Aveo 1.4 LS Limited Edition - Initial ownership impressions

[PankajG]

I have been a regular visitor to TBhp, never posted though. The content here was so great and so good a quality, spent most of time absorbing it.

Need:
My 1.5 years old Honda city was stolen the very night I moved in to gurgaon to join a new job. Needed a new car for our family of four, preferably a sedan. However most people advised me against a big car keeping in view the traffic condition of NCR, I was in for a saloon only. Also my daily run is quite less, hence wanted a petrol one. Owning a Honda city had raised the bar on my needs – quality, refinement, interiors etc.

The Hunt:
The hunt started the week after the car was stolen. Everybody including the cops were vehement in telling me that the cars in NCR are stolen never to be found again. So made up my mind to buy the car the moment I am issued a no trace report. Took them 3 months to issue it and I spent almost every evening in those 3 months on T-Bhp, reading every bit of info on sedans.

Shortlisted the below ones

Maruti SX4 or DZire
Never got the Dzire booking. Well it worked out good for me actually

SX4 is one mean looking huge machine but it works against it when parking space (even road space) is considered in gurgaon. However an excellent car when it comes to engine power. Did not like the quality of interiors though. Also reversing would become pain in neck.

Ford fiesta 1.6 Sxi
Excellent car, the new interiors are breathtaking. These are way better quality than SX4. Also it comes loaded with ABS/Airbags, fog lamps et al like SX4. But the biggest con with it was the spare parts, issues with both cost and availability.

Ford Fusion + petrol
Although not a sedan, I toyed with the idea of owning one. This seems to be a niche segment, somewhat a crossover kind. The maneuverability, ease of cutting through traffic, handling and power was great. But again the Ford’s reputation in spares and A.S.S worked against this great car.

Chevrolet Aveo
Went in to see 1.6 LT but found that 1.4 LS Limited Edition was a great VFM car. The car was to be chauffeur driven and the comfort in back seats was great. Few ownerships thread on this forum spoke of good qualities of the car and so true those were.

ANHC
Nothing against this car but could not wait till Jan to own the car I like. also it was getting near 8.5 lac bracket, way more than what I wanted to spend.

Finally
Zeroed on to Chevrolet Aveo 1.4 LS Limited, got around 26,000 of cash discount . Went in for Cashmere color and got the car this Wednesday.

Specs
Aveo 1.4 LS Limited Edition, Cashmere, body colored bumpers & OVRMS
Leather seats, company fit 2 DIN Mp3 music with speakers
fog lamps
14' Alloy wheels
Two freebies (Autocop Pin type Gear lock and Reverse parking sensors – both Genuine GM accessories)


Initial Impressions:
a. Car has good build quality. The plastics on panels and doors give a solid feel.
b. Beige interior, dual tone dashboard is a good change. The leather seats also feel plush.
c. The reverse gear is a bit odd. Also indicators are on left side. These take some time to get used to.
d. Not a very powerful engine to run and drag on roads. This car is not for highway hostile heist but sure is a cruiser in city roads. Have not taken it for long highway drive (tomorrow is when it will be) but city drive surly is smooth.
e. The hood of car got heated a lot. Went to Service center today and asked the SA. He topped up the coolant (it was a little less) and told me that there used be a carpet like under-hood insulation in earlier models. Now GM has discontinued it and hood gets all the engine bay heat now, so it was normal.

Will post some pics as soon as I can. My sincere thanks to Aveo owners at t-bhp who helped me make my mind and go in for a great car like Aveo - Mjothi, itwasntme, Raj’sglory, gsurya.

Pankaj

[mjothi]

Congrats Pankaj. That was a nice decision tree

You really got a very good discount. Add to that freebies. Good to hear. Does it include the 3yrs cashless promise too?

On highways too it is very good. Except for those 2nd gear its so cool.

Enjoy your new buddy. Cheers.

[fidaford]

congrats pankajG, welcome to t-bhp, good review considering this is your first post and I too have a chevy aveo but it is a 1.6 lt, it is a great car in regards to comfort and interiors, fuel efficiency is great compared to my ford fiesta 1.6.
I just have complaint against the build quality of the car since the dash and the doors have started to rattle as early on 14k, but except that its good, i hardly get a chance to drive it since it is used mainly by my dad, do check out my review on my ford fiesta in long term ownership reviews, and please post some pics of the car as the time permits.

