2001 Holden Barina Reviews

Holden Barinas come from a variety of backgrounds. From 1989 until April 1994, Barina was a Japanese Suzuki Swift with a different name, though it sold in fewer variants than did the Swift. From April 1994, Barina was built by German car maker Opel.Then from December 2005, Barina was produced by the South Korean company Daewoo. These days Daewoo, now GM-Korea, has quite a few Australian engineers and designers so there's plenty of local expertise in them.To further increase confusion, Opel Corsa entered the Australian market for the first time in September 2012 and is the ‘grandson’ of the Barina that used to be built for Holden by Opel.It’s still early days for the Corsa in Australia, but owners of the German Barinas are paying close attention to them. Not only do Corsas have sportier dynamics than the Korean Barinas, the importer is closely related to Holden in back-office operations.Holden Barina is a small car that’s generally tough in its build and put together to a good standard in any of the factories just mentioned. It has earned a good reputation for being simple to drive and park.However, some older models didn’t have power-assisted steering as standard so can be a handful at parking speeds. If you do come across one be sure to road test it at very low speeds to see what you think.The Barina is sold as a three-door or five-door hatchback, or a four-door sedan, the latter not offered at all times. Occupant space in the front seats is fine. Some drivers complain the pedals are too close together in the German versions, others don’t have a problem.Rear seat legroom is rather restricted unless the front occupants are prepared to give up some of their space. Hardly unusual in a car in this class. Boot space is marginal in the ‘Suzuki’ Barina, better in the ‘Opel’ and ‘Daewoo’ versions. Naturally the rear-seat backrest can be folded down to increase luggage room when required.In their Suzuki and Daewoo formats the Barina is mainly aimed at suburban running. The German Opel Barina isn't out of place on country roads provided they are not too rough; corrugated roads can knock them around. They are designed to cruise at 140 to 160 km/h in their home country so dawdling along at 110 km/h in Australia sees them barely raising a sweat.The current GM-Korea Barina isn’t too bad on the rough stuff, but is still better left to the suburban areas. Handling in the European-sourced Barinas is enjoyable and will appeal to the enthusiast. The Suzuki and Korean models can be on the soft side, though a decent set of tyres can make them reasonably pleasant to drive.All Barinas have four-cylinder engines. The Suzuki engine is a 1.3-litre unit (three-cylinder engines used in some Suzuki Swifts but were never installed in Barinas). Though the engine is small, performance is reasonably good because of the light weight of the car.The European-built Opel Barina comes with several different engine sizes. The 1.2-litre engine was sluggish and a poor seller, it was discontinued midway through 1997; the 1.4-litre is the most common engine and provides on-road performance that’s fine for most people.There's also a hot GSi motor in the Opel versions of the Barina. It had 1.6 litres until the 2001 model, then 1.8 litres (re-tagged as the Barina SRi) made it a genuine hot hatch at a pretty modest price.Engines in the current Barina, the South Korean one, have a capacity of 1.2 litres in the low-cost Spark model and 1.6 litres in the others. The 1.2 is on the dead side but the 1.6 provides reasonably peppy performance. These days there’s no high-performance option on Barina, but the Opel Corsa OPC, launched early in 2013 is a great little hot hatch.Five-speed manual gearboxes are probably the best bet unless you are going to be doing a lot of heavy-duty commuting. The automatic in the ‘Suzuki’ Barina is a three-speed unit, that in the German Opel and Korean models a four-speed. The automatic option isn’t offered in all versions of the Opel-based Barina.From November 1997 until late 2000 some three-door hatches were converted into two-door cabriolets by HSV in Melbourne. They are great fun to cruise in when the weather’s right, but their extra weight makes them sluggish in acceleration and handling suffered because of the removal of the roof.The cabriolet is even smaller in the back seat than the others, so is really a two-plus-two not a four-seater. Spare parts prices are generally favourable and there are Holden dealers in virtually all areas of Australia. Those in remote country areas are unlikely to stock every Barina part, so you may have to wait for parts to be shipped from a major city.Barinas are reasonably easy for the amateur mechanic to service and repair, though the underbonnet area is on the crowded side and work can be frustrating at times. Having a workshop manual on hand before you lift the bonnet makes a lot of sense. Insurance charges are generally reasonable, some companies will ask extra for the higher-performance Barina GSi and SRi.WHAT TO LOOK FORThe engine should start reasonably quickly and idle without too much movement. Listen for a rattle when it first kicks over, even if the rattle dies away after a couple of seconds it probably means the engine is badly worn.After the engine has been idling for a minute or so, hit the accelerator pedal and look for a puff of smoke from the exhaust. This could indicate serious engine wear.Make some fast gearchanges and listen and feel for a manual gearbox that baulks or crashes. The problem usually shows up in the critical third-to-second downchange before any others.Automatics that are rough in their changes or which change too frequently, may be due for an overhaul.Check that the brakes don't pull to one side under hard application. If ABS is fitted, feel for a pulsing through the pedal when you push it very hard.Look for front tyres that are worn unevenly. This could be caused by something as simple as poor wheel alignment, but it could also mean the body has been twisted in a prang.Rust is not normally a problem in Suzuki-built Barinas, but if it does get a hold it can make a real mess of the body in a relatively short time. Be wary of this because rust repairs can cost big bucks.Opel cars are significantly better for rust protection and the only problems we have seen are in cars poorly repaired after a crash. Korean cars look to be well rust proofed and are standing up well.To be on the safe side, check for rust in all lower areas of the body, doors and hatchback, as well as the surrounds of the front and rear windows and the petrol filler flap.CAR BUYING TIPSmall cars with low kilometres on the clock have probably spent most of their lives in heavy-duty traffic with their engines cold. This is not good for longevity of mechanical components.

