Chevrolet Kalos 3dr Review Covering 2005 To Date

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October 2006 Reviews

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Quick Summary of the Chevrolet Kalos

OVERALL

The Chevrolet Kalos three-door is an interesting, neatly-styled car with a decent badge which represents a very useful used buy. Look for a car that’s covered low mileages and hasn’t been too beaten-up by city driving and you could be onto a winner.

SCORES ON THE DOORS

The problem with small used cars is that they often come with a lot of other things that are small. Mean warranties, tiny carrying capacities, meagre equipment lists and very little in the way of brand equity. Chevrolet’s Kalos three-door offers a welcome break from these norms but adds a few other tiny features of its own. A modest upfront asking price, minuscule ongoing running costs and little in the way of rivals for this sort of money. Small wonder it’s a smart used buy.
Used Chevrolet Kalos for sale

History of the Kalos

Find yourself a three-door Kalos and you can be sure of one thing: it won’t be a Daewoo. Though the Kalos supermini originally arrived in the UK as a Daewoo product, it was only as a five-door. The ‘sportier’ three-door variant was the first product that the Chevrolet brand launched when it took over the Daewoo brand in the UK in early 2005.Both 1.2 and 1.4-litre engines were offered in three-door hatchback guise. Trim levels ranged from entry-level S through SE to range topping SX but there was also a Sport option available with the 1.4-litre engine, leather seats and a naughtier-sounding exhaust but no extra performance. The Kalos Ikon was available briefly from August 2005.
Used Chevrolet Kalos for sale

Chevrolet Kalos Road Test

On the road, it won’t be the most exciting driving experience you’ve ever had – but then what would you expect? The 1.2-litre model’s 72bhp is good enough to punt the car to sixty from rest in 13.2s on the way to 98mph but, more importantly, you should achieve nearly 43mpg, according to combined cycle official fuel figures. The 1,399cc 1.4-litre unit manages sixty from rest in 11.1s on the way to 110mph (though there’s also an automatic version that struggles up to 106mph). The combined fuel consumption is officially quoted at 39.8mpg.Safety is well catered for with all models getting anti-lock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution, twin front and side airbags, three-point belts on all five seats and ISOFIX anchorage points for a child seat in the back. Otherwise, expect to find power-assisted steering, height/tilt adjustable headrests, clear side repeaters, coat hooks in the back, central locking with an alarm, electric front windows, cup holders front and rear, an auxiliary power outlet and a tilt adjustable steering column. All 1.4 models have air-conditioning and the SX variants add 15" alloy wheels, electric rear windows, side airbags, an upgraded stereo with steering wheel controls, electric mirrors, a sunglasses holder and body-coloured door handles. The Sport model isn’t actually any quicker but it has a naughty-sounding freeflow exhaust, special ‘Sport’ alloy wheels and various styling accessories.
Used Chevrolet Kalos for sale

Buying a Chevrolet Kalos

As with all cars that get used to ferry children back and forth, check for rips, stains and other damage to upholstery and minor trim parts. Also bear in mind that the Kalos will likely have been used as an urban scoot so check for parking knocks. Other than that, expect the usual Chevrolet reliability but check the service history to ensure it’s been looked after properly.
Used Chevrolet Kalos for sale

Chevrolet Kalos Typical Pricing

You’re not going to need to plan a raid on a cash-handling facility to afford one of these. The earliest three-door cars start at just under £4,600 for a 1.2-litre S, with an SX available for around £5.000 - roughly the same as the 3-door Sport - and the automatic gearbox adding £800 to that total. Insurance for all Kalos models is eminently reasonable, starting at Group 3 for the 1.2-litre cars and rising to Group 6 for the 1.4s.
Used Chevrolet Kalos for sale

Chevrolet Kalos Parts

(Estimated prices, based on a 2005 1.4SX) Parts prices are hardly astronomical, a clutch assembly will be around £90 and an air filter should be close to £12. Brake pads are around £35 a front set with a water pump relieving you of nearly £60.
Used Chevrolet Kalos for sale

Chevrolet Kalos Rated

Performance Performance 2 out of 5

Comfort

Handling

Economy

Styling

Equipment

Build

Depreciation Depreciation 3 out of 5

Insurance

Value

Chevrolet Kalos 3dr Review2005 To Date