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Old 19th October 2012, 17:24   #106
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Re: Chevrolet Sail U-VA : Official Review

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Originally Posted by GTO View Post
When you guys returned from the drive and shared your observations, I was surprised. Don’t think any of us expected the Sail to be so darn competent. The 1.3L diesel, sheer space and awesome ride quality should win it many fans. Masses will love the light steering & neutral road behaviour too. Indeed, it’s an all-rounder of a family hatchback.

I don’t mind the conservative styling of the front & side profiles, it’s in tune with my tastes. However, the rear looks seriously outdated. The other area of improvement is equipment; Chevrolet could have overcome the “bland” image by loading it with snazzy equipment. That would have been an easy fix. A true top-variant with bells & whistles is seriously missing.

The pricing has to be spot-on. Chevy must be hoping some of that Beat diesel magic rubs off on the Sail. The li’l Beat has been selling ~5,000 units each month.

Great review, guys. Thanks for sharing it with us. *Rates thread a fully-deserved 5 stars*
Nice review !

Agreed the diesel engine , lots of space , ride quality can win anyone's attention , but i think the thin dealer network can easily scare off anyone especially first time car buyers .
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Old 19th October 2012, 17:30   #107
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Re: Chevrolet Sail U-VA : Official Review

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Originally Posted by GTO View Post
To add to your list, even the Nissan Micra, Honda Jazz (petrol), Renault Pulse, Maruti Ritz and Premier Rio (basically a hatchback) haven't been included. Of these, the Micra & Ritz are a lot more relevant to the Indian market than the Fabia & Punto, by the way.
Actually, I was expecting Honda Jazz to feature in the comparison chart too. Not to question the logic of the current comparison choice, but the moment I looked at Sail and all that space, the competition that came to my mind was Jazz.

Anyway, a very nice review covering all the important factors. Suddenly the market has plenty of choice for hatchback lovers, hasn't it?. And Sail has the potential to bring some good business to GM India. Of course, pricing is key as has been mentioned by many already!
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Old 19th October 2012, 17:30   #108
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Re: Chevrolet Sail U-VA : Official Review

Chevrolet's website is priming for the launch. Following is the URL and screenshot:

http://www.chevrolet.co.in/vehicles/...sail-uva1.html

Chevrolet Sail U-VA : Official Review-sailuva.jpg
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Old 19th October 2012, 17:31   #109
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Re: Chevrolet Sail U-VA : Official Review

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Originally Posted by quadbike View Post
It was not on Top Gear Magazine it was on the TopGear UK show, there is nothing much to say actually as there was this episode last season where they went to China to check out some of their cars said their safety rating was not up to standards and demonstrated it by doing crash tests and all but at 1 or 2 KMPH.
I never watch Top Gear UK show other than for entertainment. The guy Jeremy's only motto in life is to under-rate all cars made outside the UK especially when it comes to "third world" countries including India.

Last edited by suhaas307 : 19th October 2012 at 17:39. Reason: fixed quote tags :)
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Old 19th October 2012, 17:43   #110
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Re: Chevrolet Sail U-VA : Official Review

Phamilyman just hit the nail on its head!
A week ago, i was wondering why the Beat D/P combined sales has settled at ~ 4.5k units per month. I thought it had the potential for atleast 2k more, but then i realized that currently, the base Figo D is just Rs.20k more than the base Beat D!
The Beat needs a serious downward revision in prices. Albeit that it is already the cheapest Diesel hatchback, but it is the smallest(both in space and engine specs) and no-frills one too.
Coming to the Sail-UVA, i couldn't gauge which car to compare it too, except, maybe the Liva. This car is supposedly the B+ offering from GMI and i just cannot fathom why someone would crave for a U-VA over the other available choices. If the Spark is too well designed for the A segment, the Sail just doesn't make the cut for the B+ segment.
To add insult to injury, both the Liva and the U-VA have been given class leading Diesel hearts. I want the MJD in the U-VA's state of tune(stock) in a Swift or Polo body!

Excellent review as always!
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Old 19th October 2012, 17:51   #111
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Re: Chevrolet Sail U-VA : Official Review

Fabulous review rating it 5 stars.

My friend owns a U-VA and I did once drive it from Cochin to Bangalore.

The engine was lethargic and when you stomped the A-pedal it took 3-4 secs to respond. I was impressed by the ride & high speed stability of the Car and it is good to know that GM has managed to retain the strengths of the outgoing model.

I was impressed by the Front seats too. It was not too hard like my Palio and it was very comfortable to take a nap on.

I did face an issue with my Left knee hitting the centre console. Did you guys face such an issue with the new U-VA?

GM has done well to make it a competent Car and I'm sure that if they market it & price it right it will sell.

I guess Ford needs to be worried since it is going to eat in to the Figo customer base.

