Chevy’s little Aveo offers big value
The wisdom of General Motors’ investment in Korea’s Daewoo Corp. played out three years ago with the success of the Chevrolet Aveo.
The Aveo, a rebadged Daewoo, was the right car at the right time. Within months of its debut, it led sales in the entry-level category. Blessed with a can’t-refuse price tag, excellent fuel efficiency and a roomy interior, it presaged a burst of activity in the category.
Over the next year or two, the Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris and Nissan Versa joined a parade that already included entries from Hyundai, Kia and Suzuki.
Rather than risk getting lost amidst all that activity, Chevy has chosen to update the Aveo for the 2007 model year. They’re calling it “all-new” but the improvements are primarily of the cosmetic and convenience variety.
Buffing the Four-door
The Aveo is available in two body styles, hatchback (from $10,560, including destination) and sedan (from $12,575). Other than a name change – it’s now called the Aveo5 – the hatch remains unchanged.
Slightly larger than last year’s model, the sedan picks up a batch of new exterior features. Its hood adds a stylish, V-shaped contour that cleverly draws the eye to Chevy’s trademark, grille-mounted bowtie logo. There are also new headlights and taillights and contoured character lines flow upward, from front to back, to create the illusion of a larger car.
Perhaps inadvertently, they also accentuate the Aveo’s height. A friend observed that the Aveo looked as if it had been smooshed between two larger vehicles. To be fair, this stubbiness is a growing hallmark of the class, as automakers invent new ways to add interior volume.
Surprisingly, Chevy claims improved aerodynamics despite the Aveo’s larger and taller shape.
Nice Digs
The cabin is where the action is. Four adults fit comfortably here, although rear-seat passengers taller than 5’ 10” or so may find themselves shy of legroom. Some 6-footers say seating up front is a little tight, as well.
There is no dearth of headroom and hip-room is good as well, enabling a third rider in back. Theater-style seating helps reduce the potential for rear-seat claustrophobia.
Chevy has stepped up its quality game. Interior fit-and-finish is very good and the buyer can choose from among three distinctive, two-tone accent packages. The seat fabrics are improved this year, and perforated leatherette seating surfaces are available.
The driver gets a fold-down armrest and there’s an array of storage nooks to accommodate the small stuff. Unfortunately, the cupholders didn’t get the same attention; a fragile-looking assembly bearing two cupholders slips out from low in the dash and a third, shallow unit sits far back in the center console. None inspires confidence.
New levels of sound deadening material – along with improved aerodynamics — make this one of the quietest interiors in the class.
Lightly Equipped
Buyers may find the Aveo lightly equipped in base form. Standard-equipment includes air conditioning, tilt steering wheel and an auxiliary input jack for the audio system. The uplevel LT trim ($14,075) adds heated, power exterior mirrors; cruise control; remote keyless entry; theft-deterrent system; power windows; six-speaker audio system (the base LS has four speakers) and uplevel cloth seats.
Safety gear includes dual-stage front- and side-impact airbags for front-seat passengers. A high-strength steel frame wraps around the cabin; anti-lock brakes are a $400 option on both trims.
Lacking ABS, the Aveo turns in relatively lengthy 60-0 mph braking distances.
No Power-monger
All Aveos are powered by a 1.6-liter inline four that makes 103 horsepower and 107 pound-feet of torque. At 2,500 pounds and change, the Aveo is not a heavy car, but the power plant is barely adequate to the task: 0-60 comes up in a pokey 11.9 seconds.
Don’t count on getting much in the way of passing power, once you’ve loaded up the Aveo with passengers and their stuff.
Two transmissions are offered. The base, five-speed manual reportedly suffers from over-wide gear ratios. The upside is fuel efficiency — the EPA rates it at 27 city/35 highway; the downside is sluggish performance.
Our LT tester was equipped with the optional four-speed automatic, which added $850 to the bottom line. It includes a “Hold Control” function that limits torque to the wheels, minimizing traction loss in slippery conditions and holding higher gears to improve passing performance.
The all-independent suspension features MacPherson struts with coil springs and stabilizer bar up front and a torsion beam rear axle with gas-charged shocks out back. Fourteen-inch tires are standard on the LS trim; LT comes with 15s.
The power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering system is nicely weighted and communicative in most conditions but at freeway speeds suffers from so-so on-center feel.
Despite its youthful target demographic, Chevy has wisely resisted the temptation to promote the Aveo as a sport-sedan. Instead, it’s a capable and comfortable car with subcompact exterior dimensions, but the interior of a larger car.
The buyer seeking efficiency, a finely crafted cabin and the reassurance of a familiar brand will find plenty to like here.