2000 Chevrolet Cavalier: Overview

Vehicle Highlights

The 2000 version of General Motors' best-selling car arrived last summer with slightly revised styling inside and out, plus some new features. Cavalier is offered as a 2-door coupe in base and Z24 form, as a 4-door sedan in base and LS trim. All get minor front and rear appearance changes, with the Z24's exclusive exterior touches including a new rear spoiler. Inside, the dashboard and console are revamped, uplevel radios gain Radio Display System (RDS) capability, there are more cupholders, and child-seat anchors are added for all three rear positions. Air conditioning becomes standard on all models, as does the previously optional rear defroster. Cavalier shares its basic design with the Pontiac Sunfire, which is similarly updated for 2000. GM ceased production of convertible versions of both cars at the end of 1999.
All Cavaliers have 4-cylinder engines. Base and LS come with 115 horsepower; a larger 150-hp unit is standard in Z24 and optional for LS. Manual transmission is standard on all but the LS sedan. A 3-speed automatic is optional on base models. A 4-speed automatic and traction control are standard on LS and optional elsewhere. Antilock brakes are standard.

COMPETITION

This crowded segment is best represented by two exceptional cars--one a Best Buy and the other a Recommended. Our Best Buy is the Honda Civic, which offers a wide range of bodystyles, engines, and equipment levels. Civic is a solid car that has good performance, a nice ride, and is very civilized.
Topping the Recommended list are the Volkswagen Golf and Jetta. They easily could be Best Buys as they are better than the Civic in many ways. However, they are also the most expensive cars in this segment. Other Recommended choices include the no-frills Chevrolet Cavalier and Dodge Neon, the slightly-upscale Chevy Prizm and clone Toyota Corolla, and the roomy Mazda Protege.
If you are looking for a Budget Buy we recommend you stay away from the Hyundai or Daewoo models and take a look at the Ford Escort.