SAIL HATCHBACK (Updated edition)- Detailed review. Review on Chevrolet Sail

I purchased SAIL HATCHBACK- A Rebadged model from SAIL UVA.

My car model is Nov 2014, Diesel 1.3 Lit Fiat Engine. Swithcblade Silver color. 50, 000 Km driven

Looks-  Well, it all depends on ur own perception(one person's meat is another person's Poison). On my opinion I like the front side and it will be big turn up(lik a baby Cruze) and disappointing is the rear view. You feel like designer went on to cryogenic mode(frozen) in the process while design completion towards the rear and as if company straight away sent the same to production line by placing some objects to close the rear end which is called rear door, bumper, tail lamp etc. Will look like exact razor cutting from SAIL sedan's 80 th percent of its length to name as SAIL HATCHBACK or NOTCHBACK as company calls it.

Mileage, on simple Indian language(Fuel Consumption to say otherwise)- Company specifies 22.1 KM/Lit but actually I am getting around 14.5 - 15 or 16 KMPL on city driving condition(Chennai) with 100% AC on. During long drive(highways of course) I am getting around 18-19 KMPL with same 100% AC on and driving speed of  80-110 KM/HR(max).

Inside- Well, the updated version(design inspired from Corvette they say) have some good features and interior than the previous badge which is so called SAIL UVA. Dual tone interior( Beige and Black combination) makes you feel fresh and bit bright inside. Top end LT ABS will have leatheritte seat+ rear wash/wipe+ Alloy(4 Nos)+ Passenger airbag+ Side beeding on doors and any minor addition if any. I use SAIL LS ABS. Audio(2 Din, is ok if not much better with blue tooth feature, 4 door speakers are much below par). But I got updated to Sony 2 din with sub woofer, component speaker d amp etc.Fabric quality of seat is pretty good, only thing s the beige color is prone to get dirt easily. Can wrap a PU cover like I did if you wish. Steering is leather wrapped. One big turn off is power window control is in middle(near gear lever). Its a very old idea like d one in old Bolero/Scorpio/Verito. My LS ABS version is with all 4 Power windows. Any how, auto down feature is not available even for driver side. AC is very good(aroung 0.75 MT capacity) cools easily even on Harsh Chennai wheather conditions and need to mention Auto climate control is absent even for top variant(LT ABS) . Also outside  rear view mirror comes with auto adjust for both sides but not auto closing/opening which had to be done manually. Big cheering feature is thee interior space which you can always feel pride and proud to be and it can challenge even a decent mid size sedans for its interior roomy space like Dzire, Amaze, Punto, Xcent, Aspire etc etc and also few luxury cars like Rapid/City . Leg room for the rear passengers are very excellent even the passengers behind tall drivers of above 6 ft wont feel a cramped for legroom space and also head room space is good for person uto to 6.2 ft. 5 people can travel comfortably(of average sized and weighed of course). Boot space is pretty good and ok to carry 3 days luggage for 4-5 passengers. Rear seat is foldable up to 75%(2 seats foldable). Diesel(fuel) tank is placed in the centre which s good on safety and can store upto 40 Lit into its stomach which means on a full tank of fuel, you can drive around 730-780 Km minimum comfortably on highway driving condition with out much bother on refuelling.  For the same full tank capacity on city condition, can drive around 475- 550 easily.

Ride- To put on a oneline note, it is good for highways and bit tiring on city driving condition. Pick up is very normal for a diesel engine and not feel any peppy like swift/polo etc with in the city. Also steering s hydraulic power sterring and not power assisted and you feel heavy on traffic conditions. Also turning radius is not positively commendable, for example you have to take a big leap on the left to take U turn on ur right side or have to take reverse half d way on U turning. On the other hand, it is stable on highways(ABS/EBD works aptly and will be activated only on need, may be once u cross 60-70 kmph speed).Head Lamp powering is good, fog lamp is also good and if you need, you can upgrade after market bulbs with needed cutouts for more power. Vehicle will feel heavy than its competitors on its range due to heavy structure(kreb weight) and it is sometimes good also(with kreb weight of 1124 kg) for a hatch back where in the competitors not even crossing 1000 kg mark. Body structure feels very rigid and if you hit small objects your bumper wont break that easily compared to others. Safe cage design adds value to the safety and reliable under unforeseen circumstances while taking few rolls on vehicle upset. Once you reach optimum speed of above 80 or 100 KMPH, you will feel stable for a long time and steering is not so heavy or very light and idle to manoeuvre on highway condition. Tyre size of 175/70 R 14 is pretty good and stable, you wont feel much bump even on bad roads. NVH is also ok if not much good. Rattling inside the cabin is minimum(negligible)

