For the first time we get our hands on the new Lilliputian city car from Chevrolet
Small car onslaught
With gas prices rising and new EPA fuel economy targets looming, car manufacturers such as Chevrolet here in the U.S. are tapping their overseas divisions for new models.
Such is the case with the new 2013 Chevrolet Spark which was originally unveiled as the Chevrolet Beat Concept at the 2007 New York Auto Show and, incidentally, has been available in South Korean new car dealer showrooms as the Daewoo Matiz Creative since late in 2009.
So much for its history. How about the car, itself?
2013 Chevy Spark
If you have yet to see it in person, picture this: a true 4-seat car (yes, 2 full-sized adults can sit in the back seat with plenty of head, hip and leg room) that, when compared to the diminutive Ford Fiesta, is 200 pounds lighter, has a wheelbase that's 4.5 inches shorter and an overall length that's nearly 16 inches less.
It's also pretty cool looking – especially on the inside.
Styling
While its nose mimics the Chevrolet division look found on everything from the Cruze to the Traverse and the back end looks as if someone wielded a giant meat cleaver to the already-abbreviated hindquarters of a Chevy Sonic, it still manages to look cute (as if a set of black alloy wheels could make it look in any way macho – they're fifteen inchers, after all).
Its biggest exterior design element is, in fact, its headlamp enclosures that take up the entire top of the front fenders. They begin just below the top of the lower front grille and extend nearly to the base of the A-pillar.
Inside, the designers have made the most of what was undoubtedly a limited budget by interspersing the requisite grey plastic with swaths of high-gloss trim in red that matches the exterior color. The leatherette covering the seats looks better than that of many real leather interiors we have seen and features a two-tone red and black design with contrasting red stitching.
The steering wheel tilts and, on the 2LT, is covered in real leather, while the driver's seat comes with a right-side arm rest which, by the way, even when lowered does not interfere with the manual shifter.
Other standard niceties on the 2LT include fog lamps, the aforementioned alloy wheels, rear spoiler, lower rocker moldings, standard intermittent wipers, remote keyless entry, power windows and locks, cruise control, heated driver and front passenger seat, outside temperature display, six speaker audio system, Sirius XM radio (with the requisite 3 month free trial) and (ta-dah!) Chevrolet's MyLink hands-free smartphone integration with both Pandora and Stitcher Bluetooth audio streaming.
On the road
Holding to the maxim that it's much more of a hoot to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow, we were pleasantly surprised by how much fun the Spark is to drive. It feels well planted on the road and running the gears up to the red line elicited nary a ragged note from its 85 horsepower 1.2-liter inline 4.
For those out there snickering right about now, we'd like to point out that this particular Spark tips the scales at just 2,337 pounds - not a lot that has to be pushed around.
One nit we have to pick deals with its fuel economy numbers. With this light of a vehicle and this small of an engine, we would expect more than the
EPA estimated 32/38/34 city/highway/combined mpg ratings.
Pricing
New car prices for the Spark begin at $12,995 (including destination) for an LS manual and top out at $16,720 (include destination) for a 2LT automatic. Our 2LT manual had an MSRP of $15,795 (again, including destination).
Just one more thing: we only wish we could have one for a week for a more in-depth evaluation. Enough said.
