2009 Holden Barina 3-Door Hatch Road Test Review
HOLDEN’S KOREA-SOURCED BARINA city car has been on sale in Australia in its present TK-chassis form since 2005.
The facelifted MY 2009 model arrived just over a year ago. In that time, despite stiff competition in a crowded segment and lacking some of the dynamic qualities of its competitors, it has done reasonably well for Holden.
It is still outperforming Ford’s fresher and sharper Fiesta, so it must be hitting the spot with at least one group of buyers.
Holden has recently priced the commuter-friendly Barina 3-door hatch at a keen $13,990 drive-away, so we thought we’d take a look at what the smallest member of the Barina family had to offer.
Styling
The short, upright stance of the Daewoo-based Barina gives it some cutesy appeal that clearly wins favour with women in particular. It’s not as edgy nor as eye-catching as the Fiesta and Mazda2, nor even the Yaris, but there is a neat understated balance to its lines.
The front end is new for 2009, and was wheeled out in the second half of 2008 to freshen up the Barina’s schnoz. New headlights, new front quarter-panels, and a new bumper distinguish the newer model.
There are milder changes out back, with a new rear bumper and revamped tail-lights added to the Barina’s rump. A new (optional) alloy wheel design rounds out the rest of the exterior changes.
However, while the Barina’s visual update is an improvement over the early TK chassis models, it still looks a bit plain-Jane next to most of its competitors. The Nissan Micra is cuter, the Fiesta more dynamic and the Yaris boasts a more cohesive design.
On the upside, the Barina is cheaper than all of them.
Interior
A ‘plain-yet-inoffensive’ theme continues in the Barina’s cabin. The MY 2009 update saw a number of minor style changes to the dash and centre console.
However, there’s an overabundance of hard plastics inside, and, to my thinking, it seems a little low-rent even despite that low entry-level price.
There are also not a lot of storage options in the Barina, but it’s excusable given its small proportions. However, the absence of a covered centre console bin means the glovebox is the only place to keep valuables away from prying eyes.
On the plus side, there’s a sunglasses holder above the driver’s door, two slim door pockets and a pair of fold-out cupholders in the dash.
Ergonomically, there’s little to complain about. By virtue of its narrow width, all audio and ventilation controls are within easy reach and the steering wheel-mounted audio controls offer further utility.
While the driver’s seat is adjustable six ways, its cushions are flat, not especially comfortable and lacking in lateral support. The same applies for the rear bench. All up, it’s not the best interior in the class, but three-point safety belts feature on every seat.
Entry and egress to the rear seats isn’t too difficult thanks to the fold-forward mechanism on the front passenger seat. The mechanism though is a little clunky to use and doesn’t always lock firmly back in place.
Rear legroom isn’t generous, but the rear bench is reasonably comfortable and will accommodate two adults.
There’s 220 litres of cargo volume with the rear seats up, increasing to 980 litres with the 60/40 split seats folded down. With the seats in place there’s enough space for the weekly shop, but small families will likely find the boot a little small for their needs.
It’s also not built to haul flat-pack furniture (so cross that trip to IKEA off the list). When folded, the rear bench doesn’t sit flat and creates a substantial ledge that makes fitting outsize items a challenge.
Equipment and features
At 13,990 drive-away, you’d expect the Barina to be fairly bare-boned. It is a pleasant surprise then that there are a few useful gadgets fitted as standard in its tiny shell.
The audio system, although a basic single-CD AM/FM tuner, boasts an auxillary input for iPods and other music players, as well as the ability to read MP3-loaded CDs. Steering wheel audio controls, as mentioned before, are standard.
The front windows are now electric as standard, as are the (heated!) wing mirrors.
Safety-wise, the Barina is a mixed bag. On one hand, new standard-issue side airbags, front airbags and a more rigid steel safety cell give the Barina a respectable four-star ANCAP crash rating.
On the other hand, ABS is a cost option (bundled with 15-inch alloys) and stability and traction control are not available.
Mechanical package
Like the rest of the car, the Barina’s mechanicals are straightforward and simple. This is part of the Barina’s appeal.
Powered by a 1.6 litre DOHC inline four, the Barina’s power output stands at 76kW at 5800rpm, with 145Nm of torque arriving at 3600rpm. That is reasonably respectable for a $13,990 drive-away purchase.
Our tester was fitted with the standard five-speed manual, however a four-speed automatic is available as a cost option.
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Heated mirrors and yet no traction or stability control?
Don’t forget this is a Daewoo - with 1-2 Star Safety Rating….. and no Traction or Stability control…. and Rear Drum Breaks?! (Correct me if I’m wrong)
No wonder why GM Daewoo-Holden are out selling the Fiesta with this low end car….. people don’t see that the Mazda 2 and Fiesta are of much better quality and should fork out another 4-5-6k that will hold it’s value longer, better built and a better car over all.
