Chevrolet Vega Review

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See also the main fact sheets for the Chevrolet Vega.

High Points

The Chevrolet Vega was initially popular with the automotive press, winning awards and praise for its innovative engineering, timeless styling, and sports car-like handling.

Car and Driver magazine in 1971, awarded top pick to the Vega above five other cars including the Ford Pinto, AMC Gremlin, VW Beetle, Toyota Corolla and Chrysler Simca "because of its particular suitability to American driving conditions." It was the only car besides the shortened compact Gremlin that could cruise at 70 miles per hour or above. Its long 2.53:1 axle ratio allowed a low 3,000 rpm at 80 mph. The Vega's ride and handling were highly rated. It was the quickest of the cars tested, taking 12.2 seconds to reach 60 mph. C&D stated, "It provides an excellent combination of performance and economy." "It's a car for all occasions."

Motor Trend called the Vega one of the "Ten Best Cars of 1971" and "Motor Trend Car of the Year" for 1971. "The base Vega is a magnificent automobile without any options at all." "We choose the Vega as the Car of the Year because of Vega's engineering excellence, timeliness, styling, and overall value...for the money, no other American car can deliver more."

Road & Track in their 1970 road test of "Vegas Plain and Fancy" said: "...with the Vega, they've turned out one of the finest-looking compact sedans in the world." "...freeway cruising is relaxed and quiet, the slow-running engine's noise covered by wind and road noise,and it was economical not withstanding our overall mileage figures which include some very hard driving." "Ride and handling were departments in which we also expected good things and here we weren't disappointed. The Vega in standard form rides and handles very well indeed."

Road & Track in a Vega GT road test, began: "The 1973 Vega is still the stylish, somewhat sporting economy car it was when new, but improved. The Vega's engine is much improved, with cruising speed noise levels lower than most economy cars." Closing the test article, R&T stated: "After what we've said about earlier Vegas, it's a pleasure to report the current Vega is attractive, respectably quick, and frugal-and it's the best highway car in class. Well done Chevrolet."

Road Test magazine in September, 1970 said: "Chevy pulled out the stops on this one-aluminum ohc engines, four body styles, high style options put it in a class by itself." "It's innovative without being complex."

In a July 1974 Test report on a Vega LX Notchback, Road Test said: "Vega engineers have tamed the low-speed characteristics of the engine. It's wonderfully torquey and flexible at drive-away speeds, and you can shift early into fourth and chug around town all day if you like...in normal driving low and mid-range torque is what counts and this engine has plenty of it." "The Vega ride is not like that of a Caprice, but neither is it a choppy "little-car" ride thanks to the big car rear suspension (coil springs and control arms), ample suspension travel and reasonably good damping..." "Braking performance is right in there too, which is credited to the brakes themselves and the big (radial) tires." "In summary, the 1974 Vega is a vastly improved car over the original and even over last year's model. All of the important gripes have been taken care of and it can now face up to its competition, domestic and imported, on a feature for feature basis.

Hot Rod magazine in 1972, road tested a Vega GT Kammback, and said: "The car never looks like something you had to buy..It's the kind of car we'd buy to look good in, work on, add to, and wash once a week."

Hot Rod in a 1972 models introduction issue voted the Vega GT "Best Buy" of the entire 1972 Chevrolet line.

Hot Rod, on the Millionth Vega, said: "Chevrolet was so smitten with the car, they've built 6143 Millionth Vegas. The series is basically a styled-up Vega GT with some nice interior touches..They'll probably sell a million of 'em."

Small cars magazine said in 1972: "Z/29 Vega GT: It's either the sportiest economy car in the world or the most economical sports car in the world.

The Vega was in Motor Trend's "10 Best Selling (American Made) Cars" test in 1975. "The Vega has been vacillating on the sales charts from just out of the top 10 to just into the top 10. We have to conclude that Monza sales have hurt the Vega and will continue to do so."

Car and Driver stated in 1977: "John R. Bond, the recently retired editor of Road & Track, once caused himself and GM a peck of trouble with the Federal Trade Commission by calling the Vega the best handling sedan from Detroit in the pages of his magazine, and though he may have been stretching the point a bit, the Vega/Astre does handle awfully well, provided there are no bumps in the road. The suspension is well tuned and the car stays flat and goes where its pointed."

Car and Driver', in its 35th anniversary retrospective issue in 1990 mentioned the Vega three times: Detroit Fights Back - Ford Pinto and Vega 2300: "...they are the best, most import-beating subcompacts that American Technology knows how to build. If VW and the other small intruders survive this attack, they'll be assumed invincible." Cosworth Vega Preview - "A sixteen-valve head on a Vega aluminum block seems like a neat idea to us, so we rev up our prose. The car when it finally arrives, cannot keep up with our feverish preview." Showroom-Stock Challenge III - "We win again, this time in a-Vega GT, proof that truth is stranger than fiction." Detroit Fights Back - "The Pontiac Astre is introduced. It's a Vega with better decals."

Low Points

Road & Track in their Vega owner survey from 1973, stated: "The level of assembly doesn't match the virtues of the design."

Road & Track"...The engine proved a let down. It's extremely rough and noisy..

Road Test "...The standard manual steering is on the heavy side and is too slow to permit fancy maneuvering..."

Performance and Handling

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Gas Mileage

The Vega Wagon's 27.083 mpg fuel economy was rated number ten in Motor Trend's mid-summer cruise of "15 Cars To Own in a Gas Crisis" in 1973. The Vega LX Notchback's 30.0 mpg was rated number nine in Motor Trend's "50 Cars Worth Their Weight In Gold" in 1974.

Safety

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Reliability and Maintenance

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Interior and Comforts

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Exterior

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