2006 Most Disappointing

[Ghrankenstein]

2006 Best of GMI: Most Disappointing


2007 Chevrolet Aveo



By Ghrankenstein

The Best of GMI Awards is, first and foremost, about credit where credit is due. In this case, the credit due is more dubious. Our Most Disappointing “Award” goes to the GM vehicle that represents GM’s least competitive offering and the most obvious example of GM not putting its best foot forward.

In 2004, Chevrolet took the ultra-affordable entry-level compact car market by surprise with its inaugural Aveo. The Korea/GMDAT Aveo was stout, solid, refined, and relatively efficient within its class, and those of us who drove it found it to be more than competitive. So what happened?

The Aveo was revised early, which should be a good thing. Its styling was made more attractive, and its build quality and materials were further improved within its frugal class. The improvements simply weren’t enough. They were largely superficial. The new Aveo registered some highly questionable crash safety scores in Europe. It gained weight, while retaining the unloved E-tech II engine and fragile-feeling transaxles. More than anything else, though, Honda, Nissan, and Toyota (along with Scion) have entered the bargain-basement chase. Despite their lovable Japanese persona, these guys don’t play nice, and GM has enough experience in other market segments to have known better.

What do we want from the Aveo? The same as in any other segment: class-leading quality, reliability, economy, utility, safety, performance, and handling. If we can’t have that, we’d like the segment’s best combination of those things, and we don’t feel like we’re getting that with the Aveo.

We’re most disappointed with the engine. The E-tech II is certainly reliable, and its power is competitive in the class. Where we’re let down is in the E-tech’s fuel economy and its maintenance schedule, which is not congruent with GM’s usual level of low-cost excellence. We will happily take superior power and competitive mileage, or vice-versa, but we won’t settle for competitive numbers in one field and substandard performance in the other.

While the Toyota Yaris is slow and sluggish, its “T” badge and mileage numbers will give it credibility among the older econobox buyers. The Honda Fit and Nissan Versa, aren’t significantly better in utility or materials, but they’re far sportier. The Versa is said to be the ultimate handler in the segment, while the Fit is the well-rounded champ. What the Aveo has left are its warranty and its large dealership network, and while those things are reassuring, they’re not an overwhelming advantage. It’s still superior to the crash-safety failure of the Kia Spectra and the wallowing Hyundai Accent, but the Honda, Toyota, and Nissan products will take their toll against the Kia and Hyundai as well.

What we want is one of GM’s numerous Ecotec engines, its technology, and its vast service intervals. We want transaxles that don’t feel so fragile, and sportier if at all possible. We want the necessary structural enhancements and airbags that would make the Aveo once again the safest in its class.

All is not lost, and not all business will go to the Fit, Yaris, and Versa. GM and American car buyers will likely consider Certified pre-owned 2.2L Ecotec-powered Cobalts, for their vastly better safety, performance, and long-life/low-maintenance powertrain components. On top of everything else, Chevy doesn’t need to be competing with itself.

Come on, GM. You’ve got the hardware and the know-how. Be the big dog we know you are.

Ghrankenstein's Take- Pontiac Torrent: I sell them, and I like them, but I fully acknowledge that Pontiac could have done much more. It's got more room, better safety, and comparable acceleration and handling to most competitors. The competent 3400 V-6 makes the Torrent only a value at the low end of the price spectrum, where Suzuki offers the Cadillac-sourced 252 hp. 3.6L VVT. If Pontiac wants to be a budget BMW, it should offer a worthy engine and communicative steering.

Big Al’s Take: Will continue to be the whole Buick line up. 5 Billion dollars, and all I got was this 3800 and a 4spd? There are only very minor nice things about this line up. The 2 cars and the SUV are all just below sub-par. LaCrosse has gone 3 years now with just no help with anything, no updates or revisions. This is mostly due to the end of its run coming soon, but begs the quesiton...why did they half-arse the whole thing? Car had a lot of potential with somewhat nice styling, but just flunked everywhere else. Lucerne, last year was my pick for this group, and outside of surprisingly good sales at first, thats about as much news as the car made. I never saw that many, and I still dont see that many. This car is a few notches better then LaCrosse, but still below what it needed to be. With a 200hp 3800hp engine as a base, that just shows that GM is cutting corners. The Northstar engine offers good power, but with the competition offering more power with better gas milage and more features, it falls short in just every catagory. The rest of the line up is worse then them. Enclave has a lot of expectations to fufill, at least on this end.

[Chronos97]

Chrysler Sebring.

[megeebee]

Originally Posted by Chronos97

Chrysler Sebring.

I second that.

[FoMoCo Fan]

Jeep Compass Chrysler Aspen or Sebring. Take your pick.

[Ttple]

Lack of headroom in the Buick Lucerne. It's a nice car but it's replacing the Lesabre and Park Avenue. 2 cars that sold well because of the roominess they provided.

