Chevrolet Tavera

The Chevrolet SRV is coming to us like the perfect but late birthday gift. You are surprised to get one after you have ripped through the wrappers of everything else, yet it is sad because you know someone forgot your birthday in the first place. Still you love it because it is exactly what you have always wanted. Let me explain.

There was a time not so long ago when the enthusiast driver in India longed for a car with a modicum of performance. No, that breed was not looking for hyper exotics that they would never be able to afford, but a well built, sporty looking car that developed a minimum of 100 bhp (hello, 100 bhp on Indian roads is equivalent to 150 on European roads, trust me) is what they wanted. Some solace came in the form of the Honda City VTEC - it had the engine and the go but lacked looks and everything else. The Fiat Palio 1.6 GTX promised a lot and satisfied those who committed - but then Fiat had its share of worries in India. Sure, there were more powerful cars, but they weighed an additional tonne and had far too many zeroes in their price tags.

Right when this breed decided to bury their hopes and buy another Honda City VTEC (again 100 bhp, you see) or worse still, settle for a red Swift (it is kind of er… sporty), comes the Chevy SRV. All right, it is a fastback based on the Optra, but who cares - it looks right. Just right. It actually looks like a design study submitted by Italdesign to Alfa Romeo and rejected by the Milanese firm because it smiled too much. The front-end treatment is very ’90s Chevrolet, but the rear-three quarters and even the profile owe it to sporty front-wheel driven Alfas of late. Especially the tapering rear tail lamps.

Therefore, you may argue that it is the hatchback version of the Optra. However, it is a ‘proper car’ in the traditional definition of things. The new generation Daewoo Nubira that resides under its skin was designed and developed with European customers in mind. Moreover, it feels like a loosely built Opel rather than a tightly built Suzuki.

Inside, the familiar Optra settings have been made better by the use of faux aluminum accents and a sportier overall theme. Open the door, sit inside, run your fingers over the steering and dash, and the SRV feels robust and ready. In other words, it is neither the silky and refined perception of the Honda City nor the oh-so-functional and clinical approach of the Swift that you get. Instead what you get is a car that you want to thrash from the word go. And yes, though I am not the most talented to comment on music systems, I can tell you that the SRV is the ideal car for you to chuck the rear seats and load it to the brim with sub-woofers. Moreover, when you play Led Zep loud, its panels will not join the chorus with vibrations for sure.

Unfortunately, General Motors India has decided to launch the SRV only with the fuel efficient and refined 1.6-liter motor instead of the spunkier 1.8. However, new injection mapping ensures that the 1598cc 16-valver develops a neat 100 bhp at 5800 rpm and 14 kgm of turning force at 4500 revs. The problem is this motor uses a rather down-to-earth five-speed manual box to transmit its power. To begin with, there is a great deal of gearbox whine that intrudes into the cabin (on occasions, it even sounds good!) and makes you think that you are about to drive a full-blooded Camaro rather than a Daewoo-derived Chevy.

Then, as I said before, the SRV is thrash-ready and dropping the clutch closer to the redline gets the car to sprint to 60 kph in 5.13 seconds and to 100 kph in 12.05 seconds. Not exactly the numbers that would trouble someone who is used to the old Honda City VTEC, but the story has just begun. The car feels surefooted through the gears and you really want to exploit that motor for whatever it is worth without unduly worrying about valves being sent through the bonnet. Given the space, our test SRV managed 160 kph easily and the car felt safe while at it. Relatively short gearing, while good for fuel economy, is not exactly rewarding for the driver. But manage to engage third as quickly as possible and you will be biting the fleshier part of the power band and loving it.

The ride on offer is nothing short of brilliant for a car of its class (move over Palio, we have a grown-up hatch that rides better) and handling is neutral until you start pushing the performance envelope. It under steers like most front-wheel drivers ought to, but extremely good hands will be able to get the SRV to carry three digit speeds around reducing radius corners with ease. But I can tell you that it is even more fun to push the SRV into tight corners at lower speeds with a bit of help from the handbrake for induced over steer behavior - I managed a neat 180-degree number without any effort, but with more tuition, one can get to go tail-wagging.

Heck, why am I talking about silly stunts with a car that has a fully-grown sister in the Optra? Because, dear reader, with the SRV, you can. In addition, more than that, you would ‘want’ to when your SRV is painted a tantalizing Subaru rally blue. The Chevy SRV is not for those who want maximum car for their money, nor is it, as we found out, the quickest car you can buy. However, for approximately Rs 8 lakh on-road, you get a car with a certain degree of character and one that is surprisingly fun to drive. We also found out that, despite all the antics, the SRV returned 11-12 kmpl on a regular basis - which is phenomenal for a car that is on the heavy side. Then, it is more practical than the proper three-box sedans to live with - at least inside our congested towns.

The SRV is a car that has doors that ‘thunk’ shut while other cars today ‘click’ shut. In the SRV, you ride through potholes while you drive around them in other modern cars. With the SRV you may wake up one fine morning with the intent of going for a long drive with your music for your company while with other modern cars, you commute. It is traditionally individualistic than stand-out-modern-chic. If only we got cars like the SRV some ten years back.

Performance

Look superb, no look back, although it is person specific. Especially I like the curve at the back. I suggest you to go for a rear wing spoiler specially fitted (extra accessory). The SRV without option pack does not have any spoiler but with option pack, it has one roof spoiler (fitted on the roof - rear). You insist for a rear wing spoiler (cost - 7000) as it keeps the rear curve intact in turn that keeps the car beautiful looking, and discard the rear roof spoiler. Actually this model is designed in Italdesign Giugiaro Design Studio that designed Ferrari like cars in the past,,, so beauty is assured,,, Its not a funky/flashy looking car instead it has a solid sporty and aristocratic look that will catch your attention gently. In my opinion, Honda city (new models) is a funky/flashy looking car, there is no aristocracy in it.. SRV is superb in this department.

