SECOND-HAND SENSELike a lot of cars, it had a meaningless name, and like some others it is no longer on the market. However, the Daewoo Nubira had its fans in its time and still lives on, like other Daewoo cars, under the new Chevrolet badge.
The Nubira was sold until two years ago, and will probably be best remembered as one of those Korean cars that allowed people on a modest budget to move up a notch in their normal choice of car. For Korean cars have had a strong appeal in this country by virtue of equipment levels - it is no exaggeration to suggest that some moderately priced models have been better equipped than bigger executive brands, and at no extra cost.
The Nubira is, frankly, a nondescript car that borders on the ugly. It has very little design appeal and almost no originality. But its greatest strength is in the quality of the package on offer. Good levels of equipment, a generous guarantee and quite a safe bet in terms of reliability make it a much cheaper option than a more expensive competitor such as the Ford Mondeo.
While the standard Nubira came with electric mirrors and windows, central locking, twin airbags, alarm, immobiliser, ABS brakes and so on, it did not offer all that much in terms of driving refinement.
Adequate is the word that springs to mind to describe performance, ride and handling, but adequate is about as far as it goes. The cars on sale in Ireland had 1.4 and 1.6-litre petrol engines that could be gruff and unresponsive in low revs.
The Nubira is nevertheless a comfortable car to drive and interior space is fine. Obviously those in the front get a better deal, but rear room is not that bad and the boot is also a good size.
The car has been around since 1997 and was revised fairly early on in its lifecycle. However, there was more tweaking than radical change, and the shape has not altered all that much over the years. There is still a touch of modern design about it when one considers how old the original concept is.
There are no EuroNCAP crash test results for the car, unfortunately, and the Nubira seems have to have managed very well indeed when it comes to re-calls. Only a very small number have been re-called because of problems with transmission mounting bolts.
A 2004 car with a 1.6-litre petrol engine and 10,000 miles on the clock has an asking price of €12,995, and a 1.4-litre version of the same age, with 20,000 miles on the clock, has an asking price at another garage of €13,995. However, a 2001 model with a 1.6-litre engine and only 36,000 on the clock is on offer at €6,750.
FOR: Cheap, well-equipped and roomy.
AGAINST: Awful styling, sluggish performance, average ride, handling and roadholding.