Period: Price:
30+ day: 18€
15-29 days: 22€
7-14 days: 25€
2-6 days: 28€
Deposit: 150€
The Daewoo car company had a difficult time in this country. The South Korean manufacturer entered the UK market in 1996, bringing with it the direct sales process and affordable motoring for the masses. It didn’t quite work out and in 2002, Daewoo Automotive was bought by GM to become GM Daewoo.
The company kept most of the model names and introduced the Lacetti hatch alongside the Nubira. Nothing strange there except that Nubira was the European name for the Lacetti so they were effectively, the same car. The situation was confused even more when in September 2004, GM Daewoo introduced the Nubira Station Wagon.
In 2005, Chevrolet UK took over and decided to stop using the Daewoo brand name but, again, kept the existing model names, except for Nubira and suddenly the Lacetti Station Wagon was born. The constant through all of the changes was the ethos of value for money and remains so today with the 2006 version.
As well as the Station Wagon, as tested, the Lacetti is still available as a 5-door hatch and a very sophisticated-looking saloon. While the body-styles are varied, the test car has only two combined engine/trim options. The latest is the 1.8 Sport, while the 1.6 SX was the launch version and the car tested, bearing a price tag of £11,395. The Sport is £1,900 dearer but does include leather seat trims, front fogs and traction control along with some cosmetic differences. Metallic or mica paint is a £325 extra on the SX and is included in the price of the Sport.
It has to be said that the Lacetti Station Wagon didn’t change its appearance along with the name and as far as I can tell, the 2006 car looks exactly the same as the 2004 Nubira. However, it doesn’t look as dated as you might expect.
Inside there is ample room for five people with those in the back enjoying legroom that is said to be one of the best in this class. The rear seat-backs have the usual 60:40 split and fold function that increases the luggage space from 400 to 1,410-litres. The boot has a high load platform with a very shallow lip. The area is accessed through a wide tailgate, which is particularly useful for large items. Inside the boot, there is a floor cargo net and a strong upright luggage retaining net that extends from the base of the seats to the ceiling. A type of flexible bulkhead is a good idea if you have dogs or a need to load to the roofline. Personally, I found it distracting and a real pain to try to unhook from its brackets. I eventually gave up and lived with it.
Apart from the boot area, Chevrolet says that there are around 25 storage options inside the cabin. I didn’t count them all but did notice the useful oddments trays, overhead sunglasses holder, lidded armrest bin and, of course, the cupholders. However, one of the standard features of the Station Wagon is air-conditioning and this extends to cool the glovebox, which is handy for keeping drinks cold during the summer.
While the rear seats are comfortable but somewhat shapeless, the front seats are well contoured and offer good support and comfort. I spent three hours behind the wheel without any ill effects and that is praise in itself. Only the driver’s seat has height adjustment, operated by way of lever and unusually for a car of this ilk, the steering wheel is both rake and reach adjustable.
I particularly liked the layout of the fascia and small centre console. It has changed very little over the years and remains uncluttered and simplistic without giving the impression of being either Spartan or cheap. The climate control dials and other buttons are all easily read and fall nicely to hand. Even the Blaupunkt single CD/RDS radio controls were easy to fathom despite being small. Satellite navigation is not available so, that serves to lessen the usual array of buttons.
The Lacetti is very driveable, with positive power steering and a very nice 5-speed manual gearbox (automatic is an option). The gear ratios are well set up for both town and country driving. Despite being an estate car, the Lacetti Station Wagon is very easy to manoeuvre and with the help of power door mirrors, which are also heated for frosty mornings, parking is a doddle.
In terms of performance the 1.6-litre, petrol engine gives the impression of being a larger unit. It feels quite lively and ready to perform. Well, in all but fifth gear, so safe overtaking on motorways is best achieved by dropping to fourth.
This particular power unit produces 109 PS or just over 107 bhp at 5,800rpm and 150Nm of pulling power at 4,000rpm. The top speed is 116mph after a 0-62mph time of 11.4 seconds. The Lacetti isn’t about high performance, more value for money and that is helped by reasonable fuel consumption figures of 27.4mpg for the urban cycle, 44.8mpg for the extra-urban resulting in a combined of 36.2mpg. The CO2 output is also reasonable for a petrol engine at 181g/km, which puts the 1.6 in VED band E and the insurance is group 7.
Out and about, the Station Wagon’s suspension is just right - the system soaks up minor bumps with ease but is not soft enough to allow the car to wallow. In fact, it is surprisingly agile and flat on fast bends. However, as far as safety features are concerned, the Station Wagon has only side and dual front airbags. ABS is standard but Traction control is only available on the 1.8 Sport and CDX (saloon) models.
During the test week, I found myself saying on more than one occasion that the Lacetti Station Wagon was not the car I remembered from years ago. It feels much more substantial and solid and I’m sure the build quality has improved. All Lacettis are well appointed with alloy wheels, full electric windows, air conditioning and air filter, as standard.
I liked it and I think that it is still well worth a look for families on a budget.
