other people that wants a good car for a good price, give it a go it may surprise you. Good on fuel, Easy to park, Very good value for money, good turning circle. Very good on Freeways Slightly older styling, Glove box too small, side pockets in doors too small. Steering is a different a first.

Great Family Car – I have purchased a holden epica 2010 and i feel it is a great family car. It's extremely silent powerful and responsive. Love the smooth and comfortable drive. The car responds quickly to sharp turns and stops instantly on breaking even at high speeds. There is no rattle from thecar at all. The interior is extremely spacious the car overall is… Read more

very compact and for it's size the space you get is excellent. The booth is mighty big.

Simply love this car. Spacious and Silent

Accelerator......NOT – We have had our 2007 Epica since 2008 and to say its been a Jekyll and Hyde car is an understatement. Firstly when the winter light comes on we don't know whether the car is going to speed up by itself or whether we will put our foot to the floor and only travel at 20 kph. One night traveling home from work heading towards a 60 kph turn in the… Read more

road the car all by itself sped up to just over 100 kph ....... Very scary. We have had it to a Holden repairer 7 times due to the accelerator sensor being faulty and the mechanics not being able to find the cause. Will we ever buy a Holden again. NO sir Ree. Easy to operate the cruise control. Bad fuel economy, noise in breaks when applying.

Love my Epica – I brought my Epica brand NEW in 2009 and just love it. Great sized car, good room in the back for car seats and or 3 Adults. It is great to drive and I love driving it to Cairns or Mackay - good fuel economy. The car looks immaculate even after all this time. No fading to the seats, internal trims are all still looking great and outside paint work is in great condition. Features, Diesel, Style Has a Lag but you get use to it Show details

This car is very good – I owen a 2010 Holden Epica Sedan for over one year now and I have not had and problems with this vehicle. The comfort is great and the fuel is good and on tank of fuel I can go from Sydney to the snowy mountains and drive around there for 2 days and then fill up again Great comfort, good fuel comsumpstion  Show details ·  1

Great car - great drive – I have owned my CDXI for 9 months. I find it a very comfortable car to drive on long trips. The diesel has no lag with more pick up than a petrol. Yes the diesel is loud at low speed, but you can live with than, when it has excellent get up and go. Excellent value for money. I do not regret changing from a Camry!  Show details ·  1

Had enough – I bought a 2009 petrol CDXi new. At 18,000km the air con was replaced, at 25,000km the transmission was replaced, every bit of chrome on the inside of the car was replaced once (some twice), fuel consumption was poor. The dealer knew me very well and every time I rang they asked me what warranty job was needed! Replacement transmission was just… Read more

as bad as the original. There was a noise in the engine which they could not work out what it was.

It was a comfortable car to drive and easy to park. The cruise control was easy to operate and the car had get up and go when needed.

With all the problems, I eventually had enough after just over 3 yrs and 30,000km.

Traded it in for a Ford and have had no problems at all with my new car.

Holden needs to get their act together for me to buy another car from them. Very disappointed with the Epica. No wonder Holden didn't advertise them! They are rubbish. Comfy seats and cruise control easy to operate What wasn't wrong with it, is more to the point!

Terrible – If this car was given to us with the steering fixed before it was handed over I may of had a better opinion, so any new car buyers test drive the one you are buying before you take it as it may have the same problem as a good source has told me there is many out there in the same boat with the same steering prloblems looks and appearance and… Read more

style for a 6 cylinder price of $29,990--00 drive away. this car should never of have been released to the public before it did Australian road tests, as my wife bought hers with 55 kilometres on the clock and has been back to Wagga Motors 6 times this week (tommoprrow) as they have a severe steering fault that gmh doesnt seem to be able to fix. They pull severly to the left hand side of the road and no wheel alighnment has been able to fix the problem, nor did changing the tyres over, now they even tryed putting adjustable camber bolts on the frot wheels, while it may not pull as hard on the steering wheel now it has not fixed the problem and now a Holden engenieer is going to test drive it. I demand another car as this was given to us with 55kilometres on the clock and we paid for a pre- delivery and this car was still handed over to us with this fault which has appeared to be a very common fault in these cars, so be cause we complained straight away and the car is not fixed to my satisfaction , i demand we should be given another new car from Holden as it is under their 30 day return policy (from what i beleive my own comment)

Good – We have owned this car (Auto, CDXi) for a little over 12 months now and have taken it on several longer journeys. We are very pleased with the fuel economy, especially after previously driving a VYII Commodore S. Our main reason for changing cars was the increasing costs of fuel. We chose the Epica based on its good fuel rating, cost and… Read more

range of included features. We have had no problems with the car, however like other reviewers, have noticed it pulls slightly to the left, especially when fully loaded. We opted to upgrade to the leather seats and are pleased with the easy care this provides; especially with children in the back.

Overall, we are happy with the Epica, however, my husband still mourns his Commodore and has not come to terms with the 'Family Car' image the Epica portrays. Good fuel economy, large boot, good range of standard features, smooth ride, spacious interior, comfortable seats Exterior styling not as appealing as some competitors, steering can be heavy

Great Technoloy Shame about the car – Car packed with technology for good price, 2.5 ltre engine and you think good pertrol consumption! Wrong, really makes me regret buying this car, firstly, front and rear pads needed to be repaced at under 20 thousand k's- holden didnt want to know about it, needed 2 front tyres in 21 thousand k's. Petrol consumption is poor, 270-300 k's i got 350… Read more

a tank on a holden vectra 3.2 litre v6, steering is light at times and looses road grip, furthermore, has no power, there is a dangerous lag time for accelerator to kick in when turning or taking off, will kill someone one day when doing a right hand turn against traffic, would i recommend no, would i buy another no, would i go back to holden, NO! Looks good on the outside, rotten on the inside! 6 cd, leather, blue tooth, dash layout, 6 speed poor acceleration, poor fuel consumption, brakes needed replacing in under 20 thousand k's

Good – I love my car. Generally I am quite happy with it. It went to Queensland and back (a 12hour drive each way) and it didn't miss a beat :) My 2007 Epica does a little over 700km to a 65litre tank Quite economical, doesn't loose much power when it has 4 adults in it (haven't had 5 in there yet) Has 3 restraints for chilrens seats. Can plug my ipod… Read more

into the 'aux'

The boot is quite big.

Comfortable for long journeys.

Drivers seat goes up and down.. this is very good for me as I'm quite short There are a few noises in the dashboard.

The manual doesn't seem to have as much get up and go as the automatic (yes the autos do have a bigger engine).

I hit a small ditch/pothole and it scrapes on the mudguards.

Sometimes my windscreen wipers don't come on, I have to fiddle with it for a second or two.

Quite a bad blindspot to the right of the driver

OK – Holden seems to have abandoned this vehicle and the motoring journalists write it down. It is a very much underrated car and deserves better. Good looks, smooth power delivery [petro] and comfortable ride. Auto headlights can't be de-activated.

OK – I dont think it is a bad as what some journos make it out to be. But it has some little things that would make it better. Good engine (even if it is noisy at standing starts), but the steering and the seat adjustments (cant get it low enough) do let it down. Torque from the Diesel engine. It runs quite smoothly when at constant highway speed and… Read more

offers good acceleration. Also has good space. The front seat adjustment. I found it easier to adjust the seat from outside the car! The steering. It starts out firm, then gets very light. I can get used to it, but it is a bit unnerving at first.