My friend is seriously contemplating about going for the Diesel variant and I'm hoping that GM wouldn't disappoint him with the pricing.

Few things that they could have done better is the interior color combo, lil better GC & the rear windscreen could have provided better visibility.
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Old 19th October 2012, 19:04   #112
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Re: Chevrolet Sail U-VA : Official Review

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Originally Posted by DRIV3R View Post
How does the 1.4 TDCi (Ford) and the 1.5 DCi (Nissan/Renault) fare in this aspect?
Well, the DCi in the Micra feels good and is quite responsive. perhaps even more than the Sail's Smartech SDE. But in the Micra, it's difficult to exploit the torque and power it has to offer because it isn't as dynamically sound as the Sail U-VA. I don't think you'd notice much difference between the two in the city-driving scenario.
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Old 19th October 2012, 23:13   #113
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Re: Chevrolet Sail U-VA : Official Review

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Originally Posted by GTO View Post
Cab driver's aren't penny wise & pound foolish.
I also thought it over after posting that comment and realized the same thing. However, I thought only about Chevy and Tavera's use as a cab in India. Sail U-VA looks like a better product and a prospective cab.

We shall know its future in a few months after launch
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Old 20th October 2012, 02:03   #114
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Re: Chevrolet Sail U-VA : Official Review

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Originally Posted by GTO View Post
This has been discussed several times earlier on review threads. Please note that the comparison sheet cannot be made infinitely w-i-d-e. It's already got 7 cars in it!

To add to your list, even the Nissan Micra, Honda Jazz (petrol), Renault Pulse, Maruti Ritz and Premier Rio (basically a hatchback) haven't been included. Of these, the Micra & Ritz are a lot more relevant to the Indian market than the Fabia & Punto, by the way.

We will include only the ones we feel are direct competitors and have reasonable success in the market place. Yes, when limited by space, we'll let the market (i.e. sales numbers) decide.

If you have any more suggestions, please continue on the "Suggestions for Team-BHP Thread" thread.

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No surprises that the point the gentleman made about the Punto and Fabia was responded in a typical Team-BHP tone which seems a lil arrogant and maybe rude to me especially the 'We will include only the ones we feel' part. I personally think every car owner and TB member here would like to see his B seg hatch mentioned in a comparison.But a simple lack of real estate reason would have been enough.Anyways TB has its own way of gate keeping(yours truly a victim of this) end of the day.Love em or loath em.Or go elsewhere as it doesnt make any difference.
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Old 20th October 2012, 10:10   #115
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Re: Chevrolet Sail U-VA : Official Review

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Originally Posted by jessie007 View Post
Chevrolet's website is priming for the launch. Following is the URL and screenshot:

http://www.chevrolet.co.in/vehicles/...sail-uva1.html

The above link is down - but if you read carefully in the screenshot, it mentions (Under 'Get More for Less' section) that even the base variant will have features that are only available in high-end variants of competing models.

I'm guessing - front power windows, central locking with immobilizer, music system (without bluetooth), parcel shelf, tachometer, flat folding rear seat and maybe even front fog lamps in addition to the expected power steering & body-coloured bumpers would be standard - just like in the base variant of the Punto.

Last edited by suhaas307 : 20th October 2012 at 13:23. Reason: fixed quote tags :)
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Old 20th October 2012, 10:25   #116
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Re: Chevrolet Sail U-VA : Official Review

It looks plain jane but i guess it will just sell enough numbers to keep GM rolling. I dont think It would impact Swift / i20's sales figures.
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Old 20th October 2012, 13:23   #117
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Re: Chevrolet Sail U-VA : Official Review

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Originally Posted by sourabhzen View Post
I also thought it over after posting that comment and realized the same thing. However, I thought only about Chevy and Tavera's use as a cab in India. Sail U-VA looks like a better product and a prospective cab.

We shall know its future in a few months after launch
I think the Sail sedan has the potential to become a competent car for the taxi market. The big boot will have something to do with it. The U-VA on the other hand should be popular among private buyers.

Quote:
Originally Posted by dieselhead View Post
No surprises that the point the gentleman made about the Punto and Fabia was responded in a typical Team-BHP tone which seems a lil arrogant and maybe rude to me especially the 'We will include only the ones we feel' part. I personally think every car owner and TB member here would like to see his B seg hatch mentioned in a comparison.But a simple lack of real estate reason would have been enough.Anyways TB has its own way of gate keeping(yours truly a victim of this) end of the day.Love em or loath em.Or go elsewhere as it doesnt make any difference.
Hi dieselhead

I'd like to take this opportunity to help you understand why we decided to leave out cars like the Punto, Polo, Fabia, Jazz, etc.

Let me begin with the Punto and Fabia.

Now these cars are not aimed at people who want to spend max 6-7 lakhs on a car. They are a step up in terms of build and interior quality. Heck, they will be much more expensive to maintain too, with service costs spiraling upward of 5k for every visit to the dealership. They don't offer too much space and are better off as 2nd or 3rd cars in the family garage.

