All Daewoo Lacetti reviews

"The Lacetti offers a surprising amount of room for a 'compact' car"

It must be slightly dispiriting for Daewoo that despite the millions they have spent fine tuning the quality control, the ride and handling and the ergonomics of their latest Lacetti model, when it comes down to it, many buyers base their purchasing decision on three key questions. Is it cheap? Does it look cheap? Will my friends laugh at me? Scoring a perfect yes/no/no on this trio has been beyond the ability of many manufacturers but the Lacetti might just have what it takes to pass the test.

Styled by Italdesign, the Lacetti certainly doesn't smack of something bargain basement. Daewoo have forged quite a relationship with this design house, having been extremely happy with the styling work performed on the Matiz citycar and the Kalos supermini. The Lacetti's shape is well resolved; a purposeful wedge with strong shoulders and a very pert rump. The wheel at each corner look not only gives a dynamic stance but also maximises internal space. Prices start at £9,495. Break out the tape measure and you'll find that the Lacetti's wheelbase is a full 2600mm long, longer than cars like the Alfa 156 and the Audi A3. Given that most cars in the Mondeo class campaign with a wheelbase of around 2670mm, you'll appreciate that the Lacetti offers a surprising amount of room for a 'compact' car. With 932mm of rear legroom and 275 litres of boot volume, you'll not feel claustrophobic in the back of a Lacetti. Fold the rear bench down, keep a keen eye open for animal welfare types and you'll be able to swing a generously sized cat in the 1,045 litres of fresh air at your disposal. The rear light clusters are an interesting design feature, bisected as they are by the shutline of the hatchback, and the stub tail and roofline of the car look very much like a Vauxhall Astra -which may be something less than a coincidence. The almond-shaped clear glass headlamps and well-defined wheel arches are signature post millennial design features and the Lacetti looks the part even in traditionally frumpy five-door guise. A three-door model isn't offered which is something of a shame, as this would be quite a looker.

It's vitally important for Daewoo to establish a meaningful presence in the family hatch sector. To date, their attempts at penetrating this potentially lucrative market have met with limited success. The Nexia and its successor, the Lanos, never campaigned on anything but lowest common denominator pricing, but first impressions suggest the Lacetti will be able to stand toe to toe with some of the more established family hatch favourites. Of course, Daewoo are realistic about their brand image and expecting the Lacetti to duke it out with the Volkswagen Golf isn't realistic. Nevertheless, pricing will be a lot closer to the Ford Focus and Vauxhall Astra mainstream than previous Daewoo fare. Daewoo have, by and large, done their homework well. The company claim that almost two-thirds of all petrol engines in this segment, for example, have a capacity of between 1.4 and 1.8 litres, so the three power units available for the Lacetti would seem to fit this bill very well. There are, however, lies, damned lies and statistics. The 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8-litre engines with which Daewoo go to battle in this segment have an Achilles heel. They all drink from the green pump. Those statistics quoted take into account diesel cars too which represent a growing proportion of UK new car registrations and without a diesel to campaign with, the Lacetti finds itself at a comparative competitive disadvantage. The engines that are available are all tried and tested powerplants familiar to Nubira and Kalos customers. All have twin overhead camshafts driven by a toothed belt with four-valve technology. The entry-level power train in the Lacetti 1.4 generates 92 bhp and will accelerate the car through 60mph in 11.3 sec and on to a top speed of 107 mph. Overall fuel consumption is a very creditable 39.2 mpg. Next up is the 109bhp 1.6-litre unit. This manages a top end of 116.2 mph and it dispatches the benchmark sprint in a sprightly 10.4 sec. With an even better fuel economy figure than the 1.4 (39.7mpg combined), the Lacetti 1.6 has a range of over 520 miles from the 13 gallon tank. The 122bhp 1.8-litre engine provides some entertainment and can notch off the dash to 60mph in 9.3 seconds and will only run out of puff at a heady 121mph. Despite these eyebrow raising performance statistics, its average fuel consumption is just 37.6 mpg. As an alternative to the manual five-speed transmission, an electronically-controlled adaptive four-speed automatic transmission will also be offered with the two larger capacity powerplants. The ride and handling have been optimised for European driving conditions, Daewoo doing most of their chassis tuning at MIRA near Nuneaton. Twin front and side airbags, four-channel anti lock braking and five three-point seat belts are offered as standard on every model, the front belts featuring load limiters. Like any Daewoo, the Lacetti comes with a comprehensive after-sales package that comprises a 3 year/60,000 mile warranty and free servicing arrangement and a three year AA Total Recovery package is also part of the deal. Factor in an Institute of Advanced Motorists driving course and you virtually guarantee peace of mind. What's more, all of these benefits are transferable to the subsequent owner which should help plump up short term resale values. Although it's still early days, the omens look very good for the Daewoo Lacetti. Credible, quality, affordable cars always have a place in the family hatch sector and of late there have been precious few to fulfil those three criteria. The Koreans, it seems, have finally arrived.