In the fall of 2003, the European premiere of Daewoo Lacetti was held in Frankfurt - one of the first models developed by Koreans under the patronage of GM. In Korea, this car debuted at the Seoul Auto Show in November 2002. Lacetti was developed in a record short time - 30 months. And then comprehensively tested.
The tests covered more than 1.8 million kilometers in Britain; in extreme conditions of the Spanish heat, the Swedish cold, the highland regions of China. In parallel, in America, 190 crash tests were conducted. The name of the car comes from the Latin "Lacertus", denoting the concept of energy, power, strength and youth. It is noteworthy that in the Korean market the model is sold under the name Lacetti, but in Europe it bears the well-known name Nubira, in the USA it is known under the Suzuki Forenza brand, in Thailand and India - Chevrolet Optra. Lacetti looks modern, besides it has 100% recognizability - the characteristic grille has already become a family feature of Daewoo cars.
Plus large transparent headlights, sharp edges and well-defined wheel arches. From the progenitress Nubira, the car is different in design of the front part, hood and bumpers. In addition, in Europe, the Lacetti is represented by a hatchback body and, accordingly, received a completely different design of the rear. The exterior of this model was occupied by the studio Giugaro.
The Lacetti hatchback is based on the Nubira sedan's front-wheel drive platform, with which the car also shares engines, gearboxes and other components. However, along with the Nubirov 1.6 and 1.8-liter petrol power units with 109 and 122 liters respectively. from. Lacetti got a 1.4-liter 92-horsepower engine. The interior is designed in bright colors, it makes the car visually from the inside more than the outside. There is nothing pretentious and newfangled in the decoration, but on the whole everything looks very decent. Already in the basic version, the interior is trimmed with plastic of two colors - dark gray at the bottom and warm beige at the top.
The driver’s seat is optimal: the seats are comfortable, the controls are in place. The salon is cozy. Pleasant at the sight and touch plastic finish organically combined with a soft velor of the seats. All scales are perfectly readable and do not overlap with a rudder having a tilt adjustment. The instrument cluster is simple, but pleasing to the eye, and the visor eliminates glare in daylight. In the center of the front part there is a convenient console, on which, depending on the configuration, a standard or double size radio tape recorder is placed, control unit for air conditioning or climate control.
In general, ergonomics at a decent level. One of the trump cards of Lacetti in the fight for the purse of a demanding European buyer will be a high level of equipment. Along with the manual transmission, 1.6 and 1.8-liter cars will offer an electronically controlled five-step adaptive automatic. All three versions come standard with five three-point seat belts (front - with force limiter), front and side airbags, ABS and all-wheel disc brakes. In addition to the hatchback in 2004, the production launched a wagon. Lacetti is a big step for GM Daewoo to improve their cars.
