Chevrolet Aveo Sedan

dispencer1

Isn't the Elantra Korean? What's the matter with your Elantra's mileage? I'd much prefer an Elantra to an Aveo anyway. I don't think GM is really pushing Aveos - at least not here in NM where they are still selling them for $13,000 or so. For that price I can find much nicer cars like your Elantra. By the way - Camry's gas mileage is nothing to brag about. I've done better in my LeSabres than friends have done in their midsized Camrys.

muffin_man

EPA Mileage Estimates: (City/Highway)
Manual: 27 mpg / 35 mpg Automatic: : 26 mpg / 34 mpg

I don't know if he is manual or automatic, but getting anything close to your posted mileage while driving in Los Angeles is VERY good, no matter what the car.

I think that Japanese cars and their world leading fuel efficiency are overrated. They do _some_ great 4-cylinder engines and of course, the hybrids, but beyond that, I'm not all that impressed.

alpha01

"By the way - Camry's gas mileage is nothing to brag about. I've done better in my LeSabres than friends have done in their midsized Camrys."

So wait, you dont actually drive a Camry but can make claims about MPG? Thats like me saying "I have a friend who has an Impala that gets about 18 MPG. Impala's MPG are bad" Its a comment completely out of context- what are the driving conditions- cty vs. hwy, does my friend have a heavy foot, is the car maintained etc.

Our 2002 Camry LE 4 cyl 4A (rated by EPA at 23/32) consistently delivers an average of between 27 and 28 MPG per tank, in a pretty even (50/50) mix of city (stop and go) and highway. This is actually better than our 2000 Camry 4, which was a good deal slower (that car averaged an mediocre 25 MPG in our hands- perhaps youre referring to the old model?)

In terms of the Aveo, the MPG ratings are pretty terrible. An Accord 5sp manual, with 160 hp and 5-60 times of about THREE seconds faster than the Aveo (by Car and Driver's watch) has THE same EPA fuel economy ratings as the 5 speed Aveo.

The Koreans do indeed lag behind the Americans and Japanese in terms of power and torque to fuel efficiency.

~alpha

dispencer1

You are right - I'm referring to the pre-2002 Camry. A friend and I kept pretty good records to see which car got better mileage. We both tried to maximize gas mileage within reason (we didn't drive 55 on the Interstate, etc). I usually got around 26 or 27 on a mix. His was about 24. No big deal but the LeSabre is a lot bigger. The 3.8 litre engine in the LeSabre gets excellent mileage for a full size car. I'll be selling my 2001 Malibu this year sometime and will get a Solara SLE 4. I don't want a 6 I have to put premium fuel in and I have a Cadillac for the road anyway. I'm looking forward to the Solara. I haven't owned a Toyota since an '82 Celica GT and they keep getting better and better each year.

backy

Nothing is "wrong" with my Elantras' mpg numbers. They are doing just fine compared to the EPA ratings, so I am satisfied. I was just making an observation that overall Korean small cars (including Daewoos, Hyundais, and Kias here) seem to not measure up mpg wise to the best of the Japanese cars, specifically the ECHO, Corolla, and Civic. But they are starting to catch up, e.g. the CVVT engines on the Spectra and Elantra.

dan165

I have seen probably 10 Aveos in the last month or two, mostly hatch backs. They seem to be selling in Canada anyway. My Chevy/Olds dealer probably has 20 on the lot. Small cars are popular in Canada though.

fastdriver

dan165-

With the price of gas getting ridiculously higher and higher here every day, I hope small cars become more popular here too so that we're not stuffing the coffers of the oil GREEDY nations!

Watch the price just before election in the fall and then AFTER the election!

fastdriver

PS Still waiting for my AVEO LS!!

frenchcar

The price of gas goes up in simmer and down in the Fall almost every year for the past 20 years or so. Of course it will go down in the Fall regardless of politiciams or inspite of what they want you to believe. There might be Aveo hatchbacks in Canada but they are rare here in the USA. Dealers cant get many as someone goofed about the demand mix. I know a salesman who has a long list of customers waiting for hatchbacks. Some regions are luckier than others..

brad3

how is the pep in the aveo, i'm not looking for a hot rod but i need something that can pass other cars?does the stereo sound good, and how does the other extras do , like the ac, and does anyone have a sunroof? thanks for any replies

fastdriver

brad3-

Do a GOOGLE search for AVEO and you'll find tons of tests/reviews. If you have a MAC, do a SHERLOCK search. I don't recall reading a bad review yet.

fastdriver

PS If mine ever comes in, I'll have a sunroof. That's what could be holding it up.

