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By
EWAN KENNEDY
1 September 2008
Holden's
smallest car, the cute little Barina has just received a midlife
makeover. This consists of a facelift and tail tuck, as well as
significant modifications to the interior.
The
front features jewel-style headlights that give it a stronger
appearance and an almost European look that enhances its chances
in the sales race.
Note
that the facelift only applies to the Barina hatchbacks, three-
and five-door, at this stage. Changes will carry across to the
four-door sedan later.
Barina's
cabin has changes to the shape and design of the instrument panel.
This now has a Euro look thanks to the use of chromed rings around
circular dials. The air vents are also to a circular theme. The
centre console gets a change in its appearance and there are
revisions to the styling and colours of the fabrics. The front
seats are large and support Aussie-sized bodies well, the rear
bench can cope with adults but is more comfortable for children.
On
the safety front, Barina now comes with four airbags in all
models, side-front ‘bags being the extra units. The latter are
tall and offer good protection for the head as well as the body
during a side-on collision.
Barina
starts at just $14,490, an amazingly low price even in these days
of red-hot competition at the lower end of the car market.
The
engine is a 1.6-litre twin-cam unit producing 76 kW, and 145 Nm at
3600 rpm. In the lightweight Holden Barina it provides sprightly
performance in five-speed manual format and the four-speed
automatic doesn’t take too much edge off the engine.
Handling
is reasonably precise and sharp and comes with good feel through
the steering wheel. The suspension is softer than keen drivers
will like but road grip is good and Barina feels safe and stable.
A European sports hatch it’s not, but just look at that price
tag…
Sourced
from GM's South Korean facility, which received a fair bit of
design and technical input from Holden's head office during the
car’s development, the Barina is exceptionally well priced. So
those in the market for a new car, backed by Holden and which does
the minimum of damage to the bank balance should have this car
sitting somewhere on their short list.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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