Chevrolet Matiz 0.8: It's a muscle car,Jim,but not as we know it...

With apologies to Star Trekkers (and, to lover's of the 'Chevvy' Corvette), today's report is largely from the Green-Car-Guide :

Chevrolet, a maker of American muscle cars in years gone by, has now gone into the business of cars that are very un-musclular.

The latest Matiz 0.8S is yet another car that will be clogging up the streets of London when the new congestion charge swings into force in October, as it will enter the capital for free with its emissions of just 119g?km of CO2 (subject to a £10 registration fee), which translates into a combined fuel consumption figure of 54.3 mpg. 

Yes,this is the sane emissions figure as a 118d -along with an ever increasing range of other models. The difference is that the Matiz is petrol rather than diesel,so if you have an aversion to diesel but want to drive in London, then this could be the car for you.

Of course, it has benefits for motorists outside the capaital, with Band B road tax classification meaning a Matiz buyer will pay just £35 a year at current rates of tax this year.

The Matiz has a Group 1A insurance and a fixed price servicing package costing £199 for three years/30,000 miles, or £399 for three years/60,000 miles.

All models include central locking, immobiliser ,power steering, tinted glass, a Blaupunkt RDS radio/CD player and body coloured bumpers as standard.

And, it costs just £6,245. So you could buy one of these and a classic Chevrolet Corvette for the same cost as an average new family saloon.