Holden Barina Spark Automatic – Welcome to the cheapest new Holden you can buy. I must say that once you start driving a Barina, you soon notice how many of them are around, at least in the cities. Is a Holden under $20k a worthy contender in our $20k challenge?
We called the Barina “Stumpy” because it looks like some designer just chopped off the rear end. One thing is for sure: there is no mistake from behind. This is a special rear end and I have to say I like what they did with the exhaust tip, just sticking it out of the bumper like that. It’s little styling cues like these that make a car stand out a little bit. The rest of the car I guess is a “personal choice” if you like the design or not.
Holden Barina Spark Automatic
For many manufacturers, when they make a cheaper car, they try to avoid seeing painted metal from anyone inside the car, which is a sure sign of cost cutting. This is not the case with Barina. it shows the painted metal, loud and proud. In fact, they added some extra painted metal/plastic on the inside to make it a bit funky, and it works. The doors have cup holders and other painted metal parts, and it draws attention and looks great as a bonus.
Holden Barina Spark Cdx Mj Manual My11
The cabin is light and airy, and when you jump into the driver’s seat, the first thing that catches your attention is the speed. It’s a “motorcycle-inspired” camera, and it looks a little odd at first. The speedo is a large round unit and everything else (fuel gauge, other info) is all digital on the right-hand panel. The thing is, the Speedo is pretty much the best Speedo of all time. The dial is big and clear, the speed dial is great too, and it works so well I can’t believe it. I really thought it was a trick, but when I jumped into another car, the speedometer felt dated and hard to read. View the photo. yes it looks weird (and moves up and down with the steering wheel adjustment) but take my word for it the speed is great. The digital panel is just fine. it’s too busy trying to show too much information. A bigger screen would be better.
First impressions when driving the Spark are its initial flight; moves too quickly from the target. This puts you at ease with a good overall sense of accomplishment. Unfortunately, that’s not the case with the 1.2-liter Spark model. More on this later.
For a 5-door, the Spark is really short, but that doesn’t mean rear legroom is bad. Not jazz, but more than suitable for the length of the car. Even the trunk space is usable.
When I picked up a test Spark, I was told it was priced at $15K. That’s a lot of car for the money. RRP is $16,990 for the automatic model (which we tested). Like the other cars in our $20k challenge, the Spark is really well made with a good hatch and a well finished interior. This is one of Spark’s great features: fit and finish. The paint is deep, the quality of the materials looks good and it’s well put together.
Holden Barina Sedan Specs & Photos
Interestingly, there’s a raised bar above the dash, presumably indicating readouts on higher-end models. The Spark has a piece of black plastic in there instead. I keep expecting some numbers or something to come out there, but it’s just an empty plate. I found it to be a good place to store your sunglasses.
Equipment levels are good: automatic headlights (but no wipers), front fog lights, height-adjustable driver’s seat, Bluetooth with steering wheel controls, USB and AUX ports for music, heated mirrors, 14-inch alloy wheels and power windows (it but automatic no function).
Safety is covered with features such as Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and six airbags including driver and passenger, side and curtain airbags, as well as a 4-star hoodless rating.
Auto models have electric power steering, while the manual is specified with hydraulic power steering. The steering wheel is quite light. you can tell this is a city car, it’s almost too light with very little feedback at any speed.
Holden Barina 2018 Review
Let’s get the worst part of Spark over and done with. That engine and transmission. With a 1.25-liter 4-cylinder engine that produces 63 kW, the Spark is good… for a while. At highway cruising speeds, or even cruising around town at a steady pace, it’s kind of quiet. But give it some gas, or just take off, and this is one noisy engine. Along with this noisy engine is a 4-speed auto that, well, isn’t very good. For example, when you’re on the highway (with only one driver) and you put your foot down, not much happens in the way of acceleration. Press a little harder and the automatic drops to 3
Gear and the engine spins through its guts. And let him know about it. Out loud. It’s a disappointing experience and lets down what isn’t a bad little car overall.
I think if you were on the freeway, four up, you’d find yourself either fighting for top gear or the car shifting down to 3.
). I’m happy to say the engine revs pretty easily to redline, but you just don’t want to take it there because of the noise. My next test car for the $20K Challenge is the 1.6 liter Barina CD and I’m told it feels like a completely different car. I can’t wait to see the difference!
File:2016 Holden Barina Spark (mp) Lt Hatchback (2017 07 15) 01.jpg
You can of course opt for the 5-speed manual Spark, but for some reason it has a different engine, 43 cc less and 4 kW less power. I haven’t driven a manual Spark, but it’s worth a test drive. It should be better than a 4-speed auto.
As mentioned, the steering is also light, which will appeal to many Spark buyers. Handling is secure and predictable, if a little more body roll in corners than I’d like. But for the target market. Place on.
One thing I did notice was that when hitting crosswinds, the Stumpy rolled a bit on the highway. Not enough to reveal, but more than others in this class.
I found several points where there were budget cuts. There is no footrest for the driver, and the front seat belts are not height adjustable. I haven’t seen a car without these two features in years. But it’s not a deal breaker, and the floor angle for your left foot was slightly raised, so no big deal really.
Trans/gearbox Barina Holden 2015
The Spark’s seats are pretty good for a budget car; not too flat, reasonable support and comfort levels are good, at least on short trips. They also look good with colorful designs to break up the interior. Other budget car makers could do well to learn from Holden on this front.
The audio system is good for a budget model and I paired my iPhone with ease. Bluetooth call quality is also good. One thing that was a little odd was the steering wheel mounted audio controls. They’re all on one side, which was fine, but to skip a song, you push the skip track button inwards, which is easy, but to raise or lower the volume, you drag the volume buttons towards you. Like seat belts, it’s not a deal breaker, but one of those quirks where you can’t tell if it was designed that way on purpose (and why) or if someone just hacked it.
Debbie Wheeler has owned two Barina Sparks over the past few years. It originally had a 1200cc manual when it first came out, then was replaced by an automatic in 2013.
Why did he buy a Spark in the first place? “Because we wouldn’t buy a Ford :).” It is a good compact car in the city and very economical. The first reason is that we saw the ad on TV and liked some of the features like USB and iPhone compatibility. We decided to take Went. for a test drive and really liked it. We traded it in for a Holden Commodore SS as it was much easier for me to drive.
Holden Barina Spark Review
Debbie likes how the Spark is small, snappy, great in town and easy to park. “The car is black and I like the green trim on the inside,” he says. “It’s basic, but has enough features to make it beautiful. The price is really good for a new car.”
However, there are things he doesn’t like. “A manual window in the back and there’s an empty space on the dash that would be perfect for a clock. pedal
