If you travel 15,000 miles each year driving your Hummer, gas will cost you somewhere around $4,700, or $390 a month. Your Ford Expedition will scoop $2,500 from your wallet, nearly $210 a month.

The well-heeled don’t care and can stop reading now. For those fretting about buying an SUV a year ago, before gas prices rose more than 40 percent, read on. How about a car where the fuel will cost no more than $1,100 a year, or $90 a month, even at $2.50 a gallon?

A group of small, inexpensive cars can accomplish this magic. Owners must make do with somewhat less power and without a few baubles, but for the most part these cars will get you where you want to go in reasonable comfort and without fuss. The Kia Rio and the Scion Xb or Xa from Toyota fit this description. So does the latest offering from Chevrolet, the Aveo.

Chevrolet’s Aveo has comfortable front seats and is quiet on the road - remarkable for an inexpensive small car. It’s even suitable for long journeys except for one drawback. It offers no cruise control.

The Aveo is made for Chevrolet by Daewoo. Remember Daewoo? It used to sell cars here until it went broke. General Motors pulled out of a deal to buy most of its car operation but agreed to buy this car from Daewoo and market it as GM’s bottom-of-the-line offering.

The Aveo comes as a sedan or a hatchback and it looks quite different. The car tested was a sedan, whose shape originated in a design studio in Italy. The Italians can do better. The exterior looks a little tall and thin, but overall is acceptable.

This tester did not expect much from the Aveo, considering its Korean maker, and its price, starting just under $10,000. However, surprise was on the way. The interior looked roomy and well-finished with richer materials than expected. The driver’s cockpit offered plenty of room, especially for tall people, and the instruments were well-designed and well placed. The trunk is small but will accept one full-size suitcase and one of medium size. Any more will have to go into the back seat. One of the rear seats will usefully fold down to accept long stuff.

The driving experience was a pleasant surprise. This car is quiet on the road without the usual engine and tire roar one expects from small, inexpensive cars. With comfortable front seats and an acceptably good ride, the Aveo is even suitable for longer journeys, except for one disappointing flaw — no cruise control is offered.

We are not talking Lexus here, but it’s still remarkable for an inexpensive small car.

The DOHC 1.6 liter, 4-cylinder, 103 hp engine has good off the line torque, cruises comfortably at 70 mph, but requires some advance planning to pass at 65-70 mph. The optional four-speed automatic transmission on the test car shifted smoothly and worked well although the standard five-speed manual transmission has drawn some criticism about its “rubbery” feel.

The MSN Carpoint consumer reviews rate this car at 9.2 out of 10, which is remarkable for any small $10,000 to $12,000 automobile. By comparison, the $9,800 Kia Rio was rated at 6.6 out of 10, the $12,000 Scion XA at 9.2, the $13,000 Honda Civic at 8.7, the $13,700 Toyota Corolla at 9.4 and the $12,400 Nissan Sentra at 8.9.

The base price for the bottom-of-the-line Aveo is $9,455 with no options. This is a pretty basic car, windup windows, no air, etc. The better equipped LS model is priced at $11,300 with optional automatic transmission available for $850, power windows at $295, fog lights at $110, upgraded CD/MP3 stereo for $300 and aluminum wheels for $375. This one has air conditioning standard.

The $12,570 top of the line LT comes with an alarm system, keyless remote entry, power windows and door locks, heated mirrors, upgraded radio, rear spoiler and aluminum wheels. Options for the LT include a $725 moon roof, a $400 anti-lock braking system and $250 premium speakers.

The EPA estimated fuel consumption for the Aveo is 28 city/34 highway, although this tester achieved 38 mpg on the highway traveling at 70 mph.

The warranty is three years or 36,000 miles with an additional five years or 50,000 mile power train warranty.

Regardless of all the drawbacks of a less expensive, bottom-of-the-line car, driving this little car was fun, something often missing when testing midsize or larger automobiles.

If you need a car for your student offspring, or for just running around town, with an occasional trip, or if your income prevents you from buying a larger car, you should look at and test drive the Aveo before you make your choice.

Check with Mossy Chevrolet of Encinitas, Courtesy Chevrolet of Mission Valley, Weseloh Chevrolet of Carlsbad, or Bob Baker Chevrolet of El Cajon.

Motoring since 1952, Austin Lynas has owned 55 cars and at one time raced mini-sedans in England. An aerospace engineer, he was instrumental in developing the anti-skid systems used in British military aircraft that preceded today’s ABS systems. Lynas can be reached by e-mail at austin@sandiegometro.com.