[Swanand Inamdar]

Excellent review guys!

The first thing that came to my mind after seeing the first pic is, the Silver color makes the car look more bland, than it already is! The red looks much better, adding some sort of element to the car.
Had seen one in black a while ago, on the NH4 bypass, and that did look much better than the silver.

The interiors are equally bland. Yes, Chevy could've introduced a top end with all bells and whistles, making the car more snazzy.
I mean, they have on one hand, the Beat, which has much better interiors. Why not take some styling from that, and add it to the Sail? "Beats" me.
The rear end of the car looks really boring. But, on the other hand, I quite liked the 'mini Cruze' front. Looks quite stylish.

The engine, especially the diesel one, seems to be tuned kept in mind, mass appeal.
Will surely win some hearts.
This is one segment where the customer is literally spoilt by choice! There are almost 10 cars to choose from! That says a lot of the hatch segment.

Lets see how the sedan version of the Sail comes across.

Once again, lovely review. Loved the pic where Chevy expects the Sail to bring more "Light". Wonderfully clicked .

[speedmiester]

A no nonsense car with very competent engine.
GM should market Sail aggressively to make an impact on the consumers.
With no royalties to pay, GM should undercut majority of the competition by a good margin.

If GM could offer 3 year maintenance program for Sail hatch and sedan, this could pull in some people from the Maruti stables.

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by sandsun7

BTW, could not find any mention of the turning radius anywhere? Wouldn't that also be crucial for city driving?

Hi sandsun7 - yes that would be an important factor. We'll get the exact figure and include it soon. However, it should be in the 5.2-5.4m range from what i could tell.

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Will GM offer the 3 year maintenance free options with Sail also? Hows the HU sound like?

Yes they will offer their 3 year option with the Sail.

HU sound quality is mentioned in the review. Its not awful, but its not one of those systems that people even mildly expectant of audio quality would not be happy with.

cya
R

[acroback]

Wow, what a car for masses. Ticks every thing in my book and few ergonomic issues are something we can live with.

Let us wait for the sedan review. If the steering is sorted out and boasts of a little better handling and some nice equipment, it can turn out to be a winner.

Thank you for the Review, Suhaas and Rehaan.

I have a small query though, do you think the twitchy steering can be correct by a possible ECU update in future( if GM wants to )?

[rock75]

I think it is a great competitor to swift/figo and the like. It ticks all the right boxes, leg space and boot space, FE, great ride, good build and great diesel and Decent petrol engines.

As far as design goes, front is good, sides decent and rear is plain, but even swift (new) has an ugly rear end. Chevrolet cars haven't been reported to give A>S>S scares and we don't expect long waiting list here.

I think the 'Chinese' thing is over stated. This is the best selling car in China and chinese are no fools, if it was lacking in quality!

Look forward to GM pricing it correctly(read around FIGO) to take the battle right in to swift camp, that will be great for competition and customers!

[Abhi_abarth]

Thank you Rehaan & Suhaas, this was the review I have been waiting for a long time.

A simple car without flashy chrome treatment is what I would always prefer.

The interiors look too dull though. The following things in my opinion would have added some spark in the product :

1. LED indicators on OVRMs (at least as an option pack)
2. Steering controls which has becoming a trend these days.
3. No temperature gauge !!! We need one.
4. Analog Tachometer instead of the Digital one.

The MID color pattern resembles that of Wagon R.

Overall, a very nice package with ample leg room and space inside.

Let us see how public accepts this car.

Cheers !

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by acroback

I have a small query though, do you think the twitchy steering can be correct by a possible ECU update in future( if GM wants to )?

Have you driven the Etios? Notice how when you're pointing straight ahead and you move the steering even a centimeter to the left or right, the car begins to move eagerly? The Sail's steering is is very similar in that respect.

Its not a problem (in fact, its something you'd want in a true sports car ), but for a family hatch, it just means you need to make slightly more frequent adjustments when travelling at high speeds on a dead straight road.