Engine: 1588 cc, 16V DOHC, VGIS petrol (I guess it is the same engine that OPTRA uses - DOHC is more powerful than SOHC)

Power: 101 PS @ 5800 rpm, (adequate power but initially its a little bit sluggish to accelerate.. don’t know why… may be the car I have driven was just out from cargo.. it did not even have the Speedo meter configured)

Max torque: 140 NM @ 4500 rpm (decent enough to driver in city condition… but baleno is superb in this department… baleno has almost linear torque…)

Transmission: 5 speed manual
Suspension: All independent McPherson Struts (amazing suspension, gentle at bumps and potholes_

Wheelbase is as big as corolla and bigger than most of the cars in this segment, it is 2600 mm… Ground clearance: very important, it has best in its category… 185mm without option pack (i.e. with 185/65 R14 tyres), and with option pack, it has amazing 195mm ground clearance (i.e. with 195/60 R15 tubeless tyres)… Dash broad is uncluttered, decent, and professional looking… Steering is a bit hard (probably due to the reason - it was very new - just out from cargo)… Horn is not placed well (with option ‘pack u might get a good steering wheel with horn placed well)… Back seats are comfortable and spacious…

Fuel efficiency: Do not know… as there was no meter configured during my test drive… but probably a little bit higher than the OPTRA… as it shares the same engine where SRV is lighter and engine is probably improved… One thing I need to add here about the engine type - there are different types of engines available in the market 2 popular among them are SOHC (Single Overhead Camshaft) and DOHC (Double Overhead Camshaft). To make the discussion short, DOHC is more powerful. Maruti baleno uses SOHC engine, SRV, Corolla uses DOHC. Ferrari cars use DOHC. Therefore, there is no doubt that DOHC is more powerful than SOHC. Now the question comes about fuel efficiency… Technically, if you read the functionality of DOHC engine it should be more fuel efficient than SOHC…

Actually, DOHC engine burns fuel more when required, when you push the throttle for more power, when you want to accelerate your beast to overtake the poor (?) Maruti 800. Therefore, the fuel efficiency for DOHC engine largely depends on the nature of the driver and driving quality. There are examples that an OPTRA giving over 18 KMPL in highway - one rally driver reported it. I do not know how much truth is in it, but I believe if you drive carefully DOHC engine will pay you back. Drive your vehicle gently, accelerate with a little patience, you will get very fuel efficiency out of your vehicle. Otherwise, be indecent and impatient, push your vehicle hard, meet with accident, and pay more for fuel.

Steering: No tilt that has disappointed me a lot… as at this price range most of the cars have tilt steering… Boot Space: Adequate, but not very spacious… Seats: Spacious and luxurious, back seats are positioned in a very comfortable way, Colors: Platinum metallic - I have seen this colored picture only… However, it seems very good… Velocity: It is a blue with probably a shade that symbolizes speed, so the name… Intense Black: good Blazing Red: I do not like red as the color of my car… Accidentally I have taken test drive on this colored SRV… but it was also looking very good…. I will probably decide between platinum metallic and velocity (curious to see how it looks like on SRV). Verdict: I have driven that car for couple of hours and I have just enjoyed driving it…, I am going to buy it…

Being a passenger in the SRV may not be as exciting as taking the wheel, but it is no less luxurious. Legroom abounds, in both the front and the rear. In fact, even with the front seats pushed back to their stops, there was still ample space for backbenchers. At one point, I was driving around with three people on the 40:60 collapsible rear benches, and never did I hear a single word of complaint from any of them. In addition, for coffee addicts, an armrest with cup holders unfolds out of the middle of the rear backrest if need be. For those extended weekend getaways, there is a lot of space for luggage in the deceptively small looking boot. Occupants of the SRV are going to love it, no matter where they are sitting.

When I turned the ignition key for the SRV the first time and revved up, all I wanted to do all day was sit there and listen to the 1.6-litre, inline-four thrum in response to my right foot. The mill is the same as the Optra 1.6, churning out 101PS at 5800rpm and 140Nm of torque at 4500 rpm, but shorter gearing on the SRV (especially the first three gears) means it is quicker off the line than its cousin. During speed tests, the SRV turned in a zero to 100 km/h time of 12.78 seconds and a top speed of 175.98 km/h on the V-box, which was not bad at all for a vehicle tipping the scales at 1230kg. The SRV’s five-speed manual gearbox is fairly slick and precise, and shifting gears on this car is not a chore like it is on some others.

The SRV works in the city, sure, but how does it behave once it hits the highways and our favorite set of twisties? Well, we did take it out on the narrow, winding roads near Pune, and the SRV acquitted itself with grace. Keep the revs northward of the 3000rpm mark and the SRV rewards you with vigorous acceleration. Steering is light and responsive, and at the same time, has tactile feel. Handling is, by and large, neutral and the SRV doesn’t display pronounced under steer like most front wheel drive hatchbacks. Push it hard through a corner and the SRV holds its line, making it ideal for a spot of spirited driving. And the SRV’s 195/60 R15 Goodyear GT3 tyres offered high levels of grip even while cornering hard in the wet, so certainly, the car’s handling/cornering abilities are none too poor.

The SRV employs independent suspension all round - McPherson struts on both axles with an A-frame arm in the front, and dual wishbones and a trailing arm at the rear. Low speed ride quality is not too bad, though it could have been better damped. Things get better at higher speeds, and potholes, speed-breakers, and rumble strips are dispensed with impunity. As a package deal, the SRV offers a very workable tradeoff between supple ride quality and outright handling abilities.

