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The design, engineering and manufacturing facilities that created this car were once part of Korean giant Daewoo. GM picked up the pieces of this failing car company in 2002, as part of its plan to turn previously US-centric Chevrolet into a global brand.

The strategy is working too, not least due to the dynamism of the Korean GM hub that has developed this Epica, though it’s only since 2005 that Chevrolet has been seriously marketed in Europe.

The transition initially saw Dae...Read the full article

Time used to be when low price below standard cars were dumped on the UK market from the Soviet Union or Eastern bloc countries - remember the Lada and the Wartburg?

Then it was Korea with old Vauxhalls masquerading as Daiwoos and sold from Halfords.

Now it US Brands and I am likely to be killed on my bike by a Epica that cant stop in the wet or see a bunch of people killed in a Chrysler with poor crash protection or accidents caused by any number of US militaristic or gangster style cars that the driver cant see out of !!  Sooner Toyota and Honda take over and squeeze these people out the better.

 

 

What color is the sky in your world?

brompton:

Time used to be when low price below standard cars were dumped on the UK market from the Soviet Union or Eastern bloc countries - remember the Lada and the Wartburg?

Then it was Korea with old Vauxhalls masquerading as Daiwoos and sold from Halfords.

Now it US Brands and I am likely to be killed on my bike by a Epica that cant stop in the wet or see a bunch of people killed in a Chrysler with poor crash protection or accidents caused by any number of US militaristic or gangster style cars that the driver cant see out of !!  Sooner Toyota and Honda take over and squeeze these people out the better.

 

 

 

 

Right, watch out  for the rolling purveyors of death and carnage that are low budget cars with American badges. Perhaps you should just never leave the house, in case one of these comes barreling down your lane mangling small children and errant animals. So, only Honda and Toyota make good safe cars then? Please, do lay off the scotch.

Right, so because the Epica has a Chevy badge on it makes it dangerous because the brand originates from the US? Does your thinking apply to the same car when it's sold as an Aussie Holden or a Daewoo Tosca? Or the fact that the car is actually built in South Korea?

Your life must be hell then with all the thousands of  Mk1 Focus' on our roads which was also partly developed in the US by Ford, which i believe is also American.

 

No Focus is a brilliant good handling, safe car. As it happens, I thought it was developed in Europe - certainly arrived here first. US Focus always seems to be one model behind. European Fords all review as good designs at the moment. Chevrolet have also started to catch up again with their latest US mid-sized saloon (Malibu?).  Its the rebadged Korean cars and Chryslers which get dumped on the UK and perhaps other markets, thanks the the weak dollar and often with poor NCAP ratings. Meanwhile in the US Toyota and Honda/Acura seem to be out performing the old US makers financially and on the road.  If you've ever had a Ford Expedition lose it on a slow Z bend and come straight for you - you'd wish they all drove Focuses or Mondeos.

Maybe that's true, but a Ford Expedition is quite different from the Epica!

brompton:

If you've ever had a Ford Expedition lose it on a slow Z bend and come straight for you - you'd wish they all drove Focuses or Mondeos.

In fact you could say the same about many non-US panel vans and LCVs, the old Land Rover Discovery, etc etc

Korean built Chevrolet Captiva, Hyundai Tucson both Euro-ncap 4 Star, same as Nissan X-Trail, Toyota Rav 4 and the amazingly expensive BMW X3

Korean Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento both 4 star rating, same as the amazingly expensive Audi Q7 and Land Rover Discovery.

Korean Kia Cee'd 5 Star rating, same as a BMW 1 series, better than the expensive Audi A3 (4 star)

The suggestion that Korean cars are any less safe than supposedly upmarket cars is purely myth and prejudice. they may be less in some ways- but not safety now. Reliability is also rapidly overtaking more expensive brands - a nice soft dashboard (the love of all journalists) may be nice, but reliability is the only true test of quality. Lets see if VW ever give 7 year warranties!

 

The Apprentice makes some valid points on Korean cars. As for American cars, there's has always been a degree of dismissive approach inherent in the views of some motoring journalists towards cars from over the pond.

To me it would make more sense to buy a second hand Mondeo or 407, but the Epica does offer a lot of car for the money and, going by Autocar's review, although nowhere near a class leader, it is a pretty decent effort and a reasonable drive. So it has its place for those who are in the market for a brand new car complete with new car warranty etc, who want a well equipped, reasonably priced motor. 

Actually, there can be other reasons too. I run a car on a company car allowance scheme, which requires my car to be of a particular size. I can only keep it until it is 3 years old. Under the terms of that agreement, the 2006 Mondeo I have now has cost me a considerable sum of money over the term. My calculations suggest that the Epica I currently have on order won't cost me anything.

Yes, the depreciation in percentage terms is much worse for the Chevrolet, but in terms of hard cash the differential is much less than you'd think and perhaps in the Chevrolet's favour. Chevrolet also offer a 3 year servicing package for £449; I reckon that my outgoing Mondeo has cost me £1400 plus over the last 3 years.

I have tried other similarly priced cars, and you should be wary of lumping them together - this is a significantly better car than the Chrysler Sebring, for instance, which might look better (arguably) but which rides and drives like a tractor with the sound insulation missing.

Is the Epica better than my Mondeo? Probably not in a brisk drive around corners, but on a lazy drive down the M6 on a busy Friday evening? Well, the toys suggest it will be and I can tell you now that in that queue the handling will count for nothing.

And besides, I have a classic TVR in my garage for when I want to do the corners thing. The difference in price between the Ford and the Chevvy will cover the running costs of that with some considerable ease for years to come.

So before you dismiss the Chevvy driver as an idiot, consider that their circumstances might be different to yours.