We won't get into the entire history of the Chevrolet Spark, and how it evolved from the Daewoo Matiz. Basically now it is a General Motors product, and the twice-refined version of the Matiz is now in India as the Chevrolet Spark. We sort of think this was the car India needed some two years back - that's when we carried our first article on the 'future' Spark. No matter, it is here now, and many of you might be considering buying it. At one look, the Chevrolet Spark has a new engine, new design, and new price. And a new name and company to market it. So how does it all hold together?Chevrolet Spark: Engine and specs:
The Chevrolet Spark has got rid of the three cylinder engine of the old Matiz - and in its place is a new 995 cc four cylinder engine that produces more power than the newly released Fiat Palio Stile 1.1. You get 62.13 bhp (48.5 KW) at 5400 rpm, and 9.02 kgm (90.3 NM) of torque at 4200 rpm which are very decent for a car in this class. The five speed manual gearbox is quite capable and well-sorted out, and most auto mags have said that the Spark drives well, and the car feels sure-footed for something this small.
Inside, the Spark is mostly grey and black. Once you plonk yourself down in the driver's seat, the first thing you will notice is the speedo console which is placed smack above the centrally located AC vents. Visibility is not compromised, so that's not a problem, really. The average driver would feel comfortable with the seat and legroom, and legroom in the rear too would not be a problem for the passengers. However, try to seat three at on the Spark's rear seat, and you are going to face some crowding issues. The rear seat in the Spark does that 6:40 folding bit unlike in the similar sized Zen Estilo, so that is a good thing for carting slightly big things around at the rear.
Fuel efficiency is critical in a car like this, and the claimed figures are around 17 kmpl. Real world mileage figures would be a bit less - there is not enough data at this moment to give you a clear answer on exactly what it would be. Expect The Chevrolet Spark to offer 12 kmpl in stop and start city driving - say in Mumbai - and 14-15 kmpl in a city like Delhi with more open roads.
Fuel efficiency is critical in a car like this, and the claimed figures are around 17 kmpl. Real world mileage figures would be a bit less - there is not enough data at this moment to give you a clear answer on exactly what it would be. Expect The Chevrolet Spark to offer 12 kmpl in stop and start city driving - say in Mumbai - and 14-15 kmpl in a city like Delhi with more open roads.
So what should be your decision on buying the Spark? The Spark comes with a three-year or 100,000 kilometre service warranty, one of the best in the industry. There are four variants available - starting from the barebones version Spark 1.0 E at an ex showroom price of Rs 1.1 lakh in Delhi. Very good, but you don't even get an AC in that version. Then come the Spark 1.0, the 1.0 LS and the 1.0 LT - these are the ones you should consider. So you have an ex-showroom price of 3.32 lakh on the 1.0 Spark, going up to 3.9 on the Spark 1.0 LT version. Got a bit of extra cash lying around, and go for the LT with the optional pack, which will cost 4.25 lakh ex-showroom Delhi. If you were always a Matiz lover, you SHOULD buy the Spark. No questions asked. On the other hand, if you are stuck between the Estilo, Santro and similar, think about what matters more to you - power, space, economy, looks and try to come to a decision based on all the parameters.
The Chevrolet Spark photo gallery.......
Chevrolet Sprak now in multi-colours.......
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