Holden Barina Spark 2011 review

What makes for a good city car? If you want something that's small and nimble enough to nudge right up to your favourite barista's elbow - and won't bust your fuel budget idling through the traffic to get there - slip into the Holden Barina Spark.

But if you want to spend the peak hour pretending you're Michael Schumacher, look elsewhere. The Spark lacks, well, spark.

However it's cheerful, economical transport with enough features to keep you comfortable and amused around town.

Value

The base model CD at $12,490 is the choice against the Suzuki Alto at the same price. And while the Proton S16 and Chery J1 are $1000 and $1500 less respectively, they both feel even cheaper.

Hyundai's Getz from $13,990 feels more solid, but lacks features the baby Holden has even at base level.

The Spark CD gets all the usual kit, but also has stability control, six airbags, traction control and anti-skid brakes with electronic assistance systems, 14-in alloys, sporty body kit accents, and the crucial - for its target market - iPod/iPhone and USB inputs.

Spending $13,990 for the Spark CDX doesn't get you much more: 15-in alloys, colour-accented vinyl seats, power rear windows, sporty steering wheel and a rear spoiler that adds to the looks but has no practical reason to exist.

Design

The bodykit touches give it a perky and cheerful face, and behind that there's a lot of practical space.

Concealed handles on the rear doors and a larger spoiler on the CDX help disguise the blunt lines of the tail. But that squared-off butt coupled with the high roofline means you can get five adults in there reasonably comfortably, although the three in the back won't thank you after a long trip.

The cabin combines function and funky, with a lot of backlighting on the centre stack, and instrument clusters styled to resemble aftermarket tech additions. The coloured seat accents and saddle stitching liven them up, but the mock sports design isn't as comfortable as it looks.

Technology

When they named it Spark, they weren't thinking of the engine. The 1.2-litre four-cylinder will give you an anaemic 59kW of power and 107Nm of torque. The low outputs are probably the main reason there's only a five-speed manual transmission - an automatic would risk making the engine even more apathetic.

It's frugal, no doubt, with a claimed fuel consumption of 5.6L/100km that is never going to break the budget.

But you can't help thinking that a slightly larger engine with a bit more oomph, coupled to even the simplest four-speed auto, would be a better bait to lure the city driver.

Safety

We shouldn't quibble about it having a four-star ANCAP crash rating, which is pretty much par for cheaper end of the light car class. And the Spark gets applause for having that well-stacked list of safety features.

But a stronger body and swapping the rear drums for disks would add more confidence.

Driving

It's happy enough on the urban circuit where it can show off its tight turning circle and compact body by slipping into tiny parking spots and skipping through narrow back alleys. And doing it all on a mere whiff of petrol.

In town, also, hills and fully-laden trips are bound to be short. The Spark will struggle with both those tasks on any longer-term demand, and the engine's buzzy fretting as you raise the revs will let you know it's unhappy.

The vague and relaxed gearing is frustrating in city traffic, and on the highway it takes planning - and a bit of courage -- to tackle overtaking. You'll need to push it hard to build up jousting speed. And even then, it will take fair amount of fortitude to tackle getting past a semi, and the Spark's light body will have you wondering if you can break free of the 18-wheeler's vortex.

Long trips are also where you'll start to feel the cheapness of the seat design and the lack of noise dampening. The Spark is a city dweller, and happiest there.

Verdict

It's a good town car. If Holden added substance rather than dubious style for the up-specced CDX, it could be a great one.