The success of the Vectra-Astra-Barina family has transformed the company well beyond its big-six success, and things should get even better with the arrival of a fresh baby-boomer.The all-new Holden Barina still starts at $13,990 and still comes with the cute rounded look of the beep-beep car, but it is significantly different from the model it replaces. It is bigger, stronger, sweeter and a much tougher rival for the Hyundai Accent and the Mitsubishi Mirage, which lead the class in sales and engineering.Holden has changed a lot of things, including the way the Barina models are arranged. But it has held on to the hatchback shape, a twin-airbag cabin and even the useful central instrument pod that has readouts for the radio, the time and outside temperature.There are now just two Barina body choices, a two-door or a four-door, with a shared 1.4-litre engine and either a manual or an automatic gearbox. Air-con is $1870 extra, though there must eventually be a bonus pack that makes it a no-cost part of a deal.The XC Barina looks larger, helped by windows that are bigger, but when you park it beside the old model, you see there is not a lot of difference. Even so, there is noticeably more space inside, especially front shoulder and head room.The body has some nice styling touches, including high tail lights that could have been taken from a compact four-wheel-drive, and bigger 14-inch wheels under slightly flared guards.The mechanical package is centred on the latest twin-cam 1.4-litre motor, with output boosted from 60 to 66 kW and 114 to 120 Nm, a neat half-dozen pickup in each case. The torque peak is relatively high at 4000 revs and the engine has to be pushed to 6000 revs for maximum power.It has the regulation front-wheel drive but picks up four-wheel disc brakes, sadly without any anti-skid system on the options list, in a class where rear drums are most common.The Barina deal includes a classy Blaupunkt sound system with single CD, but the windows are wind-up models and even the mirrors have manual adjustment. There is power steering and remote central locking, but no remote release for the boot - a common European choice for improved security. There is only one cupholder, so small it's nearly useless, though the cabin has plenty of storage space, including big bins on the doors.DRIVINGThe new Barina feels rock-solid and a lot more substantial than its baby-car rivals. It's not as big inside as Hyundai's bigger new Accent or as trendy as Ford's tiny Ka, but that barely matters for a good-looking, well-designed and developed package.The Barina gets along fairly well, has twin airbags for safety, and its starting price is still $13,990 when even Hyundai's hero opens the batting at $14,990.So what's not to like? The back seat, for a start. It puts the bench back into bench seat and is no place for anyone a little taller than average. It's hard and angular, with no real support, and it doesn't have any headrests. The dashboard is also a bit raw, with crinkled plastic finishes that look rough and cheap.Most worrying is an engine that does its own thing for too much of the time. It's probably the engine management system, and the need to get rid of unburned fuel, but the car surges and hunts with revs that rise and fall without any input from the throttle. It's a bit scary at first, lifting off the accelerator and having the engine keep pushing the car, but then it just gets annoying and confusing. It would be good to get an explanation from Holden because the symptoms are likely to migrate to other models - and other brands - as we get deeper and deeper into the clean-tailpipe era.The Barina test car was a two-door automatic with air-con, a package that moves it out of bargain-basement land to $17,810, a price that includes electric assists in some rivals. But the baby Holden has a body that feels almost Mercedes-Benz tough, and that means it should last and last. It has also allowed Holden's engineers to provide a really sporty suspension set-up that is more than adequate for the urge from the 1.4, allowing it to be hustled surprisingly swiftly.As well, it has a firm-yet-compliant ride that soaks up the worst Aussie roads. It's definitely the best in class, just like the bigger Astra, and will take some beating. The steering is firm and direct and the brakes are good, with first-class grip from the Michelin rubber. The Barina can get a little noisy on coarse bitumen, but it's nothing to worry about.The auto test car was a bit dozy from the lights, but compensated with solid mid-range torque and an eager top end. It would be a lot better with a manual to keep it spinning in the power range, making it a really sporty little drive.The fuel economy was still very good at 7.9 litres/100km and it has an impressive touring range. The car is comfortable and easy to drive, with a nice meaty steering wheel and firm but supportive seats.The Barina has good headlights, a surprisingly annoying tinkle for the turn indicators, and a big horn for a small car. The boot is reasonably big, with a fold-down back seat, but it has a high lip to load over. It's reassuring to have the twin airbags, but Holden's commitment to safety - which it trumpets every time it rolls out an updated Commodore - should have included anti-skid brakes somewhere in the deal.Perhaps, like Honda has done with the latest Civic, they will come later. The bargain basement has never been as crowded or competitive as it is today but, on balance and despite the back seat, the Barina is the new benchmark. It loses a little ground to the Accent in some areas, but takes a solid points decision over the Hyundai hero and the ageing Mitsubishi Mirage, making it the car to drive first when you're shopping for a compact companion.HOLDEN BARINAPrice: $17,810 as tested (two-door auto with air-con)Engine: 1.4-litre four-cylinder with twin-overhead camshafts and fuel injectionPower: 66kW/6000revsTorque: 120Nm/4000revsTransmission: Five-speed manual or four-speed automatic, front-wheel driveBody: Two-door hatchDimensions: Length 3816mm, width 1642mm, height 1443, wheelbase 2491mm, tracks 1417/1408mm front/rearWeight: 970kgFuel tank: 44 litresFuel consumption: Average on test 7.9litres/100kmSteering: Power-assisted rack-and-pinionSuspension: Front MacPherson struts and semi-trailing rear arms with torsion beamBrakes: Four-wheel discsWheels: 5.5x14 steelTyres: 175x65R14 MichelinWarranty: 3 years/100,000kmRIVALSHolden Barina from $13,990Hyundai Accent from $14,990Toyota Echo from $15,940Mitsubishi Mirage from $15,490