[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by rameshnanda

I doubt whether its going to be 1.3 MJD in Beat. I read a article in ET which says that Beat will be powered by a 1 litre Diesel engine.

If you read the first post again-

Its powered by a 3 cylinder "version'' of the 1.3 MJD. Taking a cylinder off the 1.3 MJD would probably put it around 1L capacity.

56PS doesnt sound too exciting though!

[blue_pulsar]

1248cc minus 1 cylinder will equate to 936cc. I'm not very happy with this move. IMO, the Spark should get the 936cc and the Beat deserves a 1248cc. 936cc for the Beat seems like a compromise, given the fact that beat is their most modern hatch. Lets not get Polo etc in comparison here, if Chevy wants to beat the competition with the Beat.

A lighter Beat with 1248cc would have been one hot hatch. Looks like Corolla diesel and SX4 diesel are really setting wrong examples for a diesel car. I believe, customers can be more lenient with the FE factor for a diesel.

[rajushank84]

Originally Posted by vivekgk

If this car gives a better mileage than the Swift diesel, it will sell regardless of 3 cyl or turbo lag. That's how things work in our car industry.

3 cyl is no longer a cheapo configuration, what with not one but three premium brands choosing it - VW, Skoda and Nissan. If it's good enough for VW, it's good enough for the Chevy.

As for the turbo lag, that all depends on the turbo used. If they use a light turbo like in the Micra/Logan and tune it for power delivery and efficiency rather than outright power numbers, it should be fine. From the 56bhp power figure, it seems they've gone for drivability rather than outright bhp. 150Nm of torque is nothing to laugh at, it's better than the MJD. Good decision in theory. Let's hope it works out well in the metal.



You haven't even met anyone who's driven it, let alone driven it yourself. Still you are so quick to judge it and label it a taxi. Why such mindless bashing rajushank?

It is not bashing, it is preference. We all know how the MJD engine drives with four cylinders. It is not difficult to imagine how the Beat's weight and dynamics will feel with such an engine minus one cylinder, and neither is it wrong to procrastinate. Unless it is priced extremely competitively (i.e much cheaper than Vista), I don't see value for money in this spec. In any case I don't see the "fun" factor unless the way it drives is completely different from what is in the spec sheet. But we ARE familiar with the 4-cylinder version of the same engine, so we are not completely clueless about the engine.

I mention taxi because it should be an excellent value for proposition for taxi owners in such a configuration.

I'm disappointed because I like Beat's design for its fun image and want its engines to match that.

[salbin]

Originally Posted by sidindica

pics courtesy Goa on wheels of Chevrolet beat diesel

That is a real scoop! Sidindica.
I assume it should be ~936cc, if it is a straight 1 cylinder cut version of 1.3 MJD, (1248/4)*3=936.
Even though 56PS Power seems to be in the lower side, the 150Nm Torque will definitely make it a wonderful car to drive in the city. Also we can expect top class FE with this small engine.
It will be a sure shot success for GM in India because presently there is no Diesel car in India, which is under 1.2lit.
I think GM may not offer 3 year maintenance package with diesel Beat in the initial periods.

[camchennai]

If GM offers 3 years maintenance package then this car would be selling like a hot cake, considering the price and maintenance involved in a Diesel car.

Let's keep our fingers crossed till the launch.

@rajushank84 - I don't think so this would attract taxi operators as they would get a Indica with similar price which offers better interior space than Beat, interior space is considered as primary factor for taxi market which is dominated by Indica and Indigo sisters.

[selfdrive]

Looks interesting, I guess it would be used more by people who are looking for a daily drive in the city. If this is the beginning of diesel small cars, then it wont be long before this is freed up as petrol too

[vivekgk]

Originally Posted by rajushank84

It is not bashing, it is preference. We all know how the MJD engine drives with four cylinders. It is not difficult to imagine how the Beat's weight and dynamics will feel with such an engine minus one cylinder, and neither is it wrong to procrastinate. Unless it is priced extremely competitively (i.e much cheaper than Vista), I don't see value for money in this spec. In any case I don't see the "fun" factor unless the way it drives is completely different from what is in the spec sheet. But we ARE familiar with the 4-cylinder version of the same engine, so we are not completely clueless about the engine.

I'm disappointed because I like Beat's design for its fun image and want its engines to match that.

You do know that 3 cylinders mean lesser friction, resulting in the engine being more rev-happy, right? And how is 150Nm disappointing? The Micra diesel makes 64PS and 160Nm, which is disappointing on paper compared to the 75PS and 190Nm of the Swift DDiS. But the Micra is way more fun to drive because of the lack of any turbo lag. When it comes to diesels, you can't really go by the figures alone, what makes or breaks the game is how the power is delivered, and we don't really know that yet. I feel it's too early to judge. Which is why I felt that it was bashing, when you posted that opinion on post #6. The discussion hadn't even started yet, and you had already labelled it a taxi!

