Faults:

The car is very rust prone.

The engine makes a lot of creaking noises, most noticeable when decelerating.

After ~7600 km of use the brakes no longer work.

After ~24000 km of use, the air conditioner doesn't work any more.

General Comments:

The Matiz is a decent car, which comes at a very cheap price, especially for its class, compared to the Demio for example, whose base model is about ~1,250 dollars more.

Overall, the car is a very good one for its price. It comes with child protection and air conditioning as standard, at least if you buy the S trim. Its performance may not be a big deal, but the handling is a little dream. It's very responsive and smooth.

The cargo space may be far from the best, but it's better than average. It's roomy enough to fit at least six people. It even comes with a 3-year warranty as standard on all trims; that's a good sign of a good company.

Faults:

The upper rubber seal of the front right door ripped after a few months. Replaced under warranty, and again started to rupture after the warranty ended.

Spark plugs and cables replaced at around 30.000 km - not surprising considering the car is always driven on short distances, only 5-20 km daily.

After 5 years since being built, corrosion began to creep inside the lower side of the doors, on the rear wheel arches and in the boot; the car lacks suitable rust protection, and the metal is very thin, would puncture easily if rust is not dealt with soon.

General Comments:

Mechanically it works very well, extremely reliable, low fuel consumption. The engine always starts, even at the lowest temperatures, and it will take lower quality fuel without a hiccup.

The plastic inside is very rough and scratches easily, seats have mediocre ergonomics (but still better than a C1, Aygo and the likes). Inside it has a lot of headroom, even the tallest people can fit, and generally it has more room than other small cars.

In the city, the handling is brilliant. The small 3 piston engine revs, roars and accelerates like a much larger one. However if it's fully loaded, performance decreases dramatically. The car is good for 1-2 people plus a bag of groceries.

Outside the city, at high speeds (70-100 km/h) and in corners, the handling is poor, and the car doesn't have a lot of stability.

Being the economic model, it is "naked": no airbags, no ABS. The interior is spartan - no radio, no clock, nothing. But at 4400 euros when new, it was a bargain, and works very well in its role: in the city, with light loads.

Remarkably reliable, but the bodywork's poor corrosion treatment lets it down.

Faults:

The heater is behind the entire dashboard, which I started dismantling already with my eyes closed. Approx 2 hours max (need a 22 wrench for the steering wheel. I don't have airbags on it).

Take care about the hoses coming and going from the heater. They are quite small, and hard to handle. It may need at least 2 guys to do the change, but a lot of patience. There is no other way around it.

Need help on the topic, email at guraudan@gmail.com.

General Comments:

Hello. I've had this car since 20000km. Besides, two clutch cables changed, one clutch changed (by 160000km), one piece of coolant bottle expander unit, some bulbs, and one battery, it's had no situations.

Not since the heater has started leaking. (now at 187.000km). I changed it once, now I have to change it again.

For everyone, who starts having coolant leaks on the driver or passenger side, begin thinking of doing a real deal.

Faults:

The car has a not very efficient brake system.

Also she has weak frontal resistance: I hit a rabbit (poor thing!), which broke the water radiator when normally the spoiler should protect any essential part in the front of the engine.

When strong rain falls, water pours inside the night luminator into the car (the luminator is just under the radio antenna).

General Comments:

People say it is a good car, but I never had enough time to become fully convinced. It's cheap, for sure.

High speed is never recommended with her.

Nice looking, surprisingly space inside, but still a little bit short for long legged drivers.

Very easy to drive, but visibility is affected during left turns, due to the left support bar of the front window.