Jump to content
Server Move In Progress - Read More ×
Create New...

Another Import Humper Review


Z-06

Recommended Posts

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drive...rticleId=117227

Guys,

I do not see a balance review here, more like a 60-40 review (40, of course the + ve part). Apparently Mike Schmidt can be considered an import humper.

Here are some vagaries.

1. With the Honda Fit, Nissan Versa, Toyota Yaris and a newly redesigned Hyundai Accent already on sale, the entry of the 2007 Chevrolet Aveo into this highly competitive segment seems like old news. And in this case, old news isn't such good news for General Motors.

>> Mr. Schmuckidt can you justify that comment? A lame shot in his dark hind hole.

2. But with the Accent, Fit, Versa and Yaris charging uphill with bayonets affixed, the Aveo's improvements might not be enough to hold the high ground.

>> OK General Ulysses Schmuckidt stop pooh poohing.

3. It is astonishing to see anything built in the 2007 model year that does not come standard with ABS.

>> Mr. No-Research guy, the only car in its class which comes with standard ABS is Honda Fit, (i.e. 1 out of 6) (see the carsdirect link below). Even the bigger offerings from Hyundai (Elantra), Kia (Spectra), Toyota (Corolla), do not come with ABS standard in some of their lower trim models, accept it Mr. Schmuckidt, you are bluffing and trying to prove you have actually opened your Webster dictionary.

4. They're collectively looking at GM's market share with only two things on their mind: "Divide and conquer."

>> And the PR department of Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, and Nissan formed a grand alliance, and told Mr. Import-humper Schmuckidt their grand strategy of war!

5. And GM has left the door of opportunity wide open. Although an improvement over the old Aveo, the new version is just too light on performance and style to successfully fight off the invaders.

>> Didn’t Edmunds make a statement in one of their comparisons of small cars that they do not look for performance but the “values” when they want a small car? Why the double standards with the Aveo? Oh yes, it is an AMERICAN CAR. What style does the son of a pig Toyota, or the old Fit have?

6. And GM has left the door of opportunity wide open.

>> Chevy is not going to keep quiet in marketing. Ed Peper said in the release of the Aveo that they are going to target on the younger buyers using internet and different campaigns (University Giveaway Competition Anybody?)

http://www.cheersandgears.com/forums/index...showtopic=12394

First of all the small car segment buyer is looking for the following things.

1) Price he/she has not to pay of the ying-yang while buying a new vehicle

2) More standard features for the money to make themselves feel “rich”

3) Performance not a priority

4) A dependable and quality transportation

Here is why Aveo will work:

Schmuckidt’s positive

1. Interior design is what really differentiates the Aveo from the competition. The two-tone chrome and carbon-fiber accents give the appearance of luxury and are pleasing to the eye. Fit and finish is good and the overall quality of materials is impressive for a car in this price range.

>> Now appearance of luxury and impressive quality materials is not style Mr Schmuckidt?

2. The Aveo LT offers features found on most other subcompacts in the market: A/C, tilt steering wheel, front armrest (driver only), hooks on the headrest for grocery bags, power windows and a 60/40 folding rear seat, to name a few. Some additional features of the LT are common in more expensive models but not so much in the compact segment. A six-way adjustable driver seat with lumbar support is optional, as are steering-wheel-mounted cruise and radio controls, dual power and heated side mirrors, power sunroof and a radio antenna integrated into the rear window. A radio input jack for iPods and MP3 players is a must-have in this market and comes standard.

>> Certainly more substance for the younger generation.

I am attaching the comparison link using carsdirect.com and it can be clearly seen that

http://www.carsdirect.com/research/compare...0,USB70TOC192B0

a) Aveo’s fuel economy (HWY) is third best

b) The only car in its class with available leatherette seating surface

c) One of two to offer sunroof

d) One of two to offer steering mounted radio controls

e) Only car to offer power trunk release

f) Smallest turning radius in its class

g) Only car with heated mirrors

h) Only car with I-pod integration standard

i) More standard colors than any other car

Overall Aveo has more standard features than Bumdai, Kua, Toy-boy-da, and Horndawg. The only car which compares is the top of the line Versa which is more expensive than the Aveo by about a grand. To buyers of this car segment style is defined by substance and Aveo has more substance than most of its competitors.

