Chevrolet Aveo
Chris Jackson, www.car-data.com
It’s a raw deal, being the smallest and least-expensive car on the market. The Crosley, KaiserHenry J, Nash Metropolitan, Yugo GV can all attest to this fact. Being cheap makes a vehicleattractive to buyers of limited means, but also tends to raise the question, “Couldn’t you haveafforded something better?” Plagued by obvious cost-cutting measures from sloppy design to flimsymaterials, cheap cars always suffer at the hands of critics. Frankly, they’re easy targets.
The 2007 Chevrolet Aveo is the current hot-seat resident. With pricing starting at $10,560, it’sdefinitely the lowest-priced new car out there. Chevy has taken steps to reduce the cheap-factorfor ’07, improving the interior materials and restyling the exterior.
With premium subcompacts like the Honda Fit and Scion xB available for not much more, the Aveo’sgot its work cut out for it when it comes to avoiding the slings and arrows of derision that aretypically aimed at cheap new cars. Lucky for the Aveo, I actually like cheap, basic-transportationcars, when they’re done well. The Aveo has taken a drubbing elsewhere in the press, but carjournalists are notoriously spoiled by regular access to Lexus and Ferrari products. If anyone wasgoing to find a reason to love the thing, it would be me.
At a glance, the Aveo doesn’t shout to the world that it costs less. It’s gotten a subtleredesign for 2007, with a more upscale exterior. There’s none of the cheap gray plastic that’s cometo define lower-priced cars. It’s got a cheerful face, in fact, with a high roof and a narrowbody–you wouldn’t know to look at it, but the Aveo is longer and wider than the previous model. Abold Chevrolet family grille rides up front, and the look of the headlights and taillights has beenimproved. Four- and five-door models are offered. It’s got a conspicuous wedge-shape that helps tomask the small footprint. Overall the look is more nondescript than the polarizing designs fromScion or Honda, and only the Aveo’s diminutive size suggests its low sticker price.
Although the plastics are high on durability and low on luxe, the tight-fitting panels and trimbrighten the interior enough to keep the Aveo from being a complete penalty box. You can even getsatin- aluminum or woodgrain trim, if you’d like. There’s seating for four, and head- and legroomare good. Theater-style seating in the rear improves back-seat comfort as well, Elbow room is okayas long as you don’t have two large folks side by side. Chevrolet has improved the noise damping,but the Aveo still sounds somewhat tinny on the road. In four-door models, the trunk is decentlylarge, with 12.4 cubic feet of space. The front passenger seat folds flat to help carry long cargo.The five-door hatchback will accept up to 42 cubic feet of cargo. Amenities like an iPod, jack,intermittent wipers and side airbags are standard. Overall, the Aveo feels inexpensive, but notcheap.
Once out on the road, it’s a different story. The Aveo offers up a soberingly joyless ride. Thiscontrasts sharply with the relatively fun-to-drive subcompacts from Scion, Honda, Suzuki and, well,just about everybody else. Even a Kia Rio has more joie de vivre than an Aveo. The suspensionconsists of MacPherson struts up front and a torsion beam rear, and its forte is commuting, period.In spite of a body roll-reducing stabilizer bar, the Aveo doesn’t like being rushed. Understeercomes on quickly and without much warning. The rack and pinion steering is at its best in parkinglots and tight spots. This is not a car for closet autocrossers. It’s fine for rolling around townand running errands (while getting up to 37 mpg, by the way). It handles as well as it needs to,but “fun” and spirited driving are not on the menu. The brakes are decent, and anti-lock brakes areavailable. Believe it or not, the Aveo got a five-star frontal crash test rating from NHTSA in 2006.
Power, such as it is, comes from a petite and economical DOHC 1.6 liter four-cylinder. There’snot much car here, so the 103 horsepower is adequate. Electronic throttle control and a variableintake system are used. The Aveo’s engine is not at all refined, though. The engine soundscoarse–clearly fuel economy has taken precedence to everything else, from torque to noisereduction. Going from an older used car into an Aveo, you probably won’t notice, but drive most ofthe competition and the Aveo’s 1.6 pales in comparison. The tradeoff is decent fuel economy. Thestandard five- speed manual shifter is vague and rubbery. A four-speed automatic is also available.
The Aveo is the obviously economical solution to the problem of getting around town, but don’thold that against it. For buyers without a lot to spend and who just have to have a new car, the$10,560 bottom line is an attractive prospect indeed. For that money, you’ll get an economical andwell-built ride that won’t please enthusiasts but still manages to be state of the art–barely.Start piling on the options, however, and the Aveo is a less cheerful prospect. Our tester featuredcruise control, anti-lock brakes, and alloy wheels and stickered for $14,275. At that price point,the Scion xA, Honda Fit and Nissan Versa offer tempting alternatives that provide more refined rideand handling for not very much more.
