My 9 year-old son knows little about who makes what cars and where they’re
made. He just knows what he likes.
Mustangs, Challengers, Camaros and Solstice convertibles. Getting the picture?
When I brought the Chevrolet Aveo5 home, he asked, “Mom, is that car from
Japan?”
“What?” I asked. “Why would you ask something like that? What made you think
that?”
“Well,” he said, “It’s a little car and don’t all the little cars come from
Japan and all the big cars and sports cars come from America?”
Mmmm. Wonder where he would get such an inaccurate picture of the U.S. auto
industry.
Uuh, maybe, because that’s the general consensus among most American car
buyers: To get a good small sedan or hatchback, you’ve got to look at the
imports and if you want a stalwart, heavy truck or SUV, go American.
For 2008, the overall best selling vehicle was the Ford F-150 and the best
selling car was the Honda Civic.
Well, American car makers are tired of American car buyers going to Honda and
Toyota for their small car needs and are investing some time into improving
their small sedan and compact car lineups.
Chevrolet makes a great offering with the 2009 Aveo5 hatchback. It’s one of
the least expensive vehicles on the market and is a front-wheel drive,
compact hatchback that offers enough room for five to ride in comfortably.
On the base Aveo LS (and Aveo5 LS), a tilt steering wheel, a rear-window
defroster, an AM/FM audio system with an auxiliary input jack for an iPod or
other device, intermittent windshield wipers, and OnStar is standard.
The 1LT packages add air conditioning and a CD player to the audio system.
The 2LT package packs on more, including cruise control, power heated outside
rearview mirrors, XM Satellite Radio, and remote keyless entry.
My test model was the 2LT, the top of the line trim. It had everything I
needed and offered a great ride for the price.
All Aveos come with a 1.6-liter, four-cylinder engine that makes 107
horsepower and 106 pound-feet of torque. It’s paired with a five-speed
manual transmission or an optional four-speed automatic.
The new engine helps fuel economy this year, and the automatic-equipped 2009
Chevrolet Aveo gets an EPA rating of 25 mpg city/34 mpg highway and 28 mpg
combined.
The base price for the upper echelon 2LT Aveo5 was $15,635, which makes it
very comparable with the base prices of the Honda Fit (about $16,000) and
the Scion xD ($14,650).
If you’re interested in conserving gas or just covering the basics for your
commute around town, I highly recommend you check out the Aveo and give it a
spin.
