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Chevy hopes price-conscious enter via Aveo

Mrs. Twin No. 2 feared she’d never be able to find Dad and Mom in the mall parking lot for the shopping expedition.

“Look for the ugliest car you’ve ever seen and park next to it,” the bottle blond instructed into the cell phone moments before daughter slipped alongside the red Chevrolet Aveo.

Perhaps ugly was a bit harsh and the wife should have said odd or weird, but Aveo won’t win any beauty contests, at least in tiny hatchback form.

Aveo is offered in four-door hatchback and conventional and far more attractive four-door sedan that’s 14 inches longer to accommodate a trunk. This dimension not only contributes to better looks, but also would certainly contribute to steadier nerves among those who ride in the back seat of the hatchback and are thisclose to whatever vehicle happens to be trailing.

Aveo is aimed at the MTV generation, an age group that Chevy obviously thinks will accept a really weird looking hatchback if the price is right.

“The primary competition is the Kia Rio, Hyundai Accent and Toyota Scion,” said Margaret Brooks, marketing director for Aveo and Equinox for Chevrolet but soon to take that job with Buick.

“The target is 18- to 35-year-old age group and the first-time new-car buyer,” said Brooks. “Aveo’s purpose is to feed consumers into Chevrolet, where they eventually will move up to a Cobalt or Malibu sedan, Colorado truck or Equinox sport-utility vehicle” as age and income rise.

We tested the hatchback that has a storage hold for a couple of duffel bags in back; the sedan has room for luggage in a trunk.

Aveo is the new blue-light special from Chevrolet, an entry-level offering to give those on a budget a high-mileage, low-price alternative to a Korean car.

However, Aveo is low-priced because it’s a product of GM Daewoo Auto & Technology, the remnants of Daewoo of South Korea now owned by General Motors. Aveo is based on the Daewoo Kalos.

The Aveo sedan and hatchback are offered in three versions, the Special Value at $9,995 that comes with manual transmission only and manual windows and door locks; the base at $11,150; and top-of-the-line Aveo LS. We drove the LS.

Aveo allows Chevy to redo its small-car lineup so one car is no longer designed to fit all.

Chevy’s current small car is the Cavalier, which has had to bridge two markets: The true entry-level in the $10,000 to $12,000 range and a premium level in the $14,000 to $18,000 range with more amenities.

This fall the subcompact Cavalier is replaced by a larger and more premium compact called Cobalt. Aveo will fill the entry-level segment.

Chevy is counting on selling about 50,000 Aveos annually. It sold 256,550 Cavaliers but does not break out the entry- versus up-level.

Aveo is powered, well, actually underpowered, by a 1.6-liter, 103-horsepower 4-cylinder t hat produces 107 foot-pounds of torque. Aveo not only won’t win any beauty contests, it also won’t win many races, either. The focus is on high mileage, not high performance.

The test car came with standard 5-speed manual, and we can only wonder how it would perform with the optional 4-speed automatic.

Brooks said Chevy isn’t looking at a higher-output engine, “because Aveo’s mission is to be affordable for the first-time buyer.”

But, she said: “We’re exploring our options. We unveiled an Aveo Xtreme concept model at the Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas last November that hit a lot of hot buttons.”

Xtreme was a decor package with rocker-panel extensions and wheel-lip moldings, but not a performance variant with a turbocharger added to boost the 1.6-liter’s power.

“We wouldn’t rule that [turbo] out in the future if we decided to go that route and take Aveo to another level,” she said.

Aveo is rated at 2 m.p.g. city/35 m.p.g. highway tobypass the pumps on a regular basis.

However, the 27/35 rating brought to mind the Mercedes-Benz E320 CDI diesel sedan we recently tested (Transportation, May 2). It was rated at 27/37, or 2 m.p.g. better than the little Aveo. Of course, the Benz started at $49,075, or about four times the hatchback.

As an entry-level vehicle don’t expect much in terms of smooth ride because the short wheelbase puts you close to the points of impact with the pavement. Its light weight and short wheelbase don’t allow for pinpoint handling, either, and the 14-inch radial tires could use some more road-gripping capability. Let up on the accelerator in sharp turns.

Brooks said Chevy is looking into whether Aveo should offer a wider-profile radial to improve its handling.

We also found it an adventure to drive in high winds. You don’t want one hand on the wheel and the other on a cell phone. You want both hands firmly on the wheel. When someone says Aveo rocks, it describes how it reacts in crosswinds.

Among the notable features, other than the small size making it easy to get into and out of any parking space, are cozy cloth front seats with a pattern that will hide dirt marks. The rear seat is considerably more spacious than it appears, though occupants sit thisclose to those rear wheels.

The rear seat backs are split and fold flat so you can increase cargo capacity, but the seat backs are metal and will show scuff marks.

Other nice touches are holder for eyeglasses or sunglasses above the driver’s door, where you sometimes find a grab handle; a clever slot in the driver’s door where it meets the dash to slip your plastic parking pass or gas station credit card; and a power control button directly above the card holder to position the passenger side mirror.

The driver’s side mirror is manual, but in many cars the passenger side would be manual, too, and force the driver to lean over to fiddle with the control. The power passenger side mirror and easy-to-use control is a nice touch.

Where Aveo is meant to attract the budget-minded is in price. Base of the LS hatchback we tested is $12,045. Standard equipment includes air conditioning, power door locks and windows, AM/FM stereo with CD and MP3 players, rear window wiper/washer/defogger, carpeted floor mats, driver manual/passenger power heated mirrors, tilt steering, daytime running lamps, remote keyless entry, rear cargo shade and manual seat adjustment.

Only options on the test car were four-wheel anti-lock brakes at $400, which would be highly advised in this little car, and a rear spoiler at $225.

You can get automatic transmission for $850 and power sunroof for $725 and dress it up a little with aluminum wheels at $375.

TEST DRIVE

2004 Chevrolet Aveo LS hatchback

Wheelbase: 97.6 inches

Length: 152.8 inches

Engine: 1.6-liter , 103-h.p. 4-cylinder

Transmission: 5-speed manual

Fuel economy: 27 m.p.g. city/35 m.p.g. highway

Base price: $12,045

Price as tested: $12,670. Includes $400 for four-wheel anti-lock brakes; and $225 for rear spoiler. Add $540 for freight.

Pluses: New entry-level Chevy via the remnants of Daewoo for the price-conscious buyer. High mileage rating for the fuel-conscious buyer. Allows Chevy to move Cobalt, its Cavalier replacement, up in price and let Aveo hold the entry-level market.

Minuses: Small. Styling won’t win any fashion prizes. Economy-car ride and handling and hold on tight when the wind is blowing.