2006 Chevrolet Aveo Review
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By Sam Moses

Overview

The Chevrolet Aveo is cheap wheels, but it's an enjoyable car with a pleasant cabin. Starting below $10,000, the Aveo comes in a choice of four-door sedan or five-door hatchback styles. Aveo is based on the Daewoo Kalo, a Korean car that's popular in many countries around the world.

The base models are basic, but the interiors are quite nice. The front seats are comfortable and the back seats are surprisingly roomy. The Aveo looks good, particularly the sedan, and the body panels fit well.

Zippy performance and sharp steering make the Aveo fun to drive, while a decent ride and reasonably quiet cabin make for pleasant everyday transportation. The 2006 Aveo gets a host of upgrades and refinements, including side-impact air bags as standard equipment and a retuned suspension.

Model Lineup

The 2006 Chevy Aveo comes in three trim levels, each of which is available in the four-door sedan and five-door hatchback body styles. All are powered by a 103-horsepower 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine. A five-speed manual gearbox comes standard; an automatic ($850) is an option for LS and LT models.

The Special Value model ($9,455) comes standard with dual-stage frontal airbags and side-impact airbags, vented front disc brakes, halogen headlamps, a height-adjustable driver's seat, child safety seat system, manually operated side-view mirrors, tinted glass, tilt steering wheel, 60/40 split folding rear seat, AM/FM stereo, two-speed intermittent variable wipers, and a rear window defogger. Air conditioning is not available; in fact, the only option is an engine block heater ($35). The hatchback is priced the same as the sedan, and adds a wiper/washer on the liftgate window.

LS ($11,370) adds air conditioning and carpeted floormats. The manufacturer's suggested retail price of the hatchback and sedan are the same. Cruise control and remote keyless entry are available as a package ($395) on 2006 models, and a CD/MP3 stereo is optional ($300). A rear spoiler ($225) is available for the hatchback.

The LT hatchback ($12,790) and ($13,015) are upgraded with deluxe front seats, power windows, power locks with remote keyless entry, power passenger-side mirror, a CD player with MP3 capability, 14-inch aluminum wheels. The LT hatchback comes standard with the rear spoiler. A six-speaker sound system ($250) and a power sunroof ($725) are optional.

Safety features include optional anti-lock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution ($400) available for LS and LT. For 2006, all models come with advanced dual-stage airbags that use Chevy's Passenger Sensing System to shut off the passenger airbag if it detects a child seat there. In addition, 2006 models come standard with side-impact airbags.