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| Aveo's position on the subcompact totem pole could've been better, so they've gone and raised it by giving it a new exterior and interior. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press) |
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| Smatterings of chrome, and jeweled tail lights give the Aveo a decidedly upscale look (and we mean it). (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press) |
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| Extension of the rear overhang means trunk can now swallow 350L (12.4 cu-ft). (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press) |
Extreme Makeover Challenge: Subcompact Car Edition
At any given time, on any given day, turning on the television will lead to a bombardment of reality television shows; from What Not to Wear to Extreme Makeover. Nothing, it seems, is out of bounds for these producers, who view almost everyone to everything in need of some sort of improvement. Hot topics include redesigning people, their wardrobes, and their houses, and believe it or not there are even a few shows on the subject of cars. I can't help but think that Chevrolet has pulled a corporate version of cable television's new darling with their latest car, the new 2007 Aveo Sedan. Think of it as the winning contestant on Extreme Makeover Challenge: Subcompact Economy Car Edition.
The new Aveo isn't cute and cuddly in the same way that the new Yaris or Fit is, and it's not as sleek as the new Accent 3-door hatchback, but it's a charming looking machine, in a chunky, handsome sort of way. The original Aveo was styled by ItalDesign, Giorgetto Giugiaro's design studio. These men and women understand a thing or two about the fashion of compact and subcompact cars; after all, Giugiaro himself was the man behind the Volkswagen Rabbit and the ever-fashionable Fiat Panda. While his signature probably wasn't on the bottom of the original sketches of this latest creation, he's taught his apprentices a thing or two, and they've done well on the Aveo. For instance, it's a fairly tall vehicle, but it doesn't look it. Its sides are hardly what you could call slab, aided by balanced proportions. Subcompact cars generally don't transform very well from hatchback to sedan, but the new Aveo looks more sorted, and its trunk doesn't seem tacked on as an afterthought.
The Aveo hatch always looked good in bright, cheerful metallic shades which hid its slightly more rolly-poly shape, but the new sedan looks a class above the subcompact, and a whole lot less generic. A lot of this has to do with the details, or, since we're on a fashion stream, accessories. There's plenty of chrome on the new, extra chunky grille, and the new single-unit, wide-eyed headlamps replace the smaller, squintier lights. The tail end has also been treated to a re-working, with (an optional) decklid spoiler, new, triangular-shaped clear-lens tail lamps in mirror-finish housings linked together by a strip of chrome, which mimics the more costly Malibu and Impala sedans. These changes really help to wholly integrate the Korean built and designed Aveo into the American lineup. With the exterior updates come new front and rear bumpers, but no wheel arch reduction, which, combined with a sizeable wheel gap, visually transforms even the optional 15-inch wheels into shopping cart castors.
In the process of updating, the Aveo Sedan actually grew in size a bit. The Sedan is now 76 mm (3.0 in) longer, and 40 mm (1.6 in) wider than the current sedan, though the 2765 mm (97.3-in) wheelbase remains the same. Much of the extra length has been added to the rear overhang which gives the Aveo Sedan a larger trunk. The new 2007 now has 350 L (12.4 cu-ft) over last year's 328 L (11.6 cu-ft) hold, which can be further expanded by folding down the split rear seatbacks. That's just one litre (0.04 cu-ft) off the Accent Sedan trunk, and 15 litres (0.5 cu-ft) off the class-leading Yaris Sedan. The gain in width also permitted an increase in the size of the front and rear tracks; they now measure in at 1,450 mm (57.1 in) up front, and 1,430 mm (56.3 in) in back, both of which are wider than the pre-facelift model's uniform 1,410 mm (55.5-in) tracks. These gains should help improve two areas of criticism on the previous Aveo: stability at higher speeds and roadholding during cornering, especially in the wet.
