2000 Holden Barina 3 Doors 1.2L 5MT FWD (80 HP)

Vehicle Overview

Holden introduced the fourth generation of the Barina as a badge-engineered version of the European Opel/Vauxhall Corsa and offered it as a three- or five-door hatchback in the small-size segment.

GM was focused on reducing production costs and sharing most of its parts with as many cars as possible. As a result, after the first two generations of the Barina, which were based on Suzuki products, this nameplate’s third and fourth iterations were built using the European cousin of the model, the Corsa. Furthermore, the car wasn’t produced in Australia but shipped to it. Unlike its European brother, the 2000 Holden Barina was available with a punchy, 1.8-liter engine carried over from its larger sibling, the Astra, transforming the three-door Corsa into a genuine pocket rocket.

The car’s styling moved from the bio-design era to the new-edge one. As a result, the front fascia featured triangular headlights with curved lines and sharp angles. They flanked a narrow grille with a horizontal slat that sported the Holden badge in the middle. On the lower side of the bumper, the automaker installed a second air intake flanked by a pair of side scoops with available fog lamps. Furthermore, the hot-hatch version, known as the Corsa SRi, featured an additional lip spoiler made by the European tuner Irmscher.

From its profile, the 2000 Holden Barina 3-Door featured slightly flared front fenders with black moldings around the wheel arches. Besides the top trim level, the rest of the range featured black door mirrors and handles to lower manufacturing costs. Unlike its five-door sibling, the small-sized hatchback featured longer front doors and a triangular-shaped window between the B- and the C-posts. The rear wheel arches also sported black trims around them and slightly enlarged quarter panels. Finally, at the back, the car sported high-mounted taillights that flanked the tailgate. At the same time, the lower bumper featured a black horizontal stripe that protected the vehicle against small scratches in parking lots.

GM’s design team created a curved dashboard with small sharp angles for the visors placed above the center stack and the instrument cluster. Besides the RSi version that featured bolstered seats, the rest of the 2001 Holden Barina three-door lineup featured almost flat chairs with minimal side support. The four-spoke steering wheel framed an instrument panel featuring a large speedometer, the gauges for the fuel level and coolant temperature, plus a small LCD for the odometer. In the back, the automaker installed a split-folding bench seat that could host two passengers, albeit with very limited legroom. At least the rear side windows could be opened via a pop-out mechanism.

GM offered the 2000 Holden Barina 3-Door with eight diesel or gasoline engines, most of which were built with fuel efficiency in mind. All versions were paired with five-speed manual transmissions that sent power to the front wheels. Despite reducing production costs, the automaker abruptly ended the career of the fourth generation of the Barina in 2005, replacing it with a re-badged Daewoo Kalos.