Olympic White Spark(le) LT. Review on Chevrolet Spark

Two months ago, started searching Small Car for Wife, we had a look at the options available, the cars on my mind were (Alto K-10 & Spark). I was looking for a Petrol variant as the would be used primarily by my wife and running is less than 500 Kms per month, so diesel variant was out of the criteria.

I was more inclined towards the Alto K-10 due to it's Pocket Rocket performance & the Facelift is pretty good & it looks awesome in White Color, took a Test Drive and I was bowled over by the performance & the agility of the car in city traffic. But my wife didnt like the interiors & she was of the opinion that it is quite close to the M800 in terms of interior space. So sadly it was ruled out. After the Alto K-10 episode wifey wished to check out the Chevrolet Spark, I was a bit apprehensive about the GM A.S.S & brand image, but it all vanished when we took the TD of the Spark LT Version, the engine was super silent, there was an airy & big feel to the interiors that was pleasing to the eyes.

The sales person Mr. Akshay was very helpful throughout the process and was very courteous in answering all my queries, I was very much impressed by the level of customtakeouter attention he provided. He was well aware of the features and the technology of the Car, showed us the car in detail and explained each and every aspect.

We booked the LT Variant in Olympic White Color after a week. I told Akshay, that I wanted to check the car at the stock yard before it is registered, he agreed and promised to let me check the car in the yard. Next day I went to the yard and checked out the car as per the checklist I have made, to my satisfaction everything was in perfect shape, gave a go ahead for getting the car registered, took a small TD in the yard also..!!

Decided to take the delivery on Wednesday 11th May. Reached the showroom around 11:30 am checked the car thoroughly. There was some dirt and grime under the driver side foot mat, they vaccumed and cleaned the carpet immediately. The whole delivery process went very smooth, and after completing all the formalities we were given 5 Litres of Petrol, Akshay handed over a Chevrolet Orgraniser for keeping the documents and other stuff, A Chevrolet Key Chain, Chevrolet Tissue Box & Chevrolet Soft Toy. After all this we were out with the car on the open road.

First impressions of the Vehicle after driving it for 400 Kms::

1. Engine Refinement / Pickup: Was very good, and the response from the Engine was superb, no noise and it was quite smooth, the performance I felt was almost the same as the Alto K-10. And there was a minimal drop in performance after the AC is switched on. I think that will ease out once the car clocks more kms & the engine opens up.

   
   




2. Brakes: Very precise and accurate. felt confident on braking hard at one time when the lorry in the front applied brakes suddenly.

   
   




3. Gear Shift: Was very smooth and the gears slotted in very well, but the Gearbox is a bit notchy & has a rubbery feel to it. It is not as crisp as in the Alto K-10.

   
   




4. Stability & Ride Quality: At the speed of 80 Kmph, the vehicle was very much planted and felt very stable, the suspension handled the potholes with aplomb.

   
   




5. AC: It is a real Chiller, Cooled the Cabin very quickly.

   
   




6. Rear seat Comfort: Didnt got a chance to experience the rear seat as I was driving, but I sat in the rear seat when the car was stationary, there was more than acceptable space there.

   
   

Styling of the Vehicle (Exterior & Interior):

1. Exterior: Spark has got a Girly feel to it, there is no doubt about it that it attracts the attention of the females & in White Color it looks very good. It is a well balanced design with rRajeev_Vermact to the exteriors & the front has a cute kinda feel to it.

   
   




2. Interior: They are very well designed, loved the airy feel of the interiors & fit & finish levels for the car of this segment. The beige interiors create a very pleasing ambience & gives the cabin a big car like cabin feel. However, they are tough to maintain as they get dirty easily. The centrally mounted Console is a matter of getting used to and after speding sometime with the car I got used to it. It has a Integrated Stereo system with 2 Speakers in front and 2 in the rear, the system is equipped with the USB & AUX slots and sound is decent.

   
   

Mileage:

I had not calculated yet, but will do it by the Tank full to tank full method, I got a full tank when I took the delivery, will update this part as the car clocks more miles.

+ves:

1. Awesome engine refinement, very silent & eager to lunge forward, no need of changing gears frequently the Peak torque @lower RPMs takes care of the frequent gear changes. 4 Cylinder SOHC STECH engine is a Peppy performer.

   
   




2. Excellent Hydraulic Power Steering. Provides good road feedback.

   
   




3. Very easy to handle in the City traffic, due to its small dimensions it is very easy to chuck around. Small turning radius aids in taking U-Turns.

   
   




4. Excellent Fit & Finish of the interiors. Interior space is well managed & all over a very pleasing cabin to be in.

   
   




5. Lots of cubby holes to fit in your knick knacks & 5 Bottle Holders, 2 in the front doors, 2 below the center console & one in the middle of the front seats.

   
   




6. Chevrolet CPCO 3 year maintenance plan. Boosts the confidence in the product.

   
   




7. Good / Acceptable Ride Quality over potholed road of Mumbai.

   
   




8. Felt Very Stable & Planted at the speed of 80 kmph. That is the max I stretched it as the car is in the running in period.

   
   




9. Cute Exterior design, and well proportioned all over.

   
   




10. Interiors feel that they will age well with time, atleast for now.

    
    

-ves:

1. Many features have been deleted from the LT variant which were available earlier like 60:40 Split seats, Rear Wash & Wipe, Body coloured door handles & ORVMs etc.

   
   




2. The Centrally mounted console takes time to get used to.

   
   




3. The indicators are on the left side as opposed to the right hand configuration for the other cars. I switched ON Wipers 2 times in confusion.

   
   




4. Notchy Gearbox, not slick enough like the Alto K-10

   
   




5. Thick A-Pillar obstructs the visibility.

   
   




6. GM Service Network, we have only 1 Dealer in our vicinity.

   
   

Summing it Up:

All in all a Great Value For Money vehicle within this price range and the features which it provides. Expect some good service backup from Chevrolet as we have gone in for the CPCO 3 year Maintenance plan.

Accessories installed at the Dealer Level:

1. Floor Mat Set: Dealer provided it for FREE.

   
   




2. Mud Flaps: Dealer provided it for FREE.

   
   




3. Chevrolet Door Sill Guards.

   
   




4. Garware Sun Film (Back and Windows).

   
   




5. Chevrolet Door Protectors (Long Black Strip).

   
   

Accessories / Modifications Planned:

1. Rear Parcel Tray: Kindly suggest, where can I get it ? The one available at the dealership is way too expensive @1200/- Rs.

   
   




2. Front Sun Film: Suggest which one to go for ?

   
   




3. Car body Cover: Bought from a local accesory shop.

   
   




4. Art Leather Seat Covers.

   
   




5. Painting the OVRM, Door handles, Rubber Door Protectors (Long Strip), The black plastic strip above the rear number plate & One slot if the front lower grill in RED.

   
   

You can find additional details & pics on this link: https://team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/101097-olympic-white-spark-le-lt-ownership-log.html