Crippled By The Financial Burden Of Multiple Offspring? Salvation Is Yours In The Unlikely Shape Of The Chevrolet Tacuma 1.6 SX. By Andy Enright
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before. "More power and equipment for less money." Sounds a familiar refrain? Manufacturers seem desperate to press gang us into their wares, and Chevrolet are no exception. Mind you, when they really succeed, as here, in pulling the proverbial rabbit out of the hat, it tends to kick the stools from under the more established car makers, so let’s be clear. For £11,695, the Chevrolet Tacuma 1.6SX is the only fully functioning petrol-powered mini-MPV you can buy for anything like sensible money. Enough said.
Only one Tacuma is offered here in 1.6-litre form but it does come astonishingly well equipped with air conditioning, ABS and front and side airbags all being included for your eleven grand. Renault will want considerably more for their cheapest Scenic variant and whilst you’ll sleep easy knowing you’ve bought the original mini-MPV and arguably the best, you could probably dream up more constructive, not to mention enjoyable, ways to blow the difference.
The ‘Tacuma’ name may be slightly familiar since in its original form, this car was sold in the UK as a Daewoo, mostly with a toothy chromed front grille that put some prospective buyers off. Now re-launched under the Chevrolet banner, the car looks much smarter yet still retains its value for money emphasis.
Along with the diesel-only Kia Carens, the petrol-only Tacuma has raised the standard of the Korean mini-MPV, driving down costs in this sector. Of the two, it’s the Chevrolet that’s undoubtedly the more versatile, European-feeling product. You pay a little more for that privilege of course, but even so, the Tacuma looks good value, with that £11,695 sticker price.
"The Tacuma is easier to operate than a toaster..."
Apart from the features already mentioned, standard kit in the current SX version also includes chrome touches on the interior door handles and handbrake, clear side indicators, a leather steering wheel, ABS, twin front airbags, remote auto locking, an immobiliser/alarm, electric windows and body-coloured mirrors and bumpers. If you want more, the 2.0-litre CDX model includes alloy wheels and body-coloured side mouldings.
Given the low prices and generous specification of the Tacuma you might also expect a down-market interior and compromises in the kind of versatility that the European models have made their own. If that’s the case, than a seat in the showroom might bring the odd pleasant surprise.
For a start, the materials used are a cut above those you might expect, even of the overall feel of the cabin remains dominated by unwelcoming dark plastic. There’s useful versatility too, despite the fact that ‘only’ five seats are on offer (as opposed to the potential - but cramped - six in the Carens and seven in the Zafira). All the usual mini MPV touches are in evidence: five individual seats (multi-adjustable with armrests in the front), storage drawers underneath the two front seats, airline-style flip-down trays for rear seat passengers, little cubby holes under the rear floor and a rear middle seat that can be folded flat to create a picnic tabletop.
Nice touches include the way that the centre rear seat can slide forward by 120mm to increase shoulder room for passengers in the outside pair of seats. One advantage of choosing a five-seat mini-MPV rather than one with six or seven chairs is that luggage space is likely to be good. Nor does this Chevrolet disappoint in this respect, with 455 litres of loadspace, a figure that rises to 1155 litres with all three rear seats tumbled forward. Unfortunately however, there’s a high loading lip to overcome before you can get to the space on offer. This is a small gripe given that the Tacuma saw off Kia’s Carens, Ford’s Galaxy, the Citroën Xsara Picasso, Vauxhall’s Zafira, Chrysler’s PT Cruiser and the Fiat Multipla in an Auto Express ergonomics test, walking away with first place in the magazine’s Good Car Guide.
The 1.6-litre petrol unit offers 103bhp although it’s produced at a sky-high 6000rpm. Peak torque is attained at a more manageable 4200rpm, making the Tacuma 1.6 a car that feels usefully strong even at medium engine speeds. The sprint to 60mph takes 12.2 seconds en route to a top speed of 104mph. Unfortunately there’s no automatic option – if you want a self-shifter you’ll need to plump for the 2.0 CDX.
It would be tempting to portray the Tacuma 1.6 as something of a one trick pony, all sticker price with no substance to back it up, but it offers a credible alternative to the mainstream contenders at a price too low to ignore. You buy a mini-MPV out of necessity, not for the tactile pleasures, so why not limit your financial exposure? After all, the money you’d save on a Scenic could buy a cheap ‘n cheerful secondhand runaround car. Worth thinking about…
Facts At A Glance
CAR: Chevrolet Tacuma 1.6 SX
PRICE: £11,695 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 8
CO2 EMISSIONS: 191g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 12.2s / 0-60mph 104mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 35.3mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front airbags / ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 4350/1755/1630mm