I do believe that Aveo is not a gem, it can have about 15 more horsepower and can improve its $h!ty city mileage by another three mpg or so (it is last in the group) which I think GM should work on fast. Because it does make Aveo go down in the value equation.

But if you look at the overall features and value for money it is certainly not at the bottom of the heap, may be I will dare to say among the top of the heap.

Please, importmunds.com stop making false propaganda and show some real data. With 45 minutes of research I came up with these conclusions. I am pretty sure more can follow. The HEP generation Schmuckidt is talking about is not dumb enough to buy the vehicles blindly as they will certainly research more than I have done.

Edited by smallchevy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A third [cup holder] is positioned at the back of the center console and is so shallow, it may be easier to just pour the drink on the floor and cut out the middle man.

lol

EPA numbers prepared us for fuel mileage returns of 26 city/34 highway, and our best single tank of highway driving was right up there at 29 mpg. After two weeks of driving in all situations, our total was a less impressive 24 mpg.

This is where I believe the car falls short. That is pretty poor mileage, both EPA rated and in the real world (where it gets an average of 29.67 according to www.fueleconomy.gov, Edmunds must have been romping on it a lot to get 24mpg). Compared to the Fit or Yaris, it is lacking, maybe not by a lot, but enough to sway buyers.

And despite the low fuel economy, it is also the "slowest in the class of '07 subcompacts we've tested" according to them, popping off a 11.9s 0-60 (for comparison, the Yaris S did it in 10.8s and the Fit did it in 9.3s, both automatics as well).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The cup holder quirk I'm going to blame on the Koreans but the lack of adequate power and fuel economy is a problem for the class. The new Aveo looks good inside (not counting the interior color matched HVAC knobs) and out but it needs the powertrain to back it up. The gear hold feature is nice, though. ABS should be standard and Edmunds should have mentioned there were other cars still without it in 2007.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with Edmunds on this one. The Aveo is a good car, but the competition has arrived and now here comes the test of how well this little car will hold up in marketshare.

The powertrain and mileage is what really is the lowest point of the car. The Accord 5spd 4cyl gets the same mileage as the Aveo, 26/34. The Accord automatic just rated 2 mpg less for city. It's a subcompact and should really be getting at least 30mpg rating for city. That's why the Aveo will probably lose ground compared to the Fit, Versa and Yaris.

The ABS comment was kind of stupid, there ARE cars out there that don't have ABS. They did point out that if the car had ABS, it would've stopped a heck of a lot better.

Edited by big blue
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2007 Chevrolet Aveo has yet to be tested by the IIHS.

It's competitors:

Honda Fit

FRONTAL IMPACT: 5 for Driver/5 For Passenger

SIDE IMPACT: 5 for Front Passanger/3 For Rear Passenger

Hyundai Accent 2-Door

Yet to be tested

Nissan Versa

Yet to be tested

Scion xA [2006]

FRONTAL IMPACT: 4 for Driver/4 For Passenger

SIDE IMPACT: 4 for Front Passanger/4 For Rear Passenger

Toyota Yaris Sedan

FRONTAL IMPACT: 4 for Driver/4 For Passenger

SIDE IMPACT: 3 for Front Passanger/3 For Rear Passenger

All info from automotive.com

Edited by Farkas
Link to comment
Share on other sites

raises eyebrow.....the contradictory test results are curious, but that picture of the aveo crashing is horrendous.

Aveo's interior now sits at the top of its class, but power is on par with others, while mileage falls short. It still is in real world incentivized dollars one of the cheaper ones out there. And in exterior style it outpaces most in this class, except for the Fit which I find has a lot of character, though most here will disagree with me. Aveo needs even more style, because imports have a lot of rep on thier side. Quality is up at GM, they need something else to bring buyers into the showroom. Unfortunately, though the Aveo is conservatively sharp, it is very very bland. Can't wait for the Corsa to get here and kick ass.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

raises eyebrow.....the contradictory test results are curious, but that picture of the aveo crashing is horrendous.

Aveo's interior now sits at the top of its class, but power is on par with others, while mileage falls short. It still is in real world incentivized dollars one of the cheaper ones out there. And in exterior style it outpaces most in this class, except for the Fit which I find has a lot of character, though most here will disagree with me. Aveo needs even more style, because imports have a lot of rep on thier side. Quality is up at GM, they need something else to bring buyers into the showroom. Unfortunately, though the Aveo is conservatively sharp, it is very very bland. Can't wait for the Corsa to get here and kick ass.