Coming to another very important factor - fuel efficiency -the SRV does reasonably well. In tests, it returned a figure of 9.8kmpl in the city and 17.5kmpl on the highways. Overall fuel efficiency was around 11.7kmpl, which we think is all right for a 1.6-litre engine. The SRV costs Rs 7.84 lakh (OTR Pune), which is sure to attract the young and the moneyed. Shell out an additional Rs 59,971 and you have the choice of upgrading your SRV with an options pack that includes goodies like 15-inch alloy wheels, leather wrapped steering wheel and gear knob, an Alpine music system with a remote, a front bumper that stays relatively undamaged up to speeds of 8km/h and a driver’s side airbag. Just one thing here - we would have liked the airbag to be a standard fitment! So there you have it. The SRV looks good, and drives well. In a market littered with half a dozen boring old hatchbacks, with little or no character, this is one sporty, stand-out car - one that you’ll love driving, and showing off to your neighbors. Yes, we are impressed!

Technical Specification

Car Body Type: Hatchback
Segment: C+ Segment

Engine

Engine: 1598cc, 16V DOHC, VGIS
Engine Type: Petrol
Maximum Power: 101bhp @5800rpm
Maximum Torque: 140kgm @4500rpm
Fuel Consumption: N/A
Gears: 5 Manual
Top Speed: N/A

Features

Air Conditioner: Yes
Central Locking: Manual
Steering: Power
Power Windows: Yes
Driver Seat Adjustment: Manual
Tacho Meter: Yes
Door Mirror: Both Side Electric
Stereo: Yes
CD Changer: No
Fog Lamps: Yes
Body Color Bumpers: Yes
Rear A.C. Vent: No
Remote Boot: Yes
Remote Fuel: Yes
Rear Defogger: Yes
Rear Wiper: Yes
ABS: No
Airbag: Yes
Ground Clearance: 185.00 cm
Kerb Weight: 0.00
Fuel Tank: 0.00
Alloys: Yes

Chevrolet Aveo

The Aveo spearheads the General’s attack in its quest to regain world domination. Hot looks, decent go and drool-over price are key weapons in the Aveo arsenal. So will it deliver up Indian bastion to GM on a platter? Sirish Chandran dials in from the trenches. The General is in the dumps, but then you probably knew that. Walking the bankruptcy tightrope, saddled with awfully large pension and healthcare payouts and set, any time now, to lose its number one tag, General Motors could not dig itself into a deeper hole even if it tried. Out could be the only way out and if the light at the end of the tunnel is to be anything other than that of an oncoming Toyota, GM has to (among many, many others) expand its Asian footprint. And the General knows it.

“The most significant thing is the transition from European and American dominance to Asian dominance,” said GM’s 75-year-old Vice Chairman for global product development, Bob Lutz, an out and out car guy in a bean counter riddled organization. And leading that growth is this - the Aveo - a project apparently signed off by the great man himself and destined for 120 markets around the globe, including America. Reiterating GM’s new found Asian focus, the first market to get the Aveo (the booted and face-lifted Daewoo Kalos badged Chevrolet as all ex-Daewoo cars are these days) is China and we’re next in line signaling the onset of a serious push for volumes on the part of the General’s Indian foot soldiers; volumes that will be bolstered by the UV-A (the previous generation hatchback Aveo) to be launched in the next couple of month and the Spark (based on the Daewoo Matiz) next year.

For now though the Aveo will have to lead the General’s charge; let us hope she is up to it. STYLE and BUILD Say what you may of Daewoo, at least they hired the best in the world to design their cars. Italians penned both the Matiz and Optra and now this, the Aveo, benefits from the attentions of Giorgetto Giugiaro himself; designer of every third landmark car there is. Little surprise then that she turns heads wherever she goes and so well executed are her lines and exterior detailing that on the style front no other C-segment car can hold a candle to her. The most striking feature is the beefy nose highlighted by two prominent ridges running from the bonnet and into the bumpers, flanked by the now de rigueur clear lens headlamps. Though the huge chrome grille with an even bigger bow tie slapped into it isn’t terribly subtle, overall she exudes a big car feel that’s missing from cars of this segment.

Strong muscular lines and a hunkered down stance gives the Aveo the look and feel of a scaled down Optra and that’s a good thing viewed any which way. The family resemblance is most prominent in profile, the flared wheel arches and strong and high shoulder line giving it a modern Euro chic look while the alloys on the 1.6 that hark back to the Optra, cement the family heritage. At the rear she gets a tiny boot spoiler and thick slab of chrome running on the bootlid between the tail lamps. A touch too garish if you ask me but I love the triangular tail lamps with twin beams for the brake lights that look like afterburners when lit up. The 1.4 makes do without the chrome strip, a good thing that, but gets awfully plasticky wheel caps garnished with absurdly large wheel nut extensions. A further fly in the style ointment is the under-tyred look that is fast becoming part of the Chevy (nee-Daewoo) styling DNA. Running on 14-inch rims shod with fat 185-section rubber, GM has not skimped on rubber but such is the flare of the wheel arches that she seems to be running toy wheels, spoiling the overall balance. Not that you’ll dwell on it for too long since once inside you’ll fall in love with the beautifully executed cabin.

