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For a small 1.0-litre car, the new Chevrolet Spark has had mega-sized launch campaign that includes a worldwide internet voting campaign, a major part in the movie "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen", and star-billing at all the major international motorshows in the United States, Europe, India and China. This much-hyped little car has now arrived in Singapore, and Oneshift.com drives one of only two Sparks on the island.

Story and Photos by Justin Lee - 13 May 2011

Dramatic looks, inside and out

While the Chevy Spark has always been a stylish little car, in a cutesy, feminine way, its replacement is a macho and aggressive design, befitting a character that made its debut in a major blockbuster film. From the exaggerated angular headlamps that flank the over-sized grille with a bow-tie, to the dramatically wedged and sloping belt-line, and ending with the bright chrome surrounds around the tail lamps, the new Spark is larger-than-life, and certainly makes an impression.

Styling-wise, the Spark is refreshingly bold and even futuristic. It is quite obvious that no effort was spared in giving this, the littlest of all Chevrolets, the looks and appearance of a winner, at least in the 1.0-litre category. Take for example the concealed rear door handles on the Spark, even though this is a feature found on certain Alfa Romeo models, it gives the Spark a sense of style not usually found in a car this class and size.

The sense of drama continues on the inside as well - in a complete break from the centrally-mounted instrument binnacle on the previous model - the new Spark gets a handsome and futuristic motorcycle-inspired analogue/digital pod-like binnacle mounted directly in front of the driver. The speedometer read-out is convention, analogue and round, but the tachometer, fuel gauge and trip meters are all LCD readouts in an adjoining square module. This design doesn't really make it easier to read than a conventional instrument panel, but it certainly looks cool, especially at night.

The other significant addition to the Spark's interior is the standard NavTrak sat-nav system, the same one found on the Cruze. Unlike the larger Chevy however, the unit in the Spark is installed where the in-car entertainment unit would be, which means it is a little low for quick referencing while driving. Nonetheless, it is quite impressive to have sat-nav on such a small car - it certainly enhances the little Chevy's space-age capsule image.

One-litre wonder, encore

After being wow-ed by Spark's bold styling and futuristic dashboard, it's a bit of deju vu when one looks under the bonnet. The 16-valve 4-cylinder 1.0-litre S-TEC unit is more or less the same powerplant as the last Spark, but upgraded with an increase in output of 5bhp, from 63bhp to 68bhp. While this in itself is quite fair for a 1.0-litre engine, matching performance figures for the yet-to-be-released new Kia Picanto, the Spark's main rival, the fact that the only transmission available is a conventional 4-speed automatic transmission doesn't do much to help matters.

What's really needed for tiny super-economical sub-1.0-litre cars like the Spark is some innovation in transmission technology, especially as conventional torque-convertors sap so much power. The best example of this would be the similarly sized and equipped Peugeot 107 - its engine was the same size and had the same output, but because it had the 2-tronic 5-speed 'clutchless' manual gearbox, the car actually felt quite lively and rev-happy, even if it wasn't really going that fast. Either that, or let the customer have the choice of a standard 5-speed manual gearbox.

This powertrain limits the Spark to being a city car, especially as the new model's body weighs about 150kg more than the outgoing model. Also, at highway speeds, the din from the engine and road noise starts to become intrusive. As the Beat showcar that made the rounds of the international motorshows, the prototype Spark had a turbocharged 1.2-litre engine under its bonnet - perhaps this is the engine that we should wait for to power the Spark.

The Ideal City Shuttle

It is as a stylish city-car that the Spark really excels. Its movie-star good looks attracts attention for all the right reasons, and like all well-designed small cars, actually looks bigger than it actually is. Stepping into the cabin is equally impressive, as the Spark is impressively space-efficient. Headroom and legroom are generous for the driver and front passenger, and the low waist line and steeply raked windscreen provide wide expanses of glass and good views out.

The front seats are also impressively dimensioned, and are more comfortable than those normally found in small sub-1.0-litre cars - more reason to believe the Spark is being prepared for sale in North America.

The Spark's dramatically rising waistline means that the glass area at the back is less generous in the rear compartment, and plus the fact that the 'hidden' door handles actually fills the area that would otherwise have a little window. Even so, the rear seats are comfortable and not cramped, and visibility is still good.

With just over a ton to haul around, the car's 68bhp engine has its work cut out for it. This strain is not so obvious at city speeds, and with its compact dimensions, accurate steering and impressively tight turning radius, the Spark really comes into its own in as a City Shuttle.

In summary, given the high COE prices and preference for larger cars, Chevrolet, like Nissan, are taking a risk to launch their entry-level models at this time. As a stylish city run-a-bout, the Spark is hard to beat (no pun intended) - it looks much more dramatic and impressive than any of its rivals. It definitely has a youthful and bright futuristic disposition, it's a pity then that it comes only with a power sapping auto box - the option of a 5-speed manual gearbox will do much to enhance its youthful appeal.

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