Chevrolet Kalos   Women's view

Chevrolets Supermini For The Masses Is A Departure From The Usual Korean Fare. June Nearey Tries It

I must admit that I wasnt hugely overwhelmed at the prospect of a loan Chevrolet Kalos for a week. To whit, my preconceptions were that it would be slow, ugly, cheaply finished and that my friends would snigger at me. Although a few press pictures had done the rounds of the office, there was no way the Kalos could look as good in the metal as a mainstream supermini like a Ford Fiesta, a Citroen C3 or a Skoda Fabia. When it arrived I had to spend a good few minutes eating a fortifying combination of hat and humble pie.

The interior isnt too bad either. In the SX variant, theres a contrast between anthracite centre console and pale grey on the dashboard. The steering wheel and instrument binnacle are also finished in anthracite with a subtle carbon-fibre effect surrounding the window switches. The twin ventilator rosettes that burst from the top of the dashboard highlight a circular design theme thats continued throughout the cabin, mirrored on the side air vents, the displays and the door handles.

Youll even find the theme continued on the fabric applied to the doors.

The 1.2-litre engine is built around an alloy cylinder head and a traditional iron block and develops 72bhp which is a few more than a Skoda Fabia 1.4 can muster. Its pretty quick, accelerating through 60mph in 13 seconds although outright sprinting ability is hardly the cars forte.

Instead it majors on being easy to drive and all of the controls are light and idiot-proof. A combined fuel return of some 42.8mpg makes it competitive with some of the best in class and a CO2 emissions showing of 159g/km is par for the course. Now that Chevrolet have been taken under the wing of automotive giants General Motors, theyve had their pick of parts from across the empire and have turned to Suzuki for this 1.

2-litre powerplant. It was a wise move. The engine thrives on revs and its only out on the open road that it can feel a bit breathless. In town the engine ticks all the boxes.



Heres one area where the South East Asian stereotype still holds true. The Kalos 1.2 S retails at £7,195 and the top of the Kalos tree is the 5-door SX which is available at £9,195. This compares very well to mainstream rivals.



Contrary to my initial suspicions, the Chevrolet Kalos is a very likeable car. True, its image isnt up there with the class best, but the engines, the styling and the equipment give little cause for complaint. Even some particularly badge conscious friends were rather impressed when I mention that it was styled by Giugiaro. I could have told them it was styled by Jimmy Choo and they may not have been any the wiser, but if a serial labels freak could be impressed by the Kalos, theres hope for the rest of us.