Holden Viva Reviews

Despite the translation of the name, the Viva may not even inspire much cheer — but at least Vegetarians International Voice for Animals — yes, it does exist — can empathise.Though the name has connotations of fun, relaxation and good cheer, Holden's Viva hatch is less promising. But the former Daewoo Lacetti presents as a neat, attractive and well-sized car that, at $17,990 for the manual version, is good value for money.For Holden, the Korean-made Viva offers buyers a car the size of its Astra for a saving of $4000 — and, for that price, the Viva is well equipped.It comes with airconditioning, electric front windows and mirrors, four-wheel-disc brakes, four airbags, an MP3-compatible CD player with controls on the steering wheel, tilt and telescopic steering-wheel adjustment, remote central locking, height-adjustable driver's seat, five lap-sash seat belts, split-fold rear seats and a full-size spare tyre.The Viva comes as a sedan, wagon or hatch, the latter going on test here with the $2000 option of an automatic gearbox.And that's pretty much all you need. Well almost.Those who remember my recent road test on the Holden Barina — also made in Korea by Daewoo — may recall I criticised the performance of the engine for having "a few ponies missing" — too little horsepower.Well, I've found those ponies. All three are under the bonnet of the Holden Viva.That may not be totally correct, but that's what it feels like to drive the automatic Viva.Mated to an automatic gearbox, the 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine — made by Holden in Melbourne — refutes its capacity by being, frankly, gutless.The gearbox isn't too bad, with four gears and a ragged-gate shift pattern to prevent accidental changes, and there's no sequential manual mode.Once it reaches its desired speed, it cruises quietly, comfortably and fuel efficiently.The Viva's long wheelbase contributes to the ride comfort and, theoretically, should aid handling through the corners.But while Holden has done a lot of work in tying down the body to make it handle, the Viva has none of the predictability and sure-footedness of the Astra.I would suggest that Viva buyers aren't Astra buyers, and vice versa. Simply, you get what you pay for.The cabin is pleasantly designed, with a soft-feel plastic dash usually found on more expensive cars.This is punctuated by round vent outlets but, while these are quite big, you need a high fan speed to pump cool air around the cabin.The seats are relatively comfortable, though there's little lateral support, but the Viva is a few hundred kilometres away from being a sports car, and easy seat access is more important than body support.It's a nice car for a decent price, but not something to sing about.

It's a rebadged Daewoo Lacetti hatch which we didn't see here as a Daewoo and is quite a good looking car.There might be some sort of stigma attached to its country of origin (Korea) but we don't know why.Apart from a few minor annoyances, the new Viva is a good thing _ goes well, doesn't use much fuel, handles and rides acceptably, is easy on the eye inside and out and best of all, is bargain priced.The five door hatch is one of three new Viva's available and we reckon it's the best.Far from being a "povvo pack" car without much equipment the Viva is right on the pace with both luxury and safety goodies including height-adjustable front seat belts with pretensioners, air conditioning, power steering, four speaker single CD/MP3 capability audio system, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, front power windows (all round on the wagon), heated exterior mirrors, six-way height adjustable drivers seat and a tilt and telescopic-adjustable steering wheel.All three variants: hatch, sedan and wagon, feature four air bags as standard equipment and prices start at $17,990.Power comes from a twin cam, 1.8-litre, four cylinder engine with 89kW/169Nm output driving through the front wheel via a five speed manual or optional four speed auto.The engine complies with future Euro 4 emissions standards and returns fuel efficiency figures of 7.4 litres per 100 kilometres (manual transmission).Holden says the entire car including the engine and transmission has been tailored to suit Austalian driving conditions.That may be so but there are some areas that could do with improvement, specifically, the long travel gear selector and the reluctance of the engine to drop revs when you change gears.Both are annoying making it difficult to drive the Viva smoothly unless you adopt a certain driving technique.But in practical terms, Viva's extremely useful offering plenty of boot space, good rear seat legroom and more than 20 storage compartments including cup holders and coin trays.Holden engineers tweaked the Viva's suspension but it's fairly mainstream stuff offering comfort and a reasonable degree of composure on most surfaces.Interior noise is about on par for the class.Brakes are discs all round with ABS optional.There's been a fair bit of negative press about the Viva but it seems misplaced after our time behind the wheel. The car is a cheapie to be sure and should be considered in that context. It ticks most of the boxes for performance, equipment, style, practicality, ride and economy. What more do you want for under $20,000.

Prices start at a mere $17,990 and that includes air conditioning, four air bags, front power windows, mirrors and remote central locking, a decent audio system and power steering.It's pretty well all you need in terms of features.Dig a little deeper and Viva scrubs up well: the engine is a 1.8-litre twin cam four cylinder with 89kW/169Nm output and Euro 4 emissions compliance.It's based on the old Family 1 Holden engine from Camira days but has been completely upgraded with a new cylinder head and other components to bring it into the 21 century.There are three body styles, wagon, five door hatch and four door sedan.We have seen something like the sedan before badged as a Daewoo Lacetti but Holden has made changes throughout the car to better suit Aussie conditions and buyers.The sedan is a good size car with an Astra style face and other detail changes. It can take five inside and offers a large boot and a full size spare.The interior is stylish and functional and comfort over a long haul is good.It has a relatively comfortable ride but definite limits in the handling department. But that's OK, it's not a sports car.The auto sedan we drove last week was pretty good on most scores. The build seemed OK apart from a console lid that wouldn't close and a crappy boot lining. Engine performance is good and there is plenty of pick-up available across the engine rev range but the four speed auto is awful. It hunts in top gear on hills, makes sloppy or inappropriate changes and sometimes hesitates at the wrong moment.Manual select mode is the go here.It's economical, capable of returning around 7.5 litres/100km with mixed driving and noise and vibration is minimal. Other aspects of the Viva are similar to most other offerings in the market – audio, aircon, power ancillaries, upholstery, styling. There really is no down side to the Viva in these areas.Our advice – save $2000 and get the manual. It's heaps better unless you are going to drive exclusively around town at a sedate pace.