Holden Barina SRi 2004 review: snapshot

These city cars are not meant to put a smile on your face.

They're not meant to look hot yet still appear like they come from the factory.

Holden's Barina SRi, right, is the exception.

Admittedly $22,490 is a little pricey for a runabout but the SRi is the top of the food chain in terms of Barinas.

And for this you get the 1.8-litre four cylinder, a step up from the 1.4-litre engine in the rest of the range.

Right from start up it is evident that there is a little more urge and excitment under the skin.

It is armed with lusty performance yet together with a harder edge there also is a degree of practicality.

Inside the Barina there is a spacious cabin in which adults will not feel like sardines when they climb into the rear.

In some respects the Barina is a more enjoyable drive than the corresponding Astra SRi.

Vision is clearer all-round, there is a well sorted manual gearbox, crisp steering, sharp turn-in, supportive seats and a punchy engine.

Perhaps one of the best attributes of the Barina SRi is the fun factor.

There are faster, wilder and meaner four-potters around but they also are pricier.

All-round the Barina does everything with a reasonable degree of competence.

It sits proud around town and on more demanding runs on the freeway and handles well, tucking in and sitting confidently around tight corners.

Road manners are polite, obedient and brisk from a lightweight package that is heavy on enjoyment levels.

There has been changes to the Barina SRi compared to when it first came out a few years ago.

For starters the windows have gained electric controls compared to the manual ones which kind of didn't quite cut the mustard for what it was trying to be.

It now has all the mod-cons in a smart package that wants for little.

While the rest of the Barina range recently underwent a revamp which coincided with price reductions of between 5-6 per cent, the SRi is rock solid at $22,490.