All three variants of the Holden Barina come with a 1.6 litre DOHC engine with multipoint fuel injection and a five-speed manual transmission (four-speed automatic is available for those of us who don’t like the hassle of selecting gears). It isn’t the most powerful of little beasts, having a maximum power output of 76 kW at 5800 rpm, but the little engine is a very free and willing unit. Torque is 145 Nm at 3600 rpm. The Holden Barina is intended as a little city car rather than as a performance vehicle – Holden puts out other vehicles for that purpose – so these outputs are perfectly adequate for the Barina’s purpose. Nipping in and out of traffic, and into little parking spaces is easy with the responsive power steering, especially as the Holden Barina has a turning circle of a fraction over 10 metres making the car nice and manoeuvrable. The optional 4-channel, 4-sensor ABS brakes allow smart, secure stopping.

Inside the Holden Barina, you will be comfortably seated in the cloth covered seats. The driver’s seat is adjustable six ways, and the front passenger seat is adjustable four ways, so getting comfortable is pleasantly easy. Holden has provided plenty of headroom and legroom inside the Barina, offering 1.05 m of legroom in the front and about 90 cm in the back, with the headroom being 99.8 cm in the front and 95 cm in the back (OK, the hatchback versions have 5 mm more headroom in the back than that, so if you need that extra half centimetre in your hairstyle, you’ll have to go for one of these). Cargo space is respectable, with 220 litres in the boot of the hatchback versions of the Holden Barina and 400 litres in the sedan. The rear seats are 60/40 folding, so this space can be doubled. Cabin comfort is ensured with air conditioning, and the driver can while away the time stuck at the lights with a drink (in the cupholders) or, if female (or otherwise), touching up lipstick in the vanity mirror in the sunvisor. Other dinky bells and whistles available as standard in the Holden Barina include the buzzer warning for headlights on, key reminder and seatbelt reminder.

What about the sound system? Well, the Holden Barina’s got a pretty reasonable one as standard: an MP-3 compatible CD/radio system with six speakers spaced around the interior and the controls mounted handily on the steering wheel. Music can be heard clearly and with plenty of “doof – doof” if required.

Saftey? Well, in a smaller car like the Holden Barina, this is very important. And the Holden Barina has pretensioned seatbelts in the front, retractable three point seatbelts for all three rear seats, head restraints all round, and front airbags for driver and passenger. Kiddy-locks are provided in the five-door hatch and the sedan versions, but not in the three-door, for obvious reasons.

When it comes to fuel economy, the Holden Barina gets a very big tick. On average, the manual versions of the Holden Barina consume a mere 6.9 litres per 100 km, the automatic versions of the hatchback drink 7.8 litres per 100 km, and the automatic sedan goes through 7.7 litres.

One question not asked above but answered anyway: the Holden Barina looks pretty good, representing a nice blend of curves and lines that have a slight Art Deco feel about them. Sitting on fifteen inch steel wheels with full flush covers and decorated in six snazzy colours (including an eye-catching orange), this vehicle will garner you glances, guaranteed.

Specifications:
• Engine: 1598cc DOHC four-cylinder (16 valve)
• Power: 76kW @ 5800rpm
• Torque: 145Nm @ 3600rpm
• Transmission: Four-speed automatic
• Driven Wheels: Front
• Brakes: Disc (F) / Drum (R) – (ABS optional)
• Top Speed: Not Tested
• 0-100km/h: 13.7 seconds
• CO2 Emissions: 182g / km
• Fuel Consumption: 7.6 litres / 100km
• Fuel Tank Capacity: 45 litres
• Fuel Type: 91 RON Unleaded
• ANCAP Rating: Four Stars
• Airbags: Dual Front & Side
• Safety: Seatbelt Pretensioners, Safety Cell
• Spare Wheel: Full Size Steel
• Tow Capacity: 750kg (Braked)
• Turning Circle: 10.0 metres
• Warranty: Three Year / 100,000km
• Weight: 1,131kg (Tare)
• Wheels: Alloy 15? (As Tested)