CHEVROLET KALOS 3-DOOR
Chevrolets Supermini For The Masses Is A Departure From The Usual Korean Fare. June Neary Tries It
I must admit that I wasnt hugely overwhelmed at the prospect of a loan
Chevrolet Kalos 3-Door 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 is as striking as the bodywork. Far from the usual South Korean elephant grey, the Kalos features high quality materials and imaginative design. Imagine
Volkswagen at its best and then splash that design with a few touches of metallic brightwork and youll not be too far from the mark. In the SX variant, theres a contrast between anthracite centre console and pale grey on the dashboard.
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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.
The 1.4-litre 16v engine and five-speed manual gearbox are a willing combination, powering the Kalos to a top speed of 109mph and capable of hitting 60mph in 11.1 seconds. An average fuel consumption figure of nearly 40mpg is reasonable, whilst CO2 emissions of 178g/km are a little way off the class best.
A four-speed automatic option is offered for the first time on the Kalos 1.4-litre, making the car an even better city slicker. Of course, this takes the edge off the cars performance a little (11.7s/106mph), but for those who battle with the urban sprawl and crawl home every night, that will represent an acceptable trade off.
The 16v Kalos feels a good stronger than your average 1.4-litre supermini, especially in the upper reaches of the rev range. Drive the car in a more sedate fashion and youll experience barely any penalty in terms of fuel economy, the car clocking up an average of 40.8mpg.
Opt for the automatic and youll see 37.2mpg, the gearbox engineered to work in parallel with the engines variable intake system to guarantee flexibility.
Heres one area where the South East Asian stereotype still holds true. The Kalos 1.2 S retails at £6,995 and the top of the 3-door Kalos tree is the 16-valve 1.4-litre SX which is still a few pounds shy of £8,400.
This compares very well to mainstream rivals. Five-door models are also available. All prices continue to include delivery, road tax, a three-year comprehensive warranty, three years' AA roadside cover and three years' free servicing.
Contrary to my initial suspicions, the Chevrolet Kalos 3-Door 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.
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