It is a mighty fine place to spend time in with the beige upholstery imbuing the cabin with a light airy ambience, enhanced by a genuinely spacious cabin that can seat five in comfort. There’s significantly more interior room than the competition despite GM indulging in a spot of packaging creativity in giving the rear seat back additional recline angle to compensate for the tight headroom. The two-tone dashboard with dimpled soft-touch black upper and beige lower is very European and you’ll love the semi-circular dials again whacked from the Optra. Quality of materials is top rate while equipment levels on the top end LT variant include a decent (if slightly tinny sounding) in-dash CD player, leather wrapped steering wheel (equipped with an airbag), wood inserts in the dash and a leather wrapped gear knob. The top-end 1.4 version gets silver garnishing in place of the wood finish (I wouldn’t mind either) and the Optra 1.6’s (non-airbag equipped) steering wheel.

Both versions also get height adjustable seats and tilt-adjustable steering column but hard as I tried I couldn’t settle into a comfortable driving position. Either my arms were too stretched out or my knees banged against the dashboard. Shorter drivers will find the gear lever set too far back and adding to everybodys misery is the horn which, on the 1.6, can only be operated by two thumb pads at the extremities of the (very large dia) steering wheel. Going by the top-notch interior fit and finish, I would love to report excellent build quality, and on the whole, the 1.6 deserves top marks.

However on the 1.4 the driver’s side door alignment was already going south, the power windows conked it on the second week of the test and then the whole car shut down after the ECU fuse blew thanks to the GM technicians hot wiring the power window fuse. Let us hope this is a one-off problem and we would only be too glad to induct an Aveo into our long-term test fleet to see if build quality is up to the mark expected these days. One area of concern is the safety rating, the Aveo getting two stars and a strikeout in Euro NCAP crash worthiness ratings, and that is the airbag-equipped variant. Which essentially means you really do not want to be involved in a prang in the Aveo, most definitely not a big one. STYLE: 4.5/5 BUILD: 3/5

Engine and Transmission

It is a familiar story here, the 1.6-litre unit being the same as found under the hood of the Optra 1.6, except here it has forfeited 2 horses and 1Nm of torque. Apparently, this ECU has been completely mapped by engineers in India and the losses are probably to compensate for better drivability, efficiency, and emission compliance. The 1598cc ex-Daewoo twin-cam engine makes 102PS of power and 147Nm of torque, breathes through 16 valves, and is governed by a 32-bit ECU. On the 1.4 variant engine capacity is down to 1399cc resulting in 94PS of power and 127Nm of torque.

Both engines get VGIS (variable geometry intake system) that alters the length of the inlet tract (529mm at low revs reducing to 300mm above 4400rpm) for better low down torque without the associated drawbacks at higher revs. As seen in the Optra it also improves the all important fuel efficiency. Being of the same family it’s little surprise to learn that both engines are mated to the same gearbox from the Optra 1.6 which in turn employs the taller gear ratios from the 1.8-litre Optra; all in the interests of better efficiency. And aid fuel efficiency the gearbox does what with the recalcitrant shift and long imprecise throws putting you off gear shifting altogether, ensuring you keep her in one gear (preferably one of the higher ones) for as long as feasible.

Though the 1.6 engine is a familiar unit it feels a little rougher than in the Optra, maybe because there’s a little less NVH damping. There’s also a noticeable flywheel effect, revs lingering for too long when the clutch’s depressed. Not that it’s a problem, mind you, especially when pottering around in the city where the torque (we’re talking 1.6 here) allows you to keep her in higher gears. But stretch her to the extremities of the rev range and she is not terribly pleased, taking on a harsh and gruff note and then banging against the rev limiter with all the intensity of a Muhammad Ali upper cut.

Engine: 3/5 Transmission: 2.5/5 Chassis and Suspension Not only can the Aveo’s family tree be traced back through her styling and power train but her on-road manners are so much like the Optra’s, it’s uncanny. Storm down on the highway and she is rock steady, exhibiting the same planted and sure-footed manners that have earned the Optra high praise. And thanks to the long travel suspension, her ride quality, especially at speed, is pretty darn good.

At low speeds tough, she exhibits a bit of a jiggle, characteristic of torsion beam rear suspension set-ups that are employed in packaging and cost interests. Sharp bumps do cause the rear to jack up but over typically broken roads, she rides well than any other car in this segment flattening rough patches with the panache of a much larger car. Build speed and damping improves dramatically, a full complement of five (that sees the rear squat like Dhoni behind the wicket) not hampering ride quality one bit. Hard as we tried, she rarely bottomed out at the rear making her an ideal car to throw a chauffeur in. All the more since your chauffeur isn’t going to throw any hills at the Aveo. And that’s just as well.

The bureaucratic gearbox, unenthusiastic engine, and awkward dash that your knees keep banging into are joined, in the hills, by body roll and an express ticket to under steer central. All of which gets aggravated in the 1.4 that, on tight hairpins, keeps falling out of the power band necessitating constant shifting and leaving you exhausted at the end of the day. The steering too, decently weighted albeit a touch too heavy for city parking, is vague and imprecise and the large diameter steering wheel does not encourage enthusiastic sawing.

It takes big commitment to hold her at the limit in the hills, the rear getting unsettled while braking in anything other than a straight line. But I am being a bit too harsh here. Cars such as these are not used for hill climbing and out on the highway she comes into her own with no other mid-size car capable of fast and comfortable expressway mile munching as the Aveo. Neither does many D-segment cars, either, the Aveo chewing fast open corners with competence and at the same time comfortably clearing towering speed-breakers that our municipal corporations seem to take a perverse pleasure in erecting everywhere.