208086[/snapback]

:withstupid:

Poor crash tests, poor fuel mileage, average power, and average styling really makes it's best in class interior seem irrelevant. I see no real reason to get an Aveo over others in it's class. Unless you're GM biased and won't consider anything else in the first place...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A real world test drive of the Aveo against any of your other favorite contenders will usually do the trick. As with most vehicles, it is the entire over all package that will sell it.

I, too, would prefer more horsepower and better gas mileage, but then I also want a date with Josh Hartnett - that ain't happening either. I think the real world mileage numbers are better with the 5 spd. The Aisin tranny (not GM's) in the Aveo is the culprit, I suspect.

Honda wants serious coin for the Fit and their rates aren't pretty either. The Yaris is only slightly less ugly than the Echo. Toyota has had years to fix that nightmare and they still only finally caught up to last year's Aveo.

If you have GM Visa points (do they have those in the U.S.?), a recent Grad, or any other number of programs you can use to sweeten the deal, the Aveo is a nice little car.

And, yeah, I'd love the Corsa to arrive either. Unfortunately, I might then be out of a job! LOL

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Honda wants serious coin for the Fit

208190[/snapback]

It's the dealers that do. There are two Fits at a local dealer by me that have an asking price of $22,999 (that particular dealer is known for big markups, but you can usually talk them down), and the MSRP inlcuding destination of an identically equipped Fit on honda.com is only $16,500. It's because the supply is so short while the demand is so high, the dealers can get away with this kind of rape. Of course not all dealers are like that, but a lot have a waiting line months long for the Fit, and have some sort of mark up.

Until Honda gets the next factory online and starts making the Fits in America, it will be like that. They have the same problem with the new Civic (which is why it's only selling at the same rate as last years). The low supply is the Fit's biggest strike against it, and causes dealers to price gouge on any inventory they can get. Imagine if the supply was there and the Fit's were selling at MSRP, you'd see them everywhere (just like overseas).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The fuel econmy is unimpressive, especially since our `94 Prizm can get at least 40 mpg on the highway, loaded to the gills no less.

Larger wheels/wheel well cutouts would help the car a lot...but it does look a bit short, which explains the legroom issues they had. That would be a dealbreaker for me, since I'm pretty tall. The interior looks great but at the same time so does the Fit's. While it does seem a little bias, they do make good points. Slowest in class, low power, not so great fuel economy, below average bakes, bad cupholder placement, and below average legroom does not a class leader make. If I were in the market I'd probably concider a Fit... 5 speed manual or auto, sporty character, decent looks (though bland), nice interior, very space efficient.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

raises eyebrow.....the contradictory test results are curious, but that picture of the aveo crashing is horrendous.

Aveo's interior now sits at the top of its class, but power is on par with others, while mileage falls short. It still is in real world incentivized dollars one of the cheaper ones out there. And in exterior style it outpaces most in this class, except for the Fit which I find has a lot of character, though most here will disagree with me. Aveo needs even more style, because imports have a lot of rep on thier side. Quality is up at GM, they need something else to bring buyers into the showroom. Unfortunately, though the Aveo is conservatively sharp, it is very very bland. Can't wait for the Corsa to get here and kick ass.

208086[/snapback]

If someone at GMNA had their $h! together 5-6 years ago, we'd be looking at the new Corsa (with a Chevy badge) sitting in Chevy showrooms instead of the Aveo.

Complete and utter lack of forsight on GM's part (and Ford for that matter too....where's the european Fiesta?) is the cause for this.

The new Aveo sedan IS an attractive update. BUT, when most of the small-car market tends to be five-doors, why didn't the Aveo5 be the one to get the new updates first.....THEN the sedan??

I think the interior is mostly sharp-looking.....but I think they really missed the exterior styling. Yes, it's handsome.....but somehow it looks TOO "grown-up" for a market segment that looks to be more successful with a funky and trendy styling character (Fit? Scion?)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The new Aveo sedan IS an attractive update.  BUT, when most of the small-car market tends to be five-doors, why didn't the Aveo5 be the one to get the new updates first.....THEN the sedan??

There's a story behind that and I forgot what it is. So maybe someone else remembers...something about tooling?

