Add to favorites Examiner Bio

Test Drive: 2009 Chevrolet Aveo5 1LT car review, Fuel economy, old style

Say “fuel economy” these days and the Rorschach immediately turn to hybrids, plug-in hybrids, extended-range electric, pure electric, fuel cell and diesel. And did we mention hybrids? Woe betides the traditional path to fuel efficiency enlightenment: the small car with a small engine.

 

Perhaps that’s just too simple.

 

It’s definitely not very hard. Consider the Chevrolet Aveo5 Hatchback. It is, as its name suggests, a five-door hatchback. It’s powered by a double-overhead cam 1.6-liter four available with either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic. The engine is rated at 106 horsepower at 6400 rpm and 105 lb-ft of torque at 3800 rpm. It runs on regular unleaded and according to EPA estimates, achieves 27/34 mpg city/highway with the manual gearbox and 25/34 mpg with the automatic transmission.

 

It gets by with the minimal powertrain by being small and light. Its wheelbase is only 97.6 inches and though it has five seatbelts, it’s either four-up or the three in back get very friendly. And at 2,557 lbs it’s one of the lightest cars on the road outside of specialty sports cars.

 

Thanks to the dimensions and weight and what it takes (or left on the table) to get there, those along for the ride have a need for speed. Well, they need speed anyway. The Aveo is anything but a ball of fire. Perhaps glowing ember of acceleration would be a better choice of words. The Aveo should come standard with a sticker in the rear window that reads, “I’m pedaling as fast as I can,” with an available upgrade to “I might be slow but I’m ahead of you.”

 

Our experience was with the 5-speed manual and if there’s an advantage to the Aveo5’s minimalist performance, it’s that it can be driven flat out most of the time. Rev it to redline bang off a shift and no one’s the wiser. Try that in a Corvette. It’s been said that it’s more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow. If so, the Aveo5 is ecstasy on wheels.

 

If we’re a bit brutal about our test Aveo5’s performance or lack thereof, it’s only to let the buyer beware. And that said, there’s a lot to be said for the Aveo5. It will accommodate up to five and though the cargo room behind the back seat is only 7.1 cubic feet, with the seat folded that jumps to 42 cubic feet, which is to say it’s much more practical than even a larger sedan for, say, hauling some Salvation Army treasure home to the apartment. (It’s more useful in that regard than the standard Aveo sedan, speaking of which, the Aveo5 has a different and bolder grille than the Aveo sedan).

 

We drove the Aveo5 1LT. At $13,595, it’s mid-range of the Aveo5 line, starting at the $12,625 LS. The LS must stand for “Loved by Scrooge.” It’s more notable for what it doesn’t have by listing what it does: frontal and front side-impact airbags, tire pressure warning system, a rear cargo shade (optional on some luxury model SUVs, actually), 14-inch steel wheels with 185/60R14 all-season tires, the obligatory tire pressure monitoring system, but also and AM/FM stereo with an auxiliary jack and four speakers. Note: if you’ve wondered whether there are still any cars with hand-cranked windows, yes, there are. Air conditioning, if you want it, is a dealer-installed option. The driver needs to be able to drive a manual transmission because an automatic transmission isn’t an option in the LS.

 

Our 1LT added as standard equipment AM/FM stereo with CD player and MP3 playback, seek-and-scan and auxiliary input jack and six speakers, floor mats and air conditioning. The 2LT starts at $16,025 and adds a number of standard-equipment civilizing touches, including keyless entry, cruise control, power windows and locks, power-adjustable heated outside mirrors, audio controls on the steering wheel and more. The test 1LT, however, had as options a $425 Power and Convenience Package including power windows, power locks and keyless remote, and cruise control for $250. Add $660 destination charge for a total vehicle price of $14,930. If an automatic transmission were it to be added would raise the price by $925.

 

Despite its small size, the Chevrolet 1LT has rather impressive crash test numbers, including five-star frontal, plus five-star driver and four-star front passenger side impact scores. We’ll also concede that the driver’s seat is at once supportive and comfortable. Cross country driving might be wearing for those who have outgrown a certain thrill of adventure, but as an all-day city scooter, the Aveo5 has much to commend it.