Best car under 4L. Review on Chevrolet Spark

I decided to go for a car post marriage for obvious reasons...

The first car that caught the eyes was of course i10 as its the most popular one... Even I was inclined for that but my constraint was budget. I wanted minimal finance for my vehicle and with the amount of cash I owned, i10 seemed a distant dream.So I started searching for cars within 4 lakhs (my budget without any loan), and the only thing that internet searches yielded was an Alto K10... Just when I almost made my mind for an Alto, wifey asked to check for Chevrloet once...

We went to the showroom and the Spark was indeed love at first sight... Cool hip looks, neat interiors and a fully loaded variant coming up to 3.84 on road... (with a cool 70k "corporate discount" ) A test drive tilted the decision in favor of Spark even more... It drove like a dream.. (for a 1.0 litre engine, it was amazingly quick and controls felt good)...

With most of the reviews (team-bhp, carwale, mouthshut etc) being in favor and now a bit inclined, I decided to take a plunge and bought it at 3.96 Lakhs, May 2011 make(post few accessories).. After driving it for a year and 9200+ kms I feel I can say, Spark does shine like an amber.The only glitch in my piece is a loose connection in the stereo, due to which my music system conks off frequently.. (though not a deal breaking glitch, but it does irritate when suddenly the music stops for no apparent reason.. ) and yes, the service station has not provided any permanent fix for it yet (complained three times in 12 months.. every time its passed on as a "loose connection"...

Barring that, my Sprak has not given me a single other problem... It does indeed drives like a dream... Even with 5 people and AC on, it manages to reach 100 though I feel optimum speed for this vehicle is in the 80s....  (lets be realistic, you cant expect a 1.0 litre engine to race through like an F1)...

It fits into congested parkings easily... Gives a mileage of 15kms in city (with 100% AC on) and 17km+ on highways (100% AC).. Cuts into corners very easily... Nice high ground clearance... Nice pick up and prompt breaks... Interiors are cozy and spacious (despite being a small car)... Sufficient boot space for 2 medium sized suitcases. Excellent drive experience... Even after a continuous drive of 120 kms (on highway and city both), the legs and hands dint ache/sore a bit...

Engine is as silent as it could be. Cabin has minimal vibrations.The windows cut off noise very well... Sometimes at traffic signals, I have to rev up the accelerator to find if the engine is really on.You do experience vibrations if you try to push beyond 100(again, lets be realistic, its a 1.0 litre engine only)...

I wish Chevrolet could have more service centers in the city.. (Maruti wins hands down in that respect). Although my dealer provide free home pick and drop for servicing, I prefer driving a freshly serviced vehicle on my own and hence the pain of travelling a long distance to the service station...

All in all, am still not over with my Spark LT and can drive it for a good 3-4 years more before moving on. Of course, if I had more cash, I would have gone for a bigger better car, but now I feel that to be a blessing in disguise as in that case I would have missed on a little wonder that my Spark is...

For everyone who wants to own an amazing car under 4 lakhs, I would suggest them to go for a Spark... Trust me, you won't be disappointed a bit...