Daewoo Lanos Hatchback 1997-2002

The Daewoo Lanos is a car that sits at the bottom of the pile when compared to all its rivals as it is inferior in pretty much every way. On the plus side the Lanos is extremely cheap to buy and insure and the fuel economy isn't bad either. If you're only going to use this as a car to get to the shops and back then it should suffice, just about.

Pros and Cons:

• It is cheap to buy and run

• Poor ride and handling quality
  No thought has gone into the style or design of the car
  Engines are unrefined

---

Exterior and Interior

The Lanos hatchback comes with the option of three or five doors with the five door being the more sensible option. From the outside the Lanos doesn't look too bad, but the interior is grey and plain. The back seats are also too small to fit three adults on, but as a four person vehicle, it offers lots of room with plenty of legroom in the front and back. The boot isn't too small either with the back row of seats being able to fold down and increase its size.

The seats don't offer much support and on long journeys can become uncomfortable.

There are several trim levels to choose from with the basic S trim coming with power steering, twin airbags, a radio, and an alarm and immobilizer. The trims up from there come with ABS, air-con and electric front windows and mirrors.

---

Engines

There is only a choice of two engines, the 1.4 and 1.6-litre petrol engines with the 1.4 lacking power and the 1.6 being extremely unrefined.

---

Performance and Economy

Out of the two engines the smaller 74bhp 1.4-litre is the better engine to go for due to the 105bhp 1.6-litre being extremely unrefined and noisy. The 1.4-litre can run out of power though on steep hills and when fully loaded. Fuel efficiency wise they both perform similarly with the 1.4-litre managing 36mpg whilst the 1.6-litre manages just shy of that with 34mpg. No matter which engine you go for you will still hear it in the cabin along with the wind and road noise. Both of them are cheap to insure though with the 1.4-litre falling into group 4 and the 1.6-litre into group 6.

---

What it's like to Drive

The handling is poor at best with the steering being unresponsive and bad levels of body roll. These two issues combined will have you planning the straightest route possible to your destinations. On rough roads the car is hard to control and sometimes you will not be sure if you're driving the car, or if it's driving you. The body roll also leaves a lot to be desired with you taking even the longest of corners at a snails pace to prevent it.

---

Faults and Repairs

There has been no stand out faults with the Lanos. It was recalled in 2004 due to worries about the capacitor inside the camshaft cracking, but this was fixed free of charge so all of them should be alright now.

---

Author's Google+ Profile

© 2012 WhichDeal Ltd