| Week at the Wheel | Chevrolet Epica |

Inside & Out:

From the outside the Epica is disappointingly anonymous, something akin to recent offerings from the Far East; it continues to be the case that producing a budget car that looks as expensive as the more premium brands seems to be a tantalisingly difficult task. The Epica has very few stand out features; the rear-end styling is probably the most distinctive aspect and only the bold Chevrolet badges stand out as the brand's identity; there is no distinct styling theme.

Accommodation is hard to question in terms of space for the money though; the cabin is spacious and the boot is huge. Unfortunately quality is lacking - though not in terms of fit - and lags expectations of the current market place by a significant margin. However, this really is a case of you pay your money and take your choice. A Ford Focus costs as much as the Epica - if you compare on price per unit volume the Epica scores well.

Engine & Transmission:

As is the norm for cars of this ilk nowadays most of the sales are likely to be of the diesel variant we test here. The 2.0-litre, four-cylinder unit boasts 148bhp along with 236lb.ft of torque at 2,000rpm. As usual this translates to a relaxed long legged driving style though outright pace is stronger than one might expect - swifter in fact than the petrol model - and a rapid motorway cruise is maintained with ease.

It may not push the boundaries, but it does offer reasonable performance and economy, though it does lack a little in terms of manners; starting from cold for instance, where the bonnet visibly shakes in sympathy with the engine. Once on the move, things do improve but there's still a noticeable gap to the class leaders. The five-speed manual gearbox is a better story with well-judged ratios and a slick shift action. Oddly, the optional automatic gearbox offers an extra ratio over the manual.

Ride & Handling:

Competent rather than inspirational, the Epica's chassis offers a reasonable blend of comfort and agility. The steering is oddly - somewhat artificially - heavy around the centre and then lightens up with some lock before weighting up again under load. Spirited driving reveals a nose that is reluctant to turn in but a chassis with decent grip and poise once settled to the task at hand. Under duress the chassis tends towards safe and predictable understeer.

Equipment, Economy & Value for Money:

It could be argued that the Epica's raison d'être is to offer Mondeo size packaging for Focus money and on that basis it offers fine value for money. Equipment levels are reasonable on this LT spec car and the economy, emissions and servicing costs are competitive - in particular the option of three year's servicing for £299. We managed to find a best price of just under £14,000 online for a car like our test car, a significant saving on the £17,355 list price.

While it may be difficult to question the Epica in terms of price it's not quite so difficult to see where savings have been made. Interior trim isn't of the highest quality and the LCD displays look rather outdated. However, perhaps the biggest surprise was with the heater controls; I can't remember the last time we tested a car where switches come off in your hand. Our test car also had a creak emanating from somewhere in the dashboard, which doesn't bode well for longevity and wear and tear.

Overall:

It could be argued that there is no such thing as a bad car on sale in the UK today. However, some are definitely not as good relative to others and it's into this category that the Chevrolet Epica falls. It is hard to think of any single area in which it excels or offers anything to the consumer that isn't available elsewhere with more substance. As such it is difficult to recommend it over other offerings on the market.