Chevrolet Spark

Chevrolet India’s entry-level small car, Spark has been in India for over a decade now, first as the Daewoo Matiz and then as the Spark. Spark is among the safest, most comfortable and practical car in its class. The car, which got a mid-life makeover, combines expressive exterior design, a well-equipped interior and many smart features. Compact on the outside, Spark’s spacious cabin can seat up to 5 adults. The revamped Spark is more sporty appearance and indeed comes across as quite a looker. The interiors also look a lot better now. The 1.0 litre engine remains the same offering a good balance of city performance and efficiency.

The styling of the Spark has been revamped and it now features the Chevrolet corporate grille upfront with the bow-tie logo in the center. The headlights have been carried over from the old model and the trendy new fog lamps complement the exterior looks and provide enhanced road visibility that add to safety in adverse and low visibility conditions. Minor tweaks have been made to the bumper. Towards the rear the bumper and the tail lights have been sculpted with a refresh in mind.

Unique to its segment, the all Chevrolet Spark is equipped with satin-silver roof rails which highlight the overall compact design and complement its aerodynamic styling, making it a real head-turner.

It was the first car in the country after a long time which had the instrument cluster in the center. Spark has features that come in cars of slightly higher pricing. These include center mounted stop lamp, door ajar warning display, central locking and optional ABS and driver side airbag and air conditioner with heater. It also has space for storage and a sizeable 170 liter boot to carry a couple of suitcases. The Spark gets a 2DIN Audio system with USB and AUX functions.

The interior of the car remains the same with the instrument cluster in the center of the dashboard. The instrument cluster in the centre perfectly incorporates the combination of light and dark colours, and sports a very modern wing inspired design for a fast paced and streamlined look. Unlike some of the newer cars, there’s not many cubby holes to store knick knacks.

Chevy has equipped Spark with a 1000 cc four cylinder, S-Tec petrol engine with a five speed manual gearbox which develops a decent power of 63 BHP. Spark has a powerful engine for a small car and can without breaking a sweat. The engine delivers superb low end torque and ensures easy drivability in the city and on the highways.

Spark offers mileage of 16 kmpl on highways, 12 kmpl in city and overall it offers mileage of 14.7 kmpl. The LPG variants of Spark come with a next-generation sequential injection-type LPG kit. It offers several advantages, including no engine backfiring while changing to LPG mode or back to petrol for a smoother ride, good fuel economy, low running cost, better power and pick-up, and lower emissions compared to the competition. The overall fuel efficiency of the Chevrolet Spark is estimated to swing between 15.1 kmpl to 20.7 kmpl depending on the driving conditions.

Chevrolet Spark is a small budget car which manages well on different road conditions and satisfies everyone driving it on a daily basis. Spark is a capable car and has decent handling qualities that are on par if not better over its competitors. The one area where Spark scores less from its competitors is the safety part. Though it uses Tailor-Welded Blanks which are normally used only in upper-segment vehicles for enhanced side protection, there are no air bags even as option in the top variant.

For a small car, the Chevrolet Spark boasts of good ride quality, especially in its segment. Due to its power steering and tiny frame, and very convenient to fit even in those incredibly small parking spaces. The Spark has McPherson struts with anti-roll bar in the front and torsion beam axle in the rear which enables a more or less comfortable ride, although there is a decent amount of body roll and the soft suspension means a lot of smaller bumps were bottomed out, but whenever we drove the Spark over slightly bigger potholes or uneven stretches, the ripples were sent through to the cabin and the jolts were especially felt by those occupying the rear seats. Chevy Spark hatchback also has power steering, power windows and rear defogger and remote fuel filler release. The gearshift offers very slick and positive throws that are refreshingly different from the other cars in the GM stable, even the larger ones.

The Spark has also been around for a while and has begun to look dated. The Spark on the other hand has classic hatchback proportions and a quirky air about it, which many may find lovable. The Spark holds on to its core strengths of being a city-friendly and easy-to-drive car with a comfortable back seat. It now has more flamboyant styling, it still offers good value, is fuel efficient and thanks to Chevrolet’s service incentives, should be cheap to maintain as well. All in all, the Spark maintains its status as one of the best hatchbacks to buy for those on a tight budget. The Chevrolet Spark is offered at a very attractive price.

The top competitors for Chevrolet Spark are entry level cars from Maruti - Alto 800-LX, Alto-K10 VXi and Eon from Hyundai. Where Spark scores over others is in terms of the Chevrolet extended warranty scheme which makes the whole experience of owing the first car so much memorable. The car wins in terms of performance over both Alto 800 and Hyundai Eon. The 1.0-litre, 4-cylinder engine housed in the Spark is in fact the most powerful engine in its segment.