The Daewoo Nubira is a C-segment or compact car produced by Daewoo in 1997. It succeeded Daewoo Cielo and continued to be in production until 2002. It utilized Daewoo’s J100 platform and a front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout. The body styles include a 4-door sedan, 5-door hatchback, and 5-door station wagon, although not all markets received all three.
The name Nubira comes from the Korean word Nubida, which means to crisscross. It implies Daewoo’s goals for the Nubira – to be a car that would crisscross all corners of the planet.
These lofty aspirations started with the development of the J100 platform and the production run led by Dr Ulrich Bez, who previously worked as chief engineer of Porsche and BMW and later Aston Martin. Daewoo’s in-house R&D collaborated with Italy’s I.DE.A Institute and other engineering consultants for the styling design of the Nubira.
Trims & Powertrain
In August 1997, Daewoo announced their plans to produce the Nubira, which would take the slot between the two other new offering – the sub-compact Lanos and the mid-size Leganza. Sales in the UK began in September of the same year. There were two engines and two trims offered in the UK – the entry-level SE and the higher-spec trim CDX.
The SE package had hubcaps and SE emblem on the body wings. The standard equipment included ABS, airbags (front), air conditioning, alarm, central locking, electric front windows, engine immobilizer, metallic paint, power steering, and radio/cassette player. On top of these features, the CDX added alloy wheels, CDX emblems, body-colored door handles and wing mirrors, and rear power windows.
Initial Release in Australia
Initially in Australia, only the SX trim was available for both the sedan and wagon body types. Below are the details and powertrain specs of each trim in 1997:
- SX sedan - 1.6-litre Family I inline-four petrol engine paired with either 4-speed ZF 4HP14 automatic or 5-speed Daewoo D-20 manual gearbox (78 kW, 145 Nm); standard equipment included CD player, central locking, cloth trim, front fog lights, power mirrors, power steering, power windows, radio cassette with six speakers
- SX Eurowagon – same engine as the SX sedan; same equipment but added roof racks
In 1998, the hatchback body style and additional trims were released. The following are the details and specs of the new range:
Hatchback
- SE – 1.6-litre Family I inline-four petrol engine paired with either 4-speed automatic or 5-speed manual gearbox (78 kW, 145 Nm); standard equipment included air conditioning, central locking, cloth trim, power steering, power front windows, radio cassette with four speakers, and remote hatch release
- Sunhatch – same as SE hatchback but added CD player and a power sunroof
Sedan
- SE – 1.6-litre Family I inline-four petrol engine paired with either 4-speed automatic or 5-speed manual gearbox (78 kW, 145 Nm); standard equipment included air conditioning, alloy wheels, CD player, central locking, cloth trim, front fog lights, power mirrors, power steering, power windows front, radio cassette with four speakers, and rear spoiler
- SX – same as the SE sedan but added power windows, radio cassette with six speakers instead
- CDX – 2.0-litre Family II I4 paired with either 4-speed GM 4T40-E automatic or 5-speed manual gearbox (98 kW, 185 Nm); standard equipment included air conditioning, alloy wheels, CD player, central locking, cloth trim, front fog lights, power mirrors, power steering, power windows, radio cassette with six speakers, and a rear spoiler
Station Wagon
- SE Eurowagon – 1.6-litre Family I inline-four petrol engine paired with either 4-speed automatic or 5-speed manual gearbox (78 kW, 145 Nm); standard equipment included air conditioning, alloy wheels, CD player with 6-CD stacker, central locking, cloth trim, front fog lights, power mirrors, power steering, power windows front, radio cassette with four speakers, remote boot release, and rear spoiler
- SX Eurowagon – same as SE Eurowagon but included radio cassette with six speakers and roof racks
- CDX Eurowagon – 2.0-litre Family II I4 paired with either 4-speed GM 4T40-E automatic or 5-speed manual gearbox (98 kW, 185 Nm); standard equipment included air conditioning, alloy wheels, CD player with 6-DC stacker, central locking, cloth trim, front fog lights, power mirrors, power steering, power windows, radio cassette with six speakers, and a rear spoiler
Facelift 2000
A facelifted Nubira built under the J150 platform received over 90 modifications, including additional cabin space, noise/vibration reduction, reworked exterior, and retuned mechanisms. The restyling included a redesigned front-end and a more angular rear-end to reflect the design trend of the period.
The Australian-built Holden 2.0L engine exclusively powered all the models in the range after the facelift, with the hatchback discontinued. However, previous trims, including the hatchbacks and those that utilized the 1.6L, continued to sell until stocks were sold out. The new standard equipment package included a driver’s airbag, air conditioning, adjustable steering wheel (tilt and telescopic), central locking, cloth trim, power mirrors, power steering, power windows, and radio CD with six speakers.
- CDX sedan - 2.0-litre Family II I4 paired with 4-speed GM 4T40-E automatic (98 kW, 185 Nm); standard equipment included driver's airbag, air conditioning, tilt & telescopic steering wheel, central locking, cloth trim, engine immobilizer, power mirrors, power steering, power windows, and radio CD with six speakers
- CDX wagon – same as the sedan, except that it is also available in 5-speed Daewoo D-20 manual gearbox; trim inclusions are the same
A limited-edition appeared in 2002 featuring 14-inch alloy wheels, RC central locking, leather upholstery, and wood grain trim on top of the base equipment. This edition was available in both the sedan and wagon body and both automatic and manual.
Discontinuation and Successor
Daewoo discontinued the Nubira (J150) in 2003 and replaced it with Daewoo Lacetti (J200) model year 2004.
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- JMSL