Tested and RIPPED : Chevrolet Spark 1.0 LS Before we begin, I must add that I haven’t driven a small car in ages. So maybe I wasn’t the best choice to test-drive the Spark.
In the sea of myriad entry to mid-level hatchbacks, what really is the differentiator today? Each one is reliable, fuel-efficient, has peppy performance in the city, offers an average but acceptable level of ride and handling, can seat 4 people in “cozy close” comfort and come with near identical equipment levels. The key differentiators will be:
1. Looks
2. Quality of after-sales service.
3. Diesel engine option.
The Spark surely makes a statement with its cute chubby looks, which are only enhanced by the snazzy colours GMI is offering it in (several shades of bright metallics including greens, reds and some kind of yellow). The profile is identical Matiz, but the mild facelift ensures that it doesn’t look outdated today. The light treatment (front and back) is pretty good and gives it a certain level of uniqueness. On the inside, it’s a bore! The center-mounted instrument panel and the 3:45 stalk steering wheel are the only saving grace, with everything else reflecting a lackluster design in an even more lackluster shade of grey. Space is seriously at a premium (again, I haven’t sat in a Santro or Wagon R in a long time), but the car was at best a 4 seater. The front seats offer decent support; however the rear seat is slab sided, thin, very bench like and is not a comfortable place to be. With 4 in the car, it did feel pretty cramped.
I tested the mid-equipped version (air-con + power steering only) which presumably will be the most popular. Out on the open road, the engine made the Spark surprisingly peppy with 4 on board. It was fun to put through its paces and redline in each gear (btw no rpm gauge on any version). Coarseness does set in as you climb up the revs, and it was nowhere as smooth as say…the old Zen. The low end was above-average but the short gearing offers good urban drivability. The gearshift wasn’t slick and had a mushy feeling to it, but it was good in feel and offers precise-slotting.
On the handling front, there was hardly any body roll and the Spark felt very go-kartish to push around. On the limit, it does understeer but in a very predictable fashion. The steering is direct and even with only 60 odd bhp, made for an interesting drive. Of special mention are the excellent brakes; we had a situation where we slammed on the brakes at 80 kph and the car decelerated in a steady straight line with no tyres locking. The ride quality was above average but slight stiff at lower speeds. Road undulations could clearly be felt at low to mid speed ranges. However, as the speedo climbs up the ride gets better.
Overall a Spark offers a decent package as a product. BUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT I feel that General Motors has gone a little over-board with the pricing. Here are the Mumbai on-road prices for individual registration:
1.0 E : 366,926 (no air-con)
1.0 : 393,384 (air-con only)
1.0 LS : 425213 (air-con + power steering)
1.0 LT : 460059 (above + front power windows and some frills)
1.0 LT OP : 500925 (Fully loaded).
As you can see, the 1.0 mid-equipped version is at 4.25 lacs!! And with no front power-windows but everything else (and more), the Swift retails for 4.6 lacs on the road. What would anyone really opt for? That 35,000 more gets you a whole lot more car (power, resale, space etc.). Heck, this makes the over-priced Aveo (4.70 on road) suddenly look like a value price. |