WELL BUILT, WITH DISTINCTIVE STYLING

There’s no difference between the Daewoo Nubira and the Optra, except for Louis Chevrolet’s bow-tie emblem stuck prominently on the nose. GM has wiped away all traces of the Optra’s parentage to bring it under the Chevy umbrella.

The Optra’s styling makes it stand out from the crowd, with its alluring lines and super detailing. Take a good, long look at the car and you think the Korean designers have outdone themselves. Right? Wrong! If you want a great suit, you go to the best tailor. And in this case, it’s Pininfarina. Of Italy. The same design house that’s been styling Ferraris since the very beginning.

The design flair in the Optra is there for all to see. The V-shaped bonnet leads to the three-part grille, which bears a strong resemblance to the Daewoo family face. The bumper is clearly defined and taut, with integrated fog lamps. But what really gets your attention are the wing-shaped headlights, with clearly visible projector lamps. From the side, the sweeping roofline gives a clean silhouette, but the strong wheel arches accentuate the need for bigger wheels. The 14-inchers the Optra comes with look a size small for this bulky design.

The rear is interesting as well: the pyramid-shaped bootlid that rises and tapers from the sides actually looks rather American and lives up to the Chevy name. Again, the composite tail-lamps are very distinctive and lend a lot of character to the car. In fact, the Optra’s rich looks are its strength, and Indian customers should love it.

Fit and finish, even on this early production model, is impeccable, with tight shut lines and a flawless paint job. Under the skin of this super-stiff structure is a lot of engineering designed to make the Optra as refined as any of its rivals. Special care has been taken to reduce noise and vibration levels by using exotic materials for sound deadening, as well as special engine mounts.

The front wheels are suspended by MacPherson struts with a solidly mounted lower control arm; the independent rear suspension utilises variable rate coil springs. The suspension was fine-tuned by engineers from Lotus in the UK, with extensive testing and validation done on Indian roads by GM India engineers. Drum brakes at the rear and a lack of ABS are specifications GM India will be hoping you’ll ignore.