To the surprise of people who aren't familiar with it, and nods of approval from those who are, the Matiz has won several awards recently. Before we go any further, this is an inexpensive city car, not intended for dashing along motorways, and the complete financial package involved in buying it is something that nothing else in the class can match.Some other Far Eastern city cars are simply eyesores. They may look cute in the streets of Yokohama or Seoul, but in this country they are among the vehicles of which many observers say, "I wouldn't be seen dead in one of those things." As we know at CARkeys, to our acute embarrassment, pedestrians have been known to point and laugh at you when you're driving cars like this.The Matiz isn't like that. And it's unlike some other cars in the Daewoo range in not being a conglomeration of other companies' out of date technology and styling. It has been styled so that the small rear wheels don't look ridiculous, and you can't say that about some of its rivals.Italdesign in Turin, Daewoo's drivetrain centre in Munich and its technical centre in Worthing all collaborated in the Matiz project. And it doesn't have somebody else's cast-off engine. The 0.8-litre three-cylinder is a modified version of the one Daewoo built for its own Tico - a car which isn't available in the UK - and it does not badly in terms of power-to-weight ratio. However, Daewoo's obsession with outside consultants came to the fore again when it asked Tickford to help with engine development.So the Matiz looks fine and, fortunately, it has a conventional interior layout. Nothing weird or way out. It's short and it's narrow, so that, although the high-set body provides plenty of headroom, a tall driver has to sit at the controls as if halfway through some knees-bend gymnastics exercise. You get used to that, though. Eventually.The Matiz is nippy in town, not bad out on the open road, but hard-pushed on a steep hill. Of course, whaddayou expect from a titchy little engine like this, and why not just get used to whacking down a gear or two when it begins to labour?When it was launched, the Matiz got some bad publicity, along the lines of the criticism levelled at the original pre-modification Mercedes A-class. For the Daewoo, it wasn't a matter of falling over when being swerved full-throttle round an imaginary elk. The problem with the Matiz was that somebody reversing one at high speed, and hauling the wheel onto full lock, found - not to our surprise, certainly - that the car toppled over.Well, OK. At CARkeys, that isn't an issue. Who performs a manoeuvre like that in a car like this? Probably only motoring journalists, and you know what they're like. In fact, partly because of the high seating position, and the ease with which you can get into and out of it, the Matiz appeals to a lot of older drivers. They won't be doing handbrake turns or front-end throws.You can't kid on, though, that the Matiz likes main roads in the wind. There may be a nicely regular waft of airflow over the bonnet and windscreen, but you have to watch it when there are side winds or a blast of air from a passing or being-passed truck. Once again, though, that's not its natural habitat.It's when you get down to what the base-model Matiz costs to buy and maintain that the green lights start flashing. The initial price is modest enough, but it includes all the parts and labour costs for scheduled servicing over three years or 60,000 miles.Plus the free use of a courtesy car when your own is in for service. Plus a three-year/60,000-mile warranty. Plus three years' AA cover. Plus a mobile phone with free connection. Plus, if you fancy it, free assessment for an IAM advanced driving course. Some deal.Second opinion: The price and the thrown-in goodies are the main attraction, and they are probably the most important elements for most potential buyers. On the open road the Matiz often feels unstable and vulnerable, and it is not a comfortable place to sit if you are over six feet tall. Probably the best car Daewoo currently builds, though. David Finlay. Engine 796cc, 3 cylinders Power 50bhp Transmission 5-speed manual Fuel 44.1mpg Acceleration 0-62mph: 17.0 seconds Top speed 89mph Price £6595 Details correct at publication date
