Product Reviews > Chevrolet Lacetti (1.6 L, Petrol, SX)

"Some estate conversions have resembled saloons that looked as if they'd been reversed into somebody's conservatory. Not so this one?"

Starting as it means to go on in the UK, Chevrolet has hit the ground running with a car set to shake up rivals in the compact estate segment. The Station Wagon is a small estate that isn't, well, that small. It isn't that expensive either, priced at £11,395 for the entry level 1.6SX or £12,995 for the Sport.

Once upon a time 'styled in Korea' mean...

"It offers punchy performance, an attractive price, keen equipment levels, a neatly styled exterior and quick-witted handling. ?"

'All the car you need. Plus it's a Chevy'. At least the sticker on the back window summed up what this 1.6-litre Lacetti Saloon was all about. This is hardly a technologically cutting edge family four-door but at just £10,995, you don't really need it to be.

Manufactured in South Korea, the 1.6-litre engine is a generation on from some of the other whee...

"A quietly good-looking family car?"

Has any car company come so far in such a short space of time than Chevrolet? Launching into the UK market with re-badged Daewoos, the brand has quickly begun to make a name for itself, adding a Chevy sparkle to some worthy products. Take this one, the Lacetti saloon, a Pininfarina-styled testament to Chevrolet's capacity to learn fast.

Chevrolet claim the Lacetti is 'a synthesis of Pininfarina's experience in creating dynamic yet elegant forms...

"Hide the Chevrolet badge on the front and most would reckon this to be the thick end of £16,000 worth of car"

Right from the outset, Chevrolet are at pains to stress that this Lacetti Sport most certainly isn't a 'hot hatch', so don't bother comparing it to cars like the SEAT Ibiza Cupra or Renaultsport's Clio 182. It doesn't really campaign in the less powerful 'warm hatch' class either, populated mainly by younger unattached drivers unable to afford the insurance on powerful sporting...

"The CDX trim level entitles buyers to all manner of refinements that you'd never expect to find on a sub-£12,500 family car"

Your mental image of the typical Chevrolet buyer may well be due for an overhaul. Surely it's someone in one of those huge Yankee 4x4s, guzzling fuel and a bottle of Bud. Wrong. The 'bow tie' brand are committed to selling in Europe these days and are doing so with a range of compact Italian-styled family models like this 1.8-litre Lacetti Saloon that make a lot ...

"Chevrolet have, by and large, done their homework well?."

Every sixteenth car on the planet is a Chevrolet. Not in Britain of course, though over time, that is going to change now that the marque is establishing itself on these shores. Key to that process is sales performance of the Lacetti range we're looking at here, a car now being offered not only as a five-door hatch but also in saloon and Station Wagon forms.

Smartly styled by Guigiaro, the Lacetti certainly doesn't smack o...

"This entry-level 1.4-litre model probably makes the most sense in the Lacetti line-up. ?"

Probably the most positive thing you can say about Chevrolet's Lacetti is that should you choose to park one on your driveway, the neighbours will assume you've bought something much more expensive. Certainly more than the £9,795 your dealer will relieve you of for the 1.4-litre SE Plus Five-Door version we've been driving here.

A package of changes for 2006 aim to further strengthen the car...