Chevrolet Spark - Sparkling Cutie

Stepping inside, the first thing that strikes you is the instrument binnacle that is placed in the centre of the dashboard. The second thing that you will notice is the slightly large and idiosyncratic steering wheel. The dull grey that is in abundance inside the cabin does begin to induce a feeling of depression into your system, but thank god for that silver centre console that lends a bit of liveliness to the otherwise lackluster cabin. The space though is surprisingly decent. Not ideal for two six-feet people seated one behind the other, the Spark does well to accommodate four average homo-sapiens in good comfort. Though not ergonomically perfect, we liked the placement of all the important knobs. While seated on the captain’s chair, I was blown away by the visibility all round and also by the view that was offered by the outside rear-view mirrors. Wish they were electrically adjustable though!

There are cubby-holes to carry stuff and there are also storage trays under the glove compartment and the steering wheel which can prove to be quite handy. The placement of the two speakers that the Spark LT that we tested comes with, to compliment the Kenwood sound system, is unique and they sit on the extreme ends of the dash. This liberates space on the door which is used up to provide even more storage space in form of door pockets. The air-con chills admiringly but has to work had to nullify the effect of a large greenhouse area and the dark interiors. The practicality quotient is boosted by the split-folding rear seats. The luggage space is not really great and the most irritating thing is loading and unloading of luggage owing to the high loading-lip of the boot. Overall, the inside is a modest place to be in. Had the plastics looked and felt better it would come as a pleasant experience. There is still a lot of scope to ameliorate the interior.

The seats are supportive and one of the most comfortable that we’ve seen in a small car. Long distances are traversed without breaking into a sweat due to discomfort. If there was anything that left us asking for more was under-thigh support and the knee touching the centre console was irritating too. Another thing that I didn’t like was the shoulder-rubbing caused with Rajeev while I was behind the wheel. Had it been a good-looking member of the opposite gender, things would’ve been oh-so-nice, but the very fact that this techno geek was sitting beside me, wasn’t pleasing at all! There is not much space between the front occupants. But once you figure out how to sit properly and work the cogs in a way that you do not "feel" the thigh of your co-passenger, the Spark comes across a comfy little companion, and that’s the end of it.