Holden Barina RS 2013 Review

If there is one issue with the Holden Barina RS it’s the name. The RS bit...

The RS badge conjures up images of a low-flying twin-turbo V8 Audi station wagon somewhere out near Uluru.

Or maybe a berserk Ford Focus that can’t decide which side of the road it wants to drive on.

So calling a 103kW 1.4-litre turbo-petrol warmed-over version of a shopping trolley an RS sort of over-sells the proposition a bit. Like naming a two bedroom cottage the Empire State Building or a dinghy the QEII.

To me, this car should have an Australian badge rather than the global moniker it picks up most everywhere else it is sold as a Chevrolet Sonic RS.

Maybe Barina S or GTR. One wag on the media launch suggested ZZ/Z, as in the otherwise forgettable limited edition Gemini from 1983.

Now that is going too far, as it speaks of a somnambulance that is not appropriate when it comes to the Barina RS. It is a better car than you might expect, or even hope for, and at $20,990 it represents good value too.

At the basis of it all is the T300 generation Barina five-door mini-car built in South Korea and launched in Australia late in 2011.

Under the bonnet goes the iTi four-cylinder engine also to be found in the locally-built Cruze. Making 103kW at 4900rpm and 200Nm from a low 1850rpm, it allies with either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission, both with revised gear and final drive ratios for the RS. In either case the fuel consumption claim is 6.5L/100km.

The auto adds $2200 to the price for which you get the dubious distinction of manual shifting via a button on the lever. Dubbed ‘Active Select’, it’s the same system as employed in those humungous US trucks and reeks of cost cutting.

Flappy paddles or at least the ability to manipulate the shift via the lever would be far more in suiting with the character of a car like this. Because it actually does have character, and much of that is down to the work that has gone into the chassis.

The spring rates of the McPherson strut front and torsion beam rear suspension have been stiffened roughly 15 per cent front and rear and the dampers adjusted to suit. There has also been some subtle bracing of the body to improve steering, handling and body control.

The ride has also been lowered 10mm, the wheel size bolstered to a meaty 17 inches and solid rear discs replace the drums of the mainstream Barina models.

All that tuning is international stuff, to which Australia has contributed along with General Motors tech-heads in South Korea and the US.

Separate to all that, Holden’s own chassis gurus have developed the 205/50R15 Continental ContiSportContact tyre package and a unique local electric assist power steering tune, which quickens to 2.3 turns lock-to-lock.

The result of all that is a car that is actually quite good fun to drive. Which is a bit of a surprise given how beige the standard Barina is.

In absolutely saturated conditions on Victorian country roads the RS demonstrated a commendable level of cohesion.

The engine’s low down and mid range punch made corner exits energetic without having to rev to the redline. There is a suggestion of hesitation from idle, and it is quite slow revving at the very top of the range, but working through that 3000-5000rpm band is a pleasure.

Pity the audio is somewhat flat, even though Holden says there has been exhaust work done. It’s too quiet and what you do hear is pretty flat.

The auto works quite well when left to its own devices, but it is better to set the car in third or fourth gear manually on a winding road, right in the fat of the torque band. The shifts are prompt via the switch and the auto won’t change up without your approval, but Active Select is just not a fun process to engage in. A brief run in a manual suggested it will work quite well if you don’t have a lot of city commuting work to do.

Power went to the front wheels in the slimy conditions better than expected, with little hint of wheelspin or of torque steer. So both grip and stability control tune get the thumbs up.

Commendably too, the ride, while firm, managed to absorb road shocks that had us bracing for body shaking impacts. Only the nastiest potholes elicited a violently noisy reaction and then usually only from the torsion beam rear-end.

The Aussie-tuned steering is a mixed bag. On the open road it had a noticeable urge to self-centre, like the elastic had been stretched too tautly. By contrast, on a temporary handling course at Holden’s Lang Lang proving ground, it felt very decisive negotiating a bunch of tight corners. The sodden course also emphasised the Barina’s trustworthy level of grip and handling competence.

The big tyres also generate some roar on coarser surfaces, but it’s not intrusive. More concerning was the lack of feel through the rather wooden brake pedal. The brakes themselves worked just fine though.

The RS tops off the important stuff with an eye-catching body kit and a decent level of equipment that we have detailed here, but it is worth highlighting again the Barina comes with six airbags,a five-star ANCAP rating, the MyLink infotainment system and a funky instrument cluster inspired by motorcycle design. A spare steel wheel and tyre is a no cost option.

Inside, the seats look flatter than they feel, the brake pedal is mounted too high if you like left foot braking and the flat-bottomed steering wheel is thickly rimmed and fully adjustable. There’s a reasonable amount of storage up-front, but a paucity in the back. However, two adults can sit back there without feeling they have entered Lilliputian land. Just watch out for the hard plastics, I nearly dislocated my knee cap on the door!

But that was one of the few painful moments in our time with the Barina RS. Okay, maybe it doesn’t live up to its name in the sense that it is a great sports blaster.

But then there’s another less complimentary term associated with ‘RS’ and that definitely doesn’t apply to it either!

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