Daewoo Kalos 1.4 SE.
Daewoo became an immediate phenomenon when it burst onto the British scene.It threw away the rule books by selling cars directly, much to the chagrin of the car dealer fraternity, and offered a customer service package which was unbelievably good.
But the bubble burst. Korean finances are often precariously balanced on a fine edge and the British Daewoo range was hit by the liquidation of Daewoo Cars Ltd last October.
Most thought that the pleasant and very affordable Daewoo range would be a thing of the past in the UK, but world giant General Motors stepped in with typical American dash, and had the range up and running again - seemingly in the blink of an eye. Now the Daewoo range is sold through a network of distributors, backed by authorised repairers spread across the country.
So when the first product emerged from the new accord it was pleasing to see that it was a functional and affordable family hatchback rather than a performance machine. Called Kalos, it is an impressive first effort. It is available as a 1.4 83hp petrol version and two new engines are ready to join the line up - a 1.2 8 valve and 1.4 16 valve
I've been driving an SE version which costs pounds 7,795 and first impressions were of a small car offering bags of room. It is amazingly spacious and very pleasant to live with.
Nobody is expecting a totally fun drive at this price, but the rewards are there in other ways.
Front-wheel-driven and very frugal with a combined readout of 37.7 mpg, the Kalos is a full five seater.
Body construction offers excellent safety features and the car looks very trendy.
The problem is that many previous Daewoo buyers may back off after feeling isolation due to the initial company crash.
As a gesture of support, GM Daewoo has set up a new customer assistance centre at which customers uncertain of their position on free service and warranty during the transition can receive help.
GM intends to continue the innovative customer care stance for the new Daewoo and has built in some new ideas including the transfer of a free service element to a new owner should the car be sold within the agreement's three year period, so adding to the value of the car.
Make: Daewoo
Model: Kalos 1.4 SE
Price: pounds 7,795
Mechanical: 83bhp, 1,399cc 4 cylinder petrol engine driving front wheels via 5-spd manual gearbox
Max speed: 105mph
0-62mph: 13.3 secs
Combined mpg: 37.7 mpg
Insurance group: 4
CO2 emissions: 175g/km
BiK rating: 19%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles; 6yrs anti-rust
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| Title Annotation: | Motors New Car |
|---|---|
| Publication: | Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England) |
| Geographic Code: | 1USA |
| Date: | May 23, 2003 |
| Words: | 445 |
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