THE last series Chevrolet Aveo supermini is great looking from all angles and has a good size interior.

All have five doors and, of course, they come with a five year transferable warranty helping to make them a good secondhand buy.

Engines are petrol 1.2 and 1.4-litre, with either 86 or 100bhp, or a 1.3 diesel with either 75 or 95bhp.

The petrols have very good economy and are decently refined, but they don't offer much in the way of performance and get noisy when pressed.

Best performance and economy comes from the high output 1.3 diesel but, even then, it's nothing to write home about.

I'll concentrate on the cheapest 1.2 petrol which is reasonably smooth if a little noisy at times and, as long as you keep the revs up, performance is fair

But if the revs drop or you try to accelerate from low speeds there is little response, necessitating a swift change down to lower gears.

It does score well on general refinement, with little engine or wind noise on the move, and it's comfortable over most surfaces, soaking up the lumps and bumps with ease.

The road-holding is safe and sure, with good grip but the steering is pretty lifeless and doesn't instil much confidence to press on through the corners.

Inside, features have been carried over from other models in the range such as theCruzeandOrlando.

Build quality feels good and there are a number of neat touches. There's also plenty of space for four people to travel in comfort and the seat adjustment gives a good driving position for taller drivers.

Equipment in the base LS includes aircon, cruise, front electric windows, remote locking, traction control, front and side airbags, heated electric mirrors and a folding back seat.