New Car Road Test - Chevrolet Kalos Range

Naming a car after the Greek word for "beautiful" may be tempting fate a little but Chevrolet's little Kalos supermini has proved able to carry off the badge.

The Chevy badge may not be familiar in Britain but the car already is, establishing a useful niche amongst buyers who know value when they see it. Over in the States, it's the most popular small car you can buy.

Chevrolet UK have slightly less exalted targets for this model on these shores but an ever-increasing share of the supermini sector is certainly possible, especially now there's a sporty-looking three-door version and a practical five-door.

Both bodyshapes get the same petrol engine choices - a 72bhp 1.2-litre unit or a preferable 94bhp 1.4-litre 16v powerplant. Diesels won't arrive here for a while yet, which does put the car at something of a disadvantage when it comes to garnering market share.

Or does it? When you actually look at the extra upfront cost of diesel variants over their petrol-powered counterparts, you end up having to cover quite a mileage in order to make the extra cost pay off.

And supermini buyers don't tend to cover large mileages. They don't tend to like paying over the odds either, so asking prices around £2,000 less than an equivalent Ford Fiesta should come as welcome news.

The three-door range goes from £7,095 for the 1.2S to £9,995 for the 1.4 16v Sport. Go for five doors and you pay £7,595 for the 1.2SE or £8,995 for the 1.4SX (or £9,895 with automatic transmission).

The passenger compartment is extremely spacious, due in no small part to the 2.48 metre wheelbase - one of the longest in the supermini class.

Chevrolet claim the 955 millimetres of headroom to be a class best. The rear seat splits in the normal 60/40 manner but also has a trick up its sleeve.

You can not only fold it down, but also jack-knife it forward and secure it to the back of the front seats. This little party trick frees up a cavernous 735 litres of available luggage space, in effect more than quadrupling the usual capacity of 175 litres with the rear parcel shelf in place.

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 and five-door 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.

The 1.4-litre 16v engine and five-speed manual gearbox are a willing combination, powering the Kalos to a top speed of 110mph and capable of hitting 60mph in 11.1 seconds.

An average fuel consumption figure of nearly 40mpg is reasonable, though CO2 emissions of 178g/km are a little way off the class best. Even the 1.2-litre Kalos is no slouch and its combined fuel economy figure of 43mpg is not to be sniffed at.

Given that one car in every sixteen sold across the world is a Chevrolet and that this Kalos, (sold in the US as the "Aveo") is, as we've said, that country's most popular small car, it turns out that this is a surprisingly significant world product. Which makes it appropriate that it's also a surprisingly effective supermini.

FASTFACTS

CAR: Chevrolet Kalos range

PRICES: £7,095-£9,995 - on the road

INSURANCE GROUPS: 4-5

CO2 EMISSIONS: 159-178g/km

PERFORMANCE: (1.4 16v) Max Speed 110mph / 0-62mph 11.1s

FUEL CONSUMPTION: (1.4 16v) (combined) 39.8mpg

STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front airbags, ABS with EBD, Isofix child seats.

WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 3880/1670/1490mm