Body Styles, Trim Levels and Options

The Chevrolet Aveo comes in four-door sedan and five-door hatchback configurations, and both are available in one of three trim levels — Special Value, LS and LT. Special Value models come in at around $10,000 and offer basics like power steering, an AM/FM stereo, tilt steering wheel, split-folding rear seat, 14-inch steel wheels, tinted glass, body-color mirrors and door handles and, on hatchbacks, a rear wiper. LS models add air conditioning and carpeted floor mats, as well as the availability of major options such as ABS, CD/MP3 player, alloy wheels, and an automatic transmission. The LT adds power windows and locks, a CD/MP3 player, remote keyless entry, cruise control, 15-inch alloy wheels, and upgraded seat fabric.

Power trains and Performance

The Chevy Aveo has a double-overhead cam, 1.6-liter, four-cylinder engine that delivers 103 hp and 107 lb-ft of torque. A five-speed manual transmission is standard, and there is also, an optional four-speed automatic with an electronic “hold” feature for second-gear starts when driving on slippery surfaces. Fuel mileage estimates are 27 mpg in the city and 35 on the highway with the manual gearbox and 26/34 with the automatic — comparable to the Hyundai Accent but less efficient than the Toyota Echo and Scion xA.

Safety

The Chevrolet Aveo comes with three-point seatbelts for all five passengers with pre-tensioners in the front. ABS is optional on LS and LT models, and it includes Electronic Brake force Distribution for shorter stopping distances. Side airbags are standard across the board for 2006. In NHTSA crash tests, the Aveo earned a five-star rating (the best possible) for its protection of front occupants in frontal impacts.

Interior Design and Special Features

However, bare bones in appearance and feel, the interior have a user-friendly control layout and a few thoughtful features for a car in this price range. The back of each front headrest has a hook for holding a shopping bag, and the five-door hatch has a flip-forward rear seat that allows for a maximum cargo capacity of 42 cubic feet. Even the sedan comes with a 60/40-split-folding rear seat and offers a decent 11.7-cubic-foot trunk capacity.

Driving Impressions

Subcompact cars have a well-deserved reputation for poor handling and wobbly rides. While the Chevrolet Aveo is certainly no thrill ride, it provides better overall vehicle dynamics than most of its competitors. The steering is direct, the suspension well tuned and the standard engine — while loud and buzzy — is adequate for day-to-day commuting. We normally recommend that buyers in this class opt for a manual transmission, but in the Aveo’s case, the automatic is the better bet: The manual tranny’s gear ratios are too wide, leaving the car underpowered on highway grades and ultimately compromising fuel economy.

Road Test

As lineage goes, the Chevrolet Aveo’s might have a slight pedigree advantage over that of Anna Nicole Smith’s son.This inexpensive car from Chevy is the latest in a particularly motley branch of the automotive family tree-an American-branded car made in Korea. Think Ford’s Kia-built Aspire and Festiva. Think Pontiac’s desecration of that once-revered name, the LeMans, built by Daewoo. These are not cars in the Gear head Hall o’ Fame. I once lived in a flat beneath an erotic dancer who drove a Festiva with a bumper sticker that read, “You’ve been a bad boy, go to my room!” Other than that, the Festiva was not, you know, a stimulating car.

Ah, but we were talking about the new Aveo-which you may pronounce ah-vay-oh or av-ee-oh, your pick. You could also call it a Kalos, since that is the name of the Daewoo model on which it is based. Well, actually more than just “based”-more like “basically identical to”. This refugee Chevy, which is nonetheless featured in the division’s much-ballyhooed “American Revolution” advertising campaign, is built in Bupyong, South Korea, which is not in Wisconsin but is fun to say aloud. Over the last year, GM has also quietly introduced three other Daewoo’s under the Suzuki badge. The General has a controlling interest in both companies.

Forgive us, then, if we were planning to take this car lightly. When it was dropped off in our parking lot, we . . . well, we did not really notice. Chevrolet says the Aveo was styled at Italdesign-Giugiaro in Moncalieri, Italy. And we have no reason to believe the company is lying. Chevy describes the five-door Aveo as having a “particularly striking design”. This is what is known as overstatement. Truth is, the Aveo comes from the same postmodern-dork design school as the Toyota Echo and Suzuki Aerio-both competitors of the Aveo. Tall, upright, and narrow, all these cars violate a certain innate human sense of proportion. Also, the tall, bluff sides of the Aveo make the respectably sized wheels (14-inchers) look like casters under a toolbox. Nothing screams “econobox” quite like really small tires. At 58.9 inches high, the Aveo five-door pokes between two and three inches higher into the atmosphere than a Dodge Neon, Ford Focus, or Honda Civic, but it rides on a wheelbase between 5.4 and 7.4 inches shorter and is an inch or two narrower than those sedans.

There is, nonetheless, beauty inside the Aveo. Pop open one of its flyweight doors and you will find 50 cubic feet of interior space in front and 41 in the rear, despite its modest exterior dimensions. That is about the same amount of interior room as in most of its competitors. Be aware, however, that some of that generous number of cubes is high up around the driver’s head because of the tall roof. But the Aveo, at least the five-door we tested, is a well-packaged device. The rear bench seat sits far rearward in the car-placing rear-seat passenger heads near the backlight. This arrangement sacrifices cargo room-there is a puny seven cubic feet of storage behind the rear seats. But unless you need to take five people and their baggage, the Aveo will do just fine. In the current vogue, the seats are all mounted high in the body. You feel more like you are sitting on a kitchen chair than in a bucket seat. Also, it makes the driver look and feel like a geek.

Being that most practical of small vehicles, a hatchback, you can also convert that rear-seat space into cargo room. Fold the 60/40-split seatbacks, pivot the bench forward, and secure it with tethers to the front headrests, and you get a more-than-credible 42 cubic feet of cargo room. The whole tether thing is a bit cheesy-looking, but it works.

