Holden Barina 2013 Review

Price Guide (recommended price before statutory and delivery charges): $20,490
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): Nil
Crash rating: Five-star (ANCAP)
Fuel: 91 RON ULP
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 6.4
CO2 emissions (g/km): 153
Also consider:  Nissan Micra (from $13,490-$18,990); Proton Gen 2 (from $16,990-$20,990); Suzuki Swift (from $15,990-$25,990); Toyota Yaris (form $14,990-$21,790)

Homer Simpson once said: “You should have just taken an existing product and put a clock on it or something.” It seems Holden was listening.

The top-spec Barina CDX sticks closely to the formula Holden’s Light car has, more or less, adhered to since 2005, but adds a fancy new infotainment system dubbed MyLink.

It’s the highlight of the package, in many ways, and became an enjoyable component of my daily commute in what has to be said is an otherwise quite banal little car.

MyLink does what it promises, looks the bizz, and is especially easy-to-read while on the go. The screen clarity is excellent and the audio tonality surprisingly rich at low volume – it's just a shame the speakers crackle at much past mid-dial.

There’s probably more functionality here than you truly need, and we’re not sure that many of the functions enabled are things you should be doing while driving. Regardless, they all work well, except perhaps for Siri, who seemed to confuse voice instructions in the din of freeway road noise.

And that’s when you remember you’re in a Barina. As nice as its external styling flourishes, generous equipment levels and well-mannered steering might be, there are a few issues that let the package down.

For starters, the interior is very plasticky with little cohesion of theme. There’s a break in the mood by a mix of black and grey trim pieces, but the ‘motorcycle-inspired’ instrument panel sits awkwardly above a misaligned steering column shroud, and is obscured by the wheel rim not moving with the column as it does on the smaller Barina Spark.

Some of the Barina’s more ‘redeeming’ features include a HVAC system that is both effective and quiet, and ventilation outlets that are also well placed. There’s ample oddment storage, even if most of it is open and therefore exposed, and the major controls relate well to the ‘pleather’-clad, toasty heated driver’s seat. Combined with the tilt/reach adjustable steering column, the driving position is comfortable with excellent outward visibility.

Accommodation is about what you’d expect of the category; though we feel there is a bias towards front seat and cargo space (290 litres seats up 653 litres seats down) that compromises rear legroom. And while passengers might find the ride to be rather cosseting, the soft suspension does little to help the Barina’s mixed-bag dynamics.

At urban speeds, and when the terrain is flat, the Barina is quite docile. But when confronted with demanding traffic, hilly terrain or a winding road, the front-heavy dynamics, soggy brakes and poor transmission calibration let the car down.

The transmission’s calibration often seems at odds with throttle input, too. The amount of pressure placed on the pedal doesn’t always achieve the same, or indeed to desired result. It can vary without rationale and, despite similar inputs, road speeds and grades, often results in uneasy passage. It’s frustrating, and spoils what’s otherwise a capable (85kW and 155Nm), if noisy little engine.

The issue also seems to spoil the Barina’s fuel economy average and, upon resetting the trip computer between town and country driving, it’s quickly evident how this is so. On the open highway at 100km/h for a couple of hours, the trip computer tally settled on 6.7L/100km. Resetting it again, and driving around town for an hour or so, the average climbed to a steady 9.3L/100km.

For Aussie roads it is, however, pleasing to find a Light car with decent headlights (both on low beam and high), and cruise control that maintains speed with surprisingly little fuss. There are also big props for the interior lighting, which offer a pleasant and consistent ambience with suitable levels of dimming.

So while the Barina’s new MyLink system gets a big “Woohoo” the remainder of this ageing packaging is something of a “D’Oh”. If features are your thing, you might be impressed. But if dynamics rate a mention, you’d be best to look elsewhere.

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