Holden announced on Friday that it will add a sportier RS model to the Chevrolet Sonic-based Barina small car range before the end of the year. The first pre-production Barina RS cars have already arrived in Australia.
Like the Chevrolet Sonic RS, the Holden Barina RS features a sports body kit incorporating a larger rear spoiler, front and rear sports fascias and side skirts, new 17-inch alloy wheels and the exclusive paint color Orange Rock. On the inside, the Barina RS comes with sports seats with RS branding and a flat bottomed steering wheel.
GM’s Australian division did local development work for Barina RS including an electric power steering tune. Holden’s team of engineers says it has performed “thousands of kilometers” of validation work and is currently doing tests on Australia’s public roads and at the Lang Lang proving ground.
The Holden Barina RS will go on sale in November, when full specifications and features, including powertrain options and pricing, will be announced. Like the Sonic RS, the Holden version will most likely be powered by GM’s 1.4-liter Ecotec turbocharged gasoline engine developing 138 horsepower and 148 lb-ft (200 Nm) of torque. In the U.S. model, the unit is mated to a standard six-speed manual gearbox, with a six-speed automatic being offered as an option.
The Sonic RS also features a 10mm (0.4in) lowered and stiffened suspension with performance-tuned dampers and four-wheel disc brakes.
By Dan Mihalascu
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