Service & Reliability+ Dealer Satisfaction- Nothing much to comment on this part. Its painful. As long as your car runs well and under regular service it is ok. may cost between 7.5-9 k average for every 10 K Km up to 60-70 thousand KM. Only thing is if some parts are broke or met with any accident or any replacement is needed, you are screwed up then. Classic example on my case- AC gas re filling costs 2.4 K+ taxes and labour addition, Fog lamp bulb alone will cost Rs 800+ Tax and fitting charge, A single wheel cap costs Rs 554, Outside Rear view mirror alone costs Rs 780(not talking about full set, mentioned mirror alone). Body shop work is very very expensive(a particular small piece tinkering d painting cost you 5-6 K). Periodical maintanence is manageable but break down maintanance will put a big hole on your pocket, Service centre will always find a way to fleece you with some bills rather than to serve your cause on economical option. Also insurance claim negotiation with insurance company by service personnel is not upto the mark and they will simply act as a courier person to the insurance surveyor most of the times(conveying message alone to here and there). Whatever is missed out or failed to bargain with insurance company by them straight away becomes your burden through added bill outside insurance. Repair lead time is very high(may b 2-3 times higher than Maruti/Hundai etc). Problem is the inventory for the spares wont be that much ready available at the chevy service centre. Beware on that factor on every Chevy cars. Need to mention this- if you are not insuring through the Chevy dealer, cash less insurance claim is not even an option to think and have to pay in full and get it reimbursed later with the insurance company after several follow ups and shedding energy- KLN Motors agencies, Chennai- Chevy dealer)

Pros-

• Interior Space

  
  




• Driving comfort particularly stable on highways

  
  




• Boot Space

  
  




• Wide Tyres

  
  




• AC Perfomance

  
  




• Body Built Quality

  
  




• Reliable Engine(1.3 Lit Fiat engine which is proven on more than 18 Indian car models)

  
  




• Brand image(American brand for a pride, from the house of GMC holding worlds second largest car market share only next to Toyota)- Srtictly not on cost economic basis or resale, forget it on that ground. Although they use Fiat 1.3 Lit engine, they dont purchase from Fiat company like Maruti, Mahindra, TATA etc and straight away fix it inside their car bonnet. The 1.3 Lit Fiat engine was jointly developed by FIAT/GM and for the case,they manufacture/assemble the engines inhouse at their Pune plant.

  
  

Cons:

• After sale Service(Break down maintanance)

  
  




• Dealer Approach during after sale service

  
  




• Spare part cost/availabilty on need

  
  




• Lead time for rectification during break down maintanance/accident

  
  




• Resale value of course(if you are selling less than 5-6 years on purchasing a new car will be big let down for you on resale). Use it till you recover the investment(may be 80-1 lakh kilometer before thinking to resale)

  
  




• Wont feel peppy drive on city conditions

  
  




• Mileage will not be the best like least weighing Swift/Dzire/BAleno/ Amaze etc. For it body weight and durability, you have to pay price on your milage sacrifice(may 2-3 KM lesser than competitors on practical driving conditions and strictly not as per on ARAI book of record mileage)

  
  

Conclusion:

In my opinion, person who purchase this car will have strong heart to ignore all the marketing gimmics of its competitors and going for purchasing this car convincing on a very first day of purchase about the resale value and their strong belief on Chevy brand alone ignoring after sales service.

The number of Sail Hatcback Cars on road can be counted with your fingers and sales figure on every month reflects the same but the one who drives the same is counting on the Chevy brand image alone for its very purchase(you wont get help of your dealer to improve your thoughts otherwise).

Note- I am not a Chevy ambassidor or meant to offend any other car users through this review and strictly on my own experience of using this car for around 2.4 years. Every car user will have their own experience and opinion kindly ignore my review if feels boring or negative rather to comment anything absurd.