The Car Connection Expert Review
Likes
- Good build quality
- Notable performance in the manual option
- Tight ride for its class
- Hatchback practicality with Aveo5
Dislikes
- Questionable crash-test performance
- Ride at cruising speeds
- Unfriendly interior controls
Buying tip
features & specs
The 2010 Chevrolet Aveo and Aveo5 are worth considering if the bulk of your driving is done around the city—but there are plenty of better small-car options that don't cost much more.
TheCarConnection.com has browsed reviews from numerous reputable automotive websites, picking out highlights pertaining to the 2010 Chevrolet Aveo to help you make the most informed buying decision. The editors at TheCarConnection.com have driven both Aveo body styles and put together a Bottom Line summary.
The 2010 Chevrolet Aveo is one of the more economical—in terms of price and fuel efficiency—cars to buy in the country today. Both body styles, the Aveo sedan and the Aveo5 hatchback, come with front-wheel drive and should be among the small cars on the shopping list of anyone concerned about high fuel prices. The Aveo is all-around competent, although many buyers may be left wanting more.
Offered in three variants—base, LS, and LT—the Aveo5 wears the guise introduced in 2009, whereas the four-door Aveo was revised back in 2008. GM Daewoo in South Korea builds the Aveos, all of which carry Chevrolet's new corporate front-end design, with a Chevy bow in a larger grille. Enlarged tail lamps and an optional rear spoiler give the Aveo a sportier appearance. The side vent in the Aveo5 (absent from the sedan) is ludicrous.
Both versions of the 2010 Chevrolet Aveo—the four-door sedan and five-door hatch, dubbed Aveo5—are based on the same chassis and motivated by the same engine and transmissions. EPA ratings for both body styles are 27/35 mpg (city/highway) for five-speed manual transmission models and 25/34 mpg for those with a four-speed automatic. Its engine, a 1.6-liter four-cylinder, produces 108 horsepower and 104 pound-feet of torque, which can give you about 400 miles from a single tank. When you give the vehicle a once-over, there's no getting away from it being a strictly city car. It comes with rear torsion beams and front MacPherson struts riding atop an abbreviated 97.7-inch wheelbase. Small, 14-inch wheels come fitted as standard, while 15-inch units (and anti-lock brakes) are optional. The Aveo is nifty around town, but once you reach cruising speeds over 70 mph, the car reveals its urban heritage, feeling nervous and out of place.
The Aveo may offer five seat belts, but getting five adults into the car is much easier said than done. Space, especially in the rear, is tight, although it's more than adequate for four occupants. The rear bench has theater-style seating (for better exterior visibility) and a rear 60/40 split seat for cargo flexibility. Improved interior materials introduced in 2009 carry over for the latest model year, including optional wood grain trim, as well as metallic and carbon-fiber-look materials. Storage and convenience bins are all over the interior, and higher-end features such as cruise control, XM, and a large sunroof are also offered. GM products, often having some of the best satellite radio setups, is not something enjoyed in the Aveo due thanks to a missing a tuning knob found on most other models.
2010 Chevrolet Aveo Styling
Whether as a sedan or Aveo5 hatchback, the 2010 Chevrolet Aveo feels bland and homely with some details that are almost unanimously judged as cheesy.
Car and Driver much prefers the five-door Aveo5 over its four-door sibling, calling the sedan "homely-looking," while Automobile Magazine isn't a fan of the five-door model, distilling its changes down to a new taillight design and an "ungainly front fascia." MyRide.com agrees, stating the Aveo's new corporate twin-grille looks forced and weird on GM's subcompact.
Still, the hatchback's interior is simple, inoffensive, and Chevrolet made attemps to upgrade its feel a style a bit, reports MyRide.com. But the dash in the 2010 Chevrolet Aveo utilizes the same instrument panel as used overseas since 2002, remarks Automobile Magazine.
2010 Chevrolet Aveo Performance
The 2010 Chevy Aveo offers just competency but falls short of many of its rivals.
The general consensus amongst most reviewers is the 2010 Chevrolet Aveo's 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine delivers adequate power and fuel economy. With identical powertrains and chassis underpinnings, both four- and five-door models produce 108 horsepower and 104 pound-feet of torque, good for 27/35 mpg (city/highway) on five-speed manual models and 25/34 mpg for those equipped with a four-speed automatic. That means the Aveo, regardless of body style, should go 400 miles on a full tank.
