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Old 26th October 2012, 16:49   #151
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Great review!

Design wise, the rear 1/4 - especially when viewed from the size - bears some resemblance to the Figo.

Overall, the package is quite average. But, it's India, price matters most. Will have to wait and see!

Quote:
Originally Posted by romeomidhun View Post
Whatever cramped inside, the cars like Eeco (3-row!), Alto etc are selling in good numbers.
I hope you do notice those are only Maruti Suzuki. It's become so that anything MSIL makes will sell, let alone the Kizashi (It's best product)!

Last edited by Rehaan : 26th October 2012 at 18:10.
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Old 26th October 2012, 17:16   #152
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Re: Chevrolet Sail U-VA : Official Review

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Originally Posted by Kwanza View Post
I hope you do notice those are only Maruti Suzuki. It's become so that anything MSIL makes will sell, let alone the Kizashi (It's best product)!
Ok, then take the case of Chevrolet itself - before the launch of Beat Diesel, the Spark was selling around 3K per month. And that was not a spacious car at all! Even Beat is not that spacious inside, and now it sells around 4K per month! Reason? Diesel option. So, it is the package as a whole which sells, and not just the tag 'spacious'. If the new Sail UVA has the Diesel option and 6-seater capacity, it will sell well, IMO.

Last edited by romeomidhun : 26th October 2012 at 17:20.
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Old 26th October 2012, 17:28   #153
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Re: Chevrolet Sail U-VA : Official Review

I see 2 types of cars in this segment.

First are the ones that are designed primarily for Europe and then offered in India. Cars like these tend to have modern,trendy styling but come with compromises like poor rear seat space, poor ingress-egress due to the sloping roof and chassis tuned for handling resulting in poor ride. The Swift and Beat come to mind as examples.

On the other hand, cars like Etios, Manza and Sail are designed for developing nations, are spacious and offer a plush ride & are best suited to our environment but do not offer the style and the sportiness.
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Old 26th October 2012, 20:10   #154
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Re: Chevrolet Sail U-VA : Official Review

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Originally Posted by GTO View Post
The 1.3L diesel, sheer space and awesome ride quality should win it many fans.
Not sure if this was part of the review. But someone thinks so..
Attached Thumbnails
Chevrolet Sail U-VA : Official Review-tbhp.png  

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Old 26th October 2012, 21:53   #155
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Re: Chevrolet Sail U-VA : Official Review

The sail especially with the 1.3 MJD may be a better car on many counts compared to the Figo, but I think the initiative from Chevrolet has come in a little too late, no matter how much one may like the car they may be unwilling to take the plunge simply because they are not too many sails on the road compared to other makers. The only chance that Chevrolet may have is, if they price the car very competitively which I think won’t be easy.
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Old 28th October 2012, 10:57   #156
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Fabulous five-star review as usual, guys! Thanks for the excellent detailed photographs as well. Some of them are visually stunning, making the car look better than it actually is, like the silver Sail parked under a Sun peeking through the clouds.

Frankly, I'm pleasantly surprised at how good this car has turned out to be - this could be the ideal all-round family hatch ticking all the necessary boxes. It may look a bit dated on the inside and outside, but it is a proportionate, clean and "please-all" design nevertheless. Full marks to Chevy for increasing the GC and tuning the SDE Smartech a.k.a. Fiat MJD for urban driveability.

I have a couple of questions for you guys:

1) The on-paper turning circle diameter of 10.3 m looks huge for a sub-4m hatch. Did you face any issues while taking U-turns? Chennai has many narrow main roads with a divider in the middle where a large turning circle can turn out to be a pain, even in moderate traffic.

2) Does the car come with an ECU controlled rolling code engine immobilizer, like the i-CATS system of Maruti Suzuki, for instance? Almost all cars have such an immobilizer these days, but Chevrolet has failed to provide it on many of its models such as the Spark, Beat etc. On the same topic, does the spare key provided by Chevy also have the remote open-and-lock function?

I'm sorry if you have already answered the above while reply to other members. I went through many but not all posts in this thread before typing this. Thanks!

Last edited by RSR : 28th October 2012 at 11:08.
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Old 28th October 2012, 17:28   #157
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Re: Chevrolet Sail U-VA : Official Review

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Originally Posted by aditya116 View Post

Other designers (FIAT) should take a leaf out of sail for maximising usable interior space. I loved the bit you guys pointed out on the raised seats and lowered footwell. really maximises underthigh support and decreases the need to push your seat back.
I was only wondering if raised front seats and deeply inclined a pillar go together though. I am six ft tall and when my back is troubling i have great difficulty ingressing with high set seats and slanting a pillar ( as in vista .. ) the sail seems even shorter than vista to begin with and seems to have almost monoform like a pillar.
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Old 28th October 2012, 18:36   #158
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Re: Chevrolet Sail U-VA : Official Review

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Originally Posted by HIGHNOON View Post
I was only wondering if raised front seats and deeply inclined a pillar go together though. I am six ft tall and when my back is troubling i have great difficulty ingressing with high set seats and slanting a pillar ( as in vista .. ) the sail seems even shorter than vista to begin with and seems to have almost monoform like a pillar.
Don't think you have read the page 1 comparison... Sail is almost 15 cm longer than Vista. (sail: 3946 mm vs Vista:3795 mm). Infact lengthwise it is closest to i20. you might have been referring to the wheel base which is almost identical with vista(Sail being 0.5 cm shorter).

