2005 Chevrolet Lacetti SX from UK and Ireland - Comments

Absolutely faultless in the first 6 months.

The only exception would be some swine touched the wheel arch of my car with their car in a city car park. I can't blame this on the car, actually I always avoid parking next to old cars, they don't care if they scrape their car.

100% better than my previous car, the Lacetti fulfils the vast majority of my requirements in a modern car.

Regrettably it does lack satellite navigation and car alarm. I had a car alarm installed by Chevrolet at not an inconsiderable cost. I have considered satellite navigation, but since it would be an "add on kit" I don't know if I could face having to remove and re-install it every time I enter and exit the car.

The car itself drives very nicely, the engine has real punch and is quick off the line, this car can hold its own against many other cars. Gear changes could be more slick, but you soon get used to it. I like the styling of the car inside and out, fuel economy is good at 40mpg combined.

Build quality is seemingly flawless, fit and finish is excellent - I can say this with some authority having previously driven a company Honda Jazz and Audi A4. The doors close with a good thunk and the sound quality from the six speaker system is excellent.

Safety is good - 4 airbags (front and side) are standard, in addition to ABS with EBD. ESP/stabilitrak is not available; Chevrolet should reconsider this. I understand the car has been given 4 stars by Australian NCAP where it sold as a Holden Viva. Euro NCAP result is still pending.

My only other criticism is that I think the CD player system should be incorporated into the dash, rather than having a face-off system. In addition I think the back windscreen wiper could look a little more modern, but these are only minor concerns.

My Chevrolet dealer is combined with the local Saab dealership - smart and modern premises. They are always polite and courteous.

If they keep this up I think Chevrolet will soon establish themselves as a serious mainstream player within the UK car market.

I've had one of these in SX spec as a hire car for the past couple of weeks. It drove OK and the engine is fairly punchy for a 1.6 so no real complaints on that front. The seats were comfortable and the CD/radio is good for the price of car.

I found the gear change very sloppy and can pop out of gear with minimal force. The car had just 2000 miles so I'd hate to think how the gear change would be with 20,000 miles under it's belt. I also found the doors needed a good wack to shut, particulary the boot. More than once they didn't shut properly and I had to give them some welly to shut properly.

The car had electric windows all round and fob for remote closure, which was good. But to lock the car I had to be very close to the car, usually, with my own car (audi) I can lock the car from inside my house. But with the lacetti I had to be right next to the vehicle.

My main complaint about the car though is it's really ugly.

Build wise I suppose it's OK for a car in it's price band. But based on the hire car's I've had recently (I drive an audi myself) I would buy a megane or ford focus instead. They may be a tad more expensive, but I'd dread to think what the depreciation would be with the Lacetti.

The lacetti's depreciation is in line with mainstream rivals.

The gear change in my car has improved over time and is fairly slick now. The doors close with a nice thunk, but no additional effort is required. I could only assume you were rather frail if you are having difficulty closing the doors or changing gears.

Styling of any car is within an individuals taste. The lacetti was styled by italian Giugiaro who has also styled previous lexus's and alfa romeos. Who is currently styling audi? Do they actually have a designer? lol

I have been looking at these cars for a while as my wife has a 1998 Daewoo Lanos 1.6SX and is a great car apart for the fuel consumption. It does use rather a lot and I can't help thinking that the Chev will be the same or almost have the same 1.6 16v Twin cam engine. Just to give an idea about £10 of petrol will only do about 70 miles at a push without aircon running. What would the 1.6 Chevrolet do to a tenner? My bosses Mitsubishi Carisma 1.8 Petrol (much bigger car) uses much less fuel on his runs to London on the M1 and even to and from work.

Yes, some years ago I used to have a Daewoo nubira with a 1.6 engine and found fuel economy to be approx 35 mpg or 70 miles for £10. I would say the lacetti is slightly better at 75-80 miles for £10. This figure improves to almost 100 miles for £10 on a long run, but decreases slighly for urban driving to maybe 55-60 miles for £10. I've always purchased shell petrol.

