2009 Chevy Aveo5 very first impressions
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Here are my very first impressions after driving the car for less than an hour:
-The shifter is a bit rubbery. But the clutch is much more forgiving than the Solstice I had a couple of weeks ago.
-The interior looks surprisingly upscale.
– I can’t stand the creaky sound the interior door handle make when you press it.
-I can’t lower the seat enough. I guess people are so used to these fu@#$ing SUVS that most cars have to be high too…
-The ride is super smooth. Better than some $30 000 cars. (This one retails for about $13 000)
-Fit and finish is impressive.
-A super roomy interior.
-Engine is average smooth. But freeway driving seems pretty busy. I kept checking to make sure, but yes, I was in 5th…
More later…
From that little snapshot of the interior, it does look quite upscale with the light interior and wood trim. wow!
I am surprise the ride is smooth given the short wheelbase. how does it ride on real streets with potholes 🙂
Seeing a snippet of your interior with the wood trim causes me to visit the chevy site to see more of the interior pictures. I am somewhat surprised at the upscale compared to previous model. however, i cannot seem to build one with your light interior no matter what exterior color I picked. confuse!?
I can’t stand the creaky sound the interior door handle make when you press it.
Good initial review, Vince. But one question…why are you pressing the interior door handle and not pulling it?
-What I mean is that big silver and black plastic piece that comes up from the door armrest. The one you hold to pull the door shut. It is made of 2 parts, the silver one and the black one. And somehow, the creak when you hold them.
But really, I did experience the same thing an an S Class a few years ago. so…
-So far the ride seems to be smooth on even bad roads.
(So many streets in Hollywood need work…)
-I am not sure why the website doesn’t show the tan interior, weird…
-What I mean is that big silver and black plastic piece that comes up from the door armrest. The one you hold to pull the door shut. It is made of 2 parts, the silver one and the black one. And somehow, the creak when you hold them.
But really, I did experience the same thing an an S Class a few years ago. so…
Ah. I see what you mean now. A small flaw on what otherwise is a very handsome door design in this class of car. I hope we see more good detailing on small cars instead of all the energy (no pun intended) going to trucks and SUVs.
What RPM are you at cruising at 65 MPH in 5th?
The interior looks nice, but the outside looks like crap. Can’t wait til the Ford Fiesta, or even better, if they bring the Ka over.
Is the rubbery shifter a deal breaker? Is it a pain to shift?
Oh stinker Vince, I tried zip code 90210 (Beverly hills, CA) and found that I could get tan interior and even tan leatherette in your area. Apparently we DC (I tried a other few zip codes that I know of) are not sophisticated enough to enjoy the tan interior. What a shame!
On the Chevy website, the LT model can be configured with the neutral or “tan” interior, both in cloth and leather.
About 3000RPM at 65mph.
I wouldn’t call the shifter a deal breaker. You get used to it.
The reverse is also a bit weird to me. Although not unique:
It’s on the left and you have to pull a small O ring on the shifter to engage it.
Yes the tan can be had only in certain zip codes. Don’t know why GM went that route.
SUVs ROCK! Long live the SUV!!!
Car and Driver complained about the rubbery shifter too…
i don’t know why gm would put that horrible fake “wood grain” trim in a car like the aveo. its ridiculous, and it certainly won’t appeal to the younger crowd that they have targeted for this vehicle.
From what I’ve seen from the Chevy site, you can only build and price the 2007 and 2008 Aveo5. Not the new one. But yeah, for those years only Charcoal Cloth is available.
First impression…
LMAO
vince, i’ve noticed that the aveo and solstice are the first cars you’ve reported on that have manual transmissions.
as a fan of manual transmissions myself, do you find that your driving is better (as in more attentive) or that the car’s performance is better? it used to be that automatic cars got worse mileage than their manual counterparts, but this is not as true anymore. so do you think there is any real benefit to driving a manual transmission anymore?
just trying to educate the average american consumer who has no clue about standard transmissions