Small is big for carmakers in India. And for GM it doesn’t get bigger with the new Chevrolet Spark. This is the car that promises to become GM’s biggest seller and seriously boost the company’s presence on the sub-continent. So is the Spark all set to pick up where the old Matiz left? Is it more than just a badge swap from Daewoo to Chevrolet? We find out. :  The Spark’s mono-volume shape is not as extreme as the Estilo’s and the bonnet isn’t as sharply raked but you can’t miss the MPV-like look that is accentuated by the forward-falling A-pillar and front quarter-glass. Now built on a 5mm longer wheelbase (2345mm) than the old Matiz but measuring an identical 3495mm in length, the new car also has sharper styling. In place of the smooth, rounded nose, there’s a well-defined bonnet V, pointy headlights and tiny slit for a bonnet intake. Build quality is pretty good for a small car and panel gaps are fairly tight. Move inside, and the centrally-mounted instrument console takes pride of place on the dashboard. It is this design that gives the Spark’s interiors its uniqueness. The speedo, flanked by temperature and fuel gauges, is well within the driver’s line of sight and is also visible to all passengers. The warning lamps are in a banana-shaped pod in front of the driver in place of the instrument cluster and this leaves an unobstructed view straight ahead. Although the cabin is attractively designed, it abounds with dull grey plastics that feel cheap and brittle and lack the ‘soft-touch’ materials becoming de rigueur in new cars. It is the silver-coloured centre console which lends some relief to the two-tone grey-and-black cabin. The seat fabric with its funky design lends a youthful touch. The front seats, though a little short on underthigh support, are comfortable enough. At the rear, the seat back and squab cushions are well bolstered but the seat back is angled a tad too much. Legroom at the rear is surprisingly good and the Spark can seat four adults in reasonable comfort, but three at the back is a squeeze. There’s decent storage space in the cabin. A pair of shelves below the dashboard are useful aids to hold small bits while the front door pockets are large enough to hold a water bottle. You also get front cupholders with a removable ash tray and a large cubbyhole ahead of the gear lever, which is easy to access. The dead space above the glovebox is meant for an airbag, which is not an option on the Indian Spark. Rear passengers are not pampered with storage space and have to make do with a single pocket behind the front seat. The top-of-the line LT which we tested has a Kenwood stereo that comes only with two front speakers. There is a tiny space for two speakers at the rear but serious music lovers will have to resort to cutting the parcel tray to mount larger speakers. There is a USB port though, very useful if you have a pen drive or a portable hard disk. The LT also comes with alloy wheels and roof-rails as standard, and ABS is on the options list. The Spark’s boot isn’t very spacious, and it is best to pack soft luggage for those weekend getaways. Also, the load lip is high, which means one has to expend greater effort to haul luggage into the boot. The rear seat is a 60:40 split/folding design, which is very convenient to operate. The seat base lifts forward to allow the seats to fold flat which gives more versatility. The air-conditioning is powerful enough but given the large glasshouse and dark interiors, the AC has to work extra hard to be effective.  The Spark comes with Daewoo’s S-Tec engine. This 995cc, single-cam, two-valves per cylinder unit is a scaled-down version of the U-VA’s engine, sharing a common 68.5mm bore. The stroke, however, is shorter which makes the Spark’s motor slightly oversquare. Peak power is an impressive 63bhp but the torque figure of 9.21kgm at a high-ish 4200rpm isn’t as substantial. The Spark’s motor is nowhere near as responsive as the Santro’s or even the Wagon R’s for that matter but the power delivery is more linear. The Spark’s motor is incredibly free-revving and its smooth nature encourages you to visit the redline quite often. In fact, it’s this engine’s smooth and refined nature that sets it apart. It’s less audible than both the Santro and Wagon R and feels less stressed as well. On the proving ground, the Spark’s lack of cubic capacity is a big handicap as our performance figures clearly show. The dash to 100kph comes up in a leisurely 15.93 seconds, over a second slower than the Santro. In-gear acceleration isn’t as brisk either and both the Wagon R and Santro are clearly quicker. However, in the real world, it’s not as bad as the figures suggest. The progressive way in which the power is delivered masks the Spark’s performance deficit and the clever gearing and sweet nature of the engine doesn’t leave you short of power. For serious overtaking, you do need to change gears a bit more frequently and that brings us to the gearbox which is a bit of a disappointment. The shift action is light but the long throw doesn’t offer a precise feel. Also, the clutch is a touch sharp and requires modulation to avoid lurching. The Matiz set the standard for ride and handling in the small car segment nearly a decade ago. Now the Spark takes the game to a different level. Ride quality is impressive for such a small car and the way the Spark soaks up the bumps and ruts makes it much more comfortable than both the Santro and Wagon R. Apart from ride quality, the quietness of the suspension and suppression of road and tyre noise is again the best among the small hatchbacks but this advantage is negated to a certain degree by an annoying, low frequency resonance or drumming noise which creeps into the cabin at low speeds. On the highway the Spark feels pretty stable and secure and isn’t susceptible to cross-winds. This makes it far more comfortable to cruise at high speeds than all the other small hatches. The Spark is quite nimble and bodyroll is fairly well controlled. The steering however, feels dead around the straight-ahead position and though it’s light and effortless, it doesn’t have the crisp feel of the Santro. The brakes too don’t have the best feel and though they have good stopping power, they need a good shove to be effective. Our test car had ABS, which is a cost option, but is available only on the LT variant. Fuel efficiency? In our city cycle, the Spark gave 12.3 kilometre per litre, which is on par with the Santro, while on the highway the Spark had a clear edge with 16.9kpl. The difference isn’t much but in today’s age of inflated fuel prices, every bit counts.    For a car of this size, the cabin is roomy, comfortable and well insulated as well. The Spark drives well too with better handling than its peers without sacrificing ride quality. It feels the safest on the highway, which is a big plus for those who travel regularly of out of town. The engine and gearbox aren’t class-leading, but overall performance, refinement and fuel economy are more than adequate. What GM has on its hands is a potential winner and the first genuine alternative to the Santro. A car you can’t go wrong with. |
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