2005 Chevrolet Aveo
Rated 1 to 10 (10 being excellent)
2005 Hyundai Accent - 3
2005 Ford Focus - 5
2005 Pontiac Vibe - 7
2005 Saturn Vue - 5
2005 Chevrolet Cobalt - 7
I can sumarize my decision as follows:
The Aveo has more for less. The gas mileage is excellent. The style is pretty cool without being over the top. The price is excellent at 12,600. The amenities inside are pretty impressive for an entry level vehicle. The interior is comfortable and fairly well refined. The engine is sound and the build is good (basically a Daewoo with a Chinese engine).
The Ford Focus sucked harsh. It did have 30 more horsepower that you knew was there. But it vibrated bad at decent speeds and was noisy and drafty. The interior was poorly styled and made of some really thin plastics. Even the gas pedal felt cheap as it wiggled a bit side to side. The style of the Focus is interesting, but a bit over done with its huge angular headlights and a rear end that looks deformed and poorly proportioned. The price was ok, but it is just a ford. And the lack of quality was evident everywhere. Even the paint seemed really thin as it looked lighter along the edges than in the center of the pannels. The aveo boasts a 'molecular' paint job, for whatever that means, which looks rich and dark with a decent amount of wax.
The Hyundai Accent actually did not come with AC standard! Any car company that charges extra for AC can kiss my ass. I did not persue it further than that.
The Saturn Vue sucked for the money. The wheels rubbed inside the wheel wells when doing a U-Turn. The style was bland and industrial. The interior was comfy and well equiped, but cost a pretty penny. The thing lacked power but was somehow priced at 20,000, the price of many much more respectable and powerful SUV's. I figured it would be cheap being it a Saturn, so I was shocked by the price. The Saturn dealerships do not negotiate price, so that is where I left it. No negotiation for a poorly engineered, underpowered vehicle that looks like crap? No thanks.
The Pontiac Vibe was interesting. The car was priced decently and the amenities were excellent. The style was good and the fact that it comes with AWD as an option that does not cost that much is impressive. I decided against it because the steering wheel seemed to be bolted to the dash as if it could not be adjusted.
The Chevrolet Cobalt is nice but for the extra cash, not worth it. It is basically a Cavalier with a facelift and a more catchy name. The optional sport packages that make it look impressive on paper cost a LOT of paper to get.
So in the end the Aveo just made sense. I got the hatchback, which has a bit more cargo space than the sedan-styled counterpart. The colors available are odd. But I got the nice deep blue. It seems to fit the car's style and shape well. I did have to spring for a steering wheel cover as unless you are blessed with delicate and small hands, the steering wheel feels like you are holding a coat hanger.
You can actually squeeze a LOT of cargo in an Aveo. I used it to move to Virginia from NY. Even loaded with 10 full-size boxes of books, the rear wheels seem to sit in the wheel wells about where they would if the car was empty. That impressed me a lot. And the car handled well even when fully loaded.
This tiny car actually was only 200 pounds less than a new Ford Mustang. SO it does lean a bit in turns, but feels really solid. There is a LOT of metal in this car, and that probably has something to do with its excellent crash test ratings.
The base model that I got has both driver and passenger airbags, a computerized transmission that compensates for my lead foot, and an MP3 CD stereo system that sounds WAY better than any of the competition except the Pontiac Vibe (that boasted a Monsoon system). Though I have no pwer options, the windows roll down quick with few turns. And all the windows are reachable from the driver seat.
There is a LOT of headroom, and the seats scoot back to a comfortable distance even for my 6 foot frame. THe back seats are actually pretty comfotrable too and the doors seem to open wide without being too long.
I can park this car anywhere. It takes up only 70 percent of the average parking space, meaning I can fly into a parking space without trying to line up my car and will manage to always be between the lines. Yet, you do not feel like the car is small from the inside. Just compact. But comfortable. Even slightly luxurious.
The engine used to drag a lot when I first got it. The computer took a good 2 months to start compensating for my lead foot. The gas mileage then increased about 4 mpg to 29 (average). I also went from not being able to pass anyone at all to being a regular left lane highway driver, keeping up with many more powerful cars.
The car cruises comfortably at 80 mph, and will go from Fredericksburg Virginia to Queens New York on less than 3/4 a tank of gas. The tank reflects empty at nearly 325 miles.
The brakes are really responsive and the car does not slide all over the place when you have to mash the pedal down thanks to the anti-lock brake system. The tiny wheels seem to grip well. I have not left any rubber (having slammed on the brakes a few times at high way speed).
I look forward to the low cost of maintaining this vehicle. 4 tires will run less than $120, and the regular parts are all readily available since this is basically an import.
I was advised that the car was built in Korea, with an engine assembled in China, with german glass, and american electronics. This actually seems to be a good mix, and should serve as a warning to American manufacturers as to the level of quality of the outsourced brands.