New CHEVROLET AVEO review at a glance:
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Advantages: Affordable, no, REALLY affordable, about as difficult to operate as a hairdryer, surprisingly reliable given its humbling Daewoo roots, credit crunch-mocking running costs, Tardis-like interior, fuel-sipping engines

Disadvantages: Just don’t crash it. You’ve been warned, engines couldn’t crack a walnut, about as stirring as a Genesis comeback tour announcement, shortsightedly no diesel variant, more or less the pensionable Kalos in slightly different clothes, scary depreciation

Summary: If you’re the sort of individual, sorry, person who believes that familiarity doesn’t breed contempt, then the new Chevrolet Aveo could be just the ticket. But for those of you who go about your daily grind just like you did yesterday and the day before that you may want to stop for a minute and consider why you’re living out your own Groundhog Day. Over and over. Which begins and ends with the uninspiring Kalos. Sadly by ‘replacing’ it with the Aveo wont solve the problem.

That’s not to say that the compact Aveo won’t deliver for you – and legions of pizza parlours – but by and large it’s just a case of the same old. Admittedly the ride quality is bettered and the flimsily-attached trim from the Kalos seems to have found further screws by the time it’s reached the Aveo, all thanks to the Chevrolet design team seemingly communicating their ideas to one another. The power plants are frugal beyond belief and it costs next to nothing to live with, yet the complete package just appears to lack those certain something’s – like dynamics, punchy engines or leftfield choice - that mark the Aveo’s accomplished supermini peers out.

However if your motoring budget cant be stretched then the Chevrolet represents value for money you simply can’t better in the new car market and if you view the Aveo as a face-lifted Kalos rather than a comprehensively new model then you wont be disappointed.



New CHEVROLET AVEO Review:
Struggling to keep up with its competitors before it’s even launched properly, the little Chevy with the even more diminutive power plants will find life – as will its owners – something of an uphill challenge from day one. It’s not that the Kalos should have been a difficult act to follow, some inspiring paper-folding and dropping in a motor that wasn’t originally designed for a men’s electric shaver would have given it a fair start in its automotive life.

But at the end of the day it’s horses for courses, and if needs must then you just can’t argue with the sense that the new Aveo makes if you overlook what is for the most part, superficial concerns.

The new Aveo appears with two petrol engines to frighten the unwitting; a woefully inept 83bhp 1.2-litre that’ll put the fear of God into its driver as it attempts to overtake even the most inanimate of road-littering objects, and a wholly forgettable 99bhp 1.4-litre that does nothing to correct the injustice. Although more competent a performer, the later is bogged down by excessively lengthy gear change ratios which hurts both the driver and the car’s efficiency, economy and relative refinement around town, yet at motorway speeds are less of an issue.

The shock news is that there are no diesels though. Something of an oversight on the part of the manufacturer as the faint smell of DERV would have tempted a greater slice of the demographic.

The new Chevrolet Aveo’s specifications for the UK market are three-fold; the S, LS and LT and the model comes with either three or five-doors.

A little longer and roomier than the Kalos, the Aveo’s DNA is suspiciously similar when stripped back. A ‘revised’ dollop of Chevy front end does little to disguise its Daewoo formative years as we’ve already established, however if they’d played around with the fundamental feel and feedback it might have helped the cause. Sloppy steering responses, an ungainly, elevated body shape and blamange-like suspension don’t send out the right signals when considering the merits of the Hyundai Getz, Vauxhall Corsa and impressive Suzuki Swift.

Outside noise intrusion is pegged back even when the accelerator pedal is given some welly, while the wind acoustics never penetrate the cabin to any great effect.

Tough and durable is a description that normally precedes an AA battery, so finding it in the same sentence as a car might unsettle the uninitiated. The Daewoo which went before, though surprising had a record for reliability that stood up to a harsh light. So don’t be shocked if the Aveo survives the passing of time, speed humps and road kill.

All Aveos comprise of four airbags and ABS, although countless re-reading of the manual won’t throw up any further safety and security clues. Or evidence of the latest accident avoidance features flaunted by supermini rivals.

Although not the most premium feeling of cabins, the Aveo is upmarket compared to the out-going Kalos, utilizing a far better grade of cheap plastic. And it’s pieced together with more confidence at the same time as hinted earlier. But for all that the driving position is limited, the buttons, switches and levers stuck in the 1990s and the general cabin ambience bereft of any creativity.

Equipment runs to power steering, electric front windows, MP3-compatible CD player and 14” steel wheels on the base ‘S’ model, with air-con, trip computer, electrically operated rear windows, child proof locks and electric and heated door mirrors added to the LS version. The LT gets 15” alloys, a rear spoiler, front fogs and a leather steering wheel complete with audio controls. The underlying fact that the Aveo is pretty lo-fi compared to everything else in the supermini class means that it’s less likely to fly into a byte rage though.

The Aveo is easy enough to park and offers enough room for five or six shopping bags and four occupants and comes with a three-year or 60,000 mile warranty from the off.

The Chevrolet Aveo’s saving grace will be its price, getting things underway from £7,695 for the 1.2-litre S three-door, the plucky supermini comes in five-door versions from £8,245. Although some may point out that it equates to £500 more than the Kalos which takes the shine off the deal, yet if you offset this with long-term running costs then it’s easier to digest.

Especially when bearing in mind the new Aveo’s green credentials. The entry-level 1.2-litre engine produces just 132g/km of CO2 and boasts fuel economy of 52mpg on average, which despite its failings in other departments stack up in its favour where it matters most. In your wallet. With road tax for 12 months varying between £120 - £145 the new Chevrolet Aveo certainly isn’t all bad news.