dan165

Strange there is such a shortage in the US. Chevy seems to be advertising them heavy here and there is plenty of supply.

fastdriver

dan165-

THAT'S WHY WE CAN'T GET THEM! YOU HAVE THEM ALL! ;-)))

You have some nicer colors too in Canada. Don't know why they couldn't have had a nicer red and more than grey for an interior color.

fastdriver

brad3

i went to the car lot last night and looked at a red hatch ls.i liked the hatch better in person than in pics.my wife said it was ugly, oh well!i didnt get to drive it, the car lot was already closed, but i looked it over and i thought the inside looked very nice for the price range.they didn't have a sedan on the lot.i'll have to wait to test drive one later, but i will probably wait untill the suzuki reno comes out and compare the two. i really like th elooks of the reno, it's another daewoo product!has anyone seen the pics of the reno? oh well i have to go, can't wait to test drive the aveo, they wanted 12,000 for a fully loaded aveo, is that about what they are going for?thanks!

mht_in_la

The main reason I bought Aveo is to take advantage of my hefty GM rebate. Also I like the hatchback styling very much (sedan looks not much different from Echo). I was ready to buy a Pontiac Vibe until Aveo came out. Guess what, Vibe and Aveo are from the same designer and share many similar features. Aveo hatchback has a very unique look. My friends call it mini-minivan. It turns a few heads on the road; seems more girls notice it than guys.

Like I said, my Chevy dealer inventory is out of Aveo and they don't seem to push it anymore. In my local newspaper Los Angeles Times Sunday issue I used to see 5-6 Aveo ads but it's down to just 1 now. Every time I look at the Chevy line-up, I truly feel Aveo doesn't belong there... It's so different from the rest of the Chevy family. Just look at Cavalier, the closest to Aveo, and you know what I mean. The design philosophy and priority are just so different.

mht_in_la

Here's a photo link to my Aveo. Everything is original except the windows are tinted --
http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mht_in_la/album?.dir=/b13a&.- src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com- /mht_in_la

FASTDRIVER -- Good luck to your Aveo. Share some photos with us too ;-)

Brad3 -- You asked about pep and stereo. I don't think Aveo is peppy. But since I drive conservatively I never press hard on the gas. As to stereo, when I switched from my '90 Camry (6 speakers) to Aveo (4 speakers) I definitely felt the difference.

So far I've put 2,300 miles on my Aveo in about 2.5 months.

npaladin2000

"I was ready to buy a Pontiac Vibe until Aveo came out. Guess what, Vibe and Aveo are from the same designer and share many similar features."

Right on the first, wrong on the second. The Vibe is a rebadged Toyota Matrix, designed by Toyota, and built in a co-op GM-Toyota plant (t's actually based on the Corolla). The Aveo is a rebadged Daewoo, designed and built in Korea. Which explains the following statement you made:

"Every time I look at the Chevy line-up, I truly feel Aveo doesn't belong there... It's so different from the rest of the Chevy family."

It's so different because it's designed and produced by a different company, that GM happens to own.

mht_in_la

I'm not talking about engine or chassis here. The styling of both Aveo and Vibe/Matrix are put together by Giugiaro, an Italian design firm. That's why they have very similar dimension, except Aveo is one size smaller. Also they both can fold the backseats flat to create one large trunk space, which is rare in this class of cars. Check my photo link above to see what I mean.

Thanks for pointing out that Aveo is from Daewoo.

iluvmysephia1

on the Pontiac Vibe/Toyota Matrix and the Daewoo Kalos(Chevy Aveo). Both are fresh and appealing new designs. The Aveo sedan looks either like a Ford Focus 4-door sedan or a Geo Metro 4-door sedan or a...Diahatsu 4-door sedan of some sort, know what I mean? The Chevy Aveo hatchback is the best choice IMO for design innovation. Actually, the Aveo has a fairly good list of standard appointments, although from what I understand air conditioning is not standard. Never work here in the Midwest to not have A/C. Chevy should offer air conditioning for free as part of this new 'Chevrolet: An American Revolution' fiasco, huh? Show some seriousness!

fdanna

Nothing is for free, haven't you learned that? They can make it 'STANDARD' equipment, but that just means it will be in the price of the car already.

Anyway, all dealers keep a crappy base model on the lot to draw people in with the low price. Then when someone, like yourself, says, "oh, this doesn't have A/C," they'll say, "well, mr. smith, let me show you this OTHER model here....and it's only XXX more but you get all these neat-o features!"

Welcome to upsell 101.

fastdriver

mht_in_la-

Mmm......I DON'T like this already! THREE TSB's!

