I hate the Aveo

[BlissStreet]

I have driven a 1.6l Aveo (T250) daily for the last 2 years and find it to be an excellent car for it's price and purpose. It's reliable and tough. At 1.5km altitude, it's pulls strong up to 120km/h which is perfect for a city car. It's easy to park with good visibility. The interior fit and finish is equal to that of an Audi A3 or a BMW 1 series. And most importantly, it's anonymous. I carry at times up to $50,000 worth of camera gear in a city with the second highest crime rate in the world, and it's not a target. I'm rolling it back into the GM fleet in a week or 2, and honestly, I'm going to miss it.

9 times out of 10, cars are tools. If you understand who and where it was designed for, you'd see the Aveo is a great global car. The refresh just makes it better.

Originally Posted by v6sonoma

At least the Aveo's on death row and it's replacement looks to be light years ahead of it.

It's not on death row. It's (T300) just being renamed for the North American market. Globally, it's still called the Aveo.

Originally Posted by Fearer2010SS

Now Daewoo is being rebadged as Chevy everywhere and even though it will be called the Sonic the US market it will still be the Aveo everywhere else. Doesn't bode well for the Beat I would imagine.

FYI, Daewoo IS a GM company. They bought the Daewoo Motor Company assets in 2001. Just like Cheverolet is a GM company. All they are doing is bringing elements of one asset to another, just like they used the I4 experience of Opel and the turbo knowledge of Saab. The Beat was never in same class as the Aveo, it was one of 3 design concepts for a new Spark.

[King Sun]

I've driven a 2006 aveo to montgomery al from jacksonville fla round trip in 2005. I had the hatchback one some it was okay didn't have much trunk room to say and that car felt like I was driving a souped up go kart. The handling felt like if you took a turn anywhere above 5 mi the car was going to flip, the power was laughable even for a compact my 1991 sentra xe was more power than that crap . Never have I driven a car that actually felt like it was built out of a house of cards and I'm glad gm is putting that abomination to rest. I feel like the aveo marks the end of the old gm and trash car designs to better ones (cruze,sonic, etc). The redeeming factor was the fact it had a cd player that was capable of playing mp3 cd's for trip and the sound system was decent.

[TOMS1SS]

FYI, Daewoo IS a GM company. They bought the Daewoo Motor Company assets in 2001. Just like Cheverolet is a GM company. All they are doing is bringing elements of one asset to another, just like they used the I4 experience of Opel and the turbo knowledge of Saab. The Beat was never in same class as the Aveo, it was one of 3 design concepts for a new Spark.


Actually not totally, GM owns 70% of Daewoo. While GM is the majority holder the arrangement is similar with what Ford had going with Mazda back in the 90s. With that in mind you didn't see the Mazda nameplate disappear and that should say something, in fact the Fiesta I just bought is a (rebadged) Mazda2. I'm not disputing that the Aveo flys under the radar but I would challenge you to try any of competitors and see how big of a difference there really is.

[BlissStreet]

Originally Posted by Fearer2010SS

Actually not totally, GM owns 70% of Daewoo. While GM is the majority holder the arrangement is similar with what Ford had going with Mazda back in the 90s. With that in mind you didn't see the Mazda nameplate disappear and that should say something, in fact the Fiesta I just bought is a (rebadged) Mazda2. I'm not disputing that the Aveo flys under the radar but I would challenge you to try any of competitors and see how big of a difference there really is.

While it is a 70% stake holder, the other 30% isn't owned by the Daewoo parent company. It's held by the Korean Development Bank (17%), Suzuki (6.8%), and Shanghai Auto (6%). The last 2 being GM partners in other ventures. The Company is actually called GM DAT. So, it's fair to say that GM owns it, it certainly is control of all the IP and designs. And the Mazda/Ford comparison isn't quite right, since the Daewoo brand is only being kept in Korea and Vietnam, IIRC. Everywhere else, the new designs are Chevrolet.

And trust me, I have tried the competitors. My wife makes me. It's GMSA policy to rent the competitors cars when ever traveling. I thank GM-DAT when ever I get home to my T250. Everyone in this thread is bitching about the T200, and that model was a direct rebadge from Daewoo. But, starting with the T250 redesign, it was brought in line with the global manufacturing standards; and now the most recent T300 is a Chevrolet through and through.

Looking at the GM US site, the LS sedan is $11,900. My camera and one lens costs more then that. Driving a Camaro and then renting an Aveo isn't an ideal way to appreciate that car. But, understanding who and where it was designed for, can really show off GM's commitment to quality small cars; at a great value.

[4rmMopar2MaroSS]

My girlfriend's daily driver is an AVEO. My take on it is its cheap, it feels cheap, looks cheap, cheap on gas, cheap parts, cheap engine....but She got the car because it was the Cheapest thing on the market. I guess you get what you pay for...but one good thing I will say is last week when we got 8 inches of snow here in STL the AVEO still pushed through the snow and she made it 30 miles to work! That little bastard is reliable, compact, gas saver, and I believe even with its low grade materials and non existant options, its still a good car.

