2006 Chevrolet Spark [merged]

**basti08** · August 14th, 2006 02:17 PM

i think the Getz and Picanto's interior are better than this.

i dont like the 2 spoke steering wheel and the unavailability of CD player, i find the side mirror remote, cute.

**carlocaraddict** · August 14th, 2006 07:36 PM

hmmm...may pics pa ba ng center dash? ano ba itsura ng HU?

wala pa akong nakikitang Spark sa roads though nakakita na ako ng Aveo 1.2

**eggman** · August 16th, 2006 04:52 PM

Ok naman ang Spark yung presyo lang ang nakasama sa kanya which GM Philippines will reduce soon...

**chuaed** · August 17th, 2006 06:20 AM

[SIZE="4"][/SIZE]been to chevy libis yesterday to pms my chevy optra, while they are fixing my car i have the chance to walk around the showroom and first of course greeted the beautiful sales associates:2hearts: who sold me the car and we talked for a while (pa charming charming of course:harana... then i look around, get inside every vehicle... i still like the smell of the brand new optra, and the lumina... grabe bango sarap ng feeling pag ganoon ang amoy ng kotse palagi... :drive1: then i looked at the spark and aveo :poke: not much to look at, but okay for everyday car for a spark at 490,000 pesos and the aveo 1.2 at 550,000 pesos... for me i would prefer to choose the aveo 1.2 which look way better than the spark...

**euro_c** · September 20th, 2006 10:14 AM

Any review on this new entry in the mini market? May owners na ba nito? Feedback?

**OTEP** · September 20th, 2006 10:17 AM

I'm merging this with the existing Chevy Spark threads.

**userfriendly** · September 20th, 2006 11:11 AM

at, but okay for everyday car for a spark at 490,000 pesos and the aveo 1.2 at 550,000 pesos... for me i would prefer to choose the aveo 1.2 which look way better than the spark...

Everyone has his own preference, but for me spark at 490k is over priced. Picanto or Getz na ko. Yung price difference ay pang gas ko na.

As for the Aveo, same price na ito ng Vios J, actually masmahal pa after you factor in the current promos by Toyota. Vios na ko, at least I know that the resale value will be better when I decide to sell.

**eggman** · September 21st, 2006 06:41 AM

Mahal ang Chevrolet Spark kaya hindi masyadong sumikat heck dapata babaan ang presyo nito....

**charriolkid** · October 7th, 2006 07:19 PM

BUMP.

Wala bang tsikoter ang may ari na nito? Pra naman may comprehensive review tayo.. kasi i find it really cutie cute cute tlga LOL

**charriolkid** · October 7th, 2006 07:48 PM

A fine little spark
-Gavin Foster

The Chevrolet Spark is a fine little car worth every penny of its asking price
"Maybe I'm just an eccentric, but I have a thing about small, affordable cars. They get the job done well enough most of the time, you can have fun driving them hard without getting into too much trouble with the law, and they're a breeze when squeezing in and out of parking bays," writes Gavin Foster.

Give me a fun little car with air con and a diminutive price tag and I'm as happy as a lark. Watching how the bottom end of the market is growing, I think that many other South Africans are beginning to think like me. Why spend two weeks of the month slaving away to pay for a four-wheeled status symbol that you can't drive as it was designed to be driven because of all the camera traps lurking on our freeways?

Having said that, it's also time for an apology. When General Motors took over Daewoo a couple of years ago, I thought it was a mistake. If the Americans thought they could churn out cheap little cars in Korea, glue on some leftover Chevrolet badges and gain acceptance in South Africa, they were in for a surprise, I wrote.

Well, that's exactly what they have done