Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Comeback kid

The Spark is literally a global car, originally built in Korea, designed in Italy and now sold by an American company. Remember the Daewoo Matiz? The Matiz will be back sometime next year, in an updated version, freshened up by new parents, Chevrolet.

The original car came with an 800cc three-cylinder unit - very similar to the Maruti 800 and the Alto. Although reliable and fuel-efficient, that engine was underpowered and gruff. Thankfully, the Spark now will come with a 1-litre, four-cylinder engine that is believed to be pleasantly frugal, without being unpleasantly harsh like the previous one. The motor will churn out 65 bhp, currently the highest figure in cars of its class. The engine will however use only two valves per head, unlike the Maruti Alto and Wagon R that use four, and the Santro that uses three. The fact that the engine will use low-friction camshafts along with an extra-light crankshaft should make it ideal for on-off city driving conditions.

Unlike the previous engine which felt out of breath due to its small capacity, you can expect this one to reach speeds close to 150 kph. We expect 0-100 kph to come in around 14-15 seconds and in the meantime, find good fuel efficiency as well.

Styling-wise the Spark is still as eye-catching as it was in 1998, when it was launched here in India. Chevrolet, though, has updated the overall design. Though the bodyshell is still the same, it looks remarkably different from the old Matiz you see on the roads. The front headlamps now have Porsche-like `runny egg' orange indicator lamps at the bottom. From the side, this car still looks very much like the original Matiz, as sheetmetal panels haven't been tampered with, for obvious cost reasons. Yes, the styling changes makes for fresh looks, but it also makes the car somewhat mature, losing out on the cheeky cheer that the world so loved the Matiz for.

The car's high-roof, design allows for easy entry and exit - it's just the job for loading toddlers into the back. Headroom is fine, too, and there's decent front and rear legroom. The boot is a bit cramped though. Chevrolet has also given the Spark all-new interiors. The instrument panel now is located in the centre of the fascia. The centrally located gauges are a unique feature not seen in a small car before and will remind many of the Nissan X-trail. Daewoo had also managed to liberate a decent amount of interior space from the somewhat small dimensions of the car and Chevrolet seems to have played well on that, with quality materials and a more mature theme livening up things inside.

Its short wheelbase gives the Spark a tight turning circle, making it extremely manoeuvrable in and around town. After much deliberation and delay, GM India has decided to build the car at its current facility at Halol where the company currently makes the Optra, Tavera and Aveo. It has decided not to use Daewoo's Surajpur facility, which was getting difficult to acquire due to bureaucratic hurdles. This should make the car relatively cheap. Now with the power to keep up with the faster cars in town, it's sure to give the Santro and Wagon R some fierce competition. The bowtie on the hood is a first on a small city car and being a Chevrolet should give it loads of street-cred as well. Wait and watch!

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail