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Spark: Small In Size, Big In Comfort
Small is big for car makers in India as small cars are all time favourite for Indian customers. Spark, the latest small car to hit Indian roads, comes from General Motors, the world's biggest car maker. The company has so far sold two million units of the small car globally. Chevrolet Spark has a mono frame design, which maximizes the wheelbase, and in turn improves cabin space. The body is made of high strength steel, which makes the car lighter and gives the required stability on road while driving. Spark has a completely new torsion beam rear axle, which is coupled to angled shock absorbers and semi trailing arms. Spark has 1L engine which outputs 63bhp of power and 90Nm of torque. With the 1L engine, Spark is more thrilling in city and much better at highways. The car is available in five colors; Icy Blue, Mint Green, Fiery Red, Casablanca White and Platinum Metallic.
When coming to the engine specifications, Spark would be available in two versions of petrol engine: 795cc and 995cc. The 795cc, 6valve engine would compete with Maruti 800. It will deliver a power of 8KW and torque of 68.6 Nm at 4600 rpm. The three-cylinder design provides a very flat torque curve, which results in a less peak power delivery. The 795cc engine claims to give a mileage of 19.2kpl with a top speed of 142 km/hr.
The large round head lamps are another eye catching feature of the car. The Mono form design reduces the front and rear extension, which means the easy parking in metros and it also maximizes the wheel base, which in turn improves cabin space. The use of high strength steel not only gives the required stability but also makes the car weight less. It weighs about 795 kg. To improve the handling of the Spark, a completely new torsion beam rear axle is used, coupled to angled shock absorbers and semi trailing arms. This will provide much greater accuracy wheel control. The Gas pressure shock absorbers together with softer mounting rubbers in the suspension links will improve the ride comfort. Chevrolet claims that spark gives greater visibility from the high driving position with low waist line and slim pillars for tight reversing occasions.
It is this design that gives the Spark's interiors its uniqueness. The speedo, flanked by temperature and fuel gauges, is well within the driver's line of sight and is also visible to all passengers. The warning lamps are in a banana-shaped pod in front of the driver in place of the instrument cluster and this leaves an unobstructed view straight ahead. There"s decent storage space in the cabin. A pair of shelves below the dashboard are useful aids to hold small bits while the front door pockets are large enough to hold a water bottle. The air-conditioning is powerful enough but given the large glasshouse and dark interiors, the AC has to work extra hard to be effective.
The range of safety equipment is completed by an energy-absorbing steering column, knee padding and a plastic fuel tank with a safety valve that immediately halts the fuel supply if the car turns over, thereby virtually eliminating any fire risk. Certainly it may not be the safest car but 0.8L spark will certainly score over many other cars of the same range when comes to safety. Air conditioning, power windows, power steering, remote fuel lid opener and remote tail gate opener will be offered as standard in 1L spark.
For a car of this size, the cabin is roomy, comfortable and well insulated as well. The Spark drives well too with better handling than its peers without sacrificing ride quality. It feels the safest on the highway, which is a big plus for those who travel regularly of out of town. The engine and gearbox aren"t class-leading, but overall performance, refinement and fuel economy are more than adequate.
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