Out of 7 Holden cars in the range:
1 is Australian built (This includes the Commodore Sedan Range, Sports Wagon, Statesman and Caprice)
4 are KOREAN
1 is a Isuzu
1 is European (Barina Combo Van - if not built in South America)
Also Holden owned by the Americans.
Pretty Australian I say.
Holden are owned by GM but for the most part their management and operating structure are very Australian.
Having said that I just don’t get how a senior executive can get away with saying “Safety is not important for our customers in this segment” when probed about the 2 star rating of the Korean Kalos/Barina when it first appeared in ‘05.
Manufacturers have an obligation not only to keep their customers and occupants of their vehicles safe, but also pedestrians and other road users. It is a fact that many people in this segment will opt to spend their hard-earned on a better stereo or alloys instead of ABS or additional airbags; but manufacturers should offer a decent minimum. Not having ABS in 2009 is a friggin joke.
ABS is an option!
If you are only paying $13,990 DRIVE AWAY what do you expect?
So so cheap….
I know - cheap and therefore popular with first-car buyers who have higher priorities like Bluetooth and MP3 compatibility and alloy wheels and a perkier engine. But I remember being on my Ps with my first car that didn’t have ABS - it was a good learning experience, sure, but during certain conditions it was bloody dangerous.
I reckon ABS is a critical active safety feature (i.e. preventing a crash from occurring in the first place). Barina doesn’t have to have knee airbags or active head restraints or even ESP/DSC at that price point. I just think cutting on ABS is a bit tight but Holden isn’t alone there - Hyundai only offers ABS+ESP+TCS+EBD (as a package) on 1.6 models not 1.4
Nice little bit of cherry picking of info there Matt J
most light cars have rear drums you can spend $21K+ on a Fiesta or Jazz and you still get drums yet you only seem to of noticed the Barina.
And did you actually read the story Barina is 4stars ANCAP.
BTW only 1 Ford in their range is locally made Falcon/Territory
Focus=Africa
Ranger=Thailand
Escape=Taiwan
Fiesta & Mondeo=Europe
Transit=Europe
Ford is also American owned
Pretty un-Australian i say
Captain Nemo - Nice work!
But I believe that after the ABS is optioned in it’s 4 star rated….
But who knows!
http://www.ancap.com.au/results/296/
Matt J, as mentioned by Captain Nemo it is easier to mention small city cars that have rear disc BRAKES than drums as very few actually have discs. I would also like to know what part of the rear drum broke? I can’t believe how many cars these days have faulty brakes with the amount of people mentioning how much they “break”!
On another note GM and Isuzu split a little while ago now. The Colorado may be loosely based off the old “Isuzu” Rodeo, however it is now a full GM product with Isuzu going their own way with the D-Max. Even though Isuzu own the name Rodeo, I can understand why they didn’t keep the name going in Australia!
The Barina is only selling due to price (most important to many) and the naivety of much of the public thinking it is Australian. You would be surprised how many people think it is built in Australia because it is a Holden. This is assisted by Holden’s first class marketing department, whilst they don’t say it is Australian made etc, they don’t say it isn’t whilst they promote how Australian the Holden brand is. Many then just assume that seeing as Holden “means a great deal to Australia(” etc, it must be Australian made. Plus I would say with the name Barina, people must still have fond memories of the much better Opel Corsa previously sold here as the Barina and may still think if the last Barina was good, this new one must be much better. The sooner a proper GM model replaces it, the better. You can only polish a turd so much…
Pretty Un-Australian? We’re talkin’ about the company who had invented and started producing the most australian thing ever (the ute) 15 years before GM-Holden even got going. And the in-line 6 engine is an all-aussie affair; still designed, engineered and built right here in australia; rather than a wheezy line-up of global V6’s.
And when you buy any Ford model in the range (no matter where it’s built) you know you’re buying a FORD; which is usually best-in-class or very close. Not a rebadged Daewoo, Suzuki or Isuzu tin can.
Oh and scratch Isuzu; since the ‘colorado’ update, Isuzu has taken their business (and their Rodeo name) AWAY from the basket-case that is GM.
@ Devil’s Advocate
Your making out like Holden is the only car company that don’t mention where their cars are built.
I’m sure if you went to buy a Hilux the word “Thailand” would not get a mention same with a Focus “german engineering” would be mentioned but not made in Africa.
Much the same if you buy overpriced eurotrash like a Skoda its German heritage will get mentioned several times and the Numpty about to shell out $100K+ for an Audi Q7 wil never hear the word “SLOVAKIA” during the course of the sale.
@ Ron
Sorry to burst your Ford fanboy bubble but both Ranger & Escape are Mazdas the Escape in particular a fairly out of date one.
The IL6 is a very dirty motor struggles just to make euro3 emissions and will need almost a full rebuild to meet euro4 why do you think Ford have no export markets for this so called “world class” motor even the Yanks the land of big motors don’t want such a dirty motor.
