Chevrolet Aveo U-VA 1.2 LT

The U-VA has a distinctively European look about it. The steeply raked windscreen which flows into the bonnet gives it an MPV-ish look. Unlike the distinctly two-box Swift, the U-VA has similar proportions to the Getz. It has a particularly long wheelbase of 2480mm, which augurs well for interior space.

Though it’s not as stylish as the Swift, the U-VA has more design flair than the conventional-looking Getz. The chiselled nose has a wedginess similar to the Aveo. The headlamps with the turn indicators integrated into them look superb and other stylistic touches include the prominent crease across the doors that drop down to the rear wheel arches. The flared wheel arches, muscular rear flanks, shapely C-pillar with quarter-glass all add up to make the U-VA an attractive-looking hatch.

The U-VA’s suspension hardly challenges convention. It is the conventional MacPherson strut set-up in front and a torsion beam axle with gas shocks at the rear. However, GM India has testes the U-VA over thousands of kilometers to arrive at an India-spec set-up for the dampers and springs. Brakes are again standard fare — a disc/drum combo — but anti-lock along with the a driver’s airbag is offered as an option on the top-end LT.