USED Chevrolet Kalos Hatchback (05 - 08)

My car

I've driven this car as a rental for over a week now, so hopefully I can give a review:

Good points: Cabin and exterior styling are quite nice. Nice Blaupunkt CD/radio Air vents appear to be solid alloy of some sort which is a nice touch.

Bad points:

Engine. Oh dear. Doesn't sound nice at anything other than low revs. Doesn't like to rev. Also holds on to revs during gear changes (why?). Refuse to believe it puts out much more than 60bhp. Our old 1.2 60hp Punto Mk 1 would leave it for dead. The cheaper 1.2 cannot possibly be worse than this 1.4 version. Reminds me of early Fiesta engines where putting you foot down just increases the droning noise.

Handling. They've managed to remove any feel from the steering, yet still leave it curiously heavy. Don't worry though, you can tell how hard you are cornering by judging the massive amount of roll that is building up. Definitely tuned for comfort then, although other cars in the class (E.G Ibiza) do much better at giving you comfort and handling.

Sorry, but this top of the range model isn't competitive. More basic models might make more sense.

My car

I had this car as a courtesy car whilst mine was in the garage.

I was surprised to find that it had a removable stereo which wasnt even in the car - it must one of only a few cars that have detachable stereos from new.

When I found out that the new value of the car was nearly £8,000 i was very shocked.

The car was only a few months old and already showing signs of wear and tear, such as the external petrol cap that didnt close properly, and the misaligned trim inside the cabin.

When I went to pull onto the motorway, I put my foot down, and... nothing happened, besides a soar in vibration and noise.

I owned a Micra 1.2 a few months before driving this, and in comparison to this it performed like a supercar.

The seats were very flat and didn't offer any support at all, meaning that when I went round a corner or roundabout, I got flung all over the place.

If I were to be choosing a car around the £8,000 mark, I would be straight up to the Fiat or Toyota dealership and be looking at a Panda or Aygo (or a second hand Clio/Corsa etc.).

My car

The 1.2 engine does not quite have the power of the 1.4 as you would expect. However it is a more refined engine and it is considerably quieter.

My car

Our Kalos is up to 10876 miles now and so far only two minor electrical problems has accurd. A false warning from the injectionsystem and a defect ABS sensor. Complaints have often been made over Kalos that it gives a woobly insecure feeling. I emediatly knew what caused the problem, the tyres! Slippery syntethics is on at the buy, once those are gone for a set of proper highspectyres the Kalos runs yust like a train. And the gearbox, well it demanded some miles to worn in and all the edgyness is now gone but whitout question It`s one of the cuts as the frontlights are, oldnews from the deep of GM:s wast warehouses. I´m glad that i made a researche before i went to the dealer, the 1.2 engine is made by Suzuki and a dam good one -the 1.4 is a homegrown korean and should bee avoided because It`s unrefined and thirsty, next step over in some countrys is the 1.6 and igen a very good engine of Vauxhall/Opel origin. Well I am still satisfyed and planing on to by a Nubira hatchback 1.6SE for myself.