The interior gave us the first inkling this might not be as bad a car as we’d expected. Our test car, a well-optioned LS, costs only $14,160, but the interior is finished in decent-looking, low-sheen plastics. The Aveo doesn’t look any cheaper inside than do several more-expensive, U.S.-built GM models. Daewoo even tried-somewhat half-heartedly-to add a bit of funkiness to the interior design. Strips of dimpled black plastic border the center stack. Kia likely would have just used one big swath of hard black plastic instead. The two center vents are shaped like tubes that protrude from the face of the dash instead of just simple grate-covered holes.

Daewoo might be reaching for a sort-of Beetle/Mini style, but the splashes of style are subtle and inconsistent enough to make them look like little more than afterthoughts applied to an otherwise conventional interior. There are touches of true cheapness inside, too. When you push the right stalk up to turn on the windshield wipers, you might think you’ve broken something. It resists moving, and when it does, it emits a cracking sound, as if you’d snapped a piece of plastic in two. The tiny sun visors, which are too small to block many solar rays, return to their recesses in the headliner with a hollow thwack! These are easily forgiven faults, though, since the car costs only about half the price of the average new car sold in America.

All Aveo has come standard with a tachometer, a tilting steering wheel, adjustable seatbelt anchors, floor mats, and two power outlets up front. These are items one cannot necessarily take for granted in this lowliest ring of the automotive food chain. The slightly cheaper Kia Rio, for example, offers none of these standard. Our LS model added A/C, power windows, power door locks with remote keyless entry, and a CD player with MP3 playback capability.

But availability of amenities does not a good car make. Even the sweetest-singing stereo sounds like the intercom system at Kroger if a buzzing engine, humming tires, and howling winds, drowns it out. Although this particular stereo is not exactly sweet, you can at least hear it clearly, because the Aveo runs in relative quiet. At full throttle, the Aveo makes 76 decibels of racket. Not exactly Lexus territory, but it is quieter than the Kia Rio and virtually all cars one rung higher on the price ladder (Honda Civic, Nissan Sentra, Toyota Corolla, et al.). And the Aveo matches those sedans for quiet at a 70-mph cruise.

That said, the noises you do hear are not especially pleasant ones. The DOHC 103-hp, 1.6-liter iron-block four-cylinder is on the buzzy side at high revs. And despite a dual-path intake intended to fatten a skimpy torque curve, you will need to rev this little motor to move out with anything resembling haste. At 10.2 seconds to 60 mph, our Aveo, equipped with a five-speed manual, is about as sprightly as the 96-hp Kia Rio, and nips the Scion xB by a few 10ths of a second. It trails the Civic/Corolla/Focus camp by an average of about a second.

Because of the paucity of torque (107 pound-feet at 3600 rpm), you’ll be working the tall shifter constantly to stay up with the traffic flow-and you’ll be happy you chose not to pay $850 for the optional four-speed automatic. By enthusiast standards, the Aveo’s shifter has perhaps the worst feel of any on the market. The throws are long-an impression exacerbated by the lengthy stalk. The action is limp. Even while in gear, the shifter flops around as if it were connected to nothing at all. This is not satisfying motoring. Yet we never missed a shift. And judging by our continued forward progress, we concluded that the shifter must indeed be connected to something.

As the shift quality suggests, this is not a vehicle made for the pleasure of operation. It is, instead, a well-realized transportation module-certainly considering the weight and cost constraints in this class. Its strut-front, twist-beam-rear suspension is tuned for a soft ride, in the manner of most Korean cars. Tar strips and gritty pavement are less noticeable in the Aveo than in most Japanese or American small cars. Only large potholes and frost heaves reveal the low-budget mechanicals with a mighty thwack.

In daily traffic machinations, the Aveo feels nimble enough, even with its feel-free steering. It does not feel tippy in the way that tall, cheap cars often do on a curving off-ramp. Its narrow Hankook tires return enough grips (0.74 g) to avoid embarrassing early-onset squealing. And its disc and drum brakes are trusty, returning 199-foot stops from 70 mph with a reasonably firm and linear pedal. That is better breaking performance than that of most other small cars on the market. ABS is a $400 option that our car did not have.

There is a Special Value edition of the Aveo that starts at $9995. But that is an automotive hair shirt, and one suspects it exists only so Chevy can advertise a starting price under $10,000. The LS model, which will be more popular, starts at a still rock bottom $12,585. None of the options on our test car (which raised the price by $1575) improves the driving experience.

So forget the $225 rear spoiler, the $725 sunroof, and the rest, and you will still have a well-equipped small car for less than $13,000. That is substantially cheaper than a Scion (xA or xB) or even an Echo with a similar level of equipment. It is about the same as a Hyundai Accent and slightly more than a Kia Rio. If, however, you buy one of those Korean-brand Korean cars, you get the mondo five-year/60,000-mile basic warranty (with a 10-year/ 100,000-mile power train warranty). But the American-brand Korean car, the Aveo, is offered with a less-generous three-year/36,000-mile warranty. Unlike its predecessors, there is no shame in driving an Aveo. But neither is there pleasure. That counts as a success in this class of transportation.

Technical Specification

Engine

	1.3L SOHC
Displacement	1299 cc
Max. power	70 PS@5500 rpm
Max. torque	105 Nm@2500 rpm
Cylinders	4 in-line
Fuel injection	SEFI
Compression ratio	10.2 : 1
Emission level	Stage III

Transmissions

	Ford B5 manual five-speed transmission
Gear ratios:
1st	3.58
2nd	1.93
3rd	1.28
4th	0.95
5th	0.76
Reverse	3.62
Final drive ratios:
1.3 SOHC M5	4.06

Suspension

Front	Independent MacPherson struts with offset coil spring/damper units and lower L-arms in optimised vertical bushes mounted on separate sub-frame.
Rear	Semi-independent twist-beam with strut-type coil spring/damper units. Dual-path body mounts.