[Froggy]

I would of said the Sebring or the CSVs. I saw the Sebring in person today, and it makes me wonder if the owner was paid to take it.

[montrealvue]

Hyundai accent.........always the bridesmaid...will never be the bride.....yer ugly!!

[Havasavana]

Lutz has said GM makes money on the Cobalt. So they must REALLY make money on the Aveo, and not only can afford to make it better, but, considering what it's up against, can't afford not to. Similar story to what happened in the past; GM did OK until the Japanese stuff showed up, then the GM products compared poorly. This needs to change.

[asim]

There are only a few things that I have to complain about the new Aveo. One, make it safe. This thing is a freaking deathtrap, I am just scared when I pass by one on the road.

Two, give this thing a better engine. The current engine is not going to cut it. It needs to have the best technology that GM has to offer, with leading fuel-economy. We don't want the dismal gas mileage that it currently gets.

[HoeyHimself]

Originally Posted by Ttple

Lack of headroom in the Buick Lucerne. It's a nice car but it's replacing the Lesabre and Park Avenue. 2 cars that sold well because of the roominess they provided.

I'm not a very big guy myself, I'm all of 5'11 and 160lbs, sitting in the Lucerne for the brief moment I did, it felt like a glove. Being used to the Mustang, everything aside from Miatas, Minis and Solstices feels roomy to me..but I do enjoy driving mid and full size cars above all else..the Lucerne felt perfect. But like I said, I'm not a terribly big guy...someone larger then me probably would feel a bit more confined with the headroom then they expect to feel in a Buick. Is it going to lose sales because of it? Well I dont know, I laugh at all the big guys I see driving Geo Metros and such..but if your paying in the mid to upper 30s for a Buick, not only do you need some convincing to banish your opinions of Buick based on their recent past, but your also going to want to have it fit like a glove as I felt it did. It's an issue sure, people can deal with alot of things that bother them in a car, but comfort is one that they may not realize till driving it for a few weeks..and by then, the ink is dry. It may turn returning customers, alot? probably not..and while I would like to say "Well, what car is perfect?"..thats the type of attitude GM can no longer have.

Great takes guys, its constructive criticism like this that needs to be said.

[Buick61]

Originally Posted by Chronos97

Chrysler Sebring.

Originally Posted by froggy

I would of said the Sebring or the CSVs. I saw the Sebring in person today, and it makes me wonder if the owner was paid to take it.

Originally Posted by FoMoCo Fan

Jeep Compass Chrysler Aspen or Sebring. Take your pick.

This is a thread about GM vehicles only.

The Aveo deserves this "honor." Besides a nice looking dash, it's not particularly safe, not particularly powerful, not particularly fuel-efficient, and not particularly outstanding in any area. Why bother refreshing it if they're not going to go full out and do it right? And did they run out of money or just plain forget about the five-door?

[racy]

Originally Posted by Buick61

This is a thread about GM vehicles only.

The Aveo deserves this "honor." Besides a nice looking dash, it's not particularly safe, not particularly powerful, not particularly fuel-efficient, and not particularly outstanding in any area. Why bother refreshing it if they're not going to go full out and do it right? And did they run out of money or just plain forget about the five-door?

I agree fully with Big Al. The entire Buick lineup is the epitomy of utter failure that only GM seems to be capable of. Starting a design with the intention of being third best is bad enough. Then to let the already poor lineup wither on the vine is sheer negligent irresponsibility. I cannot believe that anyone in upper management in the Buick ranks is still employed by GM. If I were a shareholder, I'd be asking for my money back.

[stevecmh]

i would go with the Torrent.. i really hoped for more from a Pontiac..... nice rebadge job

[EldoFan]

Originally Posted by racy

I agree fully with Big Al. The entire Buick lineup is the epitomy of utter failure that only GM seems to be capable of. Starting a design with the intention of being third best is bad enough. Then to let the already poor lineup wither on the vine is sheer negligent irresponsibility. I cannot believe that anyone in upper management in the Buick ranks is still employed by GM. If I were a shareholder, I'd be asking for my money back.

Agreed. The same sentiments have been floating around here for quite sometime and only serves to make Big Al's pick all the more obvious.

I hope one day soon the General can turn this brand around before it's too late.

Originally Posted by stevecmh

i would go with the Torrent.. i really hoped for more from a Pontiac..... nice rebadge job

The Torrent? How about the G5? Pontiac is supposed to be the performance brand at GM and this Cobalt clone gets the watered down NA SS (or RS/Sport/whatever....) as it's top option.....the least the General's troops could've done, was pirate the Turboed Four from the Solstice GXP and stuffed it between the flanks of that poor coupe.....

[bryce miller]

i like it but fuel milage should be so much more better than what it is.