AutoExpress UK: Chevrolet Lacetti 1.4L Review

[nadepalma]

Chevrolet Lacetti 1.4 SE Review
www.autoexpress.co.uk

I know this is an old car, but thought it was a decent enough review to post it. They don't praise the car, but certainly they see it as being a mixed blessing and that things have improved since GM took over GMDAT -- like the comments they make about the door handles, etc.

Link below.

"Launched as a Daewoo in 2004, this latest Lacetti also shows how far the firm has grown since it was taken over and rebranded by GM in 2005."

The doors open and close with a satisfying clunk, and while the driving position is let down by seats that are short on support, the cabin is reasonably spacious.

Still, the ride is good. Clearly, Chevrolet is taking notice of rivals like Proton's Lotus-tuned Satria Neo.

Click here to see the Review

[tomprice]

It's a nice first car or even just as a basic motor. Good looking too. Especially in black.

It's just a shame that even used you can buy far better all-rounders than the Lacetti - a couple of mk1 Focus' for example.

[powervette]

the fair price makes this car not bad, and the fact now it resembles the 5-door Impreza which is a few times more expensive than Lacetti, makes this car even a better purchase. It's actually a good design compared to the last-pure Daewoo Chevrolets as Lacetti sedan and Spark, those look horrible and should be replaced as soon as possible with cars inspired by the new GM concepts.
As I have another opportunity I write as usual : bring the Camaro here!

[Ming]

Good catch, Nadepalma. Interesting to note the huge engine displacement difference between the U.S. market Reno & Canada Market Optra5 and the Lacetti 1.4L here.

Also, they ding the interior fit & finish as "terrible", but I've read mostly glowingly positive reviews on interior trim fit for the ones built in Korea. Perhaps there is some difference with the ones built in Europe's old Daewoo plants?

I personally thought the interior finish was great, but overall the interior had its ups & downs on a Forenza I checked. Great interior styling, good feel to most materials except the seat fabric which was unsupportive and kind of unpleasant to the touch cheap. The automatic shift knob was a bit chintzy with the push-down aspect & a bit of "loose-tooth" feel (my Bonneville has that too). Good use of interior space, one of the most spacious interiors for a compact car that I've seen with a rare (for a small car) fold down armrest in the rear. Even the smaller Reno has the armrest, which I thought was kind of neat, although I'd pay the extra grand for the wagon version.

Overall I liked the interior experience of the Forenza/Reno far more than the KIA Spectra which for some reason came off as more of a refreshed older design than the fresh styling in the Forenza's interior that doesn't remind me of a pre-GM Daewoo at all, thanks no doubt to the ItalDesign studio they used for the styling on the redesign.

[neshapop]

Canadian Chevy Optra anyone?

http://www.gmcanada.com/gm/english/v...optra/overview

[Ming]

Originally Posted by neshapop

Canadian Chevy Optra anyone?

I'm still amazed at the headlights on the Reno/Optra/Lacetti5 that put to shame the headlights on many cars that cost $10,000 more. Even if they aren't real HID projectors, they look great. Not sure that all brands got these headlights, however, as I think I've seen a cheaper style as well somewhere.



Compare to, say, the Dodge Magnum:

[nadepalma]

Originally Posted by Ming

Good catch, Nadepalma. Interesting to note the huge engine displacement difference between the U.S. market Reno & Canada Market Optra5 and the Lacetti 1.4L here.

Also, they ding the interior fit & finish as "terrible", but I've read mostly glowingly positive reviews on interior trim fit for the ones built in Korea. Perhaps there is some difference with the ones built in Europe's old Daewoo plants?

I personally thought the interior finish was great, but overall the interior had its ups & downs on a Forenza I checked. Great interior styling, good feel to most materials except the seat fabric which was unsupportive and kind of unpleasant to the touch cheap. The automatic shift knob was a bit chintzy with the push-down aspect & a bit of "loose-tooth" feel (my Bonneville has that too). Good use of interior space, one of the most spacious interiors for a compact car that I've seen with a rare (for a small car) fold down armrest in the rear. Even the smaller Reno has the armrest, which I thought was kind of neat, although I'd pay the extra grand for the wagon version.

