2001 Daewoo Matiz SE Plus review from UK and Ireland

ERG valve failed at 14000.

Gear change cables bushes failed 13000 (rubber).

Rear tyres lasted 41000.

Front tyres lasted 20000.

Centre and rear exhaust sections failed at 30000 and 20000.

A few bulbs have blown.

My second Matiz and I am not disappointed. A brilliant little town and short distance car with low running costs.

It is well designed inside and makes use of every inch of internal space. The seats will take 4 adults easily, or 5 if there are 3 children in the back, but there is only a centre lap strap.

The rear seat also fold 40/60, which is versatile and allows larger loads to be carried with one rear passenger, and the other portion of the seat folded.

The boot is however tiny, if the seats are up, so luggage space is limited.

It is comfortable to drive but the gear change is notchy going through 2nd gear and this was the case on my other Matiz also. Cornering on bumpy roads makes the handling skittish but straight line stability is fine. The turning circle is amazing and makes parking in the smallest space easy.

The cam belt must be changed at 40000 miles and is easy to do as a DIY job with no special tools and takes about 2-3 hours.

One major thing lacking with the Matiz is the fact that it cannot be fitted with a towbar. Other small cars such as the Rover/Austin Metro and Reliant Robin had no problem with light towing, so I cannot understand why the Matiz cannot. Daewoo do however, make roof bars and a top box for the Matiz if extra carrying capacity is needed.

Fuel consumption is 42mpg on mixed urban dual carriageway, with 49mpg on a long motorway run, which is not fantastic when you consider it only has a motorcycle sized engine.