Hottest Holden Barina coming to Australia

HOLDEN will launch the Barina RS sports hatch in Australia during November, complete with a locally developed steering tune.

Power comes from the familiar 103kW at 4900rpm and 200Nm at 1850rpm 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine used in the larger Cruze, making the RS more of a warmed-up hatch than an outright pocket rocket like the 132kW Ford Fiesta ST.

The five-door Holden will instead be aimed squarely at rivals such as the $23,990 Suzuki Swift Sport, and the forthcoming Hyundai Accent SR.

The new flagship Barina – it’s called the Chevrolet Sonic RS in the US, where it is already on sale – will get a sports bodykit incorporating larger rear spoiler and side skirts, new 17-inch alloy wheels and an exclusive-for-RS paint colour called Orange Rock.

The RS also gets a mildly different new grille design, rear fascia and re-designed rocker mouldings. Either six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmissions are available in the US, and both will presumably carry over to Australia.

Inside the cabin are bigger-bolstered sports seats with RS branding, a flat-bottomed steering wheel and aluminium pedals. The RS also gets Holden’s familiar MyLink infotainment system with music apps displayed on a seven-inch touchscreen.

US versions of the car have 10mm-lowered ride height thanks to stiffer suspension, as well as sportier dampers. Australian versions will also feature a locally calibrated electric steering tune, as found on many other imported Lion-badged models.

Holden says its engineering team has been involved in thousands of kilometres of validation work and is now undertaking in-country evaluation on public roads and at the Lang Lang proving ground.

Under the skin is a Macpherson strut front suspension layout with coils and a stabiliser bar, while a semi-independent torsion beam sits up the back.

The RS comes at a good time for Holden, because the Barina’s languishing sales could do with a boost. According to VFACTS, 6345 units have found homes this year, down 28.8 per cent on last year in a segment that is only down by 2.2 per cent in comparison.