- Doors and Seats
3 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
1.4i, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
66kW, 125Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (91) 7.5L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
Go, girlfriend, go
Good: Best handling under $20,000. Sharp steering. Powerful brakes. Solid build, excellent interior fit and finish. Big-car crash protection and security. Good performance and economy.
Bad: Hard and lumpy ride, especially around town. Driving position. Brakes are either on or off at light/moderate pedal pressures. No rear head restraints.
Verdict: The real Euro deal, but Hyundai's Accent is better overall.
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5).
The days of the $14,990 drive-away-with-air small car deal - for a reasonable quality, safe, competent drive, as opposed to a tin box - are finished for the time being. Plummeting exchange rates are squeezing to bleeding point the slim margins in this all-import class.
But in this class, Holden's new Barina three-door hatch has just hit the showrooms at $13,990. Terrific. Add on-roads (about $2,000) and a hefty $1,850 for air, and you're looking at small change from $18,000. Ouch.
It's a similar story with Toyota's Echo.
Hyundai's Accent, at $15,990 drive-away with air, is by far the cheapest in this top-of-the-class trio. The five-door Barina costs $15,990 - or close to $20,000 by the time you leave the dealership.
The Barina's Continental DNA - badged as the Opel Corsa, it is Europe's top-selling small car - is immediately apparent in its tight, chunky profile and kicked-up tail.
Euro chic counts for plenty among style-conscious small car buyers; the Barina not only looks like the real thing, it also has typically European engineering priorities.
Active front head restraints, for example, reduce the risk of whiplash injury by automatically lifting and moving forward to cradle your head and neck in a rear-end collision. They're lifted straight from Saab which, like Holden, is a BM-owned brand.
The Barina's body structure, Holden claims, gives superior frontal and side protection. Dual airbags are standard - the passenger bag is an option in the Accent and Echo.
The front seat belts have pre-tensioners and force limiters (as does the Accent, while they're on the driver's belt only in the Echo) and, in a severe frontal impact, the brake and clutch pedals shear away to reduce lower leg injuries. This is mighty impressive safety gear.
But independent crash tests give the Echo class honours - it's rated Excellent - while the Barina and Accent are Acceptable. (In this class, most cars rate Marginal or Poor.)
The new Barina will be a more difficult proposition for thieves, with a rolling code transponder-type immobiliser, freewheeling door and steering lock cylinders and deadlocking, which prevents the doors being opened from the inside.
Unique to the class, the Barina has driver's door-only remote unlocking, an added personal security benefit especially for the Barina's high percentage of women buyers.
It enables the driver to keep the passenger's door locked while opening the driver's (press the button twice to open both). The doors can be deadlocked and the interior lights come on with the press of the unlock button.
On the road, the Barina is cast from the same mould as the one-size-larger Astra (also Euro-sourced) and, with the $21,000 Peugeot 206, leads the pack for driving enjoyment and dynamic ability.
The new body is slightly larger but much more rigid than the previous model. It sits on a longer wheelbase and wider tracks, drives with a solid, secure feel of a bigger car and has firm but precisely controlled suspension which provides exceptionally stable handling even on rough country roads.
Precise and lightly weighted at shopping centre carpark speeds, the electric power steering is meatier, more tactile and less prone to kickback on the open road than the usual small car set-up. The Barina changes direction with the agility and poise of a sports hatchback - leaning a touch on the outside front wheel - and gets better-than-average grip from the Michelin tyres.
Four-wheel disc brakes, unique in this price bracket, pull the car up fast and straight when you need maximum stopping power, but in less hurried situations lack progression and power, with a wooden, on/off pedal feel.
The suspension's ability to deliver on the handling front comes at a significant cost to ride quality, which is hard and lumpy around town. At open road speeds, compliance improves, but in most conditions the Accent and Echo are far more comfortable.
A new 66kW engine, with a cable-free electronic accelerator, is extremely refined by class standards, largely due to a four-point mounting system that isolates engine vibration.
The Barina is reasonably tractable in the lower half of the rev range, becoming more enthusiastic past 4,000rpm. The test car, fitted with the optional four-speed automatic, ran a quickish 13.2 seconds for the 0-100km/h sprint.
The auto has well-spaced ratios and shift quality is smoother than average. On the highway, the 1.4 ticks over at a relatively lazy 2,700rpm in fourth. Third makes easy work of steep hills (push-button sport mode locks out fourth). When idling, neutral is automatically selected to reduce drag and save fuel.
Regular unleaded is recommended, but premium ULP gives a slight performance gain.
Interior fit and finish is outstanding in the $13,990 context. Grey plastic (not the usual thin, hard, shiny stuff) dominates, but the cabin has a bright, open ambience, while the dash/control layout is stylish and efficient.
No power windows or side mirrors are available, even as an option. The three-door's lack of steering wheel or driver's seat height adjustment means you either fit the Barina first time or buy another car.
The standard equipment list has other attractions, however. The audio system features an in-dash CD player/six-speaker audio system with long-range radio reception and volume/station/track controls on the steering wheel.
Deft touches not usually found at the price include headlight beam adjustment, service reminder display, covered driver and passenger vanity mirrors and rubber mats in the storage bins to stop change rattling around. There is only one (useless) cup-holder.
The five-door has adjustment for steering wheel and seat height, a sunglasses holder and storage drawer under the front seat. The optional air-con now works properly - in the previous model, it caused Barina owners, and Holden, lots of grief.
The driver's seat is firmly padded, with only basic adjustments. The backrest is properly contoured for lower lumbar support, but side bolstering is non-existent. Tall drivers may want more leg room.
Access to the similarly firm back seat is quite easy and leg room is tolerable for short trips. The Echo's adjustable rear seat is the most spacious in this class.
No rear seat head restraints are fitted. The centre belt is lap-only, but two adults are the realistic limit in the back. Three child restraint anchors (one with a clip) are on the back of the seat, along with two handy shopping bag hooks. The boot is short and deep.
If you're after premium handling and the most enjoyable, sporty drive, the new Barina is the pick of the class. Like the Astra, it has dynamic ability well beyond its price.
Refinement, economy, quality, safety and security are other Euro-inherent strengths; it will be more difficult to live with the hard ride, on-off brakes and one-size-fits-all driving position.
Vital signs
Engine: 1.4-litre, 16-valve fuel-injected four-cylinder.
Power: 66kW at 6,000rpm (average).
Performance: 0-100km/h in 13.2 seconds (quicker).
Brakes: Discs (good in hard stops; otherwise, below average.
Economy: 6.2 litres/100km highway; 8.7 city (automatic excellent).
Prices: Recommended retail - $13,990; five-door - $14,990.
Street price: Early days and tight margins. No deals yet.
Main options: Automatic $1,950; air-conditioning $1,870; metallic paint $235.
Warranty: Three years/100,000 (average).
Retained value: 49 percent after three years (previous model; below average).
Safety rating: Acceptable (Euro NCAP tests, left-hand-drive Corsa).
Alternatives:
Daewoo Lanos 1.5 - $13,990
Ford Ka 1.3 - $14,990
Hyundai Accent 1.5 - $14,990
Kia Rio 1.5 - $14,990
Mazda 121 Metro Shades - $15,650
Mitsubishi Mirage 1.5 - $15,490
Proton Satria GL - $12,950
Suzuki Ignis GA 1.3 - $13,990
Toyota Echo 1.3 - $15. 700