2004 Chevrolet Aveo LS 1.8
Summary:
The Aveo is the best bang for your buck in the small car market!
Faults:
At 4400 miles, nothing has gone wrong with the car.
I wish the Aveo came with an armrest and cruise control.
I would like to see bigger wheels on the 2006.
General Comments:
The car has been fantastic. It was a NEW 2004 that I purchased in 2005. I got it new for $8050.
The gas mileage is great, without the cost of a hybrid.
Zippy handling and good acceleration for its size and wheel base.
BIG roomy cabin with lots of head and leg room.
It comes with a CD/MP3 player!
Rear seats fold flat so you have lots of room for your stuff!
Good looking car compared to competitors Hyundai and KIA.
Yes, the Scion, Echo and Mini are nicer, but I didn't think they were worth the $6000 more I would have to pay for them!
The Focus is a bit bigger and more powerful, but still does not make up for the price gap of several thousand bucks.
Go! GO! Aveo!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 2nd September, 2005
21st Jan 2006, 17:22
I don't understand the nature of your comment.
I've never measured the actual gas mileage of my Aveo, but I hardly ever fill it up.
But the fact is it is 103 hp pulling very lightweight, so it's not like an SUV. But it's not going to average 40+ mpg like a Prius.
9th Apr 2006, 19:06
Depends on who's driving, but I'd peg the Aveo's real combined mileage at somewhere around 32 mpg. Not off the chain (and not something to sneeze at), but then again Korean engineers aren't Japanese engineers. For the technical specs this car offers, it should get somewhere around 34 city, 40 highway.
10th Apr 2006, 10:17
My Aveo is listed at 27/34 according to the window sticker, so a 40+ mpg is unlikely.
I don't think it's so much Korean engineers as to what type of engine the car has. It is a primitive engine with less electronics than competitors from Toyota and Honda. But that's fine since the car is primitive to begin with, and I only paid $6995 NEW for it, a price you couldn't even touch a Kia for around here.
40+ mpg could (and is) being achieved in nonAmerican markets, but that's because the engine is smaller and has less horsepower.
But I didn't buy the car for mileage alone. I bought it for its seemingly unique combination of fun, speed, small size, and room inside (it can hold four comfortably for most trips). I am hoping reliability will be added to that list, but only time will tell.
And my previous Ford Festiva (a fantastic car in its own right) couldn't do 85 on the highway like I did yesterday.
10th Apr 2006, 17:14
I honestly don't think there's any less electronics in a modern Korean engine vs. a Japanese engine. Japanese engineers just have a leg up and do it better.
10th Apr 2006, 18:31
Sorry to disappoint you, but that is simply not the case. The Aveo uses an old engine design that is not on par with modern Civics and Corollas.
Automakers do this all the time, keeping older engine designs and putting them in new models.
21st Jan 2006, 00:47
Hmmm... Just what is the 'Great gas mileage' of the average Aveo? No review I have found seems to offer any realistic numbers and this review is more of the same!