CHEVROLET AVEO LS 1.4 (REVIEWED AFTER 35500 KMS)

 

Exterior The car is quite attractively built & is easily amongst the best "lookers" in its class. The car surely manages to turn a few heads when parked. I won a Black Chevrolet Aveo 1.4 LS and had convinced the dealer to provide me with a rear spoiler. The headlights are extremely powerful and the indicators are quite attractive as well. The "night appeal" of the car gets further enhanced due to the designing & the dynamics of the car.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) The Aveo is easily amongst the most spacious sedans in its class. The thoughtfully built cup holder in the rear seat also acts as an arm rest. The seats are quite comortable, even for very long journeys. The fantastic cabin space ensures that there is sufficient leg room for a 6-footer. The rear leg room is also quite good. The best feature is the "height adjustment" feature for the driver.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox The 5 speed gear box does pack quite a punch and ensures a smooth and easy acceleration and handling even at high speeds of about 140-150 kms/hour. The car is quite stable and has a good road-grip as well, thereby making the overall driving experience quite pleasurable.

However, the car could be a "fuel guzzler" in a city like Mumbai. I drove my Aveo for the first 10000 kms only in Mumbai and was getting an average of only about 9.2 Kmpl with AC. However, since I moved out of Mumbai, I have been getting a minimum city mileage of 11.5 kmpl and highway mileage of 14kmpl. But when compared to the pricing of the car and contrasting it with the other cars in the same league, Aveo 1.4 LS is definitely value for money.

Ride Quality & Handling Fantastic. The pick up though is slightly on the lower side when compared to a Maruti Desire/ SX4, Honda City but on the whole, the acceleration is smooth and the handling is quite good. The car is stable and as mentioned before, a powerhorse with good handling even at high speeds.

Final Words Value for money sedan when compared to all the other cars of its category. Definitely go for it & turn a few heads if fuel economy is not the sole deciding criteria.  

Areas of improvement The AC tends to stop functioning after driving for about 3-4 hours on the trot. Probably due to some component getting heated up. The ground clearance and "In city" mileage needs some improvement, especially considering the hopeless traffic and road conditions in Indian cities.

Styling, Dual Tone interiors, Dash Board, Road Grip, Low on maintenancePick Up, Fuel Efficiency, Ground Clearance