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Road Test

Chevrolet Epica 2.0d LT

Test Date 30 April 2008  Price When New £16,595

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Verdict

If you want a cheaper car, the best way to buy is at the cheaper end of the range, and the Epica proves this. The £17,695 that this high-specification, 2.0-litre diesel automatic costs takes it too far into the territory of substantially better models such as the Ford Mondeo.

But as a £14,595 2.0 diesel LS the Epica makes some sense as a low-cost route into the Mondeo market. Were it not for the ambient noise in its cabin, it wouldn’t be a bad choice. It is, after all, spacious, w ell equipped, robustly constructed, easy to drive, brisk and fairly economical, and its handling and ride are acceptable for a budget buy.

So the Epica does make a sounder buy than some cut-price cars. But you’d still be better off with a few-months-old Mondeo, keenly priced French models or a Skoda Octavia.

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