CHEVY’S EPIC ASSIGNMENT
Chevrolet face an uphill task establishing a toehold in the medium range class but tight pricing will help. Andy Enright assesses the Epica’s chances
Although one in every sixteen cars on the planet is a Chevrolet, that’s certainly not the case in the UK, one of the few markets where the American company has yet to establish a significant presence. This situation looks as if it could change, Chevrolet having acquired Daewoo and are bringing in an increasing number of cars that are better suited to the tastes of UK buyers. The Epica is at the large end of the medium range family saloon market and is hoping to take a generously sized bite out of the market shares of its well-established rivals.
If there’s one lesson that American companies have learned to their cost in recent years, it’s that their products don’t always travel very well. Trying to foist a car that’s right for the US market onto Europeans is a strategy destined for failure and the opposite is frequently true as well. Ford’s Focus shifts in monster quantities across Europe but in the US it’s not a major player. Likewise, it would be hard to see the best selling American models, such as the Ford F-Series pick up, threatening the best sellers list over here. Chevrolet’s best selling car in the US is the Silverado pick up, another car that would possibly be only of interest over here to construction workers compensating for something.
The quest for the true ‘world car’ that appeals to all markets has proven a fool’s errand but what manufacturers have increasingly come to realise is that Asian cars often work well as a compromise between American excess and a European obsession with sporty handling. When Chevrolet acquired Daewoo, it also tapped into just this sort of design capability and the Epica, built at Daewoo’s Bupyong plant, may well wear an American badge but it’s far from the sort of overblown bloater that some may expect.
"The Epica will earn many sales on the strength of its looks alone"
British buyers are getting wise to the Chevy brand anyway. They know that Daewoo was producing some increasingly smart cars before it ran into financial difficulty and with the fiscal clout of General Motors behind it, aided by a badge with more equity than the old Korean one could ever muster. The Epica, priced from just £13,595, is off to a decent start. That price is not only less than you’d pay for some Focus-sized hatchbacks but also around £3,500 less than you’d pay for this car’s nearest direct Korean competitor, Hyundai’s Sonata.
The shape is neat, albeit slightly unadventurous, and it’s possible to walk round the car without being able to spot a bad angle. The high haunches and sculpted flanks are reminiscent of Honda’s latest Accord, in itself no bad thing. There’s more Honda-like DNA when you move round to the back of the car and until most driver’s clock that Chevrolet bow-tie badge and the Epica name, they’ll assume it’s an Accord.
The front end is the most distinctive with big headlamps smeared backwards onto the wings and a very clean look to the grille and underbumper assembly. The rising waistline gives the car a dynamic appearance, although the overhangs are a little longer than many of its rivals. With an increased emphasis on pedestrian safety, the days of wheel-at-each-corner design may well be on the wane. The Epica offers a lot of car, the tape measure showing it to be fully 4,805mm long. By way of comparison, an Accord is 4,665mm long, a Mondeo 4,731mm long and a Peugeot 407 breaking the tape at 4,676mm. In fact, the Epica is closer to the 4,841mm length of a BMW 5 Series than the current crop of family saloons and hatches.
Two engines are offered for sale in the UK, both of 2.0-litre capacity. The petrol unit is a 141bhp straight-six which is set transversely across the car. This would be a problem with most straight sixes as they are, by their very nature, rather long engines and are usually mounted in line, driving the rear wheels. The Epica is a front-wheel drive car, so the transverse mounting makes sense, but this configuration is assisted by an engine which Chevrolet claims is the shortest of its type in the world. Although technically intriguing, this powerplant looks set to play second fiddle – in terms of domestic sales at least – to the 148bhp common rail turbo diesel engine.
The Epica is available in two trim levels, LS and LT. Both versions have impressive levels of standard equipment, with the entry-level 2.0LS petrol getting air conditioning, cruise control, electric front and rear windows, a CD-stereo with MP3 input socket, remote audio controls, front fog lamps, 16-inch alloy wheels, front, side and curtain airbags and power-adjustable mirrors.
The LS diesel offers the same specification as the petrol at £14,595, while LT spec cars add electronic climate control, rear parking sensors, leather seat trim, heated front seats, rain sensitive wipers, a CD autochanger, electrochromatic rear view mirror, power-adjustable driver’s seat, trip computer, electronic stability control and 17-inch alloys. LT models will be diesel only and will cost £16,595 with a five-speed manual gearbox, or £17,695 as an automatic.
At present the Epica raises more questions than answers but Chevrolet needs to broaden its range. Small hatches and citycars can only propel its European ambitions so far and the company recognises that if its badge is more readily associated with larger cars (with consequently larger profit margins) it should act quickly to exploit that market before the perception changes. The Epica finds itself up against some very talented rivals but its price tag may well be its get out of jail free card.
Facts At A Glance
CAR: Chevrolet Epica range
PRICES: £13,595-£16,595 – on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 11-12 [est]
CO2 EMISSIONS: 160-200g/km [est]
PERFORMANCE: [2.0 petrol] 0-60mph 9.0s [est] / Max Speed 130mph [est]
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.0 petrol] (combined) 32mpg [est]
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: ABS, Twin front, head and side airbags, anti-lock brakes
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE ?: Length/Width/Heightmm 4805/1810/1450mm