The
Chevrolet Aveo body was created, believe it or not, in the Giugiaro Italdesign studio in Turin, Italy. And it shows, especially in the smooth sedan, which is better looking than the
Hyundai Accent or
Rio. The sedan and five-door have the same wheelbase, but the sedan is 14 inches longer, and with that extra length to work with, Giugiaro made the car look real, and not so much like a toy.
The nose is nice: simple and clean with tidy shapes. The headlights are horizontal and nicely rounded at the corners, with long thin turn signals like amber underlines. There's a little smiley-face grille, inconspicuous in black mesh, with a tidy Chevy bowtie symbol in the center. Both front and rear bumpers are body colored and part of the shape of the car.
As sleek little hatchbacks go, the Aveo five-door isn't quite as good looking as Toyota's Scion xA, but it holds its own. The taillights especially, chunky and efficient, have a nice physical edge to them. The roofline is rounded, sloping back to meet the optional spoiler over the liftgate. There are character lines running back from the front wheelwell to the rear, which may or may not add character. The fit of the body panels is visibly tight, something not usually seen with low-priced entry-level cars. next page