A mitsubishi carisma 1.8 achieves approx 45mpg, so is maybe 10% better fuel economy. But I would rather forgoe that 10% improvement and have a car with some style. If I had a carisma I would be sitting in a drab interior, dated design with a brown paper bag over my head.

Thanks for the reply. Yes I do agree the Mitsubishi is a less stylish car than the lacetti. I have seen the Chevs on autotrader on 55reg for about 5,500 Pounds! A very good buy I think I with only about 10 to 15k I can't help wondering what the catch is?

The catch is that most of these cars are previous hire cars. This will always tend to knock off an extra 15% off the value regardless of model or manufacturer. My own car was a previous hertz model which I purchased at 11 months old. One of the advantages of purchasing a 2005/55 model is that the free 3yr servicing was offered as standard; the balance of the free servicing is transferable to the future owner. From 2006 free 3yr servicing was a purchasable extra at time of initial purchase. In either case the warranty is transferable to the new owner (3yr, 60,000 miles). Good luck with your car search.

I must say, this has to be the worst car I have ever driven! Sorry to those who have purchased one already. I normally drive a Citroen C4 1.6HDi, but have been given a Lacetti as a hire car.

Firstly I agree that the car looks OK - especially compared to other cars in the price range however;

I commute 40 miles each way to work and the Lacetti is a nightmare - it is averaging low 30mpg and drives like a cattle wagon.

The gear box is the worst I have ever encountered and its anyones guess which gear I will actually end up in. Four gear also violently pops out of gear when I try to overtake.

Maybe I have just driven a bad example, but if this is not the case, how these cars are sold is a mystery to me.

It is probable that you have just gotten an abused hire car example.

In any case, I don't really think we should be using Citroen cars as a yardstick to measure up against.

I would never consider purchasing a Citroen!

Why is it that people see fit to review a car, on the basis of having driven a hire car for a few days? Hire cars are often abused by the people who drive them, and are (usually) poorly maintained. So how can a short period of driving in one of these cars constitute a valid review/review comment?

I owned a Lacetti for 18 months when I lived in the Sudan, Africa. Yes - Sudan. This car gave me 18,000 miles of hard African roads with no major problems at all. I did have to have the interior air filters cleaned every 2 months because of the Sahara desert coming in via the Air Con. I highly doubt this is an issue in Europe.

I had this vehicle imported from Korea to Africa because it was made by Daewoo. This made sense when you consider that Sudan is a major importer of Korean vehicles and parts are plentiful and cheap. Fortunately, this never became an issue. I sold the vehicle for $1000 less than I paid for it so depreciation was not much of a factor.

The vehicle drove nicely over the desert and the air blew cold as ice. The height clearance was sometimes an issue, but this is more of an infrastructure issue than a Lacetti issue.

I had cloth interior which was perfect for 45 degree days when the car was parked during the day. Leather and Vinyl seats are not recommended in the Sahara.

The engine I believe was made in Australia, the body was designed in Italy, the assembly was done in Korea. This vehicle is also rebadged as a Suzuki in the USA. It is a global car with global standards built into it.

My only real beef is the automatic running lights. The Sudanese military insist on drivers turning their lights off at night when they cross over bridges. This is due to prior US cruise missile attacks on Khartoum. Not a minor issue when confronted by soldiers yelling at you to turn your lights off. Again, not likely to be a problem on the streets of London.

It's a modern car at a good price backed by proven technology. In no way is this an innovative luxury Lexus, but in my experience, the vehicle did not fail me from A to B over some bloody rough driving conditions. Try doing that in an Audi in Africa.

I have seen metallic 1.6SX Lacetti estates 2007/57 plate with 5,000 miles advertised nationally at £6299 which seems very cheap. I assume that they are ex-hire and are likely to have been hated and thrashed by Audi/BMW drivers when forced upon them as accident repair garage courtesy cars or similar.