 Technical Service Bulletins - Search Results
Report Date : April 27, 2004 at 06:12 PM
TYPE : VEHICLE
YEAR : 2004
MAKE : CHEVROLET
MODEL : AVEO
Make : CHEVROLET Model : AVEO Year : 2004
Service Bulletin Num : 01575 Date of Bulletin: JAN 01, 2004
NHTSA Item Number: 10005436
Component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
Summary:
DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE (DTC) P1781 DIAGNOSTIC IS NOT IN SI YET. POOR FUEL ECONOMY AND/OR HARSH TRANSMISSION SHIFTS. SIT BULLETIN 1413084. *MN

Make : CHEVROLET Model : AVEO Year : 2004
Service Bulletin Num : 01749 Date of Bulletin: JAN 01, 2004
NHTSA Item Number: 10006190
Component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
Summary:
1.6 L91 ENGINE- DTC P0135. *MR

Make : CHEVROLET Model : AVEO Year : 2004
Service Bulletin Num : 030089040 Date of Bulletin: NOV 01, 2003
NHTSA Item Number: 10005540
Component: OTHER
Summary:
NEW FEATURES TO BE REVIEWED DURING THE PRE-DELIVERY INSPECTION (PDI) PROCESS. *TT

fastdriver

fastdriver

Anyone here from near Valencia, CA? I hear that is the port where the AVEOS come in from Korea. I THINK mine is on its way to the dealer in RI, but not sure.

Thanks.

fastdriver

muffin_man

I live about 30 minutes from Valencia - but I've never seen any open water there.

fastdriver

Thanks. Must not be the place then.

fastdriver

backy

Nothing to get excited about. All cars have TSBs. A lot of the TSBs on new models are informational, like the third one posted above. The first two seem to be related, which is common and makes the list of TSBs seem worse than it is. If you're looking for a car without TSBs, good luck finding one.

fastdriver

backy-

LOL... I know ALL about TSB's!! My former car was a 99 CHRYSLER 300M!!! Enough said! Read profile for soap opera! ;-))

fastdriver

mitzij

notice the content of the tsbs:
1. we're working on an update for shift concern.
2. here's the update for that shift concern.
3. make sure the Predelivery inspection includes these particular checks.
Sounds like lemonaid time to me!

Your Acura dropped it's transmission at 24k, but it's lightyears ahead of your Chrysler? It's all a matter of perception.

fastdriver

mitzij-

Could you make your e-mail public in your profile OR e-mail me so that we can continue this discussion. It obviously can't be done here!

Thanks.

fastdriver

fastdriver

Got a VIN on my AVEO and found out that it was built on 3/27 and that it has arrived at some port in CA and is on its way to the East Coast! I think it's coming by mule train! ;-))

MITZIJ- WHERE are you????????????????? Do you just hit and run????

fastdriver

frenchcar

See my post # 2550 under the LOW END SEDANS section. We liked it and compared it to several others. We had a fun time even though it took an accident to make this happen. Wifes car is now repaired. The Aveo has a lot going for it.

iluvmysephia1

now my #1 choice would be an Aveo to just get a test drive of one. Either a hatch(first choice would be the hatchback)or the sedan. I knew after researching about Daewoo's work on the Kalos and the early reports going to Australia reviewers on this car(hatchback reviews were way out ahead of sedan reviews-at least on the Internet car sites)that they had really put the time and research into the car. It really is fully and completely engineered out to be a lastingly good little rig. If I wanted a real small car I would look the closest at a Chevy Aveo hatchback.

fastdriver

NO Aveo yet! It was built on 3/27. It has arrived at the port in CA and been shipped from there, but it has not arrived in RI yet where I bought it! Don't know if it's coming by truck or train.

Should be any day now!

fastdriver

mitzij

Well, I thought I'd made my point on the TSB thing, but I will restate it. 3 TSBs relating to the same issue are not red flags indicating the Aveo is going to be a junker.

You say the Acura is light years ahead of the Chrysler, yet the transmission went out at 24k miles. Anything whose tranny goes out in its infancy it not light years ahead of anything.
'Christine' had $3k work done, the Acura only had $2k. $1k isn't light years.

jchan2

most American cars have a lot more TSBs and Recalls than the Aveo currently has. Just take a look at how many TSBs and Recalls the Ford Focus and Ford Escape had when they first came out.

fastdriver

mitzij -

The hit and run phantom is back! You have NO point!

fastdriver

mitzij

Please read posts 530,, 541, and my posts again. They all say basically the same thing. Two of the three tsbs relate to the same situation. The other is reinforcing the PDI procedure for the PDI guys. This is not something to get excited about. That is the point, if you don't get it, sorry about your luck.

