2001 Holden Barina xc. 3 door 1.4 from Australia and New Zealand
Summary:
Slug that handles well and expensive to keep
Faults:
The part that re-burns exhaust before emitting it. It cost $520 through a relative who was a holden manager.
The external thermostat decided to work when it wanted to.
General Comments:
The car looks good, but at the end of the day it's a girls car unless you get an SRi with the 1.8litre engine.
I have completed advanced driving courses and this car handles well in corners at speed with a slightly stiff suspension. I drove my Barina pretty hard and was good once you got into the higher revs, but was a slug getting off the lights.
Steering was nice, but I did experience tracking with my aftermarket wheels. The turning circle was good.
Fuel efficiency was good 10km/litre (driven hard).
The interior was comfortable, but the seats had to be adjusted with a knob which was annoying when you wanted to change seat position quickly. The backseats folded nicely to give nice storage space.
The CD player display is integrated into the dash and would render the display useless if changed.
The cup holders are useless.
The car would lose about 40% of its power if you turn the air conditioning on (I put up with many hot days).
I had a friend reverse his van into my barina and it is a very fragile car. It is also very expensive to repair. All parts have an inflated price as it is a "European" car.
I'm under 25 and insurance cost an arm and a leg because it was considered a "coupe". (3 doors)
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 27th February, 2005