Chevrolet Matiz Review

Chevrolet Matiz Review

The Chevrolet Matiz is not known for its speed nor is it known for its luxury. It could never be labelled a supercar but around town it is a super car and offers a few surprises in many areas.

The old Matiz was so popular that it made it to the top of the mini-car charts and the new one is set to follow, even though there are plenty of others in this segment.

To be honest, there are plenty of friends and colleagues that would lament that I had to drive the Matiz for a week, in fact some did and I’m about to explain why they were wrong, after all, it’s a case of horses for courses and pennies in purses.

First of all, it is cute, especially in bright, Highway Yellow. It’s curvy in the right places with big eyes and almost Noddy-esque tail-lights that give the rear end a surprised expression. It looks like a three-door but is, in fact, a five-door hatch and it is tiny but around town, that is a good thing. It almost feels as if you could put it in your bag or pocket, once you’ve reached your destination, instead of parking it.

You may well have seen bigger Tonka toys but that doesn’t mean that the Matiz is cramped and uncomfortable. It has a TARDIS-like quality and once inside, there is plenty of leg-, head- and shoulder-room for four adults and the large doors open wide for easy access. The rear doors have body-coloured door-handles set well back, almost directly above the rear wheels. This disguise and the assumption that all micro-cars have three doors, made a couple of passengers attempt to climb in from the front.

The airiness of the cabin is noticeable, even without the benefit of a sunroof and the dark upholstery does nothing to mitigate the effect. The seats look insubstantial and, although the padding is thin and firm, they are nonetheless very comfortable and fairly supportive. The jacquard-knit seat-covers are available in a choice of three colours with a dark, charcoal grey base colour. I mention this because, for a sense of fun, the instrument dials come in three matching colours. The choice of upholstery colour is somewhat dependent on which of the ten body-colours is selected.

Chevrolet Matiz