A note to Aveo owners, make sure you keep track of the unlock code for your radio. It will be on a plastic card in the glove box. If your battery is unhooked, or the radio locks up for any reason, you will need this code to unlock it. I've heard that these new radios are a bear to get unlocked without the code.

desertgrj

I own a 2004 Prius and am getting an average 51 - 52 MPH on my daily 67 mile commute here in Phoenix, AZ. That's in 90 - 100+ degree heat. Toyota advertises 51 - 60 mph.

We are looking to get an Aveo hatch as a third car. I'm enjoying these forums.

desertgrj

Sorry about the confusion. My last posting was made in response to this posting

mht_in_la-

Thanks for the update. Mine is STILL not in yet. I have not seen ONE on the road of any kind yet here in So. CT.

backy-

I think that mht_in_la might have gotten better gas mileage if he wasn't going 80! FWIW- the Toyota Prius gas/electric doesn't get the MPG that they advertise.

fastdriver

mht_in_la

mitzij -- yes, Aveo radio comes with a theft-prevention feature that, whenever the battery is disconnected you need a code to re-active it. I have the code in my file.

desertgrj/backy -- yes, during my long trip I cruised at 50-60 fow a while and was able to get about 38 miles per gallon. But on interstate nobody is doing 50-60 so I had to do 80.

Now I have driven my Aveo for about 3 months/3,000 miles. I felt the fuel effenciency has improved a little (maybe my imagination). Now I get about 26 mpg, compared to 25 when I first bought it (all-city commute, no highway). Also I finally saw another Aveo hatchback (blue) on the road. I definetely think my black Aveo looks better than blue, although black cars look dirty easily.

fastdriver

mht_in_la-

Thanks for the update. Mine still hasn't come in yet!! ;-)) Maybe I should wait for the 2005's!!! ;-))

fastdriver

fastdriver

mht_in_la-

I got a call today that the AVEO is in!! Not bad- FOUR months!! Talk about a SLOW boat from China. I guess they're SLOW coming from Korea too! I never waited so long for a car or wanted one so quickly with these ridiculous rising gas prices!

Now, I just have to find the time to get to RI to pick it up. Have new computer furniture coming tomorrow for this "computer" room here. Then, on Friday, other people are coming to assemble it. Maybe Saturday I can get to RI and then get it registered back here in CT?

Will report back on the 90 mile ride back to CT whenever I get it. I STILL have not seen ONE on the roads around here. I see the same ones sitting in the local Chevy dealer's lot. None with sunroofs either.

Stay tuned.

fastdriver

frenchcar

I have seen a few sedans here and rented one for a day and the dealer let us drive a silver hatchback when he finally got one in. It was an LS with alloys and a sunroof. Neat car and Im sure your going to love it. The one I rented was fully broken in and ran good but had an annoying squeak that Im sure I could have tracked down if I had had time. The rental manager said they had bought Aveos back in Nov-Dec and they have been trouble free and they have been impressed. Anxious to hear your comments after a month or so. I understand there is a long delay if you hold out for a sunroof. The rental also had ABS and I must admit the brakes felt much better with the ABS whereas with many cars you dont feel much difference except in panic stops.

chrisducati

locally all the sedans I have seen on the road were rentals... Enterprise... The dealer around the corner from my home had two sedans and about ten Hatches at the first of May. All the hatches are gone now. he still has the two sedans.

muffin_man

Any owners want to check in with an update, I love to hear about these cars.

jchan2

had several Aveos. Saw one in front of Wal Mart a few days ago with the Enterprise sticker. Looked sharp in white, although I would have preferred red, blue or silver.

fastdriver

if I can still move! :-) Got all new computer furniture today and spent all day putting things back in order. Right now every bone in my body aches. Got everything plugged back in and found that everything works! ;-))

Going to RI tomorrow to pick up the car. Ordered a new watertight license plate frame that arrived today and the 3M clear plastic headlight covers to keep the lens clean and chip free. Seems pretty easy to do. However, that will have to wait until I give it the full Zaino treatment. I'm a little sad that the shine won't be as dramatic as it is on my red Acura, but I know it will still look great!

I also bought some ScotchGard for the seats and carpets. As for any other accessories, I'll wait to see what's available. I think the LS has mudguards. I'm still not sure about the foglights.

