Aveo SS - Crazy Talk or Crazy Fun?

[from SportsCompactCar blog]

Before gas prices spiked up to over $3 per gallon, and have stubbornly stayed there a while, there was very little interest on this side of the Atlantic (or Pacific) for subcompacts, beyond cash-strapped college students and trendy urban liberals making a self-conscious statement about their thrift and environmental concern.

And especially here in the Spoiled States of America, nobody wants to sacrifice anything, and up until the MINI Cooper came along, most subcompacts were sparsely-equipped. Some weren't even available with power windows. Heck, A/C and a tape deck made for a "loaded" subcompact not that long ago.

But the MINI broke new ground in the U.S. by offering a subcompact that actually didn't suck, power or equipment-wise. Granted, if you go crazy with the option boxes, you can get a MINI Cooper S dangerously close to, if not higher, than $40,000. But if you exercise at least some level of self-restraint, low-to-mid $20ks is about the going rate for the Cooper and Cooper S.

Taking the view at 30,000 feet, I think that makes conditions perfect for a car like a Chevy Aveo SS. To the die-hard Chevelle-drivin' Bubbas in the Midwest & the South, the very idea of attaching the SS badge to a Korean-made subcompact is heretical, never mind that it's graced with the bowtie on the hood, and the ubiquitous chrome "GM" square on the fender.

But I think a 'I'm too PC to be called a hatchback' 5-door Aveo hunkered down on 17s, with a fat, burbling polished tip poking out from beneath some restrained but purposeful ground effects, with a direct-injected 1.4L turbo producing, say...180 horsepower?...would be one heck of a ride.

It just so happens that Chevrolet just introduced a 3-door model in Europe, which some are speculating could also make it stateside, providing Chevy with a genunine head-to-head competitor to the 3-door Toyota Yaris. While the singleminded gearheads might be cheering for a 3-door SS, my personal vote would be for the 5-door. I think the Subaru STI and Mitsubishi Evo (as well as the BMW M5 and others) have decisively proven that a 4-door can be a genuine performance car.

Start the bidding at $15k, with $18k for a "loaded" example with the typical tuner bling, like LED taillights, projector-beam headlights, nicely-bolstered seats, iPod connector, leather-wrapped wheel, short-throw shifter, and A-pillar boost gauge.

All of a sudden, the utterly forgettable Aveo, that all the youngsters gibly pass over for the Scion xD and Honda Fit, becomes a real option. Okay, admittedly, there are the "haters" that would never buy a Chevy if their lives depended on it, but for many, myself included, I'd be willing to give the hot hatch a look. Figure on an EPA rating of 26/35 with the modern and efficient upgraded DI turbo, and you've got a recipe for one heck of a pocket rocket. Who's with me?

awesome blog find, I would love to see an aveo SS...especially if it looked like the one at SEMA or wherever that is found (the green and yellow ones).

I say it would be a good move. But will Chevy do it? no.

Also, I dont see the the 3-door making it to north America. Despite the success of the Mini, Yaris and echo, and Rabbit 2 door models. Chevy is just weird like that.

Won't we have the option for a 134 horsepower 1.6L in 2009? Didn't I read this on here? That would rock in my opinion.

I didnt hear anything about any engine options. From what I recall the north american market is getting a 1.6 with variable valve timing that makes about 107hp. Supposedly its going to be really feul efficient being able to get like 640km to a tank.

yeh i couldnt find anything online about a 134 hp option, just the 107 hp motor.

someone posted an aveo sport coming out in 2009 with around 125hp

yeah, they're going to be using the 1.8l ecotec from the astra

would be a cool idea, but doubt it would ever happen... just gotta rely on aftermarket companies to continue pumping out available upgrades to help you guys get there on your own...