The Aveo is nifty around town, but it reveals its urban heritage once you reach cruising speeds over 70 mph, feeling nervous and out of place. Even at low speeds, the Aveo's heavier steering requires a bit of effort, while the car itself suffers from more body roll than its competitors, comments ConsumerGuide. Edmunds concludes the 2010 Chevrolet Aveo isn't going to deliver hair-on-end thrills, but its respectable driving characteristics—namely direct steering and compliant suspension—make it a great commuter. ConsumerGuide agrees, finding the 2010 Chevrolet Aveo's off-the-line performance is better than expected, but its imprecise, rubbery shifter reminds you its no sports car. Automobile Magazine's observations of the Aveo's manual transmission fall in line: while rowing your own gives you more access to its full rev-range, its sloppy shift action and numb and rubbery feedback make the automatic transmission the better bet. Additionally, ABS can't be optioned on manual models, further negating its value.
When it comes to bringing everything to a stop, MyRide.com feels the Aveo's brakes are adequate—just adequate, while ConsumerGuide says the Aveo offers decent stopping performance but lacks pedal feel.
2010 Chevrolet Aveo Comfort & Quality
The 2010 Chevrolet Aveo provides reasonable comfort but lacks adequate storage space and refinement in comparison to rivals.
ConsumerGuide finds the Aveo has good headroom considering its subcompact roots, especially when you take into consideration its somewhat elevated seating position. Edmunds notes the Aveo's cargo capacity when seats are up is significantly less than that offered by many competing hatchbacks.
GM has upgraded the Aveo's interior materials in recent model years to include optional faux woodgrain trim, carbon fiber, and metallic treatments, but TheCarConnection.com fails to find any reviews that see these as a step up. If anything, MyRide.com says the clash between wood trim and other materials in the cabin "shatters any illusion of civility quickly."
ConsumerGuide notes the lack of refinement inside, reporting a coarse-sounding engine and buzzy acceleration. The reviewer points out road and wind noise are especially intrusive in the hatchback.
MyRide.com reports the 2010 Chevrolet Aveo's good ride quality is a bright spot, though also noting that the soft settings compromise handling. The CarConnection.com editors find additional comments from MyRide.com—that the Aveo is uncomfortable, noisy, slow, and ill-conceived compared to competitors—to sum it all up, perhaps harshly. Edmunds concurs, stating the Aveo is a mid-pack competitor at best.
2010 Chevrolet Aveo Safety
The 2010 Chevrolet Aveo, as one of the smaller vehicles available today, does not impress in safety, which is often a crucial factor in this segment for buyers.
As with almost everything else on the 2010 Chevrolet Aveo, safety manages to come in with a barely adequate rating yet again. Independent crash-test results are noteworthy for being near the bottom of the pack, while not all the safety features you would wish for are included.
Federal crash scores for drivers and passengers in the Aveo5 five stars for front impacts and four-starsfor side impacts. The Aveo sedan fares less well, losing one star each for the passengers in front and side impacts. In IIHS tests, the Aveo's offset frontal-impact performance is rated as "acceptable" and side impact performance is just "marginal."
In terms of safety, the 2010 Chevrolet Aveo includes front and side airbags as standard, leaving ABS as an option. Electronic stability control isn't offered. A bonus is the height-adjustable front shoulder belts, which prove to be more comfortable. One offering the competitors do not have is GM OnStar, which is included and adds an additional layer of safety.
Car and Driver finds a glaring oversight: curtain airbags aren't even an optional extra. ConsumerGuide points out antilock brakes are only available as optional equipment on LT models and above, and only when equipped with an automatic transmission.
2010 Chevrolet Aveo Features
The 2010 Chevrolet Aveo can be equipped quite well compared to other small cars, though stacking on the options raises the price rapidly.
Cars even in this low-price category come with a lot of extras standard these days, and the Aveo is no different.
A tilt steering wheel, rear-window defroster, AM/FM audio with auxiliary jack, intermittent windshield wipers, and OnStar come equipped as standard on the base LS trim. The 1LT packages add air conditioning and a CD player to the audio system, while the 2LT package adds cruise control, power heated side mirrors, satellite radio, and remote keyless entry. Available options for the 2LT models include a sunroof, perforated leatherette (vinyl) seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and Bluetooth connectivity (this feature is also optional on 1LT trims).
Automobile Magazine finds that "the Aveo5 only makes sense as stripped down, no-nonsense transportation. Whereas there's a certain quirky logic to paying $18,000 for a loaded Fit, it's almost impossible to see why someone would pay more than $14,000 for an Aveo."
Storage bins are found throughout the Aveo's interior, and higher-end features such as satellite radio, cruise control, and a large sunroof are offered options.
Car and Driver points out that "choosing an auto-equipped 1LT makes the most sense if you plan to use the Aveo as a no-frills commuter vehicle."
