Review Summary
The Chevrolet Aveo offers a lot of car at a bargain price. The model is a big step forward from the Daewoo it replaced when Chevy took control of the company.
Chevrolet Aveo Car Review
The Chevrolet Aveo comes in three and five-door versions. The car has a front grille that’s impossible to miss due to its bold, eye-catching design. The rear end doesn’t let the side down and the exterior ticks the boxes when it comes to modern styling. The interior offers fixtures and fittings that are a great improvement on what went before. For driver and passengers it means the Aveo is a pleasant place to spend a journey. The price-tag adds to the feelgood factor, especially as there is no shortage of equipment included. Chevrolet offers a choice of two decent fuel efficient engines with the Aveo and the car drives competently. This Chevy is a pretty refined animal that keeps most outside irritants like engine and wind noise away from the car’s occupants. However, some road and suspension noise does creep into the cabin.
Practicality
The Chevrolet Aveo isn’t the biggest of cars being approximately four metres long, but it does provide a surprising amount of room for four adults. The five-door version is obviously the choice for a family, but that said you don’t have to be a contortionist to get into the back of the three-door model. The space in the cabin does have a cost though – and it is the reduction of luggage room in the boot. This problem can be alleviated by folding down some or all of the split rear seat to raise the load capacity from 220 to 980 litres, but then some of your passengers will have to take the bus. The Aveo is offered with two petrol power units – an 83bhp 1.2-litre and a 98bhp 1.4-litre. The less powerful engine is a competent performer, while the 1.4-litre engine has to be revved quite hard to obtain a decent level of performance. That said, it is the better engine for long journeys on the motorway and it is available with a four-speed automatic gearbox, which is handy for the stop-start of driving in town.
Life Style
When Chevrolet took over Daewoo and re-branded the model line-up it was taking a huge gamble – but if the example of the Aveo is anything to go buy it looks like being a success as this supermini should appeal to a variety of potential buyers from families looking for a cheap second car to a newly qualified driver looking for his or her first motor. The Aveo is smooth if unexciting to drive. The emphasis here is on comfort rather than sharp handling characteristics. The suspension deals with the humps and bumps of the nation’s roads without complaint, but don’t expect to take corners like Lewis Hamilton as the Aveo’s tall body and vague steering mean the car finds it tough to handle sharp changes of direction. As far as the environment is concerned all Aveos are capable of relatively low carbon dioxide emissions, apart from the automatic version, which produces 152g/km of CO2.
Security and Safety
Chevrolet have fitted all Aveos with four airbags and anti-lock brakes, but in a car costing less that £8,000 the latest safety features have been left out. Much the same is true when it comes to security as the Aveo is fitted with an immobiliser but little else.
The Finishing Touches
The Aveo is well kitted out with items like radio/CD player, trip computer, 15-inch alloy wheels, air conditioning, electric front and rear windows and heated door mirrors available on the mid spec LS model.
