2001 Daewoo Nubira Daewoo Nubira 2001 Daewoo Nubira CDX Wagon Wagon Wagon FWD You can now pick up a Daewoo Nubira with Diamond Blue Metallic paint. The sedan gets a new 14-inch standard wheel cover and the wagon has a fresh rear tail lamp design. Spunky motor, low price, free scheduled maintenance. Noisy motor, crappy tires, cheap interior bits, financially challenged manufacturer. Nubira. Sounds like a cloud formation, but it's actually the name of one of the three cars from Daewoo. Nubira means "to go everywhere," and it's Daewoo's best shot at going anywhere in the fickle American marketplace. The Nubira is available in two trim levels and body styles: SE sedan and CDX trim applied to either sedan or wagon formats. The base SE comes with a height-adjustable driver's seat, six-speaker sound system with cassette player and four-wheel disc brakes. The optional convenience package adds power windows, mirrors and locks, as well as remote keyless entry, tilt steering wheel, a car alarm and fog lights. Uplevel CDX trim includes a long list of additional standards, in addition to a loaded SE. Air conditioning, CD player, alloy wheels (that resemble a Cuisinart tool), cruise control, heated exterior mirrors and antilock brakes keep CDX buyers happy that they upgraded. Leather seats and a moonroof are optional on CDX. Wagons add a rear wiper and a roof rack. All Nubiras are covered by a scheduled maintenance policy, which takes care of oil changes, tire rotations and the like for the first year and 12,000 miles of ownership. The sole engine choice for the Nubira is a GM-designed, Australian 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine making 129 horsepower at 5,400 rpm and 136 foot-pounds of torque at 4,400 rpm. This sprightly motor meets LEV standards. Mated to the standard five-speed manual transmission, the Nubira can reach 60 mph in less than 10 seconds, but acceleration is accompanied by plenty of engine racket. The optional automatic requires nearly 2 seconds more to reach expressway velocities. Overall, the Nubira provides a pleasant ride and decent, if not downright sporty, handling as long as the driver isn't pushing the car for all it's worth. Body roll is kept to a minimum in slower turns, and steering is reasonably responsive if a bit numb. The factory tires, however, could certainly use upgrading, as could the rather weak brakes. Surprisingly, there's plenty of room up front for legs, though rear legroom is severely compromised when the tallest of drivers has the seat moved all the way back in the track. Cabin materials could stand improvement, but at this price, they certainly meet the standard. New exterior colors, taillights (wagon only) and wheelcovers are the only changes for 2001. The Nubira may be Daewoo's best shot at finding a niche in the crowded economy car market, despite the stiff competition in this segment. It's somewhat attractive, reasonably powerful, and can be loaded to the gills with equipment for a seductively low price. But before Daewoo can find success, it needs to pay some big bills in Korea, or the Nubira will disappear faster than you can say "Yugo." Ford Focus Saturn S-Series Suzuki Esteem 336,000 560,000 336,000 5 NA NA NA 4 2 liters Inline 129 hp @ 5400 rpm 136 ft-lbs. @ 4400 rpm 179 in. 67.7 in. 57.9 in. 2888 lbs. 101.2 in. 39 in. 39.5 in. 55 in. 54.3 in. NA NA 42 in. 34.7 in. 19.4 cu.ft. Standard Standard Not Available Not Available Not Available Not Available Not Available Rating = Not Tested Rating = Not Tested Not Tested Not Tested Not Tested Not Tested 13.7 gal. 22 mpg / 31 mpg 22 mpg / 31 mpg 301 mi. / 425 mi. 301 mi. / 425 mi. Insurance costs can vary greatly for this vehicle, depending on such factors as driver age, driver gender, teenage drivers in the household, driving records, theft loss data for your particular geographic region, miles driven per year, and other widely variable factors. Additionally, some companies charge a premium for certain makes and models, while others do not. $12,727 $14,799 7.35% $430 N/A No Holdback SE SEDAN (5M): 2L I4 DOHC MPI 16-valve engine; 5-speed OD manual transmission; 630 amp battery; 85 amp alternator; front-wheel drive, 3.55 axle ratio; partial stainless steel exhaust; front independent strut suspension with anti-roll bar, front coil springs, rear independent multi-link suspension with anti-roll bar, rear coil springs; rack-and-pinion power steering; 4-wheel disc brakes; 13.7 gal. capacity fuel tank; front and rear mud flaps, side impact bars; front and rear body-colored bumpers; clearcoat monotone paint; aero-composite halogen headlamps; driver's and passenger's manual body-colored folding outside mirrors; 14" x 5.5" steel wheels; P185/65HR14 BSW A/S tires; compact steel spare wheel; rear heat ducts; AM/FM stereo radio, seek-scan feature, cassette player, 4 speakers, theft deterrent, fixed antenna; cruise control; child-safety rear door locks, remote trunk release, remote fuel door release; 1 power accessory outlet, front lighter element, smokers' package;instrumentation display includes tachometer, water temperature gauge, in-dash clock, trip odometer; warning indicators include oil pressure, water temp, battery, lights on, key in ignition, low fuel, door ajar, trunk ajar, brake fluid; driver's and passenger's front airbags; tinted windows, manual front and rear windows; variable-speed intermittent front windshield wipers, sun visor strip, rear window defroster; seating capacity of 5, front bucket seats with adjustable tilt headrests, center armrest with storage, driver's seat includes 8-way adjustment, passenger's seat includes 4-way adjustment; 60/40 folding rear bench seat with adjustable headrests; height-adjustable front seatbelts with pretensioners; cloth seats, cloth door trim insert, full vinyl headliner, full carpet floor covering, chrome interior accents; interior lights include dome light; vanity mirrors; day/night rearview mirror; full floor console, locking glove box, front cupholder, 2 seatback storage pockets, driver'sand passenger's door bins; carpeted cargo floor, cargo light; chrome grille, black side window moldings, black front windshield molding and body-colored door handles. CDX SEDAN (5M) (in addition to or instead of SE SEDAN (5M) equipment): 4-wheel antilock disc brakes; additional exterior lights include front fog/driving lights; driver's and passenger's power body-colored heated rearview mirrors; air conditioning, air filter, rear heat ducts; single-disc CD player, 6 speakers; power door locks, remote keyless entry; security system; power front and rear windows with driver's 1-touch down function; interior lights include illuminated entry; steering wheel with tilt adjustment. CDX WAGON (5M) (in addition to or instead of CDX SEDAN (5M) equipment): Exhaust tailpipe finisher; roof rack; integrated roof antenna; variable-speed intermittent front windshield wipers, rear window wiper, rear window defroster; interior lights include front reading lights; carpeted cargo floor, cargo cover and cargo light. 0FM Floor Mats $56 $65 A/T Transmission: 4-Speed Automatic with OD $696 $800 CF6 Power Tilt and Slide Moonroof $430 $500 W6R Leather Seating Surfaces $559 $650