Daewoo Lacetti SX Car Review

Here we go with the new GM vehicle known as the Daewoo Lacetti SX. In case you don't already know, the vehicle I am discussing is a small to medium sized sedan. The retail price is starting out at $19,490 and comes with a hefty 3 year/100,000 km warranty which is certainly not bad. So we have a good price and a great warranty that make this car appealing to an abundance of buyers. Now that we have had a brief introduction of the vehicle lets take a closer look and see if it matches up to its competitors.

First off, let's start with the Australian made Family II engine. The 1.8-litre, DOHC 16-valve, engine gives you very strong throttle response that is always appreciated. This engine is equipped with the latest 32-bit Delphi engine management system that uses a MAP sensor load input. With a compression ratio of 9.8:1 along with the airbox, air intake resonators, large volume mufflers, and variable induction system you have yourself quite an engine to work with. As far as noise goes there are not any noticeable problems here. This vehicle does a good job of hiding its noises and manages to keep a low NVH inside the cabin. Are there better engines out there? Sure. I am not saying that this is the best I have ever seen in my life. However, this one will do the tasks required of it without any hassles and that is all that most drivers will want out of an engine.

You have two choices to go with when purchasing or test driving the Daewoo Lacetti SX. You can either go with the 5 speed manual gearbox or the 4 speed automatic which is also accompanied by Adaptive Shift Control Logic. Choose your preference of course, but I feel that I should tell you the automatic will push your pocket a little further and add $2,000 to the price tag. Personally I prefer the 5-speed so that is what I tested. The overall shifting action was very nice and was only made easier by the light clutch pedal. One of my favorite additions though is the lockout collar that is used to prevent unintended shifts into reverse. On top of that there is also a reverse gear synchro that will eliminate the very embarrassing crunches that can sometimes happen. For anyone who has ever experienced or heard these crunches before can surely appreciate this feature. I was also impressed by the fuel consumption of the Lacetti SX. With approximately 8.2 liters of ULP per 100km (or 62 miles) you can go pretty far in between fill-ups especially since the tank is 60 liters. With gas prices bouncing around back and forth I feel that it is important to keep fuel consumption in mind when you are purchasing a vehicle. The Daewoo Lacetti SX is very generous in this department so it is worth considering on that note alone.

Now that we got some of the serious stuff out of the way lets move on to the good ole interior and all the features! As you get your first glimpse of the interior in the Lacetti your initial thought will probably be about its size. That's not a bad thing though since the interior space is vast and they very cleverly made the most of what they had to work with. Whether you are a big or small person you can still find yourself sitting in this vehicle comfortably without any issues. Once you are past the size of things you will notice that the interiors quality is really quite impressive. You won't find any cheap materials such as fake wood, which is something that has always bothered me in vehicles. The seats are a little too firm for my taste, but it doesn't affect the overall driving experience that you have enough to really cause a problem. Most of the time when you look at HVAC controls in a vehicle you can easily be overwhelmed by the disastrous setup. Thankfully that is not the case here. The HVAC controls are actually simple to use and any other controls that you need are located in convenient spots so you don't have to reach all around the cabin just to use a feature. The trunk is another place that has very generous amounts of space. It may not be the best feature of the vehicle and is fairly straightforward, but the amount of room you have to store your belongings does all the talking needed.

Speaking of features, the Lacetti SX has a list that is definitely worth your time. The standard equipment that you will find in this vehicle is as follows: power mirrors, power front and rear windows, alarm, immobilizer, map lights, cooling duct located in the glovebox (no more melted candy!), twin vanity mirrors, air-conditioning, and a six speaker single CD player and tuner. All of the features listed above work very well, but the most impressive part of the deal is that you are getting them at the low price $19,490. It is not very often that you find a car priced this low that comes with this many great features. In fact, if you find one out there that is available let me know because I would love to take it out for a test as well.

Now the question comes to show its face again. Does the new Daewoo Lacetti SX offer more than a nice list of features at a low price? In short, I would have to say yes. There are a lot of great qualities that this car has. You get more than enough space for you, your passengers, and any storage such as luggage, etc. The drive is excellent and the feel of quality is superb. Against any of its competitors it can certainly hold its own. If you are looking for a small to medium sized sedan that has features, price, fuel consumption, and overall space going for it then you have come across the perfect vehicle to own. If you have a problem with any of its qualities you may want to re-evaluate your standards!