Steering

Type	Fixed ratio rack and pinion with power assistance (PAS)
Turning diameter (kerb-to-kerb)	9.9 m

Brakes

Type	Dual circuit, diagonally split, hydraulically-operated disc front and drum rear. Vacuum servo assistance. Rear brake pressure control valve.
Front	240 mm dia. x 20 mm wide ventilated discs
Rear	180 mm dia. drums with 30 mm wide shoes

Exterior Dimensions

Overall length	4140 mm
Overall width	1634 mm
Wheelbase	2486 mm

Interior Dimensions

Head room - Front	982 mm
Head room - Rear	968 mm
Leg room	1036 mm
Shoulder room	1325 mm

Fuel

	1.3L SOHC
Fuel type	Unleaded petrol
Fuel tank capacity (Litres)	45

Features

Safety

1.3 Flair

S - Standard. O -Optional. na - Not Available.

Laminated windscreen	S
Child-proof rear locks	S
Front and rear side impact door beams	S
Front and rear seat belts	S
Headlamps-on warning buzzer	na
Centre high mount stop lamp	S
Sporty fog lamps	S
Ford Dynamic Safety Engineering (DSE)	S
Central locking and electric fuel cap release	S
Sparkling clear headlamps	S

Comfort and Convenience

1.3 Flair

S - Standard. O - Optional. na - Not Available.

400 litre luggage compartment capacity	S
Interior theme - truffle	S
Instrumentation-black dials	S
Smaller sporty steering wheel	na
CFC-free air-conditioning	S
Tachometer	S
Power windows	na
Two 45 watt speakers	S
Boot light	S

Power and Performance

1.3 Flair

S - Standard. O - Optional. na - Not Available.

Euro III compliant	S
5 speed manual transmission	S

Handling

1.3 Flair

S - Standard. O - Optional. na - Not Available.

Power steering	S
4.9 metre turning circle radius	S
Front suspension - McPherson strut mounted on separate sub frame	S
Rear suspension - Heavy duty twist beam with strut-type coil spring/damper unity	S
Brakes: front disc/rear drum	S

Chevrolet Spark

General Motors, the world’s biggest carmaker who rolled out its small car Chevrolet Spark in India as it takes on market leader Maruti Suzuki. The company has set the price of Spark at Rs 3.09 lakh (Ex-showroom Delhi) for the base model, slightly lower than Rs 3.21 lakh for Maruti’s Zen Estillo base model. Chevrolet Spark would be available in four options with the price increasing to Rs 3.89 lakh. The company, which has so far sold two million units of the small car globally, will initially roll out Spark from its manufacturing facility in Gujarat.

Spark would be available in two versions of petrol engine: 795cc and 995cc. The 795cc, 6valve engine would compete with Maruti 800. It will deliver a power of 8KW and torque of 68.6 Nm@4600 rpm. The three-cylinder design provides a very flat torque curve, which results in a less peak power delivery. The 795cc engine claims to give a mileage of 19.2kpl with a top speed of 142 km/hr.

Chevrolet Spark has a mono frame design, which maximizes the wheelbase, and in turn improves cabin space. The body is made of high strength steel, which makes the car lighter and gives the required stability on road while driving. Spark has a completely new torsion beam rear axle, which is coupled to angled shock absorbers and semi trailing arms.

Spark has 1L engine which outputs 63bhp of power and 90Nm of torque. With these figures, enthusiast will definitely feed well but people anxious about the fuel economy might disappoint. Unlike Matiz which comfortably gave over 15 kmpl in city, Chevrolet Spark will give approx 13kmpl in similar driving conditions. People who have ever driven Matiz know that in spite of having a very small engine, Matiz never gave a slothful feeling. The engine always did the needful as far as city-driving is concerned. With 1L engine, Spark is more thrilling in city and much better at highways.

Exterior is not changed much. Though fascia, tail-design is quite different from Matiz, the overall shape & size of Chevrolet Spark gives a familiar look. Exterior & Interior dimensions are almost equal to the old Matiz. Car is available in five colors; Icy Blue, Mint Green, Fiery Red, Casablanca White and Platinum Metallic. To me, Mint Green looked too funky but Icy Blue and Platinum Metallic were soothing. Paint work quality could have been much better.

Spark Engine:

Spark has two versions of petrol engine-0.8L and 1L. There is speculation about launch of diesel engine, but at least in the short term first the diesel will be introduced in Chevrolet AVEO U-VA to match diesel swift. The 795cc, 6valve-Smaller engine to take on Maruti 800 will pump out 38KW and torque of 68.6 Nm@4600 rpm. The three-cylinder design is said to provide a very flat torque curve, which means a much less peaky power delivery than would be expected from an engine of this size, and ensures that the Spark exceeds most performance expectations. The three-cylinder unit claims to give a mileage of 19.2kpl with a top speed of 142 km/hr.

Spark Exteriors:

The large round head lamps brings back the memory of old Daewoo Matiz. The Chevrolet spark is a classic example of the Mono form design, as is the Zen Estilo and Honda Civic. The Mono form design reduces the front and rear extension which means the easy parking in metros and it also maximizes the wheel base, which in turn improves cabin space. Thanks to the selection of materials, generous use of high strength steel not only gives you the required stability but it also makes the car weigh less. It weighs about 795 kg against 875kg Zen Estilo.

