Chevrolet Lacetti - Long Term Test : ECONOMY CLASSIC?

Expert Rating:

We've taken a long term look at Chevrolet's entry level Lacetti to ascertain whether cheap really can be cheerful. Steve Walker reportsâ€¦

It's a simple fact that some cars are easier to get excited about than others. I like to think that even if you're completely uninterested in all things automotive, you can still appreciate why some people marvel at the unfettered opulence of a Rolls Royce and others come over all gooey at the merest glimpse of a Lamborghini's outrageous styling. Chevrolet's 1.4-litre Lacetti is a different proposition altogether. Not a car that grabs hold of your heart strings and lashes them to the caboose of a speeding locomotive, its appeal is less obvious. That's what makes it an ideal candidate for a long term test.

For around £9,750; that's what the 5-door Chevrolet Lacetti 1.4-litre SE costs and that's the crux of Chevrolet's argument where this car is concerned. For that kind of outlay, you can just about squeak into a moderately well-specified mainstream supermini but the Lacetti is a full size family hatchback and if you want a mainstream one of those for under £10,000, you'd better be a formidable haggler. There are alternatives in the budget hatchback field but if you don't fancy a car with a less desirable South East Asian badge, your search will keep leading you back to your local Chevrolet dealer. This is why a lot of Lacettis find happy homes. It's a cheap car that's largely inoffensive in areas that matter and the Chevrolet brand has a touch more cachet than rival budget marques. The question is whether buyers who take the plunge are making a false economy. Wouldn't it be better to stretch the overdraft a little further to secure that entry-level Ford Focus? That's what our long term test set out to find out. This is lowest common denominator motoring and it's a good indication of how far modern cars have come. Not so long ago, buyers at this lower end of the market ran the gauntlet of disintegrating trim, threadbare equipment lists and lethargic design. Budget cars used to look and feel decidedly budget but the Lacetti doesn't. The styling won't win any awards for originality but our 5-door hatchback is a well proportioned car and the chrome grille along with the pronounced ridge that runs down the flanks and around the tailgate give a little character.

"Refinement is particularly good"

Interior space is plentiful and passenger accommodation is one area where there's no need to make excuses for the Lacetti or remind people how little it costs. Owners should have no trouble seating three across the rear bench and legroom is quite adequate so long as the front passengers don't slide their seats to the rearmost setting. The amount of headroom inside will be more than enough for all but the loftiest occupants and the designers have managed to achieve this without giving the car an unpleasantly distended roofline. The grey cloth trim in our model feels a little low rent but it helps to lighten up the interior, adding to the airy feel. In the boot, there's a decent amount of space but the high loading lip means that items must be lifted and lowered rather than slid inside. Some thought has obviously gone into the dashboard design. The oval air-vents are ringed with chrome and raised out of the top section of the fascia. There's a letterbox-like aperture at the top which houses the digital clock and the bold speedo design makes it easy to read. The effect is simple and technophobes will warm to the distinct lack of buttons even though the key functions that buyers tend to look for are all present. The quality of the materials used gives the game away, the leather-effect plastic fooling nobody and the ventilation controls, although solid in operation, are fashioned from the kind of shiny black plastic that's been largely banished from today's soft touch family hatchback interiors. Storage is never in short supply with no fewer that 25 different places to put your odds and ends dotted around the cabin. Special mention goes to the water bottle holder next to the handbrake that's ideal for those 1-litre bottles often sold at filling stations and the box under the armrest that takes a good handful of CDs. The driving position in the Lacetti is very polished indeed. There's only rake adjustment for the steering column in the 1.4-litre model we've been testing but that hasn't hampered a number of differently proportioned drivers in getting comfortable. The gearlever is well located as well and its action around the gate is positive if slightly `long throw'. The suspension is well judged, giving reasonable composure at the kind of cornering speeds that most owners will attempt and good ride quality. The weighty steering helps make the Lacetti a relaxing motorway car without sacrificing convenience when parking or turning at lower speeds but the wheel could be attached to an oil tanker's rudder for all the feedback you get. You're never going to get savage performance from a 1.4-litre engine in a car this size but the Lacetti's powerplant pulls well enough. It's been found out on a few occasions, one in particular when a full load of passengers and luggage meant that 1st gear and full throttle had to be engaged to crest a particularly steep hill, but otherwise complaints have been rare. Refinement is particularly good with the measures taken to soundproof the cabin really paying dividends on longer trips. We've averaged around 35mpg on the test and that's more than respectable. Overall, the long term verdict on our Chevrolet Lacetti has been a positive one. You can see where the extra £1,000 or so that Ford would charge you for an equivalent Focus goes but buyers who aren't interested in `on the limit' handling or the intricacies of interior trim quality would rather see it go on a new wide-screen telly or next year's family holiday. The Lacetti can save buyers of this mindset a substantial amount of money without making them feel like they're missing out and that really is something to get excited about.

Facts At A Glance
CAR: Chevrolet Lacetti 1.4SE 5-door
PRICE: £9,787 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 5
CO2 EMISSIONS: 171g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph - 11.6s / Max Speed - 109mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 39.2mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags, anti-lock brakes WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE ?: Length/Width/Heightmm 1925/1452/1180mm