I am a novice so far as what goes into making a car. But it really does not matter to me. I had to have a start at some point. and this is it - my start. And here is my first review.
As already said, I didn’t know much about cars. but there was something about this car that struck me the day I saw it. I had my eyes on it for almost 2 years. and now I finally own it. I bought the Aveo - 1.6 LT(Cashmere) about a month and a half back. I had a budget of around 8 Lacs, and options open to me were Ford Fiesta, Honda City(not VTEC), SX4, Verna, and the Aveo. I had no idea what factors one should look into while going for a car, had hardly driven a car(may be around 100 KM. that too while I was still on a learning spree on maruti 800). So all I had to look up to was these internet sites. Honestly, that’s all that I searched. looked for reviews on Aveo. found all kind of things like low mileage, problematic gear-box, performance of the car on low gears, GM’s credibility, and to top it all; my lack of knowledge on the matter at hand.
I did not even go for a test drive of any other car in the hunt. Many of my acquaintances asked me not to go for it. for reasons I didn’t care much about. Anyways, all said and done, I knew that this was the car I wanted. I searched the NCR for the best deal for almost 2 months. and finally settled for Triumph Motors. The fact is that they gave me the best deal, but to be honest; I won’t promote them as the best dealer in the region(explanation to follow). Ok. back to the real stuff(as to what I have figured out about AVEO).
SPACE INSIDE: at par with VTEC(beats any other car in it’s segment. I have seen VTEC, GXI, Verna, and SX4 from inside. all these cars are being owned by one or the other friends of mine)
FUEL CONSUMPTION: I am getting 13(city driving), have driven 3000 KM in just a month:-) I know it’s less than Honda City. at par with SX4 and Verna.
COMFORT: I’d say pretty good. though being 6 feet tall, I am yet to find a comfortable sitting positon while on driver’s seat. But it gives me an un-paralled view of hood(very important in congested driving); not the case with Honda City, or SX4. Also, my friends tell me it’s as easy to maneuver as Esteem is - which is a compliment.
RELIABILITY: It’s a broad term - means different things to different people. To me this car looks compact, well built, solid suspensions, good brakes(though people say ABS is a better option). Point to consider about ABS is that not too many cars around have ABS(you won’t want cars to hit you from behind in those bad times, so law of averages should stand you in good stead). In the end, it is just an opinion, and yours might differ. and mine too, probably, would. down the line when my car grows old on me.
LOOKS / INTERIORS: I love the looks of this car - that’s actually what made me buy this car. It’s a sure-shot stunner. And not to miss the interiors - I’d say a very well-thought of car. It beats any car in it’s class(even the VTEC) in terms of interiors.
POWER: It’s at par with VTEC and SX4. Incidentally, power was the only other criteria that I took into account. I didn’t want to go for an under-powered car(which is the case with GXi). Drive an AVEO on 4th and 5th gear - that’s when it is ultra-smooth. and you never get the feel that you’re low on power(in any gear).
DEALER: Even though I selected Triumph Motors, I won’t advice anyone to go ahead with them. They really made me wait before I finally got the car(almost a month). And at last it was GM’s guy who got involved to get me my car. And he told me that AUTOVIKAS was the dealer in NCR.
Now some cons:
1) I feel there is some issue with shifting to 2nd gear(only when down-shfting). And some times with the reverse gear. but these might be because I am still quite new to driving, and may not be doing it the right way. I am open to other’s feedback / opinion on this.
2) Turning at high-speed is an issue. probably because of 14" radials. I do not feel comfortable doing that. Can we have 15" radials fitted ? I see a lot of sapce there. Has anyone done it? If yes, does it impact the performance of the car in terms of mileage?
I have not really found any other issues so far. Questions / information regarding the issues are welcome. I will try and answer as best as I can.
All in all, I feel good about this car. and hope it remains the same down the line.
I don’t think I have gone against any brand here. but if someone feels offended, my apologies in advacne. And yes. I will continue to write in more about my car as and when I figure out anything new.
Till then. drive safe and enjoy life!
Neo