On the ingress Egress, Could the reviewers please point how how good or bad is the ingress egress as compared to the best in segment such as Swift, Punto, I20 etc? I have couple of big build friend who like to enjoy rear seat comfort and usually have problems entering with the doors of hatchbacks which dont open fully.

Last edited by anu21v : 28th October 2012 at 18:39.
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Old 28th October 2012, 21:10   #159
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Re: Chevrolet Sail U-VA : Official Review

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Originally Posted by Sheel View Post
Becomes a classic case of too little too late. There are too many hatches and talking of diesel hatches @ 6-7L it is so damn confusing that almost all of us would scratch our heads if buying a Car for ourselves.
Quote:
Originally Posted by musicmanaman View Post
The sail especially with the 1.3 MJD may be a better car on many counts compared to the Figo, but I think the initiative from Chevrolet has come in a little too late, no matter how much one may like the car they may be unwilling to take the plunge simply because they are not too many sails on the road compared to other makers.
Why do you guys think it too late ?? Are people gonna stop buying diesel hatches. Is it a dying segment? Or is it that all buyers and prospective buyers have already declared their allegiances to their favorite brands?

IMO, there is no such thing. There are still tons and tons of buyers moving up from small petrol hatches and are willing to check out a new entrant. The style and success of the Cruze and Beat have given a positive ring to 'brand Chevrolet' that should help the Sail tremendously.

Last edited by Mpower : 30th October 2012 at 20:57.
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Old 29th October 2012, 12:40   #160
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Re: Chevrolet Sail U-VA : Official Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by musicmanaman View Post
The sail especially with the 1.3 MJD may be a better car on many counts compared to the Figo, but I think the initiative from Chevrolet has come in a little too late, no matter how much one may like the car they may be unwilling to take the plunge simply because they are not too many sails on the road compared to other makers. The only chance that Chevrolet may have is, if they price the car very competitively which I think won’t be easy.
On the contrary, I think that there IS room for a diesel hatchback which is spacious at the back (unlike Grande Punto) and has a great ride quality. Consider the two segment bestsellers i.e Swift and Figo: Out of the two, the Swift carries a very high price tag (around 6.5 Lakhs OTR for Ldi at Raipur) and the Figo can be a deal breaker for someone who doesn't want to go with the tdci engine which is a generation older. If the GM prices Sail somewhere around 5.8L-6.1L OTR for the base variant, it will create a place for itself and will certainly be able to generate superior sales figures. IMO, this car has the potential of cutting down the sales numbers of its counterparts if priced aggressively.
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Old 29th October 2012, 14:56   #161
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Re: Chevrolet Sail U-VA : Official Review

Attaching the powerpoint file on SAIL that I got from the chevy dealer.
Attached Files
File Type: zip Chevrolet Sail U-VA.zip (782.8 KB, 720 views)
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Old 29th October 2012, 16:44   #162
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Re: Chevrolet Sail U-VA : Official Review

Thanks for the slide show! What is good to note is that all models have 60:40 rear seats split!

I wonder why so much difference in ground clearance 174 mm for petrol and 168 for diesel? I feel even petrol version can sell well, if priced correctly, as it has good mileage almost like swift at 18.2 kmpl.

All eyes now turned on for No 2 for price positioning of this car which can make or break the deal! I somehow feel that Chevrolet will price it at a lower level, even if initially, to take market share and get a foothold in this highly competitive segment.
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Old 29th October 2012, 20:42   #163
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Re: Chevrolet Sail U-VA : Official Review

I believe the bland looks of Sail is over-hyped. There are lots of folk who prefer a very neutral design and Sail will appeal to these. It is the overall package that will decide whether Sail succeeds or not. Since Sail seems to have covered all relevant bases, it is only the pricing factor that is yet to play.

While Chevy has Beat for those who like a hip and funky style, Sail will cover customers who value practicality and neutrality. Chevy should position Sail as a VFM, no-nonsense, practical hatchback and position it family-oriented.

The red on the exterior looks cool, however, it does not seem to gel with the interior color theme. One needs to select an exterior color that is in harmony with the interior colors.

A few members had opined that if Chevy succeeds with Sail then they can bring in a true top-end sports version with all the bells and whistles. I doubt if Chevy will do this as they will be conscious of Sail's target group and this move might give Sail a reputation as a gas guzzler.
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Old 29th October 2012, 22:39   #164
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Re: Chevrolet Sail U-VA : Official Review

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Originally Posted by rock75 View Post
All eyes now turned on for No 2 for price positioning of this car which can make or break the deal! I somehow feel that Chevrolet will price it at a lower level, even if initially, to take market share and get a foothold in this highly competitive segment.
If Chevy dealer has to be believed, then cost of top end LT diesel model will be in the range of Swift VDI pricing.

I wish SAIL would have got ACC and MID in the top end model.
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Old 29th October 2012, 22:55   #165
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Re: Chevrolet Sail U-VA : Official Review

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Originally Posted by sups View Post
If Chevy dealer has to be believed, then cost of top end LT diesel model will be in the range of Swift VDI pricing.

I wish SAIL would have got ACC and MID in the top end model.
It looks fine price, nothing earth shattering, provided your source is good.

I was expecting Chevy to undercut Ford by a couple of grands to get noticed. Price the top end Diesel at 6L (5.99 in Sales speak ) ex showroom and Chevy shall have a good start, if not great.
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