2001 Daewoo Matiz 0.8 petrol from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Don't even think about it at any price - buy a Hyundai instead

Faults:

Broken cam belt.

Bent valve.

Water pump needed replacing.

Thermostat needed replacing.

General Comments:

A pretty underwhelming piece of junk, really, though to be fair, it may have had very little servicing before I bought it.

Incredibly slow and gutless, it just dies completely on hills. It's not particularly economical, either, for such a tiny motor - small, modern diesels are vastly better.

The brakes are terribly underpowered.

It does have a very good turning circle, is easy to park and reasonably comfortable, and the air conditioning works OK.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 14th December, 2010

5th Jan 2011, 12:56

It was purely your duty to inspect everything... about your car servicing details... who's gonna teach you that...

You must get your belt inspected after 40000 kms... of course it has an interference engine.. if the belt breaks it will cause damage... The Matiz is a very economical car... it's just you don't know how to maintain this gem... I get around 22 in city & 25 on highway.. What else do you want from this strong tiny motor.. I love the Matiz.. Daewoo was a much superior product against Hyundai.. they are both from South Korea... it's just that you don't know how to maintain it...

7th Feb 2011, 23:17

To the 1st commenter - I don't own a Matiz, but I would put money on the fact it is a piece of crap. Yes it's cheap - and for a good reason! Hyundais are also crap cars for that matter.

2001 Daewoo Matiz SE Plus 0.8 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Nippy, cheap, well designed and practical

Faults:

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.

General Comments:

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.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd May, 2009

23rd May 2009, 13:11

Well the review for your Matiz seriously needed to be changed.

I have had a Daewoo Matiz for the past 9 years, & till now no problem to date. It's really cheap to run, getting mileage of 17 to 19 in city with A/C, & 22 to 23 on highway. Now what else do you want? Surely a masterpiece.

And the query regarding the bulbs fused, well buddy, not a single bulb been fused till now, that's what I call korean engineering.