Daewoo Matiz / Chevrolet
Spark
Debut: 2009 |
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Nick Reilly has just been named as the CEO of Opel / Vauxhall. Before this appointment, he spent 7 years in Korea, founding GM Daewoo and growing it to be an indispensable part of General Motors. Today, GM Daewoo not only becomes a high-volume production center of GM but also its R&D center for small to compact cars. Its first global responsibility was Chevrolet Cruze / Daewoo Lacetti. The second is this one, Chevrolet Spark / Daewoo Matiz II. In Korea, the new Matiz is called "Matiz Creative" in order to distinguish from the first generation car still being sold there – although this situation is not expected to be long. You might remember the original Matiz. It had little to remember except its tasteful design by Giugiaro. The new Matiz is also a design-led product, but this time more aggressive, more in-your-face. While it might has more showroom appeal to young customers, it is likely to age more quickly than the old car which lasted for 11 years. The car has a volume-optimized profile similar to Suzuki Splash, but it is a little narrower and lower. Compare with the old Matiz, however, it is wider and longer by nearly 100 mm, and taller by 30 mm. This result in a spacious cabin truly capable of seating 4 adults.
However, the interior gives us a mixed impression. Functionally, it has nothing to offend. Visually, it tries hard to be funky – in particular the single gauge instrument pod and a small LCD information display – but the center console and glovebox look outdated. The plastics are also quite cheap, failing to match its arch-rival Hyundai i10, let alone the more matured European minicars. The plasticky faux alloy trim and the dark ambience did nothing to raise its visual quality. GM Daewoo has yet to manage quality vs price as well as its rivals. A second production site at India might explain why it did not choose classier materials, but isn't Hyundai i10 also produced in India ? Like other small cars, the Matiz is easy to drive around town due to its compact size and lightweight. It suspension is clearly tuned for comfort, which is not much of a surprise. Understeer comes early, but body roll is well managed. There is some NVH issues on the preproduction car when it rides over large bumps, but considering the chassis comprises of 66% high-strength steel and 16% ultra-high-strength steel, a little more acoustic materials and suspension fine tuning will easily solve the problem.
The Matiz / Spark offer two small engines to satisfy the basic needs: a 70hp 1.0-liter 16-valve and a 82hp 1.2-liter 16-valve, both equipped with port deactivation to increase exhaust gas recirculation and save fuel. In town, the smaller engine has just enough pull to keep up with the traffic. The larger engine has more mid-range punch, but it screams noisily approaching 5000 rpm, leading to poor refinement on highway. Daewoo's manual gearbox also lacks a satisfying gearshift, which is vague and imprecise. The new Matiz / Spark look promising from its exterior design and packaging, but in fact it is an average product like its predecessor. While it fulfills the basic needs for 4-people transportation, it offers no more refinement or sparkle than the class average. I wonder why Chevrolet calls it Spark.
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| The above report was last updated on 11 Dec 2009. All Rights Reserved. |
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 Daewoo Matiz / Chevrolet Spark |
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