Over the past few years, Daewoo has claimed a substantial share of the Australian small-to-medium sized car market. A prime example of this Korean manufacturer's successful philosophy of affordable and practical cars is the newly face-lifted Nubira wagon.
On test is the sports pack Daewoo Nubira II wagon, keenly priced at only A$24,415 (plus ORCs). It comes plump with ABS brakes, passenger airbag, 15-inch wheels, metallic grain dash and optional metallic paint. Those wagons not equipped with the sports pack sell from A$20,700 (also plus ORCs). In addition to price, the Nubira has the major attraction of a 3 year/100,000km warranty, scheduled servicing including dealer charges, and access to Daewoo's roadside assistance and courtesy car programs.
The new Nubira wagon is based on the same chassis as its predecessor except it's claimed to be quieter, more refined, and give better ride and handling. A substantial body and interior revamp has also occurred and a driver's airbag has been made a standard fitment. The most striking aspect of the car - its exterior - incorporates many contemporary styling influences, such as sweptback headlights and colour-coded bumpers and door handles. Other distinguishing features include a "bee sting" aerial, twin roof rails, a sculpted bonnet and various bony body ridges. The gentle shape of the wagon is pleasant, our only styling criticism being the fussy grille detailing.
At 1470mm the Nubira wagon is quite high, which helps make the car exceptionally suitable for tall passengers. Inside there's enough space to accommodate up to five people (although rear legroom is limited) and there's plenty of shoulder and hip room. Interior features include an in-cabin air filter; a detachable face CD/tuner with 6 speakers; power windows, mirrors and steering; an adjustable column and twin map lamps. Central locking and heated mirrors are also standard on all new Nubiras. If ever the Korean cars were bare-bones, they sure aren't now! The two lumbar adjustable front seats offer very good support but are quite firm: some amount of bum ache can be expected over longer distances.
An area of high wear inside the cabin is the plastic panel surrounding the driver's door power window controls. We spotted some light surface scratches that had come (probably) from drivers' rings and ragged nails. Reflections across the instrument cluster are also a problem, worst when there's a large amount of sunlight beaming in through the glass. When this occurs, the temperature gauge on the right hand side of the cluster becomes damn-near invisible. Interior noise is acceptable, although both the front and rear doors can be heard moving around in their frames while driving over a bumpy road and engine noise is louder than the (higher priced) competition.
The Nubira wagon's rear cargo area is both sizable and highly practical. It features a lock-down metal floor (giving access to the alloy spare wheel), handy storage compartments at both sides and it comes trimmed with an edged carpet. A cargo blind is also fitted to protect against the sun and provide security. With the 60/40 rear seats folded forward, items up to 176cm in length can be squeezed into the back of the Nubira; the volume it can swallow is simply huge. This space is made even more practical by the low loading lip and high opening tailgate.
The powerplant of the new Nubira is a DOHC 2.0 twin cam derived from the Family 2 Holden engine. With a compression ratio of 9.6:1, this multi-point injected "D-Tech" four puts out 98kW at 5400 rpm with a torque maximum of 184Nm at 2400. With a relatively mild specific power output, the engine is able to run on conventional unleaded fuel - which it did for us at an average rate of 9.2 litres per 100km. The DOHC motor delivers a very linear power curve, making it very smooth and driveable, however it doesn't like to rev much beyond 4500 revs. The ECU-enforced rev limit is set at 6500 rpm - the exact redline on the tacho.
Linked to the 2 litre is a 5-speed manual gearbox with a lockout collar on reverse. While the shift action is light, it feels rubbery and isn't as precise as we'd like. The clutch is also extremely light, with a good take-up and feel. (An auto is available at extra-cost.) Accelerating around 1300kg of Nubira wagon to 100km/h with this manual drivetrain combo takes around 11 seconds, and the second gear 60-90km/h split comes up in 3.4 seconds. The car's top speed is quoted at 185 km/h.
Advertising campaigns currently running in Australia are pushing the Nubira II as a pretty sharp handler. It's said to "satisfy your craving for sporty handling and your wife's demands for a gentle ride". To help achieve this, the car's platform is claimed to possess the longest wheelbase and widest track in its class. Underneath, a MacPherson strut suspension system with a sway bar is used at the front, with dual link independent suspension and a swaybar fitted at the rear. The car's ride is very firm and well-damped, however the resulting trade-off towards handling can become tiresome. (Yep, we said that the bias is to towards handling not ride; throw out those preconceptions right now...) Even at the relatively low recommended tyre pressure of 30 psi, the slow speed ride can be quite jiggly.
So with the stiff suspension set-up, does the handling match the publicity promise? Well, yes and no. Turn-in is good, and at middling to high-middling speeds the car remains composed and neutral. But up the ante and all you'll find is understeer. It's no use getting off the power to bring the tail out - no matter what your driving technique, mild understeer remains the order of the day. The stiff suspension means it's also easy to induce bulk wheelspin exiting corners - get on the power early and the lifted inside tyre will yowl as it searches for traction. Wet weather conditions serve simply to increase these two characteristics. However, don't get us wrong - the Nubira is a safe handler and can still be quite enjoyable to punt hard.
One aspect that we really loved was its precise power-assisted rack and pinion steering - it gives very good feedback and a near-perfect amount of assistance at all times. The steering response also comes from the sport pack's larger 15 inch alloys encrusted in 195/55 Bridgestone Potenza RE88s. In addition, this package gives large disc brakes at each corner (vented at the front) that are modulated by an electronic ABS system. As you'd expect from a modern ABS braking system, the car pulls up strongly and maintains excellent steering control.
Even given its modest price tag, the Nubira II sports wagon comes equipped with a heap of safety features. Increased passenger protection is delivered by the use of MFR technology focused beam headlights and large wrap-around tail lights, front and rear crumple zones, side impact beams and safety members that prevent the engine from intruding into the cab during a frontal crash. Active safety measures include seat belt pre-tensioners, anti-lock brakes and dual airbags. That's not a bad list of safety features for a sub-A$25,000 car - in fact, it rates better than some cars costing A$5,000-10,000 more.
The Nubira II's build quality is also excellent - and not just for a cheap car. Its double-seal doors close properly every time with a quiet "thunk", there are no rattles or squeaks from any part of the interior, body or chassis, and the quality of the plastics and materials appear well up to standard. Paint quality - although there was some orange peel - was generally good and all the panels fitted evenly.
In summary, the Nubira II sports pack wagon is a neatly packaged and highly competent vehicle at an excellent price.
www.daewoo.com.au
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