[Mr. Wyndham]

Comparing an old Aveo to the new Fiesta is....well "unfair" doesn't quite provide the strength of the meaning I'm trying to convey. It's a carryover vehicle from the days before GM reinvented themselves. I'm happy to hear it's going away for good.

Like Fenwick said -- the Sonic (US built, designed, etc) is problem solved. It's being positioned as a sporty subcompact (with identical powertrains as the Cruze, Corvette-tuned handling and less weight...there's something to be said for that).

I think the sonic should do very well in the marketplace...especially when gas prices spike with 40+ mpg.

[TOMS1SS]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

Comparing an old Aveo to the new Fiesta is....well "unfair" doesn't quite provide the strength of the meaning I'm trying to convey. It's a carryover vehicle from the days before GM reinvented themselves. I'm happy to hear it's going away for good.

Like Fenwick said -- the Sonic (US built, designed, etc) is problem solved. It's being positioned as a sporty subcompact (with identical powertrains as the Cruze, Corvette-tuned handling and less weight...there's something to be said for that).

I think the sonic should do very well in the marketplace...especially when gas prices spike with 40+ mpg.

Exactly I was blown away by how much Sonic concept was an improvement over the Aevo. I imagine that the Sonic will be pretty quick with the 138hp Ecotech under the hood, I even think the name is kinda catchy. Unfortunately I couldn't wait a year for Sonic and Fiesta it was because I'm not putting 25,000 miles my Camaro (period). Bottom line these are sub-compacts we're talking about you use them and throw them in the trash when your done, better get the best one for the money.

[Russell James]

If it comes from Daewoo/Korea, it's garbage.

My DD lately has been a new Equinox 4cyl. I like it mostly, great on gas for the huge commute miles I rack up. But the Korean transmission is horrible.

It's a sad day when you buy a Chevy and get garbage Daewoo components from Korea.

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by Russell James

If it comes from Daewoo/Korea, it's garbage.

My DD lately has been a new Equinox 4cyl. I like it mostly, great on gas for the huge commute miles I rack up. But the Korean transmission is horrible.

It's a sad day when you buy a Chevy and get garbage Daewoo components from Korea.

It's a six-speed Hydromatic...GM designed, same found in all different vehicles from the company...

[BlissStreet]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

It's a six-speed Hydromatic...GM designed, same found in all different vehicles from the company...

Hey, this is the internet. Don't bring logic into this. Best not to tell him it's made in Canada, either.

[Russell James]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

It's a six-speed Hydromatic...GM designed, same found in all different vehicles from the company...

Is it not built at a Daewoo plant in Korea?

I just can't stand the way it operates. At some speeds the trans has engine braking, some speeds its coasting, sometimes you'll be coasting along and it will downshift and it feels like the brakes are on. Some mphs such as low 50s it lugs the engine down to below 1500 rpm and the whole vehicle just moans and resonates with that 4 cyl lugging.

At 75 mph where the trans doesn't have to do a thing, it's perfect. At lower speeds, the shifting and downshifting calibration is horrible. And why some gears have engine braking is strange. Let off the gas at 35 and your slowing right down. Let off the gas at 40 and your coasting...

A transmission should be hardly noticeable. This thing is constantly annoying.

[BlissStreet]

Originally Posted by Russell James

Is it not built at a Daewoo plant in Korea?

No, it's either made in Ingersoll, Ontario or in Oshawa, Ontario. Both in Canada. It's the Captiva that is made in Korea. And we have had 4 in the last 3 years and all of them were flawless; not counting the one getting rammed by a Toyota. They are both built from the Theta platform, but are very different cars.

Originally Posted by Russell James

A transmission should be hardly noticeable. This thing is constantly annoying.

It's because you have the I4. It has to keep shifting to keep the engine in it's power band.

[FenwickHockey65]

The Hydramatics are notorious for that problem. However, it appears as though a tune that was just released for the Cruze fixes it.

[Russell James]

Originally Posted by BlissStreet

No, it's either made in Ingersoll, Ontario or in Oshawa, Ontario. Both in Canada. It's the Captiva that is made in Korea. And we have had 4 in the last 3 years and all of them were flawless; not counting the one getting rammed by a Toyota. They are both built from the Theta platform, but are very different cars.

It's because you have the I4. It has to keep shifting to keep the engine in it's power band.

I was talking about the transmission. I know the vehicle was built in Ingersoll. Which is a good thing, all my vehicles from Canada have always been top notch.

I'm just less than impressed with the Korean transmission. My 10 year old nephew could have calibrated it better. When I took him for a ride, a couple times he said - why did it do that? What is that noise...? It's just an annoying transmission.