Faults:

Fuel consumption at 12-13 litres/100km for a 2.0 ecotech. Dealer told me it was normal.

Transmission drove like a Ski-doo. High RPM. Dealer told me it was normal. Turned out to be a defect on the park & neutral switch. It gave-up in 2011, had to tow the car & replace the P&N switch, then fuel consumption went down to 8L/100 km. Claimed compensation for 3 years of over consumption. GM Canada refused, arguing that the dealer had always fulfilled the warranty.

Alternator gave up 4 times in 5 years.

Driver's belt buckle stuck in 2008. Replaced belt buckle.

Shift lock froze at -13 degrees Celsius in 2008. Replaced shift lock.

Smoke coming out of steering wheel in 2009. Engine shut down while driving. Replaced ignition switch.

Catalytic converter completely blocked in 2009. Replaced converter.

Heater fan motor gave-up in 2009. Replace fan motor.

Transmission downshifts for no reason when around 40km/h. Mechanic at dealer told me it's a "crappy transmission" and offered no fix option.

Back door handle jammed in 2010 due to rusted cable. Door couldn't close.

Electric door lock stopped working in 2012.

Windshield washer fluid pump gave-up in January 2014. Replaced pump.

Battery drains due to electric short in January 2014. They still cannot find the problem today.

I bought this car brand new, and I had more problems with it than all of my used cars put together.

General Comments:

Roomy, quiet & soft on roads.

Completely unreliable.

Worst lemon ever.

Went to 2 different dealers for service. Both poor service.

Faults:

It has had a few suspension components replaced like a rear strut, both rear stabilizer links and a front strut mount. The rear stabilizer links are hard plastic, not the sway bar! There seemed to be some confusion on here about that. You can get stabilizer links that are metal for replacements. The car travels poorly maintained country roads daily.

The only issue that stands out is the paint quality. Some of the paint on the rocker panels came off in the first year of my parent's ownership. I fixed the paint issue before I had to safety the car, because the dealership refused to repair the paint under warranty.

General Comments:

I own a 2007 Optra with 183,000 km, and have had no serious issues. The car is good on gas, and has been highly reliable so far. My parents bought the car new, and I bought it from them when they got a new car.

Some nice things about the car are that it has four wheel disc brakes, and front and rear independent suspension. The car has generous passenger room as well.

At first I wasn't sure if I cared for the gearbox, but now I am getting used to it. The clutch is forgiving and it is a good car to learn on. This is my first standard car I have owned. I will never go back to driving an automatic! Last fill up I got 7.65L/100 KM mostly highway with some city driving, which is about what the car is rated for on the highway. I actually think it is too bad GM stopped making cars like this.

I hope you found this review helpful.

Faults:

30000 KM. Had to replace tires.

50000 KM. Had to replace spark plugs (one was defective) and had to do front / rear pads and rotors.

Due too bad fuel economy, I had to have an evap and PCV service done as well (which fixed the bad fuel economy I was noticing).

There have been countless engine problems with my 2007 Optra 5 Lt. I have had to tow my car to the dealership over 5 times in 3 years.

The engine has cut out while driving with little to no warning 3 times.

The gas pedal (throttle body system) has gone dead on me while driving on the highway with little warning once (entire throttle body needed replacing through warranty).

The battery, computer, wiring harness in engine, and windshield washer motors have needed replacing (warranty as well).

My car lighter and housing have been replaced 5 times because it keeps failing (electrical problem?).

General Comments:

The Optra 5 I own is the Lt Model with sunroof and auto transmission, and it has about 53700KM. It has not only many of bad things about its design, but also many good things.

The LT model I own was well equipped with an 8 speaker sound system, which works very well to this day.

It also is surprisingly roomy on the interior, and it has a very comfortable ride when maintained properly.

Apart from the engine problems I stated earlier, I have been very happy with the day to day driving of my Optra 5.

If I was to do it over, I would not have wasted my money on such a lemon of a vehicle, so if you are considering this car, DON'T DO IT.

Having good features is what sold this car, but what good are features with such a junk engine and electrical systems. I would expect this behavior from a car that has been in an accident or not maintained, but my car is over maintained and accident free.