Chevrolet Aveo - Aveo To The Fore

The Aveo's smart styling cues are not limited to its exteriors. Get inside, and you're in for a real surprise. The front facia, with its broad, sweeping lines, is quite eye-catching, and GM have used a tasteful mix of black and beige on the dashboard, along with restrained use of wood-effect (or, on some versions, aluminium-effect) plastic inserts. The FM/CD-player is seamlessly integrated into the dash and looks classy, the four-spoke steering wheel looks good, instrumentation is clear and uncluttered, controls are quite ergonomic and plastics and textured rubber inserts seem to be high quality jobs. The steering wheel is tilt-adjustable, and apart from the usual range of adjustments on the front seats, the driver's seat is also height adjustable. I'd say that the Aveo has the best interiors in its class, beating both the Fiesta and the Honda City in that department. And even more important is the fact that the Aveo 1.6 comes with airbags and ABS, which I consider indispensable for all cars these days.

The Aveo is being offered with a choice of two inline-four engines - a brand new 1.4-litre unit that makes 94PS and 127Nm of torque, and a 1.6-litre mill, which produces 102PS and 147Nm of torque. The 1.6-litre engine, by the way, is taken from the Optra, but has been retuned for the Aveo. I had the opportunity to drive both variants on the Baroda-Ahmedabad Expressway, and found them to be eager, willing performers. Both engines feature double overhead camshafts (DOHC), four valves per cylinder, and a 32-bit engine management system. Both engines also have GM's variable geometry intake system (VGIS), a technology that allows the engine to operate at higher efficiency levels, across a wider rev range. There is a control valve in the engine's air intake system, which, at low RPM, makes for a longer path for incoming air, and a shorter path at high RPM. By optimising intake air delivery at all engine speeds, the system is said to improve drivability as well as fuel efficiency.

This being a short 'first drive,' we did not test for either performance or fuel efficiency, but both cars seemed to be fairly sprightly. Given its 8PS and 20Nm advantage, the 1.6-litre felt discernibly peppier, getting off the line harder and pulling through the gears with more authority. That said, the 1.4-litre unit also felt adequate, with our Aveo 1.4 hitting a speedo-indicated 170km/h on the expressway. And that was with four adults on board, and the AC running full blast. On both cars, the gearbox felt reasonably precise, though not as super-slick, smooth and quick-shifting as the Honda City's gearbox. At least the ratios appeared to be well matched to the engines' power delivery characteristics. At high revs, both engines got a bit rough and thrashy and certainly didn't sound as smooth as, say, the Honda City's i-DSI or VTEC units, but maybe that'll change once they're fully run in. And on the flip side, wind and tyre noise inside the cabin was appreciably low, so long distance cruising in these cars should be a happy experience. Also, the suspension - McPherson struts at the front, torsion-beam at the rear - seemed to offer a comfortable ride, though I can't say much about the handling before we put the car through a thorough test. The ABS-equipped brakes on the 1.6 felt strong and progressive, but the 1.4's non-ABS anchors felt just a bit weak and vague. Both cars are fitted with discs at the front and drums at the rear.

Overall, the Aveo seems to be quite a competent little car, which has the potential for doing very well in our market. GMI, in fact, hopes to be able to sell around 14,000 of these cars in India by the end of this year - a target which I think they should be able to achieve without too much trouble. GMI have spent money in the region of about Rs 100 crore towards ramping up production capacity at their plant in Halol (near Baroda), and they also plan to increase the number of Chevrolet dealers to more than a hundred, across more than 80 cities in India. Given the company's ambitious plans - they are looking at also launching the Aveo U-VA and Optra SRV hatchbacks at some time in the near future - these moves bode well for GMI. With the Aveo, the company finally has a product which is priced just about right, and with which they can finally hope to be able to take on the well-established Honda City, and also the new Ford Fiesta. The General is back, and this time, with survival at stake, he's fighting harder than ever before. Watch out everyone!

Source: Car India April 2006.