Holden Barina sedan - Launch Review

[FISH]

http://carpoint.ninemsn.com.au/car-review/1607289.aspx

Words - Bruce Newton
March 2006

Holden's first ever Barina sedan is better than you might expect

Model: 2006 Holden Barina sedan
Road tester: Bruce Newton
Date tested: February 2006

WHAT WE LIKED
Cheap price, decent feature list
Dynamics much improved
Interior goes upmarket

NOT SO MUCH
Engine uninspiring
Still somewhat noisy
More interior space required






On the surface there is not much of a story to tell here. Holden has completed its Korean Barina range by adding a sedan to its lineup of Daewoo Kalos-based three and five-door hatchbacks.

But the sedan -- the first ever three-box Barina -- is in fact a generational leap ahead of the hatches, something signified by the T250 codename it was known by until its reveal at last year's Shanghai show as the Chevrolet Aveo. Kalos, one of the last cars designed by the old Daewoo, was T200.

Think of T250 as a transition car between old and new regimes. The all-new exterior was styled by Italdesign, a regular supplier to pre-GM ‘bankrupt' Daewoo. The interior, similarly bespoke, was produced post-takeover when Australian Mike Simcoe pit-stopped in Korea in 2003 on his way through to a top design post with GM in Detroit.

The result is an inoffensive exterior that is at home wearing several different badges (including the Holden Lion) in many different markets. It is significantly wider, higher and longer than the hatchback and adds a substantial 400 litre boot. It makes the 15-inch wheel-tyre combination look skimpy, as opposed to the hatch where they seem almost over-sized.

Inside there's a noticeable uplift in quality of both materials and presentation. There's still some grain mismatching and fitment issues and the way the audio head unit sinks into the dash looks a bit rough. But there is a tactile feel to button operation that pleases, while circular air-con dials, matt silver dressings and surprisingly large front chairs add a quality feel, although you would hardly call it overwhelming.

According to official measurements there is no more interior room in the sedan compared to the hatch and that can be tracked back to T250 and T200 having an identical wheelbase. In fact, underneath the touchy-feely stuff there is a lot of commonality, including the 1.6-litre four-cylinder drivetrain and MacPherson strut front and torsion beam rear suspension.

Considering the underwhelming drive experience the T200 hatches deliver, this might signal the end of the positives. But that's not the case. For T250, GM Daewoo has engineered a far stiffer body and Holden's engineers have leapt on that and a wider rear track to deliver a car with benign -- rather than asinine -- driving traits.

Where the hatch's ride degrades once the going gets rough, the sedan remains notably, and impressively, composed. If anything Holden has gone too far in the firmness of its suspension tuning, but around town it deals efficiently with repetitive bumps and refuses to lose body control at the sight of a pothole. Steering is heavier than T200, more evenly weighted and far sturdier in the face of corruptions.

There are still questions over the strength of the body because of a poor Euro NCAP crash test result for the Aveo – something GM Daewoo is disputing. More easily quantifiable is noise intrusion, which is improved from T200, but engine and tyres are still too easily heard.

The Family 1 engine is

Continued:http://carpoint.ninemsn.com.au/car-review/1607289.aspx

[mbukukanyau]

Aveo

[saturnsteve]

Originally Posted by mbukukanyau

Aveo

Yup, just another re-badge

[Phillip]

Originally Posted by saturnsteve

Yup, just another re-badge

Off topic, but I like the badge in your avatar...

[mbukukanyau]

So when is it coming to the US? Is Pontiac getting a version of this?

[AdmiralViscen]

Originally Posted by saturnsteve

Yup, just another re-badge

Different markets.

[Sparta]

Originally Posted by mbukukanyau

Aveo

You don't say!

[ProjectRS]

This is my song for GM:

Today we salute you Mr. car re-badge inventor ....
You work hard to design one car (…working so hard to design it….)
And then you proudly come up with new names for the same car ( ...same car with different badges la la la...)
They will never know the difference ( …cobalt, pursuit, g4 or g5 la la la…)
So crack open a Bud Light Mr. car re-badge inventor… this one’s for you

[Cmicasa Bossa]

Originally Posted by ProjectRS

This is my song for GM:

Today we salute you Mr. car re-badge inventor ....
You work hard to design one car (…working so hard to design it….)
And then you proudly come up with new names for the same car ( ...same car with different badges la la la...)
They will never know the difference ( …cobalt, pursuit, g4 or g5 la la la…)
So crack open a Bud Light Mr. car re-badge inventor… this one’s for you

NIce song, but a little off base. What would U suggest? For GM to have a different car "look" and engineering for every Market?

Lunacy.

I think what GM is doing with Opel and Daewoo should have been done along time ago, I would say about 1992 would have been the perfect opportunity for them to reach outside of the UAW's reach and grab a hold of their other assets. They should be pulling from Europe "limb from limb", including DIESEL engines for smaller cars .

[darndot]

I think GM did a nice rebadge. You might call it a Holden Aveo, but the Barina is a nice name.

[paul3230]

Why doesn't GM just adapt the "Aveo" name across the board?? WHy come up with different names every time? Just like what Toyota does with the Corolla or the Camry

[Phillip]

So Holden supplements the home-grown Commodore and variants with cars from various other GM arms. What's the big deal? There isn't single major manufacturer that doesn't exercise a similar practice, guys...

[rueben44]

I don't understand why they have to. It is for different markets and only people who read auto sites like this will even know. Most everyone else won't and what does it matter what it is called hundreds of miles across the globe?

i think this is the kind of rebadging GM needs to do because it save money and you can keep production cost low. Making a car for every single market is silly and not smart that is why GM is now making everything go global and not regional anymore.

[jbernie]

Originally Posted by paul3230

Why doesn't GM just adapt the "Aveo" name across the board?? WHy come up with different names every time? Just like what Toyota does with the Corolla or the Camry

Because some of the divisions have already built a market using a particular name, Barina has been around in Australia for a while. Unless you have a really bad association with a particular name why change?(maybe gran am/g6 as example). If Chevy was to sell a rebadge of the Commodore in the US to replace the Impala (example only) would they change the name to Commodore or stick with Impala?

Now if they build a brand new vehicle type which has never existed in any market then going one name all the way is good, except if the name has a bad translation in a specific market .

[nadepalma]

Originally Posted by jbernie

Because some of the divisions have already built a market using a particular name, Barina has been around in Australia for a while. Unless you have a really bad association with a particular name why change?(maybe gran am/g6 as example). If Chevy was to sell a rebadge of the Commodore in the US to replace the Impala (example only) would they change the name to Commodore or stick with Impala?

Now if they build a brand new vehicle type which has never existed in any market then going one name all the way is good, except if the name has a bad translation in a specific market .

I agree. It's probably due to name recognition. Besides that point, this "Aveo" is being sold as a Holden, not a Chevy. I don't think that GM sells this Gentra/Kalos based model in any other market as an Aveo without the Chevrolet badge. If it has another badge aside from the bow-tie, chances are it has another name other than Aveo. (Pontiac Wave in Canada, Pontiac G3 in Mexico, etc.)