New Chevrolet Aveo (2012): Starts at £9,995

New Chevrolet Aveo (2012): Costs from £9,995

It’s taken a very long time for the (now) 2012 Chevrolet Aveo to make it from production reveal - at Paris 2010 – to a reality in UK showrooms.

But Chevy has finally got it together and the new Aveo will arrive in a Chevrolet showroom near you (if there’s a Chevy showroom near you, that is) in January – a full two years since Chevy rolled out the new Aveo concept at Detroit at the start of 2010. So was it worth the wait?

Well, certainly in terms of style and perceived quality, the new Chevy Aveo looks a quantum leap forward.

Keeping most of the style of the new Aveo concept, the production version of the Aveo looks stylish and competent – actually bordering on appealing – and seems a properly thought-through little car.

Add to the big improvements on the style front the fact that Chevy tell us the new Aveo has a chassis set up for Europe and will be responsive and comfortable, and the new baby Chevy could tick a lot of boxes for some buyers.

Standard equipment on the new Aveo is also quite decent, with even the bog-standard Aveo getting remote locking, electric windows and mirrors and a rear spoiler(!).

Jump up a notch to the LT trim and you get 15″ alloys, audio controls on the steering wheel, AirCon, Bluetooth and a bill for an extra £1,000.

Top of the tree LTZ throws in Fogs, parking sensors, auto lights and a leather steering wheel for another £1200 on top of the LT.

The engines don’t seem to offer much more than the last Aveo – a bit of a shame – with a choice of a 1.2 litre petrol with 85bhp, a 1.4 litre petrol with 100bhp and a pair of 1.3 litre diesels with either 74bhp or 94bhp.

Still, the 2012 Chevy Aveo does seem to be a much more convincing offering than the old Aveo.

By Cars UK