The new GM Daewoo Lacetti due in Ireland in March is no rehash of the Lanos it replaces. The 5-door hatchback is cleanly designed by Giugiaro, has the longest wheelbase in its class, and provides more rear room than any hatchback in the class.

It also gets the 1.4-litre engine already familiar from the Kalos, and it will be selling at €16,995, providing what GM Daewoo are branding as 'Smart Buying'. Against key competitors, they suggest that there's up to €2,500 to be saved by going with the Lacetti.

Based on the Nubira saloon launched last year, the Lacetti shares most of its interior styling and materials with the booted car. That means it is tidy in execution, has a trim quality that nobody could say is cheap, and in the immediate tactile points of the leather-covered steering wheel and gearshift it is instantly pleasant.

The ride and handling of the Nubira/Lacetti are quite up to the class standard, thanks in no small part to the new independent suspension systems front and rear. The Lacetti, like the Nubira, is also specifically set up for European preferances, with stronger spring rates and tighter shock absorbers than in the native Korean versions.

While there will eventually be 1.6- and 1.8-litre versions in Ireland, using the engines currently powering the Nubira, it was the 1.4-litre which will be launched in March that I concentrated on at the European launch in the Basque Country last week.

The 93bhp unit felt immediately peppy on roads that would be normal challenges in Ireland, though tooling it up through the cols of the western Pyranees showed up the relative lack of power, and gearbox stirs and revs-pushing were a necessary part of progress. It was not the kind of terrain that most Irish owners will be dealing with.

The speed-weighted power steering provided enough feedback to make moving through the twisty mountain roads a quite enjoyable experience, and occasional necessary fast stops because of the occasional stray animal around the corner proved the efficiency of the brakes.

There's a good luggage area, and the 60:40 split rear seats will add that bit more to the carrying capacity if required.

Overall, this very first run in the new Lacetti left me with very positive feelings.

And I summed it up to a colleague this: The current crop of Daewoo cars are of a quality that I'd have no problem in recommending one to anybody.

"And I wouldn't have any problem owning one, either," he replied.

Which is where we should stop, until we get a proper chance to evaluate the Lacetti in Irish conditions. I have this feeling that, on the value basis which is the GM Daewoo ethos now, I'm not going to have my initial impressions turned on their heads.