[shobhit15]

Hi,

I was looking for a replacement of Matiz in our house which my father drives. When we saw the Spark 50k discount offer we both got excited. My father is very pleased with Matiz and so on Saturday (20th Oct) we were there in the showroom for Spark's TD.

I present here my opinion - with a tinge of comparison between Spark and Matiz.

SPARK

1. Outside : We got an LS version. Icy Blue in colour. Looked cute and good. Sparkling head and tail lamps looked attractive. However the black plastic on the outside mirrors did not reflect quality. It seemed as if it would require regular polishing.

2. Inside : The plastic on seats was still on. Looked as if it was a new car. Interiors were not so exciting. The fabric and print on the seats and door trim could have been better (maybe it is better in LT).

The seat belt fabric was very poor. It felt very thin and flimsy. The plastic on the dashboard was just average. It looked as if it was worn out and would require regular polishing - just like ORVMs. The car looked and felt smaller than Matiz from inside - maybe because of the centre console. However, the seats were higher and positioned better than Matiz.

3. Get, Set, Go : I started the car and put it in first gear. Whoa ! the car felt very peppy. It just surged ahead as if it really wanted to - instead of being made to. Once I decided to test the pickup in second gear with A/c on. The car pulled effortlessly. The driving was really smooth in all gears with zero engine noise. I even cranked the ignition once while the engine was on :-p. The steering was very light, responsive and accurate.

4. Braking : Average brakes. You have to push hard if you want to stop quickly.

5. A/C : This was a dissapointment. Even though the car was sufficiently warmed up, the air from the blowers was just cool not cold - with A/c on and blower at full blast. I think to make the car more peppey, they have made the A/c less powerful. In Delhi's heat, this A/c won't hold much chance. The blower was very noisy even at speed 3 (one lower than max).

There was a U-va standing next to the Spark we just TD'ed. I asked the sales guy if it was possible to TD the U-va. He told me that car was due to be delivered to a customer today. But a TD would be possible !! He made a call and an office boy came with the U-va's key.

To my astonishment he handed me the key of the brand new car which was soon to be delivered. We got in the car - all of three of us and drove off.

U-VA

1. Outside : We got the basic version 1.2. Icy blue in colour. Looked ok. Had the same black plastic on the ORVMs as Spark.

2. Inside : Better than Spark. The dashboard seemed much better in quality. The console was good. The seat belt fabric was still poor. The seats were much better. Almost 1.5 times wider than Spark. Higher positioned too.

3. Engine : Seemed responsive and very smooth and silent. No problems whatsoever. Excellent steering.

4. Braking : Feather touch brakes. Much better than Spark. Effective and safe braking.

5. A/C : This was quite good and effective. The blower was noisy at max speed but was ok at other speeds.

After the TD, we told the sales guy that we would inform him if and when we make the decision. All in all, when we came back from the showroom, both me and my father decided that instead of buying a small car, we would rather buy a "mid-size small" car - Swift / U-Va / Getz etc.

No offence to the guys who bought the Spark, even though it a good car in many aspects, its just not right for us.

[dadu]

Good TD report, so whats the final decision or will you be doing some more TD's.

[vasudeva]

Great report. Only feel sorry for the customer whose car you test drove on the day his car was getting delivered. Does that say something about GM dealers. Second, the blower in most of GM cars I have TD is noisy. In my Corsa, the blower is noisy even at 2nd out of 4 speeds. By the way, I have TD a brand new Optra at Shiva Motors, Ghaziabad. Since you are from NOIDA, perhaps you would have TD a car from Shiva Motors, NOIDA. Is this Shiva's practice or general GM dealers practice to give TD on a customers' car. Whatever, it shows a complete lack of disregard for a customers car and lack of ethics.

[shobhit15]

Originally Posted by dadu

Good TD report, so whats the final decision or will you be doing some more TD's.

Waiting for Pa and other cars. Most probably will wait till Feb 2008 max.

[AUTO_CRAZY]

U-va should be the best buy. Hmm Spark has got a huge discount of 50 K that too immediately after launch. Where is GM heading with such huge discounts.

[adheesh]

The GM Showroom in Thane has dedicated td vehicles with lables all over them.

[shobhit15]

Originally Posted by vasudeva

By the way, I have TD a brand new Optra at Shiva Motors, Ghaziabad. Since you are from NOIDA, perhaps you would have TD a car from Shiva Motors, NOIDA. Is this Shiva's practice or general GM dealers practice to give TD on a customers' car. Whatever, it shows a complete lack of disregard for a customers car and lack of ethics.

Yes, I did the TD at Shiva Motors, Noida which is situated inside Centrestage Mall. It is really bad that they indulge in such practices. Anyway one this is for sure - if I decide to buy a GM vehicle in future, I won't buy it from Shiva.

[radek]

Good observations, Shobhit.

I have Sprak LT. It has body colored covers for outside mirrors. There is slight improvement in the fabric inside. You are right about brakes and blower noise.

However, I think AC is sufficiently powerful. Most of the time, I keep blower at 1 and reduce thermostat as it gets too cold. Probably, this is because of cooler pune weather or your TD car might be standing outside for long in sun.