Overall I liked the interior experience of the Forenza/Reno far more than the KIA Spectra which for some reason came off as more of a refreshed older design than the fresh styling in the Forenza's interior that doesn't remind me of a pre-GM Daewoo at all, thanks no doubt to the ItalDesign studio they used for the styling on the redesign.

I think the car is great for the price. The only thing that comes up consistently in just about every review I've read was the shifter -- a lot of folk don't like it. One of our Mods has an Optra (Paul perhaps?) and says it's not great, but certainly livable.

Regardless, I'm just happy that 1). the car is a decent piece for the money 2). it has improved since GM took over the former Daewoo Motors.

Which makes me wonder --- will Suzuki import the next-gen version or will the Forenza die when GMDAT ends this line of vehicles and the SX4 sedan and hatch will supplant it's role in Suzuki America's lineup?

Originally Posted by Ming

I'm still amazed at the headlights on the Reno/Optra/Lacetti5 that put to shame the headlights on many cars that cost $10,000 more. Even if they aren't real HID projectors, they look great. Not sure that all brands got these headlights, however, as I think I've seen a cheaper style as well somewhere.



Compare to, say, the Dodge Magnum:

Yeah, I noticed this too. My friend has a Reno and she loves it. The headlamps ARE done rather nicely. Its good to see they paid attention to such details.

[paul8488]

Yeah nadepalma, the shifter was a little wiggly compared to most modern little cars, but I loved my Optra. Not sure what they're talking about with the interior... it's tigher than anything I can think of for the money, or even thousands more. I think they figured that a car that cheap and Korean-sourced HAS to be cheap inside, but it isn't. I'd take the now 4 year old Lacetti interior over anything in the price range. I like it better than any Chrysler interior I can think of for any price, and I'm not exagerating.

I've said it before, but I love that GM decided it was worth adding a new motor (the diesel) to a car at the end of its life to help it end on a high note, instead of letting it wither away before a redo. GM needs to do more of that.

[nadepalma]

Originally Posted by paul8488

Yeah nadepalma, the shifter was a little wiggly compared to most modern little cars, but I loved my Optra. Not sure what they're talking about with the interior... it's tigher than anything I can think of for the money, or even thousands more. I think they figured that a car that cheap and Korean-sourced HAS to be cheap inside, but it isn't. I'd take the now what, 5 year old Lacetti interior over anything in the price range. I like it better than any Chrysler interior I can think of for any price, and I'm not exagerating.

I KNEW IT WAS YOU! hahahaha, I couldn't remember for sure, but I'm glad I had it right.

I think the car is nice overall, for sure. And for the money, you can't beat it. But I think that our cousins across the sea are a bit more picky when it comes to tactile and material criticisms. So who knows; maybe they seem something that is on sale over there at the same price that they prefer?

Regardless, it was a decent review, and I'm glad that Chevy is getting some attention for the budget conscious customers in Europe.

[paul8488]

I re-read the article, and don't have a clue what interior they reviewed! The dash pad has as nice a plastic as most cars I can think of! Everything is sorta designed idiot proof so that there aren't even many gaps to measure (panels overlap as opposed to butt-up), but as a result you don't see uneven gaps everywhere. The door panels and fabrics are very nice and contrast well... I even like the seat fabrics, which probably wouldn't wear well but look nice and feel very soft. They must have stepped out of a Benz or Bimmer to review this car, because compared to a 207 or Clio or even an Astra, this car can hold its own on the inside. I firmly believe they knew this car couldn't have a nice interior so reviewed it as such. I actually think the interior is one of the Lacetti's highlights.

[Butz]

They really ought fix the CO2 emissions.

[stevecmh]

the back of the wagon doest look to bad

[redimpss5]

The back looks like a Mazda.

[powervette]

I just checked Kia Cee'd that although it's new, has had more favourable reviews than Lacetti ever had.
for the price of 14.300,00-Euro
You get this with a 7-year warranty:



base Lacetti costs 14.490 Euro
That makes Lacetti worse purchase, and the Chevrolet badge which I love won't help this car at all in this case.
GM DAT, better bring a replacement quickly.

[g0ldeneye]

Well the upgraded chinese version looks good ... Buick !