Posted 08.10.2009

Executive Wheels: 2009 Chevrolet Aveo5 2LT

By Jeff Rundles

Finally, a worthy subcompact competitor from Chevy

I’ve really been in a “green” car mood the last couple of years, and I have been very impressed with many of the subcompacts out there on the market. The Toyota Yaris, the Honda Fit, the Nissan Versa, the Kia Rio, Hyundai Accent, and especially the Suzuki SX4 Crossover, are all excellent automobiles, with a much larger feel than they appear, great in the snow, and way above average gas mileage. So I was really looking forward to getting my hands on a Chevrolet Aveo as I wanted to see how far GM has come in direct competition in this now-suddenly hot car category.

2010 Chevrolet Aveo5 2LT

The subcompact market for years has been a kind of step-child in the industry, what with the American public’s predilection for everything large. If you travel to Europe, as I have, you can see first-hand whole countries (in my case Italy) which have embraced the subcompact, with a wide variety of offerings, basic to luxury. Of course, over there they don’t seem like subcompacts because you don’t get the juxtaposition with larger vehicles – in Italy, a VW Jetta looks like a limousine.

So for years and years, subcompacts on these shores, particularly those offered by the traditional American nameplates, all seemed to have one driving concept in common: they were cheap. I think back to the likes of the Geo Metro (a GM model) or the Ford Fiesta and remember them being – brand new, mind you – simply awful. Then there were cars like the Suzuki X90 that should have been banned; simply awful would have been charitable.

But a few years ago you began to see a few really top-notch subcompacts hit the market – the aforementioned models – and for the first time the “cheap” end of the car market – very small, under $15k – started to have some cache. Smart design, wonderful handling and performance, quiet rides – these were new concepts for a nearly overlooked portion of the market. I remember driving a Honda Fit for the first time over the Christmas holiday a couple of years ago, during that horrendous snow storm, and I was worried at the time that I would have to suffer with a cheap, tinny little lawn mower under harsh conditions. I was wrong. The Fit was solid, a pleasure to drive, great in the snow and I was impressed, very impressed. Subsequently, I drove the Yaris and the Versa and the SX4 and I came away with similar impressions. Wow, I thought, finally the car business in America is going European: small, elegant cars. But just a couple of years ago I also remember fielding jeers and strange looks from typical American car owners because I was driving around in one of those cheap, small cars.

Times change. Now these subcompacts are hot; it’s not Europe, yet, but in a short period of time you see many more of these models on the road, and the jeers from the other drives have turned into requests for gas mileage information. Incidentally, a couple of subcompacts, the Toyota Prius (a hybrid) and the Honda Fit are in the Top 10, #4 and #9, respectively, for cars being purchased under the currently white-hot Cash For Clunkers program.

In spite of all this, to be honest I had relatively low expectations for the Chevy Aveo, having been severely disappointed by GM in general, and GM’s subcompacts in particular over the years. So to say I was pleasantly surprised by my test drive would be putting it mildly. The Chevy Aveo is a very nice car, and a worthy competitor overall to the Japanese/Korean nameplates, all of which have vastly more experience in this market segment. (I got a 2009 model which is the same as the 2010).

But doing a little research gave me a clue of why, perhaps, GM nailed it this time. Many of you may remember a line of Korean cars that came to the U.S. in the early 1990s called Daewoo that made a short splash and then virtually disappeared. The company foundered mightily here and abroad and was shut down by the Korean government in 1999, with its passenger vehicle division being sold off to none other than General Motors. The Aveo is a Daewoo, first the T200 and now the T250. This branch of GM sells small passenger cars in many markets throughout the world and so, I assume, that is what leads to the overall quality of the Aveo. It has also been marketed here as a Pontiac Wave or a G3 Wave, but, of course, Pontiac is going bye-bye in the GM crisis. GM apparently also marketed the same car in Canada as a Suzuki Swift. The Aveo nameplate in the U.S. made its debut with the 2004 model year.

