Handy Auto Guide

A review of the 2007 Holden Epica CDX 2.5 sedan has been posted over at Australian Car Advice. ‘Our test vehicle – the CDX – was optioned with the Daewoo-Porsche co-developed 2.5-litre inline-6-cylinder motor, producing 115kW of power and 237Nm of torque. Although it sounds great on paper, the engine is devastatingly short of torque throughout the lower end of the rev range. Stomping on the throttle from a standing start provides no general feeling of motion or torque delivery, things only begin happening north of 3500RPM where the engine makes an almighty racket.’

A review of the Chevrolet Aveo 1.2 compact has been posted over at The Independent. 'So why might you want an Aveo? Is it cheap, given that it wears the badge of General Motors' blue-collar, no-nonsense, global value brand? Prices will be announced when UK sales start next month, but they're likely to start around £7,500 and rise to about £11,000 for the top-spec Aveo with a 1.4-litre engine and four-speed automatic transmission. That means the cheapest version is indeed temptingly inexpensive next to rivals, especially given the likely perkiness of even the 1.2-litre engine which, at 84bhp, out-powers entry-level rivals. And the 1.4 manages 101bhp, which is quite impressive.'