Chevrolet Spark - Sparkling Cutie

The Chevrolet Spark is a car that I did not want to like. Primarily because I have always been in love with the Daewoo Matiz, and didn’t think that the General would do a very good job of this cutie pie! But can I just say that I was wrong. Again. What General Motors, under the brand name of the legendary Chevrolet, has done is given a make-over to the Korean car that it added to its stable when Daewoo was bought over. The Matiz, if you recall, was one of the best small-car of its time. It was a piece of engineering marvel. So have the Americans done a good job of transformation? We’re just about to find out.

Advantages

• Good power for a small-car
• Great ride and handling balance
• Good air-con
• Looks
• Good build quality
• Very manageable in city
• High-speed stability

Disadvantages

• Not spacious enough for tall people
• Steering feels light at high speeds
• Mileage not in the league of competitors
• Dull interiors

Looks

One must understand that the comparison of Spark with the car that it is based on, Matiz, is only but natural. Atleast as far as looks are concerned. Santro and Matiz were launched round about the same time – late 1990s - and the former faced quite a few criticisms for the way it looked while the latter went on to be everyone’s darling! To cash in on the already established image of the Matiz, it was Chevrolet’s conscious effort to retain the “cute” facet of the design. But the Spark, in addition to being cute, also manages to look cheeky, which is a good thing! The bonnet is characterized by a sharp V, the lines of which merge with the bumper to make for what is literally a non-existent grille. The air-dam is essentially the same as that you would find in the Matiz. The large and funny head-lamps and rounded tail-lamps lend a sense of domination and are clearly the elements in the whole design that you are bound to notice at first sight. Also particularly adorable are the roof-rails – an idea that has been carried on from the Matiz. The Matiz was one helluva “cute” machine. But trends change and the Spark has kept up with them! If Matiz was an elfin sporting tight jeans and a funky tee, the Spark is an attractive example, clad in shorts and a halter top.