Overall rating:

The Aveo hatchback is Chevrolet's best-selling global model and it's now been redeveloped from the ground up. Fresh styling, a practical cabin and a series of small, frugal engines have brought it up to date - but that's not quite enough to stave off competition from the Koreans and the Czechs.

Key Facts

Pricing: circa £9,500
Engine: 1.2-litre four-cylinder, 1.4-litre four-cylinder
Transmission: five-speed manual/six-speed automatic, front-wheel drive
Body style: five-door hatchback
Rivals: Skoda Fabia, Hyundai i10, Kia Picanto
CO₂ emissions: 119g/km - 169g/km
Combined economy: 39.2mpg - 55.4mpg
Top speed: 101mph - 117mph
0-62mph: 11.3 - 14.3 seconds
Power: 85bhp at 5,600rpm (1.2 Eco manual)
Torque: 85lb.ft at 4,000rpm

In the Metal:

More than just a facelift, the latest Chevrolet Aveo has been totally redesigned in a bid to appeal to its core audience of over 45s and a few younger punters, too. Squared-off headlamp areas with a liberal dose of black plastic cladding around the circular lights is an unusual arrangement and apes the none-too-handsome Mitsubishi ASX. The taillights have a similar appearance, though the flared arches and chiselled flanks add a little road presence.

Inside, the neat stereo and trio of chunky air conditioning dials are easy to use, while the centre console plastic is smooth to the touch. The remaining dash materials are low rent and scratchy though, while the 'motorcycle-inspired' dial pod resembles Twiki from Buck Rogers - it's straight out of the Eighties. The Aveo's spacious rear seats and good all-round visibility work in its favour, though.

Driving it:

Numb steering, body roll and excessive tyre noise under cornering put the Chevrolet Aveo well behind its rivals in the handling stakes. The 1.2-litre engine (likely to be the most popular model) lacks any kind of low-down slug and needs a thorough pasting if you're to make any progress at all. The buzzing soundtrack does it no favours and blunts any conceivable refinement.

On the plus side, the Chevy is quite comfortable, if a little unsettled on faster roads and the 1.4-litre petrol engine offers more in the way of usable torque. There's a soft, easy action to the five-speed manual gearbox but the six-speed auto could never be called smooth. It's fussy, and has a habit of swapping cogs with a mind of its own.

What you get for your Money:

Chevrolet has yet to confirm Aveo prices for the UK, but we're told to expect a basic cost in the region of £9,500. It's the same deal for trim levels - nothing has been confirmed yet, but the unofficial line is that it will be "a lot of car for the money".

Worth Noting

It wasn't available for us to test but a 1.3-litre turbodiesel engine will be offered when the Chevrolet Aveo goes on sale in the UK in the autumn. It will come with a stop-start system and economy in excess of 60mpg is likely.

We also sampled a 113bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine, which sorted out the lack of torque from the 1.2- and 1.4-litre units but still made a racket. Chevrolet remained cagey about whether this engine will be available in the UK or not - we'd bet on the latter mainly due to the presence of the 1.3 diesel, but never say never.

Summary

If the Aveo were two or three grand less then Chevrolet would have a cheap and cheerful car on its hands. But the existence of similarly priced rivals from Skoda, Kia and Hyundai, each with greater appeal in a multitude of different ways, makes the Aveo difficult to recommend. In short, it needs something more than a low price tag to muscle in on established rivals.