Unfortunately the good old Metro days are over. I could go on all day about how much better the Metro design is compared to the Aveo. 50 MPG, no shift problems, lightweight, reliable, no timing belt problems...
After their contract with Suzuki expired in 2001, GM basically stepped backward with this car, to the days of the Pontiac LeMans, which was also built by Daewoo. It's De-Evolution... !
The last LeMans produced was designed by Opel, built by Daewoo, sold as a Pontiac and loved by no one. That's globalization, GM style.Originally Posted by MetroAveo
Just out of curiosity, how much did/does your Metro weigh?
I believe somewhere in the range of 1700-1800 lbs., if I remember correctly.
The Aveo does feel light, though. Especially when I spin the tires on wet pavement at a stoplight!
But keeping somewhat on topic: the Metro/Firefly/Swift automatic transmissions were a joke. Relative to the manual, they got horrible fuel economy, because they were 3-speeds with no lockup torque converter. Ridiculous agricultural technology, sold right up to 2001.
My 2009 Aveo5 weighs 2557 lbs. My '89 Galant, which is a much larger 4-door sedan with a 2 liter engine, weighs slightly less.I believe somewhere in the range of 1700-1800 lbs., if I remember correctly.
The Aveo does feel light, though. Especially when I spin the tires on wet pavement at a stoplight!
With the crash and safety standards and equipment mandatory of cars today they are heavier unless newer more expensive materials are used. Think about it though passenger compartment "cage" dual air bags side air bags (if equipped) the swept front end crush standards side impact protection. Etc.
The crashworthiness argument is only partially applicable (as an argument for ever increasing weight). EG: the new North American spec Mazda2 / Fiesta weighs in at ~2200 lbs and meets/exceeds all current crash standards.
New cars today are also fitted with a LOT more standard equipment than they used to be. The 1700-1800 lb Metro was a stripped out car with power brakes being the only "powered" option, for example.
Expect automakers to start trimming out the flab (ie. not needed for crash protection) in the coming years for better fuel economy and performance. Several have already announced weight reduction plans across their lineups.
Very true, the Metro automatics were quite pointless for the car's selling point. They didn't get much more mileage than what our Aveos are getting, and they would SCREAM at highway speeds. If you got a Metro, you HAD to have a manual to make it count.
I don't like automatics, anyway. Manuals just make more sense, unless you insist on keeping a hand free to eat a sandwich while driving. Also get this: You can actually choose when to shift into the highest gear! No frustration about the torque lock-up kicking in too late! lol
It depends on where you live and the type of driving you do that determines whether a manual or an automatic is best for you. I once had a manual transmission car, and think my clutch wore out by 40K - not from improper shift technique, but because in city traffic constant shifting is an unavoidable necessity. As I mentioned, 95% of my car's usage is in city conditions, not highway driving. So it has nothing to do with eating, not knowing how to clutch or not enjoying shifting; BTW, I never eat or drink anything while driving. When I drive, I focus on driving.Very true, the Metro automatics were quite pointless for the car's selling point. They didn't get much more mileage than what our Aveos are getting, and they would SCREAM at highway speeds. If you got a Metro, you HAD to have a manual to make it count.
I don't like automatics, anyway. Manuals just make more sense, unless you insist on keeping a hand free to eat a sandwich while driving. Also get this: You can actually choose when to shift into the highest gear! No frustration about the torque lock-up kicking in too late! lol
Here’s an update on my A/T & city fuel economy situation. The Chevy dealer replaced my accelerator pedal assembly. If you recall, they said there was a code set in the memory of the computer indicating it was not within correct spec range. Since I got it back I test drove it and here’s what I found: It now up-shifts a bit sooner into fourth gear – before it wouldn’t up-shift until about 38 MPH, and now it shifts at about 32. The shift into fourth gear feels a bit firmer (less murky) with a more noticeable drop in RPM’s when it shifts. The TPS reading I’m now seeing on my ScanGauge is slightly lower at idle, at about 15-16 TPS instead of 16-17 seen previously. So there is a perceptible difference, and marginally a slight but noticeable improvement in the way it shifts.
A few days before they changed the pedal assembly I took it for a drive on a stretch of highway with no traffic of about 10 miles. I maintained a steady 65 MPH with the A/C on the whole time (it was unseasonably warm here), and the Scan Gauge said I got 37 MPG for that highway portion! Apparently an A/T Aveo gets excellent highway mileage once the TC is in lockup mode – but short of speeds below 45, great fuel economy can’t happen.
I strongly urge anyone with the same murky shifting symptom to take your car to a dealer if it is still under warranty. Your car may have the same problem as mine and the accelerator deficiency may be more widespread than just an isolated case.
It’s too soon to tell with certainty whether our overall MPG improves any. I don’t expect to see much improvement as I’m still feeling a pronounced shift with an RPM drop into TC lockup at about 45. In other words, this probably rectified a relatively minor problem, but not the more prevalent one of the way the shifts are programmed. Unfortunately GM programmed this transaxle to delay TC lockup and treat it like a shift into overdrive. The sad and annoying thing is that there is no overdrive gear on this transmission beyond the actual fourth gear. The programming that delays the converter lockup amounts to fudging an up-shift into lockup mode, treating it as a sort of quasi-overdrive: as such, it is too little, too late.
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