- sedan 85,456
- 3,995 overpriced
- Buda, TX
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- autoshopper.com
2004 chevrolet aveo review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. It's based on a globally popular model called the kalos built by korean carmaker daewoo. New to chevrolet's 2004 lineup, the aveo will complement the upcoming chevy cobalt, a premium small car planned to replace the cavalier. aveo uses a proven gm 1. 6-liter double-overhead-camshaft engine and comes standard with a five-speed gearbox. It's out to challenge the toyota echo, scion xa, kia rio, and hyundai accent. The aveo looks good, particularly the sedan, and the body panels fit well. It delivers zippy performance, sharp steering and a decent ride. It's available in three trim levels: special value, base and ls. They all use the 103-horsepower inline-4 engine with a standard five-speed gearbox. least expensive is the special value model 9,455), which comes standard with single-stage airbags, halogen headlamps, ventilated front disc brakes, child safety seat system, folding sideview mirrors, tinted glass, tilt steering wheel, 60/40 split folding rear seat, am/fm stereo, two-speed intermittent variable wipers, rear window defogger and, on the five-door, a wiper/washer on the liftgate window. Fog lights are standard on the five-door base and ls models. aveo comes in eight lively colors, including yellow and bright blue. A stereo with cd and mp3 players is available for base models 300) and late-2004 ls models offer a six-speaker premium sound system and power sunroof. Appearance packages include fog lights, alloy wheels, and a spoiler for the five-door. the body structure is designed to provide as much crash protection to occupants as possible. The cabin is built like a steel cage, with steel members running vertically from the door hinge up the a pillars to the roofline, then back to reinforced b- and c-pillars, and down to the rocker panels. And it shows, especially in the smooth sedan, which is better looking than the hyundai accent or rio. The sedan and five-door have the same wheelbase, but the sedan is 14 inches longer, and with that extra length to work with, giugiaro made the car look real, and not so much like a toy. the nose is nice: simple and clean with tidy shapes. The headlights are horizontal and nicely rounded at the corners, with long thin turn signals like amber underlines. There's a little smiley-face grille, inconspicuous in black mesh, with a tidy chevy bowtie symbol in the center. Both front and rear bumpers are body colored and part of the shape of the car. as sleek little hatchbacks go, the aveo five-door isn't quite as good looking as toyota's scion xa, but it holds its own. The taillights especially, chunky and efficient, have a nice physical edge to them. The roofline is rounded, sloping back to meet the optional spoiler over the liftgate. There are character lines running back from the front wheelwell to the rear, which may or may not add character. The seats offer a solid fit and are quite comfortable, with high-density foam under the ls's deluxe cloth in a tweedy pattern. The instrument panel is simple, while still presenting the important information in big gauges: speedo, tach, fuel and coolant temp. There's some silly pseudo carbon fiber in the door handles, and the golfball grain on the dash looks rough; but cadillacs have it too. There are a number of thoughtful slots and pockets for storing things, including a lighted glovebox. We drove it on a hot texas day, and the air conditioning was excellent. The big round old-fashioned black gearshift knob with black boot was simple and appropriate for the no-frills aveo. we crawled in the back seat and discovered lots of room back there, as well as good visibility given the stadium seating, with elevated seats which are possible thanks to a high roof. The rear seat of the sedan folds flat and opens up to the trunk, while the rear seat of the five-door further flips forward with the touch of one finger, yielding a relatively cavernous cargo area. minimizing wind, road and engine noise, there's a lot of sound insulation located under the hood and floor, and in the doors and dash panel. driving impressionwith an inexpensive compact car, there is no middle ground in acceleration: it's either zippy or it's a dog. The aveo is zippy with room to spare, at least with the standard manual transmission, a solid five-speed gearbox. The gas pedal feels a bit mushy, but the engine works hard to overcome it. The little aveo will chirp the tires in second gear, which will surely impress an audience of an owner's peers. Whomever, a chirp will impress them. the aveo is a common ground kind of car. It brings people together. there's plenty of power from 2000 rpm in lower gears all the way up to 6000. The gearshift lever had kind of a long throw, but then it isn't trying to be a sports car. Whatever the reason, it's a good thing for a subcompact to feel bigger. The rack-and-pinion steering is sharp, and the torsion beam rear axle gives the car a grown-up feel, but with the turning circle a ridiculously small 16 feet, the car feels like a toy at the right time. There were a number of spots where the ride might have felt harsh if it were going to, and it didn't. The frame structure has been designed with safety in mind. The cabin is quiet and there's good room in the rear seats. Power Locks✔ Anti-lock Brakes✔ AM/FM✔ CD Player✔ Sunroof/Moonroof✔ Air Conditioning✔ Alloy Wheels
3,995 Buda, TXBuda, TX at autoshopper.com