|
The Chevrolet Aveo offers interior comfort and clever flexibility. It is the perfect spacious hatchback for the busy driver, handling everything that life throws your way.
The Chevrolet Aveo 5-door combines sleek lines and smooth curves and practicality. Carry passengers with ease in this easy-load 5-door hatchback. Families with kids will especially appreciate the easy-access rear seats.
The Chevrolet Aveo – the small car that's big on value!
- New Aveo on sale now, replacing Kalos
- Fuel consumption and CO2 emissions reduced
- Stylish looks and upmarket interior
- Built Europe from 2008
It may be small, but Chevrolet's new Aveo is big on value, big on style and big on quality.
The newcomer replaces the Kalos in the Chevrolet line-up and was initially available as a five-door hatchback, with the three-door model joining the range later in the summer.
Styled to reflect the bold new face of Chevrolet, the new model features distinctive frontal styling and a cabin that exhibits levels of quality never before seen in a Chevrolet supermini.
The handsome looks are coupled to a new range of petrol engines that are both more powerful, more efficient and better for the environment that those of their predecessor. The two units are a 1.2-litre 84PS powerplant and a 1.4-litre 100PS engine, the latter of which is offered with an optional four-speed automatic gearbox.
Both engines offer huge improvements in efficiency, with fuel consumption improved by up to 17 per cent compared to the Kalos, and CO2 emissions reduced by up to 15 per cent.
Models equipped with the 1.2-litre engine benefit from a combined fuel economy figure of 51.4mpg, better than many diesel units, and CO2 emissions of 132g/km. The 1.4-litre model has a combined fuel economy figure of 47.9mpg and a CO2 output of 140g/km.
As one of Chevrolet's most popular models globally, the Aveo will be sold in a total of over 130 countries, including Australia, New Zealand and the USA as well as various European markets. Its predecessor, the Kalos, sold over 440,000 units across Europe between 2002 and 2008.
As a result of the car's European popularity, Chevrolet has decided to manufacture the Kalos in a new production facility in Poland from summer 2008. The plant in Warsaw will cater for most of the European production of Aveo three and five-door models, including right-hand-drive markets such as the UK.
Three trim levels will be on offer, all of them offering impressive specification for the price. Badged S, LS and LT, all models will come with remote central locking, electric front windows, a CD player and a split-folding rear seat as standard, while all but the entry-level S come with air conditioning.
To mark the Aveo's dynamic new look, a range of vibrant new colours are also on offer, while the well-trimmed cabin will further broaden its appeal among younger buyers, or families who want a high value, dependable second car.
Prices start at £7,695 for the 1.2S three-door, rising to £10,645 for the luxuriously-appointed five-door 1.4LT automatic.
Safety
Chevrolet takes the safety of its customers seriously, and as such the Aveo was designed with both primary and secondary safety measures at the forefront of the car's engineering programme.
The car's body structure is incredibly rigid, with high strength steel in the B-pillars and three clearly designed load paths to help absorb crash forces in the event of a frontal impact.
The strong bodyshell contributes to the car's handling ability. A modern suspension layout, featuring Macpherson strut suspension at the front and a torsion beam layout at the back makes for surefooted, predictable roadholding – the wide track and long wheelbase giving a level of stability and ride comfort you'd expect from a larger car.
This safe and agile handling package is backed up by 236mm ventilated front disc brakes, with 200mm drums at the rear. The braking system uses a four-channel ABS set-up with electronic brakeforce distribution, further enhancing active safety.
Additional protection features include front driver's and passenger's airbags, plus side airbags as standard across the range – even on the entry-level car. What's more, the passenger airbag can be manually deactivated to allow for the installation of a rear-facing baby seat. ISOFIX mountings are provided on the car's two outermost rear seats, with a top tether facility for added peace of mind.
Driver comfort is also a significant contributor to safety, and Aveo's newly-designed seats are larger and more supportive than those in the outgoing Kalos.
Engines and Transmissions
Two new petrol engines are on offer in the Aveo, both offering significant fuel consumption and emissions reductions over the outgoing Kalos.
