Oct 13, 2008 02:57 PM
7540 Views
A month back my close friend had asked my opinion on a good B+ Segment car. He had zeroed on Spark as Santro was out of his budget. Subsequent to the purchase, I had to drive him around (until now) as he is yet to learn driving!! I own a Santro Xing 2004 model (XP) and during the process of driving I gained some useful insights into this cute little car which I wanted to share for the benefit of all.
Interiors: Spark is a very deceptive looking piece of wonderful machine. Although it looks small from outside, it has sufficient leg room both at the front and rear. The interior plastic could have been spruced up like in Estilo, however the dials have a cute look about it. The floor does not have protusions at the back (Santro does have a small chassis intrusion at the back which is a minor irritant) and the rear seats offer good lumbar support. This cannot be said of the driver seat which is little short of under thigh support. You also have a feeling that the seat is slightly lower for the driving position (mind you I am 5 9" tall!!)
Engine: A silent mill that can potter around town all day long and does not run out of breath unless you indulge in spirited driving / overtaking. 63 Horses do a good duty in this sub 1 litre engine providing a comparable performance in city, though the engine feels out of breadth when driven all out against the bigger engined santro or for that matter Wagon R. What is surprising is the linear delivery of torque without much of whining. Surely not for nothing that GM has reintroduced the Daewoo star.
Brake & Suspension: All four gas shock absorbers do a good job, although on rough roads you get the boom noise thanks to the tubeless tyres and also due to lack of proper sound proofing. But this is not a major complaint though. Brake does not have feel and braking is a let down compared to Santro or for that matter Wagon R. There is no progressive feel also while braking.
Exterior: Nothing to say as this is the best looking small car. The head lamps at the front and the smiling grille at the front are way ahead of Santro Xing or Wagon R.
Mileage: Solid city mileage of 15 Kmpl in city driving conditions (the vehicle has done only 1100 kms so far so I cannot comment unless the vehicle undergoes the first oil change at 5000 Kms) and 18.5 Kmpl on the highway.
