2009 Chevrolet Aveo

Pros: What do you like about 2009 Chevrolet Aveo?
DIY routine maintenance (oil changes, etc.) appears to be easy and accessible, and that's a very important deciding factor for me in what I buy.

The stainless steel exhaust is much preferred for longevity. As far as I know the other competitors' models don't come with a stainless exhaust system.

The interior is well designed with logical, easy to read controls and dash layout, with analog gauges. It's very easy to get in and out of.

Driving it feels like an American car; apparently the interior was designed by Chevy.

The seats feel solid, supportive, and are very adjustable. The basic driving position seems to favor people with relatively long arms or relatively short legs. You might find yourself hold the steering wheel by those two lower spokes – but that's neither uncomfortable nor undesirable.

Seating is high up and visibility is excellent. The ride is firm, but not hard, unless you are on washboard pavement.

Acceleration is adequate - not phenomenal, but it was much better than I expected for an econo-box.

Exterior fit and finish are excellent – unexpectedly so for an inexpensive car.

Cons: How would you improve 2009 Chevrolet Aveo?
The engine is a bit noisy, but the 6 speaker, standard radio (which GM typically seems to have built the entire dash around) will drown out road noise.

There is VERY little glove box and interior storage space. (And there is no center console storage bin.) On the hatchback there really is no trunk to speak of, but cargo room becomes large with the rear seats folded down. (Tip: a plastic milk crate will hook exactly onto one of three safety securing brackets at the very rear of the trunk space to provide a handy storage box to keep items in the trunk area from tossing about.)

The rear hatch has no remote release, unless you buy the power window package (which we didn't). I find it annoying to have to lock and unlock the hatch with a key from the outside, which is the only way it can be done. The non-remote, standard transponder car keys cost $150 per key to duplicate. (That's a very sophisticated and expensive approach to anti-theft for an inexpensive car.)

The Kumho tires seem noisy and are rated lousy as tires go – but they will wear out in 20K miles and then you can buy superior tires.

The plastic wheel covers are tacky looking.

Local (city) gas mileage is disappointing to many Aveo owners. For a car this small, everyone expects it to get better mpg in city use. We're getting about 24 MPG in all suburban driving. Apparently they revised the EPA city figure downward from 27 to 25 mpg.

2009 Chevrolet Aveo Review:
On cars of this size and shape the Koreans are competing with the Japanese, and GM is playing "me too" in selling Daewoo cars as Chevys. I compared the Aveo5 to the Yaris, which is almost identical in many ways. I'm a Toyota enthusiast (we also own a Toyota), but I found the Yaris' interior to be absolutely absurd, (with the speedometer in the center of the dash and virtually no gauges), so weird that I didn't like it. The Aveo seemed far more comfortable and easier to drive. The Aveo feels like a bigger car than it is. The body carriage sits very high off the ground: ground clearance is about 8", which is much more than the Honda Fit and the others that ride much lower to the pavement. I bought the Aveo for my wife for her local commuting to work without her having seen it or driven it beforehand. She absolutely LOVES the car! It's cute and it's fun to drive.

Don't judge the Aveo by what the (usually negative) "experts" reviews alone say. There appears to be more negative bias toward this car than deserved. Test drive one and compare it to the Yaris, Fit, Rio, etc. for yourself. You may not need or want certain features others may offer.

This was the right car for us, considering what we expect from it. In buying it as a leftover 2009 model we got it for less than the dealer invoice price, plus there was an additional total cash incentive of $2000 – and the total price was too good to pass up.

Pros: What do you like about 2009 Chevrolet Aveo?
The seats are firm and high with good head rests if rear-ended.
Transmission is easy and is needed as a manual. Automatic one would be a slug!!
Good sound system.
Much more car than I expected for the price.
Lights are good.

Cons: How would you improve 2009 Chevrolet Aveo?
Bigger wheels are needed and better quality factory tires, bald at 25,000 km.!! Not the same performance vehicle as my BMW Z4 or my 1600 cc Yamaha bike [funny-same size as Aveo engine].

2009 Chevrolet Aveo Review:
Very pleased with purchase. Check engine light came on so got service free under 3 year plan--broken thermostat. Put in storage in May and comes out in October for winter use---now has 4 rugged snow tires.

Pros: What do you like about 2009 Chevrolet Aveo?
It's really a good running car.

Cons: How would you improve 2009 Chevrolet Aveo?
The car needs a different design for the rear fenders around the back doors. Rocks and gravel and sand has taken the paint off of mine and it's rusting. I have only had it 4 months and 7000 miles on it. Very disappointed. Not a good car for high speed travel, over 60. Good city driving car.

Pros: What do you like about 2009 Chevrolet Aveo?
Exterior design.
Gas Mileage.
Price.

Cons: How would you improve 2009 Chevrolet Aveo?
Unstable at high speed - need better tires and suspension?

2009 Chevrolet Aveo Review:
It woks very well as a local driving car. Trips to groceries and kids activities are great. I would not recommend this for high-speed freeway driving.