Holden Barina 2011 Review

Holden TM Barina

What we liked
>> Sporty design
>> Ride/handling balance
>> Standard features

Not so much
>> Five-speed manual
>> Only one model grade
>> Fuel consumption could be better

A quick walk around reveals several intriguing design cues, such as the high mounted 'hidden' rear door handles, lens-less front headlamps and an aggressive wedge-shaped profile. Indeed, it's this new 'gender-neutral' exterior design 'gender neutral' exterior design, as Holden call it, that will open the conversation.

Delve a little deeper and it would appear as though the TM Barina has rediscovered its mojo, boasting a comprehensive standard features list - including alloy wheels and Bluetooth audio streaming as standard - a competitive price point and improved safety features.

The only thing standing in the way of total market domination are another 30 or so Light cars each vying for the same customer...

PRICING AND EQUIPMENT

It has managed to squeeze a huge amount of gear into the car at that price. Offered as a five-door hatch initially (the sedan is coming early 2012), getting in and out of the Barina is aided by remote keyless entry and features such as 'follow me home' headlight functionality. An engine immobiliser and battery rundown protection add peace of mind during everyday motoring.

Cruise control is on the standard equipment list, electric mirrors and windows are likewise standard, as is a four-speaker CD/MP3 stereo with Bluetooth audio streaming functionality. The stereo unit looks good too - nice and modern.

There's a USB iPod connection and an AUX input located in the upper section of the split glovebox if you prefer to use wired devices -- there's even a little hole for the wire to feed through when shut.

It's the attention to detail such as this that impresses, and other smaller touches like the two-tone dashboard and improved quality plastics add a lot to the interior.

Air conditioning, 15-inch alloy wheels, Bluetooth telephone connectivity and a multifunction steering wheel (with controls for audio, cruise control and Bluetooth phone) are all standard too, and the seats do the job. You can't really expect lavish materials on a car in this price point, thus the Barina's cloth seats are best described as durable.

The driver's seat is adjustable in six directions, including height, which makes it easier to find a comfortable driving position (passenger seat is adjustable in four directions), and the steering wheel is adjustable for tilt and reach.

There aren't any options except for prestige paint, which adds $500, and an inflator kit can be swapped out for a full size spare wheel at no cost. However there are accessories that let owners customise the look and feel of their car. For instance red headlamp surrounds ($100) add a little sportiness, a rear cargo net ($49) adds practicality and Barina-branded floor mats ($100) improve comfort levels. Alloy pedals are also offered ($75).

MECHANICAL

The Family 1 Generation 3 engine is also built in Korea and has a cast iron block and 16-valve cast aluminium head. It features dual overhead cams with continuous variable cam phasing (aka: variable valve timing) to improve flexibility, along with a variable intake manifold. The engine also gets a low maintenance toothed timing belt, with change intervals every 10 years or 160,000km, whichever happens first.

Though the engine doesn't take advantage of direct-injection technology, it is still relatively frugal, with the manual model using 6.8L/100km and emitting CO2 of 162g/km in Combined ADR testing. The auto is a marginally thirstier, dirtier beast, using a claimed 7.3L/100km and releasing CO2 of 174g/100km, which is far from class-leading. The fuel tank is 46 litres.

Suspension is MacPherson struts at the front (with a 21mm stabiliser bar) and a torsion bar at the rear. The braking system follows a similar sophistication gradient, with 256mm front disc brakes and 230mm rear drums.

Hydraulic power assisted steering lightens the load on your arms and the car measures 4039mm, which by comparison is shorter than the 4291mm Fiesta, but its 1517mm height is taller than the Ford's 1454mm.

The incidental storage options don't end there either. You get a dual glovebox, storage cubbies flanking the centre console (suitable for phones) another on top of the dashboard, plus seat back pockets behind the front seats and a 290 litre boot.

The rear seats are 60:40 splitfold types that extend boot space to 653 litres when folded down.

One of the best things about the new Barina's interior, in my view, is the unorthodox instrument display, which borrows heavily from the motorcycle world (and it's Spark stablemate). The large analogue tachometer is joined to a digital speedometer, which also includes the odo and fuel gauge. Like the rest of the controls on the car it's back-lit blue and doesn't look as tacky as you might think.

Front seat room is good, with lots of leg and head room though Barina is fairly narrow, however, so broad shouldered types will feel a little close.

Rear seat room was a pleasant surprise - not massive but not pokey either. I found legroom not too cramped when the front seat was moved slightly forward.

SAFETY

A collapsible pedal release system has also been built in to reduce lower limb injuries and front seatbelts feature pretensioners and load limiters. All five seats come with lap-sash seatbelts and adjustable head rests.

COMPETITORS

Holden told the media at the Barina's national press launch in Melbourne that it wanted its new Light car to be a "top three" contender in the segment in terms of sales. The new model certainly addresses a lot of issues that hampered previous models, but time will tell if it can land a podium position.

ON THE ROAD

The steering is light and responsive and its compact dimensions give you plenty of room when driving in your lane. Good vision fore and aft means head checking and reverse parking is made a little less stressful, though it should be mentioned the C-pillars are somewhat thick, which does create a blind spot at 7:30 and 4:30.

It has a 10 metre turning circle which gives it a fair degree of manoeuvrability and the Barina is a pleasant car to drive, by and large. The ride quality is surprisingly good, ably soaking up sharp tram tracks as we drove through the Melbourne CBD.

On the flip side the handling isn't quite as balanced as some of its rivals, namely the Ford Fiesta.

Tip it into a corner and car settles quickly on its suspension, with a touch of body roll when shoved roughly into a bend. The Barina tracks well through turns should you find yourself on a twisty section of road and is predictable to drive if nothing else. It's also got a contoured steering wheel that gives the car a more substantial feel.

It's not as involving to drive as the Mazda2 or new Kia Rio but the new Barina is a much nicer car to punt around than the TK model it replaces. I really liked the instrument cluster - it provides concise information clearly but in a stylish fashion thanks to the analogue/digital combo - and the stereo and heating controls were a doddle to use.

The brakes felt a bit flaccid when stomped on, but used in a normal manner delivered good stopping power.

I would heartily recommend the six-speed automatic version over the five-speed manual, despite being a manual enthusiast. The manual gearbox isn't particularly bad – in fact it has a sweet shift feel and the clutch is easily manipulated – it's just that the engine seems to have been tuned for the (admittedly impressive) automatic gearbox.

First gear in the manual feels too tall so even when you nail the throttle from standstill the Holden city car accelerates sluggishly. The engine also felt lumpy and rough at anything below 3000rpm.

Things get a little better in second gear and it cruises well on the freeway, but the six-speed automatic has a shorter first gear and far better response than its manual counterpart, providing the Barina with better acceleration off the mark.

Indeed, the six-speed auto is well worth the extra $2000 – it's smooth, responsive, and has relatively good artificial intelligence. Left to its own devices it encourages the engine shrewdly, keeping it around its sweet spot when you get want to go fast and dropping back to lower revs when cruising.

The tiptronic manual shift mode is actually pretty decent too, and shouldn't be relegated to a simple novelty.

The new Barina is the best we've driven since the European-sourced car stopped making the journey here. It may not be quite as refined as the new Kia Rio or as agile as the Ford Fiesta, yet it doesn't do anything particularly wrong.

Holden has done its homework and the result is one of the best value for money light cars on the market.

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