[abhinav.gupta88]

Congrats on the new purchase.

A good choice indeed.

By the way , i see the verna out of the discussion. Any specific reason?

Waiting for the pics

[rajj_mba]

Congrats Pankaj. Aveo is a real VFM car in that price bracket.
The only grudge I have against my Aveo is the sluggishness in 2nd gear with the ac on. Otherwise, it is great all round in terms of interiors, build quality and mileage (12-13).

[deky]

Hey Pankaj,

Congrats on your new car, I also have an Aveo L.E 1.4 done just 3K on the Odo. Its a great car indeed and am very happy with it so far. Highways isnt a problem with the car, infact i find the highway drive a bit better in the car than the city drive. Ive done Jaipur-Delhi twice since i bought the Aveo. I am getting 13.5kmpl in the city (with 50% A/C these days) and got about 15kmpl (100% A/C) last time i took it on the highway.

Just a suggestion, i followed the TBHP guidelines (infact still following) of running in the engine and the results i am now getting are great.

Wish you all the best and lots of memorable years with your new companion.

Just a question, the reverse sensors, are they body coloured or 4 black patches on the bumper?

[mjothi]

I agree the FE portion too. I usually get 13-15kmpl on my trip to Chennai from bangalore. This time I got little higher than 15kmpl. That too with 100% AC and blower on 2nd.

[BenjiRoss]

Hope you're enjoying your new car. Sorry about the old car.
Do post pics if possible.
How did you find your buying experience and the dealer.

[PankajG]

Well , I just completed the 1000 KM run on the car that too in 7 days . The highway drive was great. The highways (on NH1 and in punjab) were perfect and so was the comfort in car. The suspension and rear-seat comfort is something one has to experience to talk about it. The car would just seem to stall in 2nd gear (under 2K RPM) and is an issue.

Originally Posted by mjothi

I agree the FE portion too. I usually get 13-15kmpl on my trip to Chennai from bangalore. This time I got little higher than 15kmpl. That too with 100% AC and blower on 2nd.

Well , on highways the FE ranged somewhere between 15-16. Due to weather, AC was on only for around 25% of time. I am yet to calculate exact FE using full tank method. Will update once done.

Originally Posted by mjothi

Does it include the 3yrs cashless promise too?

No sir. The 3 yrs cashless promise is available at 13000 Rs. I will consider purchasing it after 2-3 months, based off my needs. I know I will not be able to run the car for more than 7-8K KMs a year. I would appreciate if fellow tbhpians can suggest if I should go for it or not?

Originally Posted by fidaford

I just have complaint against the build quality of the car since the dash and the doors have started to rattle as early on 14k, but except that its good, i hardly get a chance to drive it since it is used mainly by my dad, do check out my review on my ford fiesta in long term ownership reviews, and please post some pics of the car as the time permits.

To me build quality seems fine as of now, also it is pretty new to comment at this time. Definitely fiesta has a sturdy built. However will have to wait for things to unfold . Will surely post pics by tomorrow evening.

Originally Posted by abhinav.gupta88

By the way , i see the verna out of the discussion. Any specific reason?

Somehow I did not like the looks of Verna (my personal opinion). Verna's reputation (the rocket) in diesal variant is unbeatable, I was a little skeptical about the petrol version. But surely Hyundai's A.S.S would have been the sole buying factor if not for diesal/petrol decision.

Originally Posted by rajj_mba

Congrats Pankaj. Aveo is a real VFM car in that price bracket.
The only grudge I have against my Aveo is the sluggishness in 2nd gear with the ac on. Otherwise, it is great all round in terms of interiors, build quality and mileage (12-13).

The sluggishness in 2nd gear is a killer. Imagine you are stuck on a single lane road behind a truck running at 20 Km. Once you have the space to pass and you try crossing it in 2nd gear, you are in for a shock. The car would just seem not to respond to pick-up drill for few seconds, have to wait for the RPM to hit 2 mark; 3rd gear comes on and off you can go. Will take some time to get used to this.

Originally Posted by deky

Just a suggestion, i followed the TBHP guidelines (infact still following) of running in the engine and the results i am now getting are great.

