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Mazda 3 vs Holden Barina

What's the difference?

VS
Mazda 3
Mazda 3

2024 price

Holden Barina
Holden Barina

$6,499 - $19,994

2018 price

Summary

2024 Mazda 3
2018 Holden Barina
Safety Rating

Engine Type
Inline 4, 2.5L

Inline 4, 1.6L
Fuel Type
-

Unleaded Petrol
Fuel Efficiency
6.6L/100km (combined)

6.6L/100km (combined)
Seating
5

5
Dislikes
  • Small boot
  • Gloomy rear seat
  • No more manual

  • Not fun to drive
  • Underwhelming engine
  • Feeling its age
2024 Mazda 3 Summary

Half a decade on, the current-generation Mazda 3 has weathered a world of change.

Cheap cars have vanished. Electric vehicles are commonplace and the small car class it belongs to has been decimated by SUVs. Big names like the Ford Focus, Holden Astra and Mitsubishi Lancer are history.

But while it looks identical to the car unveiled at the 2018 LA Auto Show, today’s Mazda 3 has also evolved, albeit gently.

Let’s see how competitive the latest and improved (as well as more expensive) version is.

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2018 Holden Barina Summary

The Holden Barina is a nameplate that is arguably better known than many of the others in the company’s line-up. It has been around longer than Trax, Equinox, Colorado, Trailblazer, Spark… in fact, longer than everything but Astra and Commodore.

The current-generation Barina itself has been around for a while, too: it launched way back in 2012, and it’s fair to say the market has moved on a long way since then. But so has the Barina, following a refresh late in 2016 - and it remains one of the roomier offerings in the segment, and one of the keener-priced cars, too.

In fact, it managed to run eighth in terms of sales in the declining light-car segment in 2017… and yet, with nearly 4000 cars sold, there are still plenty of people interested in the Barina model. 

So, does it still stack up?

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Deep dive comparison

2024 Mazda 3 2018 Holden Barina

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