Alternative review of Chevrolet Matiz

It's hard to think of a car for whom the female audience is so important as Chevrolet's all-new Matiz. After all, over 75% of all UK customers for the first generation Matiz were women and the importers don't expect a lot to change this time round. I was curious then, to get behind the wheel of this newcomer. Would there be overtly over-the-top female touches like the flower vase in Volkswagen's Beetle? Or would the car be so practically orientated as to be forgettably bland? Fortunately, I was pleased to find that Chevrolet have struck a pleasing middle ground between the two. The shape is still cheeky and fun but there are no patronising 'homely' touches inside. Which is not to say that the interior is dull: actually quite the contrary. You can even specify the instrument cluster in different colours. I settled down behind the wheel thinking that I was going to enjoy myself in this car.

This is a car for the urban environment and as such, it simply must be easy to live with. It is. For a start, there are five doors, by no means a given in a citycar sector where the market leader (Ford's Ka) has only three. All four passenger doors are wide opening with low sills for easy access even in tight supermarket carparks like that of my local Tescos. I found that four adults could fit in quite easily and even at one point had three teenage children across the back seat, each safely strapped in with three-point seat belts. Stowage areas have been increased in size and quantity. There are drinks holders, a large glovebox and I found trays for maps, CDs and all the usual clutter that I seem to usually end up carting about with me. The passenger seat undertray was a nice touch and there's even a bespoke holder for your sunglasses neatly positioned above the driver on the plush SX version I tried.

There's a choice of two petrol engines of 0.8 and 1.0-litres in size. Don't go moaning about the lack of a diesel: you'd never cover the extra upfront cost of such an engine with the kind of mileage that citycar drivers tend to do. Anyway, it's not as if fuel consumption is an issue. The 800cc version does over 54mpg and the 1.0-litre model isn't far behind. Both engines are quieter and more responsive than their predecessors. The old Matiz wasn't a car I would have countenanced taking on a very long journey: with this new model, I might just be persuaded. It's certainly easier to keep up with the flow of traffic, the 1.0-litre model making it from rest to sixty in just over 14 seconds. More importantly, you no longer have to shout at your passenger to make yourself heard at motorway cruising speeds. This isn't a car for the driving enthusiast: big news. On the plus side, the handling, though making no attempt to entertain, makes every effort to please. That leaves safety. I must admit sometimes to feeling a little vulnerable in the old Matiz: this one feels altogether more substantial. Over 50% of the car has been constructed with high strength steel (as opposed to 37% with the old model) and, of course, twin front airbags and ABS are standard.

I found that I liked the Matiz. For short sharp journeys, I'd find myself wanting to take it over my regular car. It's so much easier - just as a car like this should be..