Chevrolet Spark. Review on Chevrolet Spark

I have purchased a new Chevrolet Spark LS last month (July 2009). It's a car looks very small from outside and surprisingly big in interior space, especially leg room for both front and rear seat passengers. Seats are very much comfortable for average sized adults and the quality of the seat fabric feels good.

I preferred grey interior because beige interior cut visibility considerably when drive in direct sunlight. Although the steering wheel is a bit disappointing in the area of looks, grip and feel, the centre console, dashboard and the a pillar contribute to a feel of a big car for the passengers. Centrally mounted instrument panel is a bit lower and makes some discomfort for left knee. It also has a boot space comparable to all cars in its segment.

The 1 L engine is powerful enough and very silent. Air conditioner is a fast cooling one but take a lot of engine power and disappointing when it's very hot outside. Blowers make a lot of noise so that you never wish to rotate the control knob to higher speeds. So far I'm getting an average of 14kmpl with AC (My odo reads 1100km) which I think very decent mileage.

Panel gaps and fit and finish are good. In my point of view Spark is the most beautiful car in its segment.Unfortunately I got my Spark with MRF ZVTS Tyres. All reviews and comments I relied told me that Chevrolet discontinued using MRF Tyres as OEM for Sparks because of customer complaints and they're using Apollo Acelers which are far better than MRF ZVTS. These tyres make a lot of noise and hesitate to stop the car, challenging my family's safety.

I wonder why a company such as General Motors, known for making safer automobiles, using these inferior quality tyres in their small car Spark designed with a lot of safety features such as 2.5mph bumpers, high tensile steel panel etc. risking the life of passengers.

I decided to exchange these ZVTSs with Continental EcoContact 3 (which costs me around Rs8500.00 on exchange of five tyres, the price of an upmarket 4 speaker MP3 Music System but cheaper than regular bumper repairs). I hope, ride, handling and fuel consumption will improve as these tyres using advanced manufacturing technologies.

24 Aug 2009 (1443km ODO)

Hi Friends

Today I’ve upgraded my OEM MRF ZVTS tyres with Continental ContiEcoContact 3 165/65R13. Filled with nitrogen, 5 tyres cost a sum of Rs13250.00 including tyre changing & wheel balancing charges. I got a Back Pack Laptop Bag made by Lotto worth Rs1990.00 free as Continental offers the same for every purchase of 4 tyres at a time. I’ve done 50km test drive with my new tyres and feel very comfortable handling and braking. The hell like highways in Kerala feel like cushioned now. The sound these tyres make is very low compared to MRF ZVTSs.

I think the fuel efficiency of my car will improve as these tyres reduce rolling resistance for a certain level.