I think the interior is mostly sharp-looking.....but I think they really missed the exterior styling.  Yes, it's handsome.....but somehow it looks TOO "grown-up" for a market segment that looks to be more successful with a funky and trendy styling character (Fit?  Scion?)

208225[/snapback]

There's also a market for those that just want a normal-looking car. Also, I don't see how anyone can think the Fit is trendy aside from its 5-door format. Its old.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

More meaningful than "That's pathetic. You can get a year-old loaded Civic for that much."

But yeah, when I see this:

Posted Image

I think of the old S10/Blazer in how the roof deforms like it does. *cough* death trap *cough*

208251[/snapback]

ADD SOME VVT DAMN IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

The brand new 2007 Aveo: Instant death trap in crash test. now that's an American Revolution.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's Camry, Accord, Impala territory.

208206[/snapback]

I'll spring for the Impala in lieu of this ugly-in-pictures subcompact/compact Honda crapola. Those Aveo crash photos look as bad as the previous minivans, which looked dreadful. I've seen the Aveo-its bland, its boring, its nothing special. The interior looks nice, but for the love of the auto industry, STYLE A SMALL CAR AND DON'T MAKE IT SO TALL AND TOP-HEAVY!!!!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

raises eyebrow.....the contradictory test results are curious, but that picture of the aveo crashing is horrendous.

208086[/snapback]

IIHS and US government tests are different and the results are often contradictory. The IIHS frontal is offset like the photos that were posted are offset. Apparently, it is a more difficult test than ramming the car straight into a wall like the government does.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:withstupid:

Poor crash tests, poor fuel mileage, average power, and average styling really makes it's best in class interior seem irrelevant. I see no real reason to get an Aveo over others in it's class. Unless you're GM biased and won't consider anything else in the first place...

208178[/snapback]

Funny... That a nic interior seems to be the deciding factor when the comparable domestic has crappy plastics.... Bias is bias.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the article was decent.... Unfortunately, I agree... The new Aveo is nice, but it just didn't go far enough on the mechanical side.

Even the marketing has been nonexistant and sh*tty compared to the very innovative, youth oriented marketing of the imports.

YES, they are collectively looking at GM's share and saying "Divide and conquer" because YES they do go after different pieces of the MASS MARKET that the Aveo occupies. That's what the more specialized imported brands have done to GM and Ford in general and it's a shame that our companies can't utilize their MANY worthy divisions to fight that off. THEY WILL EAT THE AVEO ALIVE, because media like this (Especially in very liberal minded, youth markets) will be the CATALYST to get it done.

That said, I think the Aveo at least has a chance, simply becuase a lot of people will buy it because of appearance and utility/price. But the trendy lot, the import humpers (The people GM needs the most) they'll not be caught dead in it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It doesn't help that both Pontiac and Suzuki are selling the same damned thing. GM has got to stop this BS badge engineering. How is a Chevy buyer supposed to feel proud when they see a Swift + drive by?????

I would love to see what goes on in the dealer meetings. Pontiac got the Vibe exclusively, and then whined that they wanted the Aveo, too. If Pontiac is to be the performance division, they have no business selling a low-end vehicle like the Wave. This just confuses the consumer and pits dealer against dealer.

And I agree on the mechanics. That automatic has to go. Ride and handling is not bad. The interior is suprisingly quiet at highway speeds. I suspect the poor gas mileage is the tranny's fault.

Has anyone at corporate considered a performance edition - other than just stupid RS badging? Like the Mazda 3 upgrades?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

A real world test drive of the Aveo against any of your other favorite contenders will usually do the trick.

208190[/snapback]

Been there, done that, test drove the new Wave sedan as soon as it came out. Was surprised at the level of improvement. However, the MAIN reason people buy cars in this class is for the gas milage, and unfortunltely, it loses here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...

Hey there, we noticed you're using an ad-blocker. We're a small site that is supported by ads or subscriptions. We rely on these to pay for server costs and vehicle reviews.  Please consider whitelisting us in your ad-blocker, or if you really like what you see, you can pick up one of our subscriptions for just $1.75 a month or $15 a year. It may not seem like a lot, but it goes a long way to help support real, honest content, that isn't generated by an AI bot.

See you out there.

Drew
Editor-in-Chief

Write what you are looking for and press enter or click the search icon to begin your search

Change privacy settings