Jul 19, 2011 04:50 PM
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Looks
The beat does not have any changes to its design from the petrol except for the TDCI logo at the back. But still Beat is a funky looking hatch back
Space and interiors
Once I got into the car the first thing I noticed was the narrow seats(I am a stout and tall person). There is enough space for 4 people but people over/close to 6 ft will find the back too cramped. There are some good places to put my small odd things that we carry like mobiles, purse, maps etc. The steering was finished too smoothly that whenever I used the face of my palm to make an u-turn the palm kept slipping off. This can fixed by either going in for a leather wrapped steering wheel cover. The view from the inside is also not that great, like in the Ritz
Driving the car
Starting the car made me wonder if this was a diesel car as I could not hear any sound with the windows rolled up. Gear shifts were precise. I was able to drive the car in 5th gear at 40 km/h. I slotted it into 5th gear at 30 km/h and took my feet of the accelerator and the car kept moving forward without any jerking and the speedo stopped moving at 40 km/h, but the car kept moving forward without any hassle. I then tried a bit of spirited driving. Once it reach 80km/h it seemed like it lost its power, although the speedo kept moving forward, the urgency at which it moved intially was not seen. Another things I noticed was the positioning of the review mirror. The mirror is stuck onto the windshield and its position was creating a blind spot for me
Overall
I am not sure about the servicing of GM dealerships, but to rate the car alone I would say, GM has put together a nice looking car with a diesel engine that is good for city use, and maybe the occasional highway runs. The quality of the music system was not that good. One good thing is they have provided a normal USB to the Micro USB in some older Beat(P) cars. Now the question is would you buy this car. it all depends on each of our driving habits. If you drive mostly highways and need performance over mileage stay clear of this one, but if you driving mostly inside the city and with the occasional highway jaunts and can sacrifice performance for mileage, then go for the Beat Diesel. Altough the price of the car has not been announced if the base version is placed below 4.2 then I guess GM would have a winner.