An ECU update wouldn't change the sensitive on-center behaviour. (Though it could change the amount of assist provided by the power steering motor).

cya
R

[SankalpDesai]

A very detailed review.

To me the car looks well proportioned. Except for the rear, the design cues hold well and give the car a mature look. Neither is it too sedate like the Figo, nor too flamboyant like the Brio. The rear could have been a little better, but still I am ok with the present form. Gives it a clean look.

My major grouse with this car is the equipment levels, but it is too early to tell given that Chevrolet hasn't announced the prices yet. Will GM pull out a Figo with the Sail? God only knows. Figo, even at launch, was well equipped and hence immediately shot to fame. This one lacks the mass appeal on specs, it better make it up in space, fuel efficiency and pricing.

The other good thing going for Chevrolet is that their service setup isn't as notorious as a Skoda or a Fiat.

[9thsphinx]

Every time a new hatchback is launched, people who already own one tend to compare it with the newly launched competition. And it feels good to emerge as winners when compared to new entrants in at least more than one ways! The Sail, however good a hatchback it is, clearly loses out to the Jazz in terms of interior space and quality of materials used. Also, I doubt the Sail can beat the Jazz in terms of engine refinement. The Sail also loses out to the i20 when comparing dimensions and equipment levels!

IMHO, the Sail U-VA will make or break it's competition only on it's price - if priced right!

[Biraj]

Very nice review. To me, this seems to be aimed at Figo, Ritz, Vista and Liva (maybe even Micra). Prospective buyers of Punto, Polo and Fabia (especially the higher variants) will not get tempted by Sail. The placement of power windows switches might be convenient but it doesn't exude value. Looking at the size of the car, R15 would have been more appropriate (in terms of aesthetics) than R14. I hope they price it right because the product doesn't seem premium enough to charge a premium.

[acroback]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Have you driven the Etios? Notice how when you're pointing straight ahead and you move the steering even a centimeter to the left or right, the car begins to move eagerly? The Sail's steering is is very similar in that respect.

Its not a problem (in fact, its something you'd want in a true sports car ), but for a family hatch, it just means you need to make slightly more frequent adjustments when travelling at high speeds on a dead straight road.

An ECU update wouldn't change the sensitive on-center behaviour. (Though it could change the amount of assist provided by the power steering motor).

cya
R

Thank you for answering that.
Also, did you guys had a chance to look at the new sail sedan? Any first impressions of the same?

Cu,

[bharat4ever]

The interiors are very bland, a lot of quirks as well. The door handle being too much in front. And my biggest quirk is the chevy imprint on the steering wheel. They couldve given a full logo, with the chrome and gold, why only an imprint?

[durgaprasan]

Good and detailed review. From the looks of it, it seems like a mass market kind of car. It seems to make sense to launch a spacious practical car with diesel engine for Indians by Chevy, finally. I dont mind the straight lines in styling, and can live with a bland back. I hope its priced aggressively like Figo. The Chevy sales and service folks need to pull up their socks too, at least in Kerala. They seem to be too uninterested so far, not being very cooperative over phone, and never following up on enquiries. If that doesnt change, people may overlook what looks like a decent offering. I think Asian cars seem to be playing safe with interiors, offering interiors which please none, but hurt none either.
Is it being offered with reverse parking sensor?
I didnt see Fabia and Punto being mentioned in your car comparison report. Is it due to insignificant numbers?
Cheers
Durga Prasan

[Jaggu]

A very detailed review guys! I like the front its quite handsome car from the front. Often wondered what if Chevy had the DDIS under the hood and bang it lands. I think this should change the sales figures dramatically for this car. Its like the underdog, with the right amount of advertising push, i feel this car can capture a great deal of the segment.

Very no nonsense car and the reliability of chevy's are also quite good, even the service for that matter.

[dipen]

In the spec comparison excel sheet in the first post, it would help if the ARAI numbers are also added