Review
After three years/60,000 miles, our budget fleet option holds 26% of its value and has wholelife costs of 32.6 pence per mile, a respectable total against the Ford Mondeo 2.0 Ghia X (27%/ 35.8ppm), Vauxhall Vectra 2.0 CD (26%/34.3ppm), Peugeot 406 2.0 Executive (27%/ 36.7ppm), Nissan Primera 2.0 16v SE (28%/ 33.1ppm) and even the mighty Volkswagen Passat 1.8 SE (33%/ 33.5ppm).
During the admittedly brief search, I could only pick out the Honda Accord 2.0 SE (32%/32.1) and the Kia Clarus 2.0 GSX (27%/ 30ppm) as bettering the Daewoo over the three-year/ 60,000-mile benchmark.
This goes to show that the promise of low prices can actually bring lower running costs, but you have to check your facts and figures first. Persuading fleet drivers of that opinion though may be difficult, as first impressions of the car are mixed.
Certainly it does everything it needs to and the dashboard is better than some much pricier fleet cars I could mention, favouring a soft, less plastic look than you might expect (cheap plastic wood aside).
The dashboard is pleasingly shaped too, rather than opting for just an ugly slab facing the driver.
Controls are well placed and the ride, while not sophisticated enough to reward fast cornering, is supple and comfortable on long journeys.
However, the steering is annoyingly light, so you have little idea of what effect your actions are having on the wheels, creating a sort of 'turn and wait to see how fast the scenery moves' effect. The 2.0-litre engine also feels underpowered, particularly on motorways, where higher gearing would be a benefit.
However, it did not seem out of place in the rows of gleaming cars at motorway service stations and with nothing to worry about for three years under the all-inclusive package Daewoo offers, complete with driver training, the car seems like a good bet.
The only question is 'Daewoo want to be seen driving this car in front of your colleagues'? Well, I for one think it is worth a try.
John Maslen
