One can only ask so much of a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, especially one saddled with a four-speed automatic transmission. However, the Aveo did its best to satisfy by expeditiously getting up to cruising speed, providing just enough power for occasionally overtaking slower cars on the highway, and doing so with a level of refinement that was on par with others in the class. Sure, more power is almost always welcome, but the Aveo is an economy car built for those on a budget with efficiency on the mind. In that light, it underperformed; we achieved only 23.8 mpg in mixed driving.