The classic urban runabout

Matiz has always been a great choice as a runabout with its Tardis-like proportions giving lots of interior space for four inside a compact exterior that's really easy to park. For 2005, Matiz takes a giant leap forward in many areas crucial to this sector's audience with an essential point in the brief being to retain the overall size of the car and not to be caught up in the general trend to upsizing - this is urban transport after all.

What am I? - Matiz speaks for itself 'I've been really popular in the UK since the late 90s but now it's time for a change. The people in white coats have really pampered me and given me a full makeover which means I've lost lots of weight and feel really fresh and new - I've even been voted Automotive Slimmer of The Year 2005! And would you believe, they've called me Chevrolet!

'I'm still a bit like Doctor Who's Tardis with lots of room inside and a small frame outside and I really love dashing around town. You'll find parking me irresistible because I can fit in the smallest gaps and turn on a sixpence. My shiny new engines are like new lungs; I breathe much more easily and will hardly ever need to pull you over into a petrol station any more. You can even get me serviced for nothing! I feel really safe with my new stronger body and nice big airbags and they've even changed the bits underneath me so that I can go around corners more easily without making you feel uncomfortable.

'Inside I've got lots of little pockets, trays and cubby holes for all that stuff you insist on carrying around with you and my boot is bigger too so we can go shopping for just about anything whenever you like, it'll all fit in. Above all I'm still your friend with my cheeky face and big bright eyes and I've got some new ideas inside too, like my funky centre speedo. You can buy me in three different versions but I'm the SE, the most popular Matiz. That's me in a nutshell so now we'll let the experts tell you my story in more detail.' CH05 EVY

Cheeky charm: The style of the new Chevrolet Matiz evolves an established icon in this sector of the market. It has a unique charm and character and its cheeky looks remain, but with contemporary touches like the new head and tail lights and centrally mounted speedometer with coloured graphics, the car has adopted a modern, fresh look. But the most important features of Matiz are its supreme everyday practicality with no concessions, its great manoeuvrability and its low running costs - and as a further bonus - it's a Chevrolet.

Everyday practicality: Let's take practicality first. Whether it be on the weekly shopping run, the sprint to work or the school dash, Matiz is always at home in an urban environment. Its four wide opening doors and low sills mean easy access even in the tightest of car parks and once inside there's plenty of room for four adults or it can easily manage three teenage children across the back seat, each safely strapped into three-point seatbelts.

There's even a simple plug in device for a child seat thanks to two sets of ISOFIX fittings, instantly noticeable are the multitude of stowage amenities - drinks holders, glovebox, trays for maps, CDs, and all the everyday ephemera that seems to accumulate in our cars in our daily motoring lives. There's a passenger seat undertray, two capacious door bins and a seat back pocket in SE and SX models and there's even a bespoke holder for your sunglasses neatly positioned above the driver on the SX. The next priority in the urban jungle is parking.

Matiz has the answer with atight turning circle and accurate steering; it's one of the most agile cars in the market. Agility is helped too by great visibility from the high driving position, low waistline and slim pillars for those tight reversing moments. Matiz will turn through a full circle within the length of a double-decker bus. Matiz looks after the health of your wallet or handbag Practicality is important but equally so in this sector are running costs. The new Chevrolet Matiz is a lot quieter resulting from lots of work on the engines and suspension. But it's inside the engines where the big improvements come. Talk of the detailed changes comes later but the results are quite staggering - 15% improvement in fuel economy.

The nippy 800cc version does over 54mpg and the 1000cc car is not far behind, it too achieves over 50mpg. And with both models costing only £105 per year to tax thanks to nice clean exhausts, cost of ownership of a new Chevrolet Matiz is top of the charts. Add this to a car where servicing costs are free for three years and insurance groups are in the 3-4 bracket and the result is far less trips to the cash machine. Even with such low running costs and excellent fuel economy, the 0.8 litre version is really nippy around town; it's responsive and has a very light gearchange.

For those that like to take the sporadic foray onto the motorway, it's best to go for the 1.0 litre engine which adds more power for a more relaxing drive at sustained higher speeds on open roads or those occasional longer journeys. Lots of gadgets but only what you really need, Everyone claims these days that their cars are fully loaded with specification but what really matters in this price-sensitive sector of the market is not the number of gadgets but their value to the owner. Chevrolet has taken a long hard look at costs and specification levels and made sure that its customers get the right balance of what really matters.

Firstly, around town you need power steering for those constricted parking moments and frequent tight turns to avoid the jams. Second is remote controlled central door locking when you have armfuls of shopping and really need three hands. Next, a 60/40 split folding rear seat where the cushion folds up too for maximised capacity - the boot itself is also bigger on this new model - following the weekly or monthly shop. And there's even a CD player for that chill-out in the traffic jam.