In short, they aren't bang-for-buck offings.

The Punto is a worthy competitor. But Fiat struggles to sell them and the after-sales-service is frankly dismal. People who buy this car will buy it because they want to. They would not look at the other cars in the segment because this is a car you buy with your heart.

The Jazz too hasn't got the numbers against its name. If it had a diesel heart, it would have made ample sense to chart out a comparo. But it doesn't. How many people are interested in spending 8 lakhs on a petrol hatchback these days?

In a nutshell, we're experiencing a phase in the hatchback market where nearly 5 hatch-segments have been created to cater to the needs and different priorities of various buyers. We have entry level hatchbacks comprising of the Eon, Alto 800, Santro, etc. A step up from those cars would be the likes of the Brio, i10, Beat etc. These cars are of nearly the same size but offer more equipment and other engine / transmission options (The Beat and Brio / i10 respectively).

And then we get into large hatch territory. This segment has been effectively divided into two. Premium hatchbacks like the i20, Polo, Fabia, Swift (top-end), etc have massive levels of equipment on offer, but they're priced accordingly too. I highly doubt you'd get any of these diesel cars for under 8 lakhs in some cities.

This left the segment with a massive void that's now occupied by what you'd call 'budget hatchbacks'. In theory, they're similar to entry-level hatchbacks like the Alto-800, Eon etc, but they're entry-level hatchbacks that round up the bottom half of the premium-hatch segment. Basically, they offer similar or more space than premium hatchbacks but are priced in such a way that they cater to those who want a VFM product. The Figo, Etios Liva and now the Sail U-VA fall into this bracket. We could also consider the cheaper variants of the Swift in this, but the Swift has a cult following here.

There are cars that straddle two segments like the Swift, the Micra and Pulse.

These cars are aimed at a different customer base altogether. People who want decent levels of equipment and accommodating interiors without having to spend in excess of 8 lakhs will look at these cars and not the premium hatchbacks that cost much more.

Comparing budget hatchbacks to premium hatchbacks is as redundant as comparing the Superb to the C-Class. Hope you get the drift.

As GTO had also mentioned, it makes more sense to compare the Sail to its direct competitors and it has quite a few. If it did not have direct competitors, then we could have included the Polo and the Fabia. We cannot make a list comprising of 10 hatchbacks that fall in the 5-10 lakh range. That makes it a skewed comparison without any real direction.

Also, I'd like to mention that your tone is not appreciated. A cordial method of communication will go a long way in ensuring that your point / opinion is put across, especially to those who you haven't met or don't know personally. Here in Team-BHP, members are expected to adhere to certain rules. They're quite simple really. Why don't you take another look (Expected Posting Etiquette).
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Old 20th October 2012, 15:36   #118
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Re: Chevrolet Sail U-VA : Official Review

Excellent review there guys. Hats off!

I think chevy has once again some some amazing things and left out some basic stuff too. It's like having a chicken tandoori in front of you without onion/lemon and cold drinks. This was such a good opportunity for them to really take lead over ford in the market.Even though they have delivered a good package but it looks very very bland. I don't mind the outer bits because as a buyer i won't really be outside the car more often. Interior wise the car lacks too many equipment levels. Seat Height adjuster, Steering mounter auto controls, MID and heck even the Beat has a auto aircon.

Having said that, i think even with a competent diesel, this car may settle to average about 1500-2500 per month depends on the pricing. I won't be surprised if some buyer may upgrade taking a base level UVA over middle variant of Beat called the LS.
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Old 20th October 2012, 20:11   #119
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An honest detailed review as always!

Chevy has got exactly what the mass market needs. Hope it gets decent volumes for the golden bow tie brand.

Spacious airy interiors + great ride quality + fuel efficient engine + inoffensive looks = a sure winner! (If its a Maruti or Hyundai, little doubtful as this one's a Chevy)

For those who think it looks a little plain jane, here's a small edit job with a little of black paint on the window frame and wheels!
That's what I would end up doing if I buy one
Attached Thumbnails
Chevrolet Sail U-VA : Official Review-image3671789027.jpg  


Last edited by Auto freak : 20th October 2012 at 20:15.
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Old 20th October 2012, 23:50   #120
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Re: Chevrolet Sail U-VA : Official Review

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Originally Posted by Auto freak View Post
For those who think it looks a little plain jane, here's a small edit job with a little of black paint on the window frame and wheels!
That's what I would end up doing if I buy one
You sure have spent some time editing the pic. Nice.
But we have a saying which goes somewhat like this:
"You wash a crow in Surf Excel, it still is a crow"

For me, somehow the mass market also might not want to like this one.
It does everything it is supposed to do, but still cannot stand out in any one department.
Only if a three year warranty on the Chevy could sell more
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