- Comfortable ride
- Spacious interior
- Well-insulated cabin
- Accurate steering
- Noisy engine, particularly at higher revs
- Vague manual transmission operation
- Four-speed automatic transmission slow to kickdown
Overview
Released in October 2005, the Holden JF Viva was available as a sedan, wagon or five-door hatchback. Based on the Daewoo Lacetti and manufactured in Bupyeong, South Korea, the Viva was powered by a 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that mated to either a four-speed automatic or five-speed manual transmission. The 1.8-litre ‘Family II’ engine had double overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder and a compression ratio of 9.7:1.
Sharing its underpinnings with the Daewoo Lacetti , the Viva hatch was 4295 mm long, 1725 mm wide, 1480 mm tall and had a 2600 mm long wheelbase. Relative to the hatch, the sedan was 220 mm longer (4515 mm), the wagon was 285 mm longer (4580 mm) and both the sedan and wagon had 35 mm lower rooflines (1445 mm); width and wheelbase length, however, were unchanged. The JF Viva had MacPherson strut front suspension and dual lateral link rear suspension (both with coil springs and stabiliser bars).
| Body | Engine | Trans. | Peak power | Peak torque |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4dr sedan, 5dr hatch, 5dr wagon |
1.8-litre petrol I4 | 4sp auto, 5sp man. |
89 kW at 5800 rpm | 169 Nm at 3600 rpm |
Safety equipment
Standard safety equipment for the JF Viva included dual front airbags, front side airbags and front seatbelt pretensioners; ABS, however, was optional.
ANCAP crash testing
In ANCAP crash testing , the Viva received a four star adult occupant protection rating with a score of 25.08 out of 37. In the offset crash test, protection from serious chest and leg injury was marginal for the driver. In the side impact test, there was a moderate risk of serious chest and abdomen injury for the driver.
Features
Standard features for the Holen Viva included a four speaker sound system with CD player and MP3-compatibility, air conditioning, steering wheel audio controls, six-way adjustable driver’s seat, remote central locking, power front windows and heated mirrors, a tilt and reach adjustable steering wheel, tinted windows, 12 volt power outlet and an immobiliser. The wagon models were also fitted with a rear cargo blind, roof rails and power rear windows.
From July 2008, the Viva was fitted with 15-inch alloy wheels as standard.
2006 Viva Equipe
In May 2006, limited-run Equipe editions of the Viva were released; compared to the standard Viva, the Equipe editions were further equipped with ABS, 15-inch alloy wheels and power rear windows.
Holden Viva Brochure
