Master's trash no more

Will critics stop scolding the new improved Barina?

At least by official standards.

This crappy tank, dating back almost a millennium - a Daewoo Kalos in light disguise - has a crash safety rating raised from the bottom of the ladder by two out of five stars (worst in Australia for new passengers). vehicle) to Commodore corresponding to four.

Which is nice.

But why did this have to happen? Why the sudden turn?

Because, according to Holden, there was nothing wrong with a dirty Daewoo Dunger to begin with. At least that's what he claimed back in 2001, when he replaced a relatively shiny Opel Corsa (no less than Car of the Year on Wheels XNUMX) in a rebadged Barina guise.

And this despite the unanimous verdict among the automotive college that the so-called Barina was a pile of pus. It's just that some of this fraternity forgot to write about it.

“Good package backed up by Holden,” one of them sang oilily.

However, I remember stock tires with no clutch or squeal, manual shifting that moved like a bread stick being stirred in porridge, steering that would have put a pre-Playstation video game to shame, hostile front-to-rear attitude while driving. , and an unsurpassed air of cheap muck that permeated the entire structure.

One can equally recall the seething, barely pubescent operative Holden who was tasked with bringing me to justice for allowing this to be said in the Sydney Sunday Telegraph; a feeling uncanny about the time I was threatened by a yapping poodle.

Even more indelible is the recollection of an older operative, Holden, who chuckled rapturously at the launch of another Daewoo (the dismal Epica), that a huge number of girls attended dealer events designed to sign them to Barina. Talk about Kalos' attitude.

So, if the fake Barina was resistant to criticism, why improve it?

Could it be that Holden - God forbid - was not the perfect Francis when they condemned the original ANCAP verdict on Kalos/Barina? Or have they just now stumbled upon this realization, which means the company is seven years behind the rest of the world?