The entry-level unit is a 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine developing a surprisingly potent output of 84PS at 6,000rpm and 114Nm of torque at 3,800rpm. With a twin cam head and 16 valves, the unit has a modern layout and benefits from a feature known as a Port Deactivation System (PDA) to improve both fuel economy and emissions.
The system works by using moveable flaps in the engine's intake ports, which alter the turbulence of the flow in the combustion chambers and as such improve the induction process for optimal combustion of the engine's fuel/air mixture.
In a partial-load situation, one of the two intake ports of each cylinder remains closed so the air now only flows through a swirl duct, considerably increasing flow velocity. In the combustion chamber, an intensive swirl of turbulence is generated which allows the engine to operate at a lower consumption rate by returning up to 30 per cent of its exhaust gases. Under full load, however, the throttle device is fully opened for the engine to deliver optimum power and torque. By adapting the charge flow to the respective needs of the engine's operation, the powerplant can function to the best of its efficiency at all times.
The unit delivers peppy acceleration, with 0-60mph possible in 12.8 seconds and a top speed of 106mph. It emits 132g/km of CO2, putting it in VED road tax band C, and returns up to 61.4mpg on the extra-urban cycle. Urban mpg is 39.2, giving a combined fuel economy figure of 51.4mpg.
The 1.2 engine is mated to a five-speed manual gearbox, and is available in S and LS trim levels, and in both three and five-door bodyshells.
For those seeking more power there's also a 1.4-litre powerplant developing 100PS at 6,400rpm and 131Nm of torque at 4,200rpm.
Technical features of the 1.4-litre unit include a variable switch intake manifold that ensures particularly high air throughput and high torque at low engine speeds. The engine also features an innovation known as DCVP, which stands for Double Continuous Variable Cam Phasing, which manages the operation of the engine's 16 valves. With the system's help, the valves always open and close at the most favourable point in any situation, significantly improving the gas exchange in the cylinders, thereby reducing energy losses.
Despite the increased power output and larger capacity, the 1.4-litre engine is still incredibly economical, returning 60.1mpg on the urban cycle, 35.8mpg urban and 47.9mpg combined. With a five-speed manual gearbox, it puts out 140g/km of CO2 meaning it falls into VED band C.
The 1.4-litre engine is only available in the 5-door Aveo LT, and is offered with the option of an advanced four-speed automatic gearbox. With the two-pedal transmission, it returns up to 55.4mpg on the extra-urban cycle, 32.8mpg in urban conditions and has a combined fuel economy figure of 44.1mpg, along with CO2 emissions of 152g/km, putting it into VED band D.
Value and equipment
Since its introduction to the UK in 2005, the Chevrolet brand has built up an enviable reputation for offering incredible value for money, and the Aveo is no exception.
Indeed, it builds further on this thanks to a comprehensive range of standard equipment across the range, with even the entry-level car exhibiting a level of specification that you'd be forgiven for thinking belonged to a much more expensive car.
Priced at £7,695 for the three door or £8,245 for the five-door, the Aveo 1.2S comes with front and side airbags, electric front windows, remote central locking, a 60:40 split-folding rear seat, CD Player with MP3 capability, a tilt-adjustable steering column and immobiliser. A version of the 3-dr is offered with air conditioning for £400 extra.
Offered as a five-door only, the 1.2LS adds standard air conditioning, electric rear windows, electrically-adjustable heated door mirrors, body coloured door handles and mirrors, 15-inch wheels, a trip computer and a height-adjustable driver's seat. That's a huge amount of standard equipment for only £8,845 on-the-road.
Finally, the range-topping 1.4LT, as well as the obvious benefit of a more powerful engine, gets 15-inch alloy wheels, front fog lamps, a rear roof spoiler, leather-covered steering wheel, remote audio controls and smart metallic-effect interior detailing to give the car a sportier theme. The 1.4LT is priced at £9,545 with a five-speed manual gearbox, or £10,645 with a four-speed automatic.
All Aveos come with a three-year, 60,000-mile comprehensive warranty, while service intervals are set at 12 months or 10,000 miles, whichever is sooner. Fixed price servicing packages will be offered by retailers.
| 
