Chevrolet Epica 2.0, 2.5: Big Chevy for the masses
FOR a large and rather conventional-looking sedan, the Chevrolet Epica has a quirky hidden side. It's a bit like discovering your Chinese businessman neighbour moonlights as a porn star.
As with most mid-sized saloons, the Epica has a predictably sedate appearance. It is neither handsome nor ugly, just something like what the old Toyota Camry used to be before the current generation became a lot sportier.
It is under the bonnet that the big Chevy is different. It has an in-line six-cylinder engine - available in either 2.0 or 2.5 litres - driving the front wheels.
No volume manufacturer other than BMW still uses the in-line-six engine, much less a small-block, two-litre straight-six. Even then, the BMW unit is used to drive the rear wheels.
In fact, almost everyone else has switched to a V6, for packaging and safety reasons. But the fact that the Epica's engine is transversely mounted and drives the front wheels does avoid these space and collision issues.
The main advantage of the straight-six is that it is silky smooth. The power plant is quiet and, with the five-speed automatic transmission, engine noise and gear changes are hardly audible.
That does not mean the Epica is perfect. Its steering is vague and the assistance unnatural. Unlike the taut handling of the smaller Optra sedan and estate, the bigger Epica's uncommunicative steering turns it into a handful when going fast.
But the suspension is comfortably supple and when cruising at normal speeds, the car is actually very good. The cabin is silent and the climate-control air-con effective. Even the sound system is excellent.
The spacious interior surprises with its soft-touch dashboard and slow-release glovebox, but it is let down by cheap plastics and wobbly switchgear. However, all this is acceptable when considering that the 2.0 model costs just $80,000.
Chevrolet calls the Epica value for money, and it is difficult to disagree with that, especially when the equivalent Japanese competition is at least $12,000 more.
Even the 2.5-litre version costs less than a two-litre Japanese mid-sized model.
The Epica 2.5 has four airbags (two more than the 2.0), cruise control, electric chromatic mirror, sun-roof and 17-inch alloy wheels (from the 2.0's 16-inch rims). It may not be able to say it's an epic car but this Chevrolet is more than adequate.
