King Riffle Drives the 2008 Chevy Aveo sedan

[King Riffle]

Well, my Taurus needs about $900 of work put into it. Since I've already put ~$1000 into it (in less than 2 years of owning it. I'd have put more cash into it if the front springs weren't covered by a recall), it's safe to say that I'm a little fed up with the car.

So today I started looking at new, or new-to-me cars. First up, the 2008 Chevy Aveo sedan. Notes:

-Surprisingly zippy and quick to downshift. Merging onto the freeway it started to run out of steam though.

-The interior not only looks very nice, it's roomy too. Two big guys in it, neither of us felt crowded or lacked leg or head room.

-The bottom seat cushions are too short. I'd also have liked to be able to raise the front of the cushion up a bit. It wouldn't be comfortable on long trips.

-Rides well for it's size. The route included some really rough sections of road.

-On the freeway it was jostled around a lot by the wind. It's tall profile probably didn't help.

-Back seats do fold down, however they don't make a flat floor. The backs of the seats are about 2" higher than the trunk floor.

-I'm glad they got rid of the maze shifter (auto).

-Lack of headroom in back seat, though plenty of legroom. I wouldn't be sitting back there anyway.

-No one-touch down feature on any of the power windows.

-I still can't get used to that front end.

Two other big things against the car:
-Poor performance in crash tests

-Poor gas mileage

I still have quite a few cars to test drive, including (but not limited too);
-Toyota Yaris, Corolla
-Scion xD
-Nissan Versa
-Hyundai Accent, Elantra
-Kia Rio, Spectra
-Honda Fit
-Ford Focus (I'm a bit unsure about Ford's)
And numerous used cars (I don't decide which used cars specifically, I wait to see what's on lots first).

[unkillsam]

Originally Posted by King Riffle

Well, my Taurus needs about $900 of work put into it. Since I've already put ~$1000 into it (in less than 2 years of owning it. I'd have put more cash into it if the front springs weren't covered by a recall), it's safe to say that I'm a little fed up with the car.

So today I started looking at new, or new-to-me cars. First up, the 2008 Chevy Aveo sedan. Notes:

-Surprisingly zippy and quick to downshift. Merging onto the freeway it started to run out of steam though.

-The interior not only looks very nice, it's roomy too. Two big guys in it, neither of us felt crowded or lacked leg or head room.

-The bottom seat cushions are too short. I'd also have liked to be able to raise the front of the cushion up a bit. It wouldn't be comfortable on long trips.

-Rides well for it's size. The route included some really rough sections of road.

-On the freeway it was jostled around a lot by the wind. It's tall profile probably didn't help.

-Back seats do fold down, however they don't make a flat floor. The backs of the seats are about 2" higher than the trunk floor.

-I'm glad they got rid of the maze shifter (auto).

-Lack of headroom in back seat, though plenty of legroom. I wouldn't be sitting back there anyway.

-No one-touch down feature on any of the power windows.

-I still can't get used to that front end.

Two other big things against the car:
-Poor performance in crash tests

-Poor gas mileage

I still have quite a few cars to test drive, including (but not limited too);
-Toyota Yaris, Corolla
-Scion xD
-Nissan Versa
-Hyundai Accent, Elantra
-Kia Rio, Spectra
-Honda Fit
-Ford Focus (I'm a bit unsure about Ford's)
And numerous used cars (I don't decide which used cars specifically, I wait to see what's on lots first).

If the Corolla and Focus are on the list, why didn't you try out a Cobalt while at the Chevy dealer.

I know that (sadly) the interior is not as nice as the Aveo, but the Cobalt does get good fuel economy, many times I hear better then the Aveo.

I am averaging about 30 mpg's in 80/20 highway/city driving with my 2.0 supercharged 5-speed Cobalt.

[t-rex]

In that size category, I'd say the Fit would be the best vehicle. But it's pricey. You can get in a bigger car, like a Cobalt, for the same money.

The Aveo's ancient tranny is what kills its MPG figs.

I've been seeing quite a lot of the new Accent 3-door hatches running about town. It's somewhat sportier looking than it seems in pics, and appears to offer good bang-for-the-buck.

Yaris is a good car, but I find it overpriced, like most Toyotas.

If styling and value-for-the-money were key factors, I'd narrow it down to Aveo, Accent, and Versa.

[Minnesota Nice]

I haven't heard much positives about the Yaris, but the Corolla is proven, sadly.

I would definitely look at the Cobalt and the Fit. Both are fantastic cars

[2b2]

tho a bit bigger than many of those you listed:
Mazda3

[King Riffle]

Originally Posted by unkillsam

If the Corolla and Focus are on the list, why didn't you try out a Cobalt while at the Chevy dealer.

I know that (sadly) the interior is not as nice as the Aveo, but the Cobalt does get good fuel economy, many times I hear better then the Aveo.

I am averaging about 30 mpg's in 80/20 highway/city driving with my 2.0 supercharged 5-speed Cobalt.

I've recently driven a Cobalt. Thus, I didn't need to drive one. I was also pressed for time.

Those are the cars I'm considering new. I'm not staying to strictly compact and below with used cars.


I wouldn't mind a Mazda3.

[j_granlund]

Personally, i would go with the Scion xD, or you might want to consider the xB.

[RoGuE]

I test drove the Fit as well (a top of the line model) and a few things I noticed were:

Very Underpowered- I was driving normally and my dad was in the car with me and he asked me why I was revving the engine so high. I said I was just driving normally.

Very small front end-Although it scores well enough and it absorbs most of the crash, if you look at the crash test pictures, I would think this transmits more of the impact to your body. On another note, I didn't like not being able to see the front of the car over the massive dashboard and tiny hood.

Little trunk space- Very small in the back, compared to the Cobalt

[KillerMRK]

I never really liked the Aveo....

[EllwynX]

As the owner/driver of a 2005 Aveo LT Sedan I have to agree with the above review.

The interior of the new Aveo's looks a little better, but even my '05 has a decent interior for the price.

The gas mileage isn't anything to write home about. I average about 24/25mpg with 80% city driving.

Though I do find the new front end a HUGE improvement over my '05's.

Personally I never want a car this small again. Or this weak.

'09 and the Camaro can't come soon enough for me.

[Koasterking]

How about the Saturn Astra??

[FenwickHockey65]

I'd go for an Astra as well.

[cdp326]

Originally Posted by Koasterking

How about the Saturn Astra??

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

I'd go for an Astra as well.

The Astra looks to have been out of the price range judging by the other models on the list...but in the end he's done searching.

[blank disk]

I say spend the $900 and continue to drive the much better Taurus to any Aveo.

[King Riffle]

Originally Posted by blank disk

I say spend the $900 and continue to drive the much better Taurus to any Aveo.

I'll do better than that!