Holden Barina Spark 2011 Review

Price guide (recommended price before statutory and delivery charges): $14,490.
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): None (metallic green paint is a no-cost option but other metallic colours cost extra).
Crash rating: Four Euro NCAP stars.
Fuel: Petrol
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km):  5.6.
CO2 emissions (g/km): 128.
Also consider: Nissan Micra, Suzuki Alto,Suzuki Swift

About our ratings

With its cute looks and attractive price the Barina Spark is doing a good job of getting small-car buyers into Holden showrooms. The only problem is that about half of them walk back out the door because there is no automatic available.

At the media launch, Holden initially claimed that three-quarters of buyers in this class prefer manual -- but a quick ring around of the three big sellers of light cars revealed the opposite to be true.

Holden wasn't necessarily lying, it was just putting on a brave face for an important new car for the company and its dealers. An auto is not due until the first half of 2012.

With Commodore sales slowing to a steady trickle, Holden (and its dealers) are increasingly dependent on other models in the lineup.

And so the Barina Spark (an all-new model albeit with Daewoo origins) is a welcome change from the tired, regular-sized Barina model that's about to be replaced in March 2011 after a lifespan of more than 10 years -- either as a Holden or a Daewoo.

Quick history lesson: Holden bought a massive chunk of Daewoo in the early 2000s and, at the same time, decided to source its small cars from Korea instead of Europe.

Most of these rebadged Daewoos should have been sent to the knackery long ago but General Motors had to prolong their life while they developed all-new models.

The Cruze was the first all-new global small car to come from General Motors' operations in Korea, and the Spark is the second cab off the rank. (For the trainspotters, the Captiva SUV didn't count as "all-new" because it shares its underpinnings with an aging Daweoo mid-size sedan).

The Spark looks sharp inside and out and is a fresh change in a staid class of car. And, as we mentioned during our initial drive of the car at the launch, the cabin quality has taken a step forward, though not as good as the other Koreans yet.

My impressions have changed little since launch although I have noticed a few things after spending a week with the car on familiar roads.

I chose the base model because that's likely to be the biggest seller, but it also means it gets skinnier tyres and, well, let's just say these -- combined with the car's light weight and tall-ish body -- make it susceptible to being blown off course at freeways speeds if it encounters a strong side wind.

The Spark is not alone in being vulnerable to this, but it's a point worth making considering that many buyers are likely to live on the fringes of our biggest cities and regularly commute on freeways.

The skinny tyres also make it a reasonable challenge to forge a safe path through a stream of water across the road, especially at freeway speeds. More caution required.

I also noticed some kickback in the steering that I hadn't noticed before. When some colleagues complained about it, I thought it was only noticeable at journo cornering pace, but it kicked a bit for me when I was least expecting it -- while just tootling along.

Although the Spark's price looks attractive next to the $16,000-and-up Light cars, (which Holden was happy to perpetuate in its presentations to the media), the reality is that the Spark is, strictly speaking, a smaller, Sub-Light car according to its engine capacity and the car-industry tape measure.

This means its real rivals are the Suzuki Alto and the new Nissan Micra. It stacks up well against the Alto (four seats versus the Spark's five) -- but the Alto is substantially cheaper (up to $3000 less depending how aggressive Suzuki is pricing on any given month). And then there is the new Micra 1.2, which is also about $2000 cheaper, and has a smoother engine despite being a three-cylinder unit versus the Spark's four-cylinder 1.2. Both the Suzuki and Nissan are available with auto transmissions.

All this means that the Barina Spark looked to be a brilliant buy -- for about a week. Because a week after it arrived, the new Micra started being delivered to Nissan dealerships -- and Suzuki took a knife to the Alto price.

I have no insider knowledge of this but I reckon Holden will trim the price of the Spark by about $2000 once the real Barina arrives in February. Until then, its price is actually one of its handicaps.

Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at the carsales mobile site