2005 Holden Barina 1.6L 5MT FWD (105 HP)

Vehicle Overview

After GM bought the remains of Daewoo Motor Corporation, it quickly started to make money out of its investment, rebadging some of the Korean automaker’s products, and one of them was the Daewoo Kalos that became the fifth generation of the Holden Barina.

The first two generations of the Barina were based on Suzuki products. Starting in 1994, the Australian automaker replaced them with Opel/Vauxhall vehicles, which were part of the GM group. However, after the American car giant bought the Korean car manufacturer Daewoo, it changed its strategy again. As a result, the fourth generation of the Barina was abruptly halted in 2005 after just four years since its launch. GM decided to trade it for the Korean-made Daewoo Kalos, which was cheaper and kept the factory’s assembly lines busy. Furthermore, it was much easier to ship the vehicles from Korea to Australia than to import them from Spain, where GM built them. In addition, the fresh-looking design of the Kalos was much more convincing. After all, Daewoo paid big bucks to the Italdesign Giugiaro studio to design them.

At the front, the 2005 Holden Barina showed a pair of broad, angular headlights with sharp inner corners. They flanked a single-slat grille integrated into the upper side of the wrapped-around plastic bumper. On the lower side, the automaker added an apron featuring a lower air intake with available fog lamps, depending on the trim level. Thanks to its proportions, the car looked compact-sized, even though it belonged in the small-size segment.

Thanks to its small size, the 2005 Holden Barina five-doors could easily navigate through traffic. Its tall stance with generous glass areas helped drivers get better visibility in all directions. Furthermore, unlike most of its competitors, it featured a third row of windows placed between the rear doors and the vertical tailgate, integrated into the thick C-post. The ascending waistline and the sculptured doors created the image of a peppy vehicle, and the body-colored door handles and mirrors didn’t leave the impression of a cheap vehicle. Furthermore, Holden offered the car with standard 15-inch steel wheels with plastic caps, while a set of alloy ones was available at extra cost. Out back, the angular-shaped taillights flanked the almost vertical tailgate.

While the exterior looked quite well for such a small-sized vehicle, the interior revealed the reasons why the 2005 Holden Barina was an affordable car. Even though the dashboard had a pleasant design, with rounded shapes and a center stack adorned by aluminum-like trims, the materials used were far from being the best in the segment. However, the instrument panel had all the necessary dials. The fuel level and the engine temperature gauges were placed in the lower area of the rev counter. At the same time, the speedometer’s dial featured an LCD that showed the odometer. On the center stack, the automaker installed a pair of round vents, the stereo, and the ventilation controls. As an option, Holden offered the Barina with a four-speed air-conditioning unit. At the front, the automaker installed a pair of cloth-covered bucket seats, while in the back, it placed a split-folding (60/40) bench seat.

Daewoo created the Kalos with a few engine options. At the same time, Holden offered the five-door Barina with only one drivetrain: a 1.6-liter 16-valve powerhouse paired with a five-speed three-pedal setup, regardless of the grade. The front McPherson struts and the rear twisting beam suspension were harsh, but they kept the 2005 Holden Barina planted to the ground during high-speed cornering maneuvers.