If I have any energy left tomorrow night, I'll give you my first impressions of the 90 miles drive back to CT. It looks like the drive might be in the rain! ;-((

Stay tuned. Pictures to follow for sure on Sunday!

fastdriver

iluvmysephia1

chose for your Aveo, OK? Congrats ahead of time to you! I still do double takes every time I see a Chevrolet Aveo on the road somewhere. The Geo Metro did not have the same effect on me, yet Ford's Festiva did leave a lastingly good effect on me. Easy to understand, because the Ford Festiva is a Kia-made product. The South Koreans do the small cars the best and the Aveo is, yes, essentially a Daewoo product. Yep, Daewoo was a South Korean car company. You don't see an American car maker putting out anything like the Aveo, do you?

Be sure and keep us abreast of how you're digging your Aveo, fastdriver. New car smells to ya!

fastdriver

iluvmysephia1-

Getting the Galaxy Silver Metallic because it's the only color that appealed to me on the sedan. Going to get it in a few hours.

Very foggy here in CT as well as I-95 to RI. Rain expected later today. Maybe I'll be back in time to get it in the garage and leave the Acura outside! ;-)) What the heck. That lease is up in 4 months, so it can spend some time outside now.

Be back here later, maybe with some pics!

fastdriver

fastdriver

Well, I got it and I love it! First off, nevermind the comparisons to the 94 Toyota Corolla that it's replacing. Let me just make two observations to my FORMER 1999 Motor Trend Car of the Year- Chrysler 300M. This car has NO road noise AND it goes STRAIGHT down the highway- not affected by the "crown" in the road like many Chrysler products seem to have like their current "flagship" 2005 300C!! LOL.......

This was my first drive with an AVEO. It's comfortable, quiet, roomy and VERY zippy. I varied the speed coming home on I-95, but there were times that I was going 75 and didn't even realize it. It certainly has no trouble keeping up with highway speeds.

The seats are very comfortable and adjustable. It is a very deceiving car. On the outside, it looks small, but is very roomy on the inside. I did stop in a rest area to take some pics on the way home. I'll put the URL at the end of this.

It doesn't have fog lights like I thought it was going to have. I haven't had time to go and check where I read this. It might even have been here in Edmunds new car write up. Forgot to see if it had mud guards. I'll check tomorrow.

It has no glovebox light($$), but it does have a trunk light- I think. Forgot to check tonight. Haven't had a car with the gas tank on the passenger side in a long time. Will have to get used to that.

I like the light, easy steering. I hate hard power steering. There is plenty of headroom even with the sunroof! I like the one key with the lock/unlock buttons right on the key instead of a separate key fob.

Sort of weird to have ONE power outside mirror and one manual one, but how often do you adjust them anyway? It's nothing to reach for the control for the driver's mirror.

I like the tilt wheel. Even all the way down, it does not obstruct the gauges. Although I suppose that would depend on how tall you are.

I like the shifter set-up with the chrome and black trim.

That's about it for now. After I read the owner's manual, I'm sure I'll learn a lot more. I haven't even opened the hood yet. I rarely do anyway, so that doesn't surprise me.

Oh the radio- sounds great to me. I like the equalizer. I'll have to burn some CD's from my iTunes songs that I've purchased from Apple and see how well the MP3 works.

Here's the pics for now. Hope this works.

http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/ramrod2@snet.net/album?.tok=phZS- rJBB4t7WapDJ&.dir=/4373&.src=ph

fastdriver

lngtonge18

I like the nicely styled interior, especially the design details, like the chrome around the shifter, the black marble look on the door grips and power window switches, and the macaroni shaped cloth inserts. I did notice that there was no armrest between the seats, a terrible oversight! I hope one is available as an accessory. The front cupholders also seem a bit flimsy. Otherwise, it looks like the Aveo is a neat little car!

iluvmysephia1

is an oversight of slightly immense proportions! The sedan looks really nicely done, though, I even like the rounded dash enclosing the speedo and gas guage! The interior does have a spacious look to it. I also like the metallic color of the exterior and I think Daewoo did a great job of styling this little varmint as well. BTW-my wife saw on the news that silver is the safest color on the road as far as accidents go according to studies. It is noticed and avoided the best among all colors. Cool for you fastdriver! I really like the headlight clusters on this car and, for a small sedan, the taillights should not stand out as obnoxious, they should just contain the necessary marking lights and house the brake lights, etc., basically just get the job done and not look awkward. With this squared-off shape to the sedan, I think the designers for Daewoo(was it the Italian design group, Pinanfarini, doing the body design? For the hatchback I believe it was them, not sure about the sedan, probably the same group)did a great job. Like I say, this is a small car lover's hay-day, this little Aveo. If we weren't digging the sittin'up higher effect of the Sportage I would be interested in the Aveo for purchase, yes I would!