I recently went to the Sydney Motor Show. Among the big four, Holden and Ford showed off their AWD crossover vehicles while Toyota has gone green with its latest dual-engine Prius. Mitsubishi, on the other hand, had its high-performance Evo V111 on display.

As an Alfa fan, I was disappointed the 4.2-litre, 300 kW Brera concept car was not on the stand. Unfortunately it was damaged before departure.

But the two-door 156 was revealed together with Alfa's updated range.

Star of the show was the German-designed and British-built Bentley Continental GT. With a 6-litre twin-turbo charged W12 delivering 411 kW to four very fat tyres, and beautifully appointed to boot, it seemed to be worth the monstrous asking price of $379,995.

And seems an appropriate juncture to check out this month's economy car.

Daewoo Matiz:

In the iconic ABC series Kath and Kim, Kath's "hunk of spunk" Kel Knight drives a Daewoo Matiz. Apparently the ABC producers approached a number of companies before production but it was Daewoo who had the foresight to provide a Matiz.

After highlighting the latest Vectra and Rover, both 50K specials, I decided to look at the economy end of the market.

I must admit after testing the car I was surprised just how many of the cute Daewoos are parked at Canberra's Russell Offices.

I was even more surprised when I parked the iridescent-green test vehicle at the shopping centre. A young boy walking past said to his Dad, "Man that car is cool." The lad was perceptive; it was once named the most beautiful city car in Italy.

With an engine capacity of 800cc and equipped with only a four-speed automatic gearbox I expected a minnow performance, but was pleasantly surprised.

Suspension steering brakes:

Independent McPherson struts with coil springs at the front provides adequate road holding and comfort.

Standard steering was rack and pinion and I was surprised how heavy it was to park: I recommend the power pack option, which includes central locking, power steering and power front windows.

The disc front and drum rear set-up was adequate for the type of driving envisaged for the Matiz.

Comfort/goodies:

The front seats were reasonably comfortable, but not suitable for a Melbourne-to-Brisbane dash.

It has 60/40 reclining rear seats for extra-load capacity and the very reasonable CD player plus AM/FM radio with four speakers provided a good sound system for the price. Air conditioning was okay for a warm spring day.

Economy:

For the Matiz this aspect is important. Daewoo claims a place in the Guiness Book of World Records with a 1,111.7 km drive from Melbourne to Darwin on a 35-litre tank.

Expect about 6.8 litres to 100 km around the city, and 5.1 l/100 km on the open road (both figures for auto).

How much:

Standard manual - $12,490
Four speed auto - $14,490
Power pack - $750
Economy (l/100 km)
Five speed manual 6.0 l/100 km (city), 4.4 l/100 km (h'way)
Four speed auto 6.8 l/100 km (city) 5.1 l/100km (highway)
Warranty 3 Year/ 100,000km

Engine/transmission:

The tiny 800cc engine was a willing, albeit noisy performer.

With only 37.5 kW of power at 5900 revs, to say the least the 0-100 km/h time is pedestrian.

However, it does get off the mark reasonably smartly and to my surprise could cruise comfortably at 110 km/h on the flat and modest inclines.

The four-speed auto's ratios were well matched to the performance of the engine and made city driving a breeze.

Safety:

We are all aware that occupants of small, light cars take the brunt of damage and injury in collisions with the big four-wheel-drive vehicles.

But the Daewoo is equipped with driver and passenger air bags, side impact beams and a collapsible steering column.

And as with all modern cars it has in-built front and rear crumple zones.

Why put it in your garage:

The Matiz will be very frugal on the pocket and won't take up much room in your garage.

It's a four-door, which saves some hassle.

Summary:

I enjoyed my week with the Matiz. It is an excellent city car and can get into spaces normally reserved for motorbikes.

The three-cylinder engine is a little raucous when the right foot hits the metal, but has a pleasant beat on the open road.

For the price it is good value for those who want cheap and reliable city transport.

Other choices:

Other conteders are Hyundai Getz, Diahatsu Charade and Toyota Echo.

The Echo is probably the pick of that bunch.

The Hyundai Excel is also similarly priced.

For the ultimate in city car style, but at a higher price, try the Mini Cooper S.

Negatives:

The Matiz is a small car built for the budget-conscious buyer.

It is noisy when accelerating hard and not designed to be taken off sealed surfaces.

And you should get the power package, as the standard rack and pinion is too heavy for parking.