Daewoo Lanos 1.4 Review

Overall Rating

Cost of Car, Cheap Insurance, Cheap Servicing, Very Reliable, Solid Build Quality, No Major Faults to Date, Reasonable Acceleration When Pushed.

Clunky Gear-box at times, Not Particulary Fast, Discontinued.

A full review by S K:

Being obsessed with racing and having attended various drift races and track days, the daewoo lanos 1.4 S is about as far off any race car that you could imagine, but never-the-less suprisingly impressive for the overall cost and intended use. My main car has been a 1995 skyline but I've found it to be non economical for city runs and day to day commutes, so I decided to pick up something cheap and effective.

The reason I am reviewing this car is due to the fairly unreasonable review on this site that currently exists. I've had the car since new and has served me well over the years. Its fuel economy is quite reasonable considering the age of the car; it can usually do around 300 miles per tank and I have been driving it most days for small commutes and the occasional long distance run. Servicing has been an minor cost, even to this day and the car never fails to start up first time; absolutely reliable. The 1.4 Lanos isn't exactly speedy, but if you push the engine into its optimum power band giving it higher revs for some extra grunt rather than being economical, it couldn't be described as slow considering the weight of the car and power of engine, demonstrating enough torque, less so on inclined slopes. The gear ratios are odd; the first two shifts need to take place within a few seconds, but once again this can help when in need of extra 'pull away' speed.

The clutch and gear box are clunky at times and a smooth gear change requires a higher amount of revs and some practice. (Especially when the engine is cold). The shock absorbers haven't yet been replaced but the ride has always been slightly rough. The electronics are absolutely fine and always have been. The handling of the car is not a strong point, but I've found that adding some new premium front tires made a massive difference and I really mean massive. Power-steering comes as standard and helps; steering is generally forgiving. Top speed was measured at 110-120mph. 0-62mph varies. The car itself is visually appealing considering the age of the car and doesn't have the 'boxed and dated' look that many older cars have. Although this is obvious, it is worth mentioning that most of the weight is distributed near the front and the car is FWD.

The front bonnet appears to be quite elongated but the car looks in proportion. If you are looking to buy this car, consider getting it in black; it looks far better than the other colours in my opinion. The paint is vulnerable to scrapes and chips but this is not a major issue. The size of the car is pretty impressive inside and can fit 4 people with comfort and 5 people with a slight squeeze. There is a problem with the leg room available for those using the back seats; I am quite tall, so there is not much leg room for a person to sit behind me, although there is just enough. One final point I should make is that there is slightly insufficient side support when sitting in the front seats, which is only a problem while taking corners at adequate-high speed. The boot size is okay.

The sound system is decent (at the front), however the rear stock subwoofers (bass speakers) in the boot are terrible. I replaced these straight away using some old speakers and some basic DIY wiring. The car isn't quiet (especially not when pushed), but isn't overly loud by any means. Taking all these things into consideration, the most important factor with daewoos is cost. The price of the car is cheap for what you get, the build quality is pretty solid, if not without a few faults here and there. Maintaince costs are low, insurance group (4) is cheap and mpg is fairly reasonable. If you can over look some small hitches here and there, you will find yourself with a comfortable, reasonable and reliable car for a cheap price. In my opinion, the car performs far better than the Rover 25 and other similar older cars.

Note: I have infact used the 1.6 version of the lanos, which is slightly less economical but gives better torque/horsepower than the 1.4 S. Suit your own needs accordingly.