I am not doubting it Captain Holden, I mean Nemo and I never said otherwise. However I thought the article was about the Barina and I was just expressing my opinion on that topic. You know all about expressing your own opinion so I thought you of all people would understand!
You can read into it what you like, you seem to be good at that! I am sure whatever I said you still would have gotten defensive etc etc as I don’t have a positive thing to say about the Barina and the huge backward step GMHolden made switching to that particular Daewoo. ALL companies take backward steps occasionally, even your beloved Holden.
Devil’s Advocate
Actually i’am the very unhappy owner of a eurotrash Skoda.
Assumptions are the mother of all F***-ups
to use a rather cliched internet meme OWNED!
I learnt from the best. You taught me everything I know! BTW, my favourite brand is Aston Martin, but I don’t own one… Ooops, right back at ya!!
(P.S. I was just going by your other responses both here and one of “the other” Car Websites. This is fun! Thanks for the discussion)
$12,990 SRP Drive Away Hyundai Getz - better in almost every respect.
And I disagree very strongly about class-leading traffic light performance. I’ve driven both and the Mazda2 smashes it.
Captain Nemo, I disagree the Ford I6 is a very dirty engine. While it may not be as efficient as some smaller capacity sixes, I think it can be attributed to the monster torque and flexibility. Last car I rented was an FG Falcon and I could not have been more impressed with it’s performance or efficiency.
And although it will be a decent job to meet Euro IV, it won’t be as much of a job as the original Barra 182 project. Ford have a very solid base to work on, and perhaps the reason Ford don’t use it overseas is they do not have an appropriate application for an inline six, or they already have older designs which have been tooled for and have written off investment costs.
Captain Nemo,
The Ford Ranger and Ford Escape are both FORD vehicles which were designed, engineered and built by FORD in various places around the world to the same manufacturing standards. While it matters to a certain extent where the vehicle is built the point is that both those cars as well as the rest of the ford range are all FORD’s. The FORD Escape SHARES it’s platform with the Mazda Tribute just like the FORD Ranger SHARES it’s platform with the Mazda BT-50; Just like the Fiesta and the 2 and the Focus/VolvoS40/Mazda3. Once your done with the platform they’re totally different vehicles from there with different engines/transmissions/ancillaries the whole lot.
The point in all this is that Holden has been getting away with these horrible re-badge efforts for years and there would be thousands of people out there who bought the ‘05 and onwards Daewoo Barina (as an example) and have no idea they’re driving a pathetic daewoo kalos; and they’re downright lethal in a crash too….brrr.
This still hasn’t been rectified; while it’s true that holden has some engineering input with the newer generation Daewoo imports; they’re still crap, and it’s obvious that the daewoo move has just positioned holden as a budget plastic-car company making throwaway crap; a huge backwards step from the Barina being easily best-in-class in 2001 and winning WCOTY.
You might need to check your facts/sources Ron. The Ranger is in fact made in the same Taiwanese Factory as the Mazda BT-50. Not to mention the Ranger has the same Mazda designed diesel engine and transmission as the Mazda BT-50. Mazda and Ford have a shared arrangement where in the US, Mazda use and share a Ford designed “pick-up” that is made in the US. For countries like Australia, Ford use a Mazda designed ute made in Taiwan. In other words, the Ranger in the US is different, though still ‘related’ by sharing similar design cues etc, to the Ranger available in Australia. The only difference between the Australian Taiwanese built Ranger and BT-50 are the badges and some minor trim/cosmetic/equipment specification changes.
Also, your info on the Fiesta/Mazda 2/Focus/3 is also not totally correct either. When they developed these shared platform cars each brand were given certain responsibilities. Mazda designed the 4 cyl engines/drive trains, Ford designed the chassis/suspension etc and Volvo assisted with the structure/crash worthiness etc. Yes, the engine in the Fiesta/Focus is made by Ford, but the block etc is still a Mazda design. What Ford did is fit a slightly different head/camshaft timing to the engine to suit their requirements. Both cars also share some ancillaries too. For example you will find some FoMoCo stamped parts under the bonnet of a Mazda 3 like the fuse box cover.
The Escape was different again. It was based off an old Mazda 626 platform that became the Ford CD2 platform with both companies sharing the development for the Escape/Tribute. The Australian market 4cyl versions had a Mazda designed engine/transmission and the V6 versions had a Ford designed V6.
In other words, it was not a case of share a floor and everyone go their own separate ways on what they fit in and on it. There was a lot more shared effort with the cars than the basic platform.
Having said that, I do totally agree with you WRT Holden taking the large step backwards from the Opel Corsa version Barina to the Daewoo based version. That change instantly turned the Barina from a class leader to a class tail ender. Only the ‘badge’ and a naive public kept it selling in any reasonable numbers. Like some of the Euros, many people were buying the badge and not the car itself…
Sorry, replace Taiwan with Thailand!! My lysdexia!