There are actually two types of Aveos, and I think this is one of GM’s problems: two many trims per model. There is a regular Aveo, a four-door sedan, with three trims – the LS, the LT and the 2LT – and what they call the Aveo5, also with three trims with the same names. I drove the Aveo5, so named because, I guess, the company refers to it as a 5-passenger wagon. I haven’t inspected the regular Aveo, but they look to be in all important respects the same car. Suzuki does the same thing with the SX4 – there’s a sedan and what they call a “crossover.” It seems to me a lot of extra effort has to go into marketing virtually the same car with two different nameplates; car companies used to just market the more-boxy one as the hatch-back and leave it at that. I think Chevy should do that, and cut out the clutter.

As I mentioned, I was immediately impressed with the Aveo. I had the 2LT, top of the line, and my test-drive model was pretty decked out. It was quite beautiful looking inside, what with some attractive wood-like trim around the dash and on the doors. Standard on the 2LT model is a driver information center (outside temp., real-time fuel economy/driving range), power windows and locks, a stereo AM/FM with CD and MP3 playback and auxiliary input jack, XM satellite radio (3 months free service), fog lamps, heated outside mirrors, and 15-inch wheels (I recommend the upgrade to 15-inches from the standard 14 inches.

Just like in the other subcompacts mentioned, when you’re behind the wheel in the Aveo5 you had the distinct impression that you’re driving something quite a bit larger, like a Jetta or something. In the old, cheap versions of the cars, you felt as though your face was pressed into the windshield, and that perhaps you were in a motorized packing crate. The Aveo, however, feels larger behind the wheel, and drives beautifully.

All models of the Aveo are powered by a 1.6-liter I 4 engine with 108 hp, a peppy little powerplant that is also fairly economical – 27 mpg city/34 highway. I drove this thing all over and was amazed that the gas gauge barely moved. The Aveo also handled well, negotiating traffic in the city and on the highway with ease. It featured a 4-speed automatic transmission and I found the whole combination more than adequate in most driving conditions, although it did struggle a bit going up the mountain on I-70, lurching between gears to keep up. Nothing outrageous, but a little engine needs to work harder sometimes. I will say that I found the Honda Fit, the Toyota Yaris and the Suzuki SX4 a little more powerful.

As a commuter car, one that you might have to go back and forth to work in the city, I found the Aveo to be quite a find. It is, as I said, very pleasant to drive, it is quiet inside and had a very nice stereo, and to be honest it is fun to drive.

The base price of the base Aveo is $11,965, a very competitive price. On this 2LT the base rises to $15,365, which is on the ballpark competitively. However, on my test-drive model they added the auto transmission for $925, anti-lock brakes for $440, leatherette seats and leather-wrapped steering wheel for $375, and the bigger wheels for $350. Add $660 for destination charges, and the bottom line is $18,115.

I really liked the Aveo. I was pleasantly surprised – it seems to be of very high quality and, overall, it stacks up nicely vis a vis the competition. But… For $18k I can get a similarly equipped Suzuki SX4 Crossover with All Wheel Drive, and I have said on many occasions that I think the Suzuki is the finest small car on the market. I must also say that when you start to push the price, regardless of options, over $15k, the competition come out ahead: I’d rather have the Suzuki or the Fit.

At the low end, around $11k, I think the Chevy Aveo is a top choice – you don’t get some of the extra niceties, but the stuff that matters is the same (except for the larger wheels; I’d spring for them).

I have really been in an economical mood, and I would love to see the Americans regain some market share – but they have to earn it. The Aveo proves they are almost there. If you are considering a subcompact, you would be well served to check out your local Chevrolet dealer; you might select something else in the category, but the Aveo will be, at the very least, among your finalists.

RATING: THREE WHEELS (OUT OF FOUR)

Last updated on Nov 09, 2009 at 10:33 AM