Suitability Parameters:
Speed Merchants: No
Fashion Victims: No
Treehuggers: Yes
Mack Daddies: No
Tuner Crowd: No
Hairdressers: Yes
Penny Pinchers: Yes
Euro Snobs: No
Working Stiffs: No
Technogeeks: No
Poseurs: No
Soccer Moms: No
Nascar Dads: No
Golfing Grandparents: No

Also Consider:
• Kia Rio
• Honda Fit
• Hyundai Accent
• Nissan Versa
• Scion xD
• Toyota Yaris

Vitals:
• Manufacturer: Chevrolet
• Model tested: Aveo LT
• Model year: 2008
• Base Price: $14,365
• Price as Tested: $16,965
• Engine type: 1.6-liter I4 DOHC
• Horsepower: 103 hp @ 5,800 rpm
• Torque: 107 lb.-ft. @ 3,600 rpm
• Red line: 6,500 rpm
• Transmission: 4-speed automatic
• Curb Weight: 2,542 lbs.
• LxWxH: 169.7 X 67.3 X 58.9
• Wheelbase: 97.6 inches
• Tires: P185/55R-15, all-season
• Drive type: FWD
• 0 - 60 mph: 10.8 seconds (via Edmunds)
• 1/4-mile: N/A
• Top speed: N/A
• Fuel economy city/highway: 26/34
• NHTSA crash test rating: 5/4/4/3

2008 Chevrolet Aveo Sedan, Part 1
2008 Chevrolet Aveo Sedan, Part 2

Interior Design: ****
The material quality and finish in the Aveo are excellent for a car in this class. In terms of style our tester might have been a tad over the top. There are at least six types of plastic: black, tan, fake wood, brushed aluminum and chrome. We haven't seen one in person, but opting for the charcoal interior that does away with the wood for more faux-metal will likely lower your perceived age by some 20 years.

Acceleration: **
Racing with rollerbladers can be a gamble and merging onto the highway in heavy traffic requires smashing the pedal to the floor. Still, the Aveo isn't a total sloth. You can call it peppy, but you'll miss any sensation of being pushed back into your seat.

Braking: **
Front discs and rear drums get the job done just fine. The Aveo loses points for making antilock brakes optional, even in top-level LT trim.

Ride: ****
The Aveo smooths out bumps and jitters like a car that was designed with grandma's bladder as the sole consideration. It's absolutely shocking how solidly planted this car is when you're moving through traffic above highway speeds. But we also have a sneaking suspicion that this may be a blessing that comes at the expense of the...

Handling: *
Under 50 mph, steering is dull, with little feedback or on-center feel. Combined with serious amounts of body roll, going through curves quickly and smoothly is nearly impossible. At highway speeds, unpredictable steering can be terrorizing. Sometimes small movements render as sudden jerks; other times, they won't even keep you from drifting out of lane. While the excellent ride squelches road noise and bumps at 80 mph, the steering gear makes going over 55 a white-knuckle experience.

Gearbox: ***
Our Aveo was equipped with the four-speed automatic transmission. The autobox shifted smoothly and generally knew when the right foot wanted needed a downshift.

Audio: **
All sedan models come standard with an auxiliary audio input and six-speakers that pump out acceptable sound quality. Strangely, the LS sedan comes standard with only the AM/FM stereo and aux input, but no CD player. We knew CDs were on their way out, but is it already time to totally ditch the disc? Maybe Chevy's just that much of a trend-setter.

Toys: zero stars
There's nothing here that really qualifies as a toy...unless you want to count the Aveo in its entirety as a toy.

Trunk: **
Just as you'd expect, a small car has a small trunk. It does the 60/40 thing for larger loads, but fitting any overly broad items — like luggage or a cooler — through that trunk opening.

Value: ****
The Aveo sedan's ugly-duckling five-door sibling may claim title as the lowest-priced car in America at $10,595. But it's ugly, so spend the extra $2,000 to get a sedan and you'll still get a hell of a bargain. Start with the top-level LT model and you'll get all of the good stuff like power windows, keyless entry and power heated mirrors, for just $14,365. That's a bare-bones econobox price for a car with far more features.

Overall: **
The Aveo is much more mature than you'd expect from its size or its price. A smooth ride and fuel-friendly engine will serve the tight-walleted commuter well. But you don't measure a subcompact in how fast it is so much as consider how slow it is. So regardless of the Aveo's ability to transport students or 9-to-5'ers and their Starbucks drinks to work in comfort, it's not for even the remotely performance-minded buyer. Power is meager and with such a lack of feedback, it's like driving the car with a Nintendo controller. Want a warranty and clean history? Get an Aveo. Want something exciting? Check the classifieds.

2008 Chevrolet Aveo Sedan, Part 1

First impressions of the Aveo will leave you shrugging your shoulders. There's nothing wrong with the Aveo's exterior styling. But at the same time, there's nothing right about it either. It's all too familiar, simple and unemotional - not unlike a refrigerator. Showing off your new car loses excitement as the whole package looks like it came from a late '90s family snoozer sedan. Inside, materials and fit are exceptional - far above the subcompact class - but again the Aveo runs short on style and it isn't free of quirks.

Passengers will awkwardly fidget their left arm as they complain that Chevy only gave an armrest to the driver. The seats are entirely mediocre, without lateral support or any serious cushion. And at 6'3" my ideal driving position required my right knee to be permanently mashed against the dashboard. It's possible to dislodge the knee and find a position that allows more leg room, but it comes with an awkwardly long reach to the steering wheel. Despite my personal issues fitting in the Aveo, it does a fine job swallowing up four people, providing decent legroom in the back even with a lanky goon like myself in the driver's seat.

The Aveo's real selling point is value. The base model starts at a sub-$10,000 watermark, and the top-level LT model starts at $14,365 and is equipped so that you don't need to check any option boxes to get the essentials like power windows, locks and mirrors. At just under $17,000, our tester wasn't what you'd call a stunning bargain, but it was well-equipped with luxuries like faux leather seating ($250), a sunroof ($725), steering wheel audio controls ($75) and the automatic transmission that adds almost $1,000 on its own. The Chevrolet does beat out similarly equipped rivals like the Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, Scion xD and Nissan Versa, but typically just by a few hundred dollars.

And then there's driving it. Acceleration from the 1.6-liter engine is adequate, providing just enough power to keep you from cursing the Aveo as slow. But the 103-horsepower engine also requires a fair amount of pedal-push to keep it accelerating at a respectable pace, putting a damper on that whole fuel-economy thing. Rush the Aveo through a turn and you'll find there's plenty of body roll. Steering is morbid, with little feedback and no on-center feel. Worst of all, its erratic behavior is difficult to adapt to, sometimes turning minor adjustments into sharp jerks. Ride quality stands on the opposite end of the spectrum, soaking up bumps for a smooth and comfortable ride that gives the car surprising confidence at high speeds. Of course, Chevrolet isn't touting the Aveo as a performance vehicle. It's an affordable commuter's car, and in that context the driving experience does what it should, with the exception of the sloppy steering.

Chevrolet has certainly hit their target and has exceeded expectations in a few areas for a car that's easy on the wallet and still plenty livable. But in the process they've left the car devoid of style and character that set it apart from the crowd. From the exterior design to driving dynamics, the Aveo lacks the seduction that will leave you wanting more.

Photo Credit: Sherry Kraft