I have just had my first baby and the combination of size and Isofix and front/side airbags of the Lacetti make it appealing. The wisdom of buying diesel has gone with the current 12-15% premium over petrol prices likely to increase further, making petrol cars a sensible choice once again.

My big concern is the heavy road tax cost for 2008 of £260 and 2009 being £270. This is also likely to increase.

This combined with average 36mpg against a similarly priced 6,000 mile 2007/07 Vauxhall Astra 1.4 16V Club which averages 46mpg and has 2008 tax of £115, 2009 £120.

I think the Astra will be a much better choice-any views/comments?

You are not comparing like with like.

The 1.6 lacetti estate achieves 36mpg, the 1.6 astra estate probably achieves something similar - maybe 38mpg.

The 1.4 & 1.6 lacetti hatchback achieve 40mpg.

I would take a look at the 1.4 + 1.6sx lacetti in hatchback form and then compare to a 1.4 and 1.6 astra hatchback if you wish to make a valid comparison. You will find the chevy achieves similar fuel economy (maybe 5% less), road tax @ £170 per yr and similar build quality, + probably 1.5k - 2k less than the vauxhall.

I would probably go for the lower purchase price or lower monthly repayments. Plus you get the peace of mind of 2 years transferrable warranty with the 2007 chevy, not sure if that is the case with vauxhall.

But there's no doubting vauxhalls are a sound car, and in truth I don't think you could go far wrong with either vauxhall or chevy.

Fair comment, but the boot size on the Lacetti SW is similar to the Astra and both cars were similar age and price.

On reflection, I cannot justify the road tax of the Lacetti SW as 2009 £260, 2010 £270, 2011 £300++? 36mpg average is very poor too. This will affect the resale too, as buyers of these cars buy them to save money over mainstream alternatives, although the cheap purchase price offsets this somewhat.

Not sure what to do as so many deals about due to credit crunch-I am now thinking that the cleanest, most fuel efficient and lowest tax band car would be the best idea in the long term, rather than the cheapest car to buy.

Perhaps I'll keep the current 118g/km £30 2009 road tax 58mpg small petrol car and just buy a roof box as it is only a larger boot that I need.

Thanks for your response.

I've got a 1.6 SX as a hire car that I've been driving for 3 weeks while my Renault Clio has been in the garage being repaired for the 6th time this year (that's a whole other story!). I have found this car to be quick and comfortable. It's nicer to drive than my Clio - much lighter steering and clutch and its has enough spec to make it comfortable. I actually would consider buying one of these having driven one for 3 weeks.

I own a 2004 Chevrolet Optra... (Daewoo Lacetti, Chevrolet Lacetti, Holden Viva, Suzuki Forenza, Buick Excelle, and now the redesigned Chevrolet Cruz (in Canada) ) It's an amazing car and has few problems, but ALL of the cars listed above were designed by GMDAT (GM Daewoo) and I'm sure if you look under the hood of your car there is a sticker that says "Daewoo". On mine, the engine itself says "daewoo" but I know on some other people's it's well hidden. Also the windows say "GMDAT" on them!

Although GM did buy Daewoo, Daewoo still has most of its original team. The engine in the Lacetti/Optra/Viva/Cruz is almost identical to the one in the Daewoo Lanos.

All in all this car is very reliable.

Some of the known problems with them are: Poor shifting in a manual, sometimes poor pick up, although I'm used to the huge gas guzzling North American cars. It also has poor gauges. There is also some faulty wiring.

For the surprisingly hot summers here in Toronto, the A/C is kinda weak, but it gets me by. I had a rental when I lived back home in Australia (had the Holden Viva) and it was much the same. The summers are not as hot there, but the A/C was still weak.

All in all a GREAT car, a few minor problems, but hey, what car doesn't?! Just treat it well and use synthetic oil!! =)