What you spend is what you get
The $14,990 Daewoo Kalos has Italian styling and reasonable accommodation. But, Bill McKinnon reports, it faces stiff competition.
Good: Cheap ticket to five doors and a decent equipment list. The engine is tractable and responsive at moderate revs. Comfortable driver's seat. Reasonable rear seat access and leg room. Good brakes and tyres. Boot space.
Bad: Engine is more than a decade old. Agricultural gearbox. Average dynamics. Imprecise steering feel. Fiddly radio controls. Awkward pedal placement. No central locking.
Verdict: Price is right.
Stars: 3 (out of 5).
Daewoo almost fell over during the Asian economic implosion a few years back. Its bankers realised they were on the way to losing squillions of won in loans, assumed control, hawked the business around, then sold the company early last year to American giant General Motors.
Holden is the GM shareholding vehicle in the resurrected Daewoo. The local operation -- GM Daewoo -- is a Holden-owned subsidiary.
Daewoo's local fortunes have mirrored those of its parent. Sales reached respectable annual volumes -- in the low-20,000 range -- in the late 1990s, but collapsed in 2001 to half this number as nervous buyers preferred brands with an assured future.
As with other Korean players on the Australian market, Daewoo attracted customers with rock-bottom prices and value-added deals.
Daewoo's unique proposition was Free Care, a sweetener giving buyers no-cost servicing for the warranty period of three years/100,000km, plus roadside assistance and the use of a courtesy car.
Dealers didn't like Free Care (the fixed labour rates were low), but it sold cars to the cash-conscious end of the market.
Daewoo buyers can now rely on the brand's continued existence, but Free Care is no longer part of the deal. Only the roadside assistance component remains.
So what's the incentive to buy the new Kalos?
The development of the Kalos predates GM's involvement in Daewoo. It is, in reality, quite an old car underneath the metal, which was styled by Italy's Giugiaro.
The Kalos, which replaces the eminently forgettable Lanos, is available as a four-door sedan or five-door hatch, priced at $14,990. A four-speed automatic adds $2000.
The hatch's short, tall body is similar in style to the tiny Matiz, another Giugiaro design. It sits on a relatively long wheelbase, which maximises interior space.
Under the bonnet is a 1.5-litre, eight-valve engine from GM's German subsidiary, Opel. It has been around since the early 1990s, when it powered Daewoo's initial Australian models, among them the Cielo.
Peak power -- 62kW at 5600rpm -- is relatively low compared with contemporary twin-cam 1.5s, but the old eight-valvers produce fairly substantial and accessible torque, in this case 128Nm at 3000rpm.
The Kalos doesn't exactly melt the bitumen, but in the lower and intermediate gears the 1.5 is quite tractable and responsive. You don't need to rev it hard to keep up with the traffic. All you get at the top end is more noise.
The test car's engine had only a few hundred kilometres up, so it was still tight and a touch buzzy. This may also explain relatively high fuel consumption on Drive's city and outer-suburban test route.
On the highway, the 1.5 pulls a very tall fifth gear, which turns it over at only 2600rpm. As a consequence, it dies on hills. However the engine's low work rate should return frugal consumption on a flat, extended open road run.
The five-speed gearbox -- again possibly hampered on the test car by a lack of kilometres -- is notchy and imprecise, with some noise and occasionally reluctant synchro in the lower gears. Clutch take-up is sharp.
The MacPherson strut front/torsion beam axle rear suspension is tuned for a firm yet compliant character, another Euro influence. The Kalos inhabits the "don't push it" end of the small car handling spectrum.
There's some body roll when cornering, while rough bitumen can kick the little hatch around and produce some instability. The 185/60 Hankooks provide decent grip.
The power steering is remote in feel, and indirect by small car standards. At suburban speeds, it wanders a touch in the straight ahead position.
Ride comfort is fine on smooth roads, and reasonably compliant around the 'burbs, but on very rough bitumen it can become quite harsh.
The disc/drum brakes are powerful and progressive. The grippy tyres assist in creating reasonably strong resistance to lockup. Anti-lock brakes are unavailable.
The Kalos interior is, in the context of this class, relatively spacious. The driver sits high on a generously padded, height-adjustable seat. A stepless back rest angle adjuster, long travel and a height-adjustable wheel make it easy to tailor the driving position. The side bolstering is ineffective when cornering.
There are a few problems, however.
Thanks to thick rear pillars, a small rear window and the rear seat head restraints there is a large blind spot, so changing lanes requires more than a quick glance.
Leg room is restricted on the left of the footwell, while the brake and clutch pedals are high.
The European-look deep-cowled dash has an attractive two-tone grey finish.
Interior styling borrows heavily from such blue-chip examples as VW's Polo.
Quality, while nothing flash, is on a par with other Korean small cars at this price.
Without a long look, it is impossible to hit the minuscule buttons of the Sanyo CD player, which has flashing, sound-driven graphics. Very sophisticated.
Standard equipment in the Kalos includes two front airbags, air-conditioning and power windows. It lacks power mirrors, but so do most cars in this price range. However, the lack of central locking -- standard on most rivals -- will quickly become annoying.
The high, generously padded back seat has good access and adequate leg and headroom for average adults. The backrest is too steeply angled for proper support, however. A lap-only belt is provided in the centre position.
A small table folds out from the backrest of the front passenger seat. When in use, however, the table's protruding edge could make contact with the rear occupant in a collision.
In the hatch, the deep boot is accessed via a tailgate; child restraint anchors are fitted under the tailgate, so the load area's capacity and usefulness are compromised if restraints are fitted; tall adults can head-butt the tailgate when loading the car.
Carrying capacity can be extended via the 60-40 split-folding rear seat backrest, or by double-folding the whole seat (the bench is not split) to add just over a metre of floor length. A full-sized spare is provided.
The Daewoo Kalos, underneath its designer-label Italian suit, is relatively low-tech and nothing special to drive.
However, $14,990 is a pretty sharp price for five doors, generous interior space and a decent list of standard features. In the three-door contest, it's a toss-up between the $13,990 Hyundai Getz and the recently discounted $14,490 Toyota Echo.
The Kalos is worth a look if you want more doors for not much more money.
Vital signs
Daewoo Kalos
Engine: 1.5-litre, eight-valve fuel-injected four-cylinder.
Power: 62kW at 5600rpm (below average).
Performance: 0-100kmh in 13.8 seconds (average).
Brakes: Disc/drum (good).
Economy: 9.1 litres/100km city (thirsty); no highway figure available (see text).
Prices: Recommended retail -- $14,990. Street price -- On sale this week, so no deals yet. Wait until next week.
Main options: Four-speed automatic $2000.
Warranty: Three years/100,000km (average).
Residual value: 44 percent after three years (Lanos SE hatch; below average).
Safety rating: Not yet tested.
Alternatives:
Daihatsu YRV 1.3 -- $15,990
Ford Ka 1.3 -- $15,490
Holden Barina SXi 1.4 -- $16,990
Honda Jazz GLi 1.3 -- $16,990
Hyundai Getz GL 1.5 -- $13,990
Kia Rio 1.5 -- $14,990
Mazda2 Neo 1.5 -- $17,790
Mitsubishi Mirage 1.5 -- $15,990
Proton Satria GLi 1.5 -- $14,990
Suzuki Ignis GA 1.3 -- $14,990
Toyota Echo 1.3 -- $14,490
Prices correct at publication date.