Just a question, the reverse sensors, are they body coloured or 4 black patches on the bumper?

thanks Deky. I did follow the guidelines and did not let the car go beyond 2500 RPM for first 1000 Kms. Now I am keeping it checked below 3000 RPM. Hopefully this would bear good results. How is your car holding up? Any build issues like fidaford pointed out on rattlings of dash and doors?

Reverse sensors are 4 black patches. In fact I did not feel that those look too odd, body colored would definitely be the end state. I would get those colored once I get time. Taking it tomorrow for service, will ask SA about it.

Originally Posted by BenjiRoss

How did you find your buying experience and the dealer.

Buying experience was OK Benji. Not so good, not so bad. The dealer had 12 deliveries on the day I took mine, spark discounts seems to be doing wonders to chevy. It was a long wait and took me 6 hrs at dealership before I can drive off. One issue I felt was Apex Auto gurgaon showroom does not have a workshop attached with it. They wash cars with a pipe and hand rub them in backyard, no air hose etc., the shampoo and wax was out of stock . They were OK on the dealing side, sales executives are good to talk with. Still I have heard better things about AutoVikas in Dwarka. Honda buying experience was definitely better @Prestige honda in karnal.

Thanks guys for your wishes and suggestions. Will post the pics tomorrow as I have off and can click pics in daytime.

[WheelWake]

Congrats PankajG on your new ride!!!

Aveo is a nice car when you see the whole package at that price point.

Well just wanted to tell that after first servicing of my Aveo 1.4, it seems to have become more revved-up. But ya uphill+AC+all 5 people inside still is a bit of a problem in 2nd gear. Guys!!! if you have any solution for the same, please let us know.

Also, I feel the suspension is just too soft which is good for city drive but not for highways where you would like to do turns at a higher speed as their's bit too body roll. But in any case indian highways arent safe at high speed.

Btw, wats the max rpm&speed you guys have done? I havent gone for highway drive after first service.

[deky]

Originally Posted by PankajG

The car would just seem to stall in 2nd gear (under 2K RPM) and is an issue.

I faced the similar problem initially, but i think its getting better as i click more kms on the odo. Its still a bit sluggish under 1500 rpm but not as bad as it was before

No sir. The 3 yrs cashless promise is available at 13000 Rs. I will consider purchasing it after 2-3 months, based off my needs. I know I will not be able to run the car for more than 7-8K KMs a year. I would appreciate if fellow tbhpians can suggest if I should go for it or not?

IMHO 3yrs cashless ownership is a good deal, atleast it gives me a lot of peace of mind for not spending on repairs that might be coz of wear and tear. But then my yearly driving average is much higher than yours.

thanks Deky. I did follow the guidelines and did not let the car go beyond 2500 RPM for first 1000 Kms. Now I am keeping it checked below 3000 RPM. Hopefully this would bear good results. How is your car holding up? Any build issues like fidaford pointed out on rattlings of dash and doors?

No problems as yet regarding the build, still no rattles heared, hopefully it would stay like that. Only the drivers side seat belt makes a noise which is highly irritating, even the *** guys cant give a solution to that. As i said I still consider it to be a good buy a total VFM car.

Reverse sensors are 4 black patches. In fact I did not feel that those look too odd, body colored would definitely be the end state. I would get those colored once I get time. Taking it tomorrow for service, will ask SA about it.

Thanks, also plss check if colouring the black patches will have any affect on the performance of the sensors or have an affect on the gaurantee (i was told the same by my A.S.S. guys)

[Raj'sGlory]

Originally Posted by deky

Thanks, also plss check if colouring the black patches will have any affect on the performance of the sensors or have an affect on the gaurantee (i was told the same by my A.S.S. guys)

Congrtulations, Pankaj. The Aveo is the best VFM sedan and has great looks unlike the boxy Dzire.

Well Deky, I was wondering why don't you go in for a reverse camera with a screen. Cost me 4500/- from C'garh. Its really useful and looks cool too. Will try to post some pics by evening.

[PankajG]

Few pics attached.
Picture won't do justice, the car looks great in flesh. Oh boy, am I in love once again!

[krish3]

Hey Pankaj-: good buy and good pics. Aveo does look good both on inside and outside.

From what I'm reading here about Aveo, this looks a good car for my parents, for whom comfort holds more value than power. Ageing bones do need better cushioning for long rides.

[sirajbose]

Excellent choice of a car and great color too. I have always loved the Aveo. The integrated HU looks good as well - How is the sound? And any updates on the stolen car?