The Daewoo Espero is a segment-D or midsize car, built as a 4-door notchback sedan. It has a front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout and uses General Motors’ J-platform. Its name is Spanish for “I hope” and was later changed to Aranos in some markets. In Australia, it was known as Espero from its first release in 1995 until its end of production in 1997.
Though built by the South Korean automaker, it was the Citroën who started its development purposely for their Xantia model. However, the French carmaker scrapped the project, and Daewoo seized the opportunity and bought the project design from the French. They then consulted with the Italian automobile company Gruppo Bertone for the body design and equipped it with either a GM Family I or Family II engine. In 1990, the Spanish-named Espero premiered in Korea.
For those familiar with a variety of cars, you might find some interesting design elements in the Espero that bear some semblance with other vehicles. Take the following, for instance:
- Citroën XM – front bumper nose, bonnet, and rear-window partition
- Ford Sierra – front headlights and grille
- Ford Granada hatchback – wraparound rear window lining and roof
- Mercedes E-Class W124 and C-Class W202 – 4-spoke steering wheel
- Opel Ascona C – glove box lid
- Opel Vectra A – door handles and indicator fenders
- Opel Astra F – front door cards
- Nissan 240SX S13 - taillights
The similarity with the XM is not that surprising, considering that the original design came from Citroën. What undoubtedly was Espero’s attribute was the impressive result it got in the wind tunnel test, which showed its drag coefficient to be equal to 0.29. Its streamlined silhouette showed this aerodynamic quality and also made it a more economical car to use.
Specs & Features
The sole model released in Australia, called Espero CD, sported a 2.0-litre GM Family II inline-four Australian-built (Holden) petrol engine that produced up to 84 kW power and 176 Nm of torque, pushing this output via a 4-speed automatic or 5-speed manual gearbox.
It used independent MacPherson strut for the front and compound crank link with mini-block coil spring for the rear suspensions. As for brakes, it had ventilated discs for the front and drums for the rear.
For the exterior, it featured front and rear fog lamps, body-colored power rearview mirror, black side molding, and flush wheel covers. Inside, it was well-equipped with reclining front bucket seats, height-adjustable driver’s seat, tilt-adjustable steering column, air conditioning, power windows, central locking, electric rear window defroster, and a remote trunk lid release. The instrument panel included a tachometer, dimmer instrument cluster, and warning chimes for lights and seat belts. For entertainment, it came with an AM/FM stereo radio, CD player, four high-power speakers, and a power antenna. Optional features included ABS and airbags.
The Espero CD had a bigger boot space at 560 litres than either Commodore or Falcon, according to Daewoo ads. Some unique features found in the Australian version were the ESPERO 2.0i white emblem at the rear door’s side skirts, three-spoke design steering wheel, and writings on the transmission lever which were different from other market versions.
1996 Facelift
A facelift in 1996 modified the indicator fenders and wing mirrors.
The Espero arrived in Australia at around the same time that the Daewoo Cielo did, slotting on the next bigger market segment – the D or midsize class. Both models left at around the same time, and shared the same problems on the electricals, for instance, the issues on the central locking and wiper, among others. Like the Cielo, the Espero became rare, too, due to an ABS control module that was both expensive and difficult to find should it need to be replaced.
While these issues made the Espero unpopular, its durability and reliability made it the perfect choice as a taxi. The Espero was widely used as a car-for-rent and taxi in many countries including Poland, which coincidentally was the country that produced the Espero for the longest period, extending until 1999 and selling until 2000.
Phase-out and Successor
Top Gear 1997 faulted the Espero for its dull and unexciting drive, which it blamed on outdated mechanicals, but agreed about its reliability and decent resale value. The Espero finally took a bow in 1997 (much later in other markets) to give way to Daewoo Leganza.
Just an interesting bit: The younger gaming generation has another use for the Espero (as a gaming mod, anyway). Models 1.5 GLX and 2.0 CD are now mods to the GTA 4, WR2 and Racer games. So while you don’t see a lot of it running on the road today, the Espero is well remembered for its durability and performance.
If you’re selling an Espero as an entire car or as car parts, contact us at hello@carpart.com.au, and we'd be happy to help you. Also, if you're buying parts for a car project, check out our latest listings of car parts by sellers all over Australia. You will find a great variety of auto parts and accessories here, and the best quality and price, too!
-JMSL