Chevy's Below-Average Aveo

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However, some of the materials used seem cheap. For instance, the front cupholders pop out of the dash just below the ashtray and have little plastic grabbers that close around cups. I give them a year, two at most, before they break under normal use.

Ditto for the eyeglass case above the driver-side door and the steering-wheel-mounted controls. They're all made of plastic that seems too lightweight to last. The storage bins in the front doors, while handy, also seem flimsy. There are no storage bins in the rear doors, and there's only one cupholder for the back seat.

As you'd expect, legroom in back is tight. I'm 5-foot-10 and with the driver's seat set in a comfortable position for me, my knees touched the seatback in front of me when I sat in the back.

However, there is plenty of headroom and room for your feet under the front seat. The trunk is big for an economy car. There's a pass-through from the trunk to the rear seats, which fold down to create a large hauling space.

My test car had one annoying oddity: You can unlock all the doors manually by pulling up the handle on the driver's door, but when I did that, the antitheft system activated as soon as I opened the door, and the horn started honking over and over. It's not immediately apparent how to shut off the alarm because there is no "emergency" button on the key clicker.

I finally got it to stop by relocking and unlocking the doors using the clicker. Only later, when I read the owner's manual, did I learn that you arm the antitheft system by pushing on the door-lock button on the key clicker—which I apparently had done inadvertently.

Buy It or Bag It?

This is mainly a commuter car. I wouldn't buy one if you expect to carry more than one passenger regularly or have kids riding in the rear seat.

The Aveo's main selling points are its low price and fuel efficiency. The average buyer pays just $13,592 for an Aveo, according to the Power Information Network, vs. $13,758 for an Accent, $14,361 for a Yaris, $15,525 for a Versa, and $16,581 for a Fit.

However, the Versa, Fit, and Yaris (if you take the optional air bags) are all safer, better-built cars. So is the bigger Chevy Cobalt, for that matter. Given their better fuel economy, higher resale value, and extra standard safety gear, the Japanese subcompacts are better bargains than the Aveo over the long haul.

Click here to see more of the 2007 Chevrolet Aveo.

Peterson reviews cars for BusinessWeek.com.