2002 Holden Barina SRi review from Australia and New Zealand

Exterior front wheel arch plastic moulds fall off whenever driving in wet weather.

Interior passenger door trim scuff guard fell off. One week after delivery. Rectified at first service.

Instrument cluster plastic cover has stress fracture across the middle. Dealership service advisor first claimed this was not uncommon in Barina and Astra models. Later called back and said warranty would not cover part as this part is not meant to break. Ongoing battle with Holden and dealership over this. Has anyone else experienced this?

Rear stereo speaker failure at 5000km. Rectified under warranty.

Exhaust manifold cover comes loose, and starts making annoying metallic rattle at idle. Tightened at each service, but starts rattling again after about 1000km of driving.

This little car is the definitive pocket rocket. There isn't another car on the market that gives such performance or standard features for the money.

Acceleration is very brisk, and the traction control is unobtrusive. A smooth torque curve that gives strong pull all the way to redline. A very smooth short shifting transmission, and controlled suspension gives excellent handling.

The ride is firm, but the car can comfortably fit four adults. Five adults is a squeeze, but passenger carrying capability is not the vehicles main objective. Air conditioning is strong in all, but the hottest of weather (40 degrees plus).

Standard power windows, mirrors, cruise control, remote central locking, alloy wheels, fog lamps, body kit, external temperature reading, CD with steering wheel controls, ABS, dual airbags, traction control and four wheel disc brakes, all for under A$22,000 make the Barina SRi a very attractive proposition.

Front air dam is very low to the ground and caution must be observed when going over driveways or speed bumps. Alloy wheels are attractive, but also easily damaged unless care is taken when parallel parking.

Moderate cost to insure, but not bad considering the performance. Servicing costs are also moderate. Brake pads required replacing after 20,000kms and brake discs are too thin to be machined, meaning they must be replaced. This can be rather expensive at A$1000 for a full pad and disc replacement.

Overall a great little car let down by some niggling build quality issues, but these can be overlooked for how well the car goes. This car is regularly underestimated, but never fails to impress.