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Maybe here in Europe we made fun of this car, but the Chevrolet Aveo T200 was more of a success than Funkstar De Luxe, especially in the countries where people need a car and that's it.

Many times it happens that when a new boss comes around to show around who's the boss, things come around. We have so many examples – when BMW bought Land Rover, "borrowed" the 4×4 technology and left, Ford bought Volvo, "borrowed" the safety technology and left. Ford bought Mazda, "borrowed" the engines and left. And General Motors bought Opel and tried to make a stir on the European car market. And the Chevrolet Aveo T200?

Chevrolet Aveo T200 was the first car built by Daewoo, after they were bought by General Motors. And miraculously, the Chevrolet Aveo T200 sold like hot cakes or Becks V The Menthol's music. And this was just Europe, because the original Aveo has so many names and so many personalities that it makes The Pretender look like an amateur. It wasn't the best possible car, but at least it was cheap and almost anyone who made a minimal effort in life could afford it new. And in Europe it was more of of Matiz with a boot, that was the idea of ​​the Chevrolet Aveo T200. It wanted to be an alternative to the cheaps of it's day such as the Daihatu Cuore or the Vauxhall Corsa, and everywhere else in the world it was a heavyweight. And the original Aveo was actually a Matiz with a boot, because the 1.2 engine was an evolution of the 0.8 engine on the Daewoo Matiz, Daewoo Tico and Suzuki Alto. Probably the rest of the car was built at the same time as the Matiz, only they were kept out in the sun for a few years so that the Matiz could be retired and the Aveo could be sold after.

And outside Europe?

Clench your buttocks and get ready for this. Holden Barina, Pontiac G3, Chevrolet Lova, Chevrolet Nexia, Pontiac Wave, Chevrolet Kalos, Ravon Nexia, Suzuki Swift+, ZAZ Vida and many more. As I said, the Aveo was all car to all men, women, children and whoever generally wanted cheap mobility. And the Aveo delivered. Some say the Aveo also kept the Suzuki brand alive in Canada for as long as it could. Singlehandedly. Cheap, reliable, no frills motoring at almost it's finest.

Chevrolet Aveo T200 Engines

Petrol

• 1.2 S-TEC of 72 and 84 horsepower – The 72 horsepower version has 6 valves per cylinder and the 84 version has 12 valves per cylinder and that's about the main difference. As I said, this engine is an evolution of the engine on the Tico, which in itself is the base engine for the Alto. A fairly resistant engine but lacking in performance. Plus it never really heard about the word "economy", neither for petrol nor for oil. Small as Snooki, thirsty as DJ Pauly D.


• 1.4 E-TEC A13SMS of 83, 94 and 101 106 horsepower – We make a huge technological leap and go from the Daewoo sourced 1.2 petrol to 1.4 petrol found on the Vauxhall Corsa B. In fact, this engine is so old that it didn't even have a check engine light. Pay close attention to oil consumption and pack a bunch of O2 sensors with you on long journeys.


• 1.5 E-Tec A15SMS of 86 horsepower - Mostly found in Latin America, this middle child of the E-TEC family is there for you, with as little enthusiasm and issues as possible. 


• 1.6 E-TEC II L91 of 106 horsepower - Now we're talking, because we are making another jump in power from Snooki to Hulk Hogan. We no longer have a 1.4 petrol from the Corsa B, but we have the 1.6 from the Opel Vectra A. Which also means that you need to stock up on oil barrels, ECUs and O2 sensors with you on any journey longer than 10 miles.

Chevrolet Aveo T200 Reliability Issues

• It's a Daewoo with Chevrolet written on it and that means it's a low quality car in general. But at least it's cheap enough that you don't care. It has no specific issues in the sense that all parts will fail sooner or later. If it's worth repairing, it's up to you.


• The engines are put to work as much as a gubment worker, so don't expect performance from them.

Chevrolet Aveo T200 Verdict

A cheaper alternative to the Vauxall Corsa. Yes. A cheaper Corsa. Sure, the Corsa has quality issues and rust, but at least it has a diesel, it's more reliable and it can run faster. But it is also more expensive. On the other hand, I have to admit that in the "under 500 GBP" category, it is very difficult to beat the Chevrolet Aveo T200 and maybe if you want a cheap means of transportation and that's where the list ends, you are not interested in anything else, the Chevrolet Aveo I is a decent car for the genre this mission.

What engines do I recommend? The old 94 horsepower 1.4 petrol engine is by far the most balanced engine for the Chevrolet Aveo T200, a car that is totally off balance.