To improve the handling of the Spark, a completely new torsion beam rear axle was used, coupled to angled shock absorbers and semi trailing arms. This will provide you much greater accuracy wheel control than the rambling axle used in Zen Estilo. The Gas pressure shock absorbers together with softer mounting rubbers in the suspension links will improve the ride comfort. Chevrolet claims that spark gives you greater visibility from the high driving position with low waist line and slim pillars for tight reversing occasions.

Spark Interiors:

The Spark interior is divided into two main sections. In the driver’s direct line of view, there is a semi-circular set of displays incorporating the control and warning lights. Then, in the center of the dashboard and slightly raised, is the instrument panel with classic-style analogue displays, easily visible to all Spark occupants. They provide information on rpm, speed and fuel level. The odometer reading and time are displayed in digital form which means they are easy to pick out at a glance and the clever ergonomics mean you don’t have to peer through the steering wheel and take your eyes off the road. More cars should have this set-up.

For average sized people the Spark’s interior will pose no problems in the legroom department and headroom will fit for most sizes too. The seats are supportive and good for distance work. The rear seat’s backrest can be divided in the ratio 60:40 against the not folding type offered by Zen Estilo, enabling longer objects to be transported without problem. If the complete bench is flipped up, the capacity rises to an impressive 845 liters whereas the luggage space is 170litres.

Spark Safety and special features:

Spark Anti Lock Braking System and driver-passenger airbags may not be offered in 0.8L spark and may be offered in 1Lspark as an optional one. Specifically distinct load paths with an energy absorbing hexagonal profile protect the passengers in the event of a head-on or rear collision. Optimized links between the B-pillar and the sills provide additional protection in the event of a side impact.

The range of safety equipment is completed by an energy-absorbing steering column, knee padding and a plastic fuel tank with a safety valve that immediately halts the fuel supply if the car turns over, thereby virtually eliminating any fire risk. Certainly it may not be the safest car but 0.8L spark will certainly score over the Maruti 800 when comes to safety. Air conditioning, power windows, power steering, remote fuel lid opener and remote tail gate opener will be offered as standard in 1L spark.

Technical Specification

Dimensions & Weights Overall Length 3495 mm Overall Width 1495 mm Overall Height 1518 mm Wheel Base 2345 mm Ground Clearance 170 mm Front Track 1315 mm Rear Track 1280 mm Front Headroom 1004 mm Front Legroom 1022 mm Rear Legroom mm Rear Shoulder mm Boot Space 170 liter Kerb Weight 840 kg Gross Vehicle Weight kg No of Doors 5 door Capacity Seating Capacity 5 person Fuel Tank Capacity 35 liter Fuel Efficiency Mileage (Highway) 18 km/liter Mileage (City) 13 km/liter Mileage (Overall) 14.7 km/liter Performance Maximum Speed 150 Km/Hour 0-100kmph 16.1 seconds 1/4 Mile 21.2 seconds 100kmph-0 (Braking) meters 80kmph-0 (Braking) 32.1 meters Engine Engine Type/Model 1.0L 4-Cyl SOHC Petrol Displacement 995 cc Power 63 PS @ 5400 rpm Torque 90 Nm @ 4200 rpm Valve Mechanism SOHC Bore 68.5 mm Stroke 67.5 mm Compression Ratio 9.3:1 No of Cylinders 4 cylinder Cylinder Configuration Inline Valves per Cylender 2 valve Ignition Type Engine Block Material Block Head Material Fuel Type Petrol Fuel System Sequential Electronic Fuel Injection Transmission Transmission Type Manual Gears/Speeds 5 Gears Clutch Type Final Reduction Gear Ratio 4.44 Suspensions Front Suspension Mcpherson Struts with Anti-roll Torsion bars, gas-filled shock-absorbers Rear Suspension Torsion Beam Axle, gas-filled shock-absorbers Steering Steering Type Rack & Pinion, Power-assisted Power Assisted Standard Minimum Turning Radius 4.6 meter Brakes Brake Type Front Brakes Ventilated discs Rear Brakes Self Adjusting Drums Wheels & Tyres Wheel Type Steel Wheel Size 4.5J x 13" Tyres 155 / 70 R13

Standard Features Feature Availability Air Conditioner YES Power Windows YES Power Door Locks NO Power Steering YES Anti-Lock Braking System NO Traction Control NO Driver Air-Bags NO Passenger Air-Bags NO Immobilizer NO Cup Holders YES Folding Rear-Seat NO Rear Wash Wiper NO Alloy Wheels NO Tubeless Tyres NO Central Locking YES Remote Boot/Fuel-Lid YES Steering Adjustment NO Tachometer NO Child Safety Locks YES Front Fog Lights NO Rear Defroster NO Defogger (Rear) NO Leather Seats NO Power Seats NO AM/FM Radio NO Cassette Player NO CD Player NO Sun-Roof NO Moon-Roof NO Standard Colors Icy Blue Mint Green Fiery Red Casablanca White Platinum Metalli Detailed Features Comfort IP lower stowage - driver and co-driver side Cup holders in front console Bottle holders in front doors Day/night rear view mirror Remote fuel filler release Remote tailgate release Front room lamp Passenger side sunvisor with vanity mirror Low fuel warning lamp Heater Seat back shopping hooks Internally adjustable OSRVMs Temperature gauge Card holder AC Power steering Front power windows Rear power windows Digital clock Cigerette lighter Detachable ashtray Exterior Full wheel cover Tinted glass Both sides OSRVMs Body-coloured bumper Interior Fabric upholstery Fabric insert on door trims Rear parcel shelf Safety Rear door child locks 2.5MPH front and rear bumpers Door ajar warning display Center high mount stop lamps Central locking