- by Ray Bernard
Daewoo tune Nubira for Europe
30 January 2003: The new Daewoo Nubira, to be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March and due to reac showrooms later this summer, will take to the road with a special suspension set-up in tune with European tastes and road conditions.
Several weeks and thousands of miles of intensive chassis testing on the Britain's roads have led to significant modifications to the new Nubira’s steering feel as well as to its spring and damper settings.
The new set-up is more suitable for high-speed driving on motorways as well as providing increased lateral stability with reduced body roll for rapid progress on winding country roads.
Korean drivers prefer a softer ride, but Daewoo says it knows Europeans prefer a sportier feel with more precise steering and a firmer suspension.
The power steering features a stronger torsion bar and a pump with different flow characteristics and has been tuned to provide more feedback to the driver for greater driving precision.
The new Nubira’s front and rear suspension settings are firmer than those of its Korean sibling. Firmer damping minimises the bounce effect that is often a feature of undulating or bumpy roads; spring rates have been increased by around 10 per cent and the anti-roll bar tuned for crisper handling and sharper response. Taken together, the modifications result in improved grip and road-holding, reduced lateral rocking and body roll and sportier ride and handling.
The test programme also includes trials with various types of tyres. A new tyre, developed specifically for the Nubira, will offer more sidewall stiffness in line with the sportier performance of the European version of the new mid-size Daewoo.
The new Nubira, designed by Pininfarina, will come with an initial choice of two 16-valve engines, a 1.6-litre unit and a 1.8-litre version with either manual or automatic transmission.
©2003 irishcar.com