The Beat petrol makes just 100Nm of torque. Basically, you're getting an engine that makes 50% more torque than the petrol version, with not much of a weight difference. The Multijet is already a light diesel engine, and taking a cylinder off will drop the weight by a further 20-25%. I think that the engine has definite potential to be fun to drive. And the difference in NVH might be negligible since it's diesel. I also remember reading somewhere that 3 cyl engines are naturally balanced because of the 120 degree angle, and make more torque than a similar capacity 4 cyl.

GM has chosen to go light and efficient, a step in the right direction IMO.

Originally Posted by rajushank84

I mention taxi because it should be an excellent value for proposition for taxi owners in such a configuration.

If you were looking for a taxi, which would you prefer, one with lots of room and a big boot, or a cramped hatch? The Beat is not a very spacious car, and feels a bit claustrophobic with the dark interiors and the small glass area.

[deehunk]

More important for GM is the pricing, they have already made a blunder by pricing LPG BEAT way too high, hope they do not do the same with Diesel version.

[SPARKled]

A 1 or 1.3 litre engine does not matter. What matters is that the Beat will have a diesel heart and thats more important. Looking at the way GM has improved in pricing its newer products compared to the pricing catastrophe of the Spark when it was launched, we should expect a very competitive price for the Beat.

[jkdas]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

If you read the first post again-

Its powered by a 3 cylinder "version'' of the 1.3 MJD. Taking a cylinder off the 1.3 MJD would probably put it around 1L capacity.

56PS doesnt sound too exciting though!

BHP doesnt sound exciting but lighter car ( as was reported) and enough torque should keep the 'mass' happy. Eg; Ford Figo.

Originally Posted by salbin

I think GM may not offer 3 year maintenance package with diesel Beat in the initial periods.

Originally Posted by camchennai

If GM offers 3 years maintenance package then this car would be selling like a hot cake, considering the price and maintenance involved in a Diesel car.

Let's keep our fingers crossed till the launch.

@rajushank84 - I don't think so this would attract taxi operators as they would get a Indica with similar price which offers better interior space than Beat, interior space is considered as primary factor for taxi market which is dominated by Indica and Indigo sisters.

Comeon, they failed with Beat petrol. They gonna beat the Figos, Swift's, etc if they will give the Beat-D with the package.

And I really doubt about the taxi part. How many Swift-D do you see as taxi? Nothing beats the Indica here. How many Swift-D with lac plus kilo on odo you have seen with its original owners.

Originally Posted by deehunk

More important for GM is the pricing, they have already made a blunder by pricing LPG BEAT way too high, hope they do not do the same with Diesel version.

True!

[kpzen]

This is great news ! Finally we are gonna have a 1L diesel hatchback.
Chevy is gonna heat up diesel hatchback section.
3 cylinder CRDi might make it a little raw but 150 Nm is not going to be SLOW by any standards.

[kaushikr]

Liked the Beat for its exterior looks and quirky interiors. The diesel heart should appeal to people as a more practical and serious small car contender. Specifications like 1 litre - 3 cyl, does not sound all that bad.

Hope GM get the pricing and after-sales package right.

[kkr2k2]

The price difference between Swift diesel and petrol versions is around 75k. I expect the diesel Beat will be priced around 60 to 65k more than the petrol variant. That means, you get a Beat Diesel at the price of Swift petrol albeit with lesser power!! I wouldn't mind buying it!

Originally Posted by blue_pulsar

1248cc minus 1 cylinder will equate to 936cc. I'm not very happy with this move. IMO, the Spark should get the 936cc and the Beat deserves a 1248cc. 936cc for the Beat seems like a compromise, given the fact that beat is their most modern hatch. Lets not get Polo etc in comparison here, if Chevy wants to beat the competition with the Beat.

If they come out with spark with this engine, man we will have a sub 4 lakh deisel car other the Indica!!! I doubly wouldn't mind buying it!!! (heck I was prepared to plan to buy a Nano Diesel too, that would be a sub 3 lakh diesel car!!)

PS: will the Suzuki counter this move by GM with this and launch a car with this sub-1L diesel engines in their cars. I hope they do!! They can use them in WagonR or A-star!!

[tortoiseNhare]

I think the 4th cylinder of the MJD will be unleashed in the Aveo-UVA diesel.

Originally Posted by blue_pulsar

1248cc minus 1 cylinder will equate to 936cc. I'm not very happy with this move. IMO, the Spark should get the 936cc and the Beat deserves a 1248cc. 936cc for the Beat seems like a compromise, given the fact that beat is their most modern hatch. Lets not get Polo etc in comparison here, if Chevy wants to beat the competition with the Beat.

A lighter Beat with 1248cc would have been one hot hatch. Looks like Corolla diesel and SX4 diesel are really setting wrong examples for a diesel car. I believe, customers can be more lenient with the FE factor for a diesel.

[Mafia]

I have a feeling this will be a cracker of a car! with the LPG and diesel Beat sales will atleast double! IMO they should match that of the Figo if GM can manufacture the numbers. Hopefully they wiull incorporate the lessons from the past and launch a product that will hit the roads running!