Used Chevrolet Lacetti Estate 2005 - 2011 review

Born in 2004 as a Daewoo and rebranded in 2005, the Chevrolet Lacetti is a mid-sized family car that's slightly smaller than a Ford Focus. It's cheap to buy and has a splash of style, having been designed by the Italian studio Italdesign.

The range was available initially as a hatchback and saloon, and this estate was introduced when General Motors rebranded the range as Chevrolet.

Like any Lacetti, it's reasonably practical, with generous rear leg room and a large boot. The rear seats split and fold, but overall it's still no match for a Focus Estate.

The interior design is straightforward, with a good, widely adjustable driving position and plenty of stowage.

On the road, the Chevrolet Lacetti Estate is reasonably comfortable, but it doesn't like being hustled through corners.

On top of that, the steering lacks feedback, the gearbox is far from slick and refinement is disappointing, with plenty of engine and wind noise entering the cabin.

One of the Lacetti's strongest points is value for money, which is bolstered by a generous three-year servicing, warranty and recovery package from new.

Insurance won't be a big worry, even if the Lacetti ranks a group or two higher than Ford's Focus. You'll fare respectably at the pumps, too; the 1.6 and 1.8 return 36.2 and 38.1mpg respectively.

As an example, a typical 1.6 SX is slightly cheaper per mile to run than a more expensive Focus 1.6 LX or similarly priced Kia Cerato LX, but servicing costs – when you do finally have to pay them – can be around 30% more expensive than the Ford's. They're still cheaper than the Kia's, however.

You won't have a lot of choice when you're buying a Lacetti estate, as the range never included more than two models - and even that was eventually trimmed to just one.

The one constant through the car's life was the 1.6 SX. Still, that has everything you need, including air-con, alloy wheels and electric windows all round. Like all Lacettis, it comes with power steering, central locking and a CD player.

You might also track down the short-lived 1.8-litre model, which came only in Sport trim. However, apart from a few extra horsepower, a slightly quicker 0-60mph time, traction control and a sporting bodykit, there's not a lot to choose between it and the basic 1.6-litre car.

Of the two, we think the basic car is the better buy. It doesn't feel that much slower than the 1.8 on the road, and gives you everything that's good about a Lacetti estate for the least expense.

You'll find plenty of Lacettis in the Chevrolet dealer network and the small ads.

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