Holden Barina Spark 2013 Review

Holden Barina Spark

What we liked:
>> Faultless infotainment
>> Predictable steering
>> Strong acceleration

Not so much:
>> Plasticky interior
>> Nose-heavy handling
>> Poorly calibrated transmission

Unfortunately, the Barina Spark’s soft nose and firmer rear suspension arrangement saw a lot of pressure placed on the front tyres while manoeuvring where continued steering input was vital to maintaining control.

The engine is overly sharp in its response to initial throttle travel. It also had to work very hard to climb the steep grade on our test route, revving at 6000rpm to tackle it.

The transmission was equally frantic, perhaps too much so -- in response to the jumpy throttle selecting a lower gear than was truly necessary for the task. The results here were twofold: the dramatic noise and unnecessary revs meant that not only was the gravelly engine note unpleasant for the Barina Spark’s occupants but fuel consumption was also raised (8.1L/100km average on test).

Despite these concerns during roll-on acceleration, the Barina Spark was impressively fast from standstill, matching the Mitsubishi Mirage from nought to 60km/h at 6.0sec (according to our V-Box tester).

Braking, however, saw the Barina Spark manage a median 17.6m when stopping from 60km/h. The pedal itself loaded late and offered little linearity and poor modulation.

VALUE FOR MONEY
Daringly styled where its competition erred towards conservative, and priced dead-centre of its category, Holden’s Barina Spark is the only four-cylinder represented here.

It heads the rest in terms of power and torque outputs, and not a lot is missing from its standard equipment list. It comes with alloy wheels, front fog lights, a multi-function steering wheel, and even heating for the door mirrors.

At showroom level, potential buyers will be impressed by the Barina Spark’s body kit, large-bore exhaust outlet, and neat instrument panel that moves with the (height only) adjustable steering wheel.

Like most of the field (the Mirage is the exception), the Barina Spark gets power windows only in the front, although the driver is able to operate the left-side front window from the armrest controller. There’s the usual connectivity including Bluetooth telephony and a USB port, and the four-speaker sound system has a (single) CD player.

The Barina Spark comes with an industry average three-year/100,000km warranty and offers roadside assist as part of the deal -- for one year only.

Capped-price servicing comes at a maximum $185 for the first three years, or 60,000km (whichever comes first). A four-star only ANCAP safety rating downgrades the micro-Holden’s safety credentials.

FIT, FINISH AND FINESSE
There’s problems with almost every key touch-point inside the Barina Spark. From the hard and glossy urethane steering wheel to the painted silver plastics, most surfaces inside the Barina Spark either look or feel low-rent.

Those silver-painted plastics line the dash-top shelves as well as the front door bins. Put a mobile phone, keys or any other hard-edged object in them, and we reckon it wouldn't be long before the paint started to wear through.

The part-'pleather', part-cloth seat upholstery is a strange touch. The surfaces look distinctive, but feel terrible. The faux leather is too soft and has an almost slimy texture, while the cloth feels too thin and flimsy. Will long-term durability be an issue?

The cargo compartment is very poorly finished, indeed. Not only is there a lot of exposed sheetmetal, but the carpet fits poorly and the rear windscreen washer plumbing is exposed.

Externally, the Barina Spark’s black plastic accents were already starting to fade and turn grey from UV exposure.

It’s the most visually adventurous design out of all these cars, but Holden has really dropped the ball when it comes to quality and finish.

Road noise is prominent in the Barina Spark’s cabin at speed.

The front seats provide little in the way of adjustment, with a fixed seatbelt height and an inability to lower the seat base. The result is an upright driving position and consequent discomfort through the legs when operating the pedals. Thankfully, the steering wheel-mounted audio controls, unique dashboard layout and easy-to-use centre console controls somewhat redeem the Barina Spark’s amenity issues.

Visibility is impressive, even four-up, with the extra front ‘quarter’ window and high seating position offering good all-round vision. The only caveat was that rear passengers can feel somewhat ‘closed-in’ by the high-mounted backing for the rear door’s exterior handles, which encroach on window space.

The Barina Spark is a five-seater and offers good rear width for two adults (a small child could squeeze in between), although the diving roof line intrudes a little on headroom.

Rear kneeroom is adequate in this company, and footroom good. In terms of comfort, the rear seats were described by one tester as ‘firm slabs’, while the front chairs are similarly firm in their padding.

The Barina Spark offers 170 litres cargo capacity, expanded to 568 litres with the 60:40 split rear-seat folded down.

Standard audio features include (single) CD, MP3, USB and Bluetooth connectivity. Hands-free phone technology completes the offering. There’s no voice-control, but this is yet to prove its worth with the Barina Spark’s target market.

Phone pairing is seriously easy; it’s intuitive and fast. Sound is delivered through four speakers and offers good clarity, although the top-of-dash location of the front speakers is questionable for optimal sound delivery.

The multi-function steering wheel controls offer audio scan, volume and phone activation functions.

Driver and passenger windows and mirrors are electrically controlled and the driver can control the front passenger window. Rear windows are manually operated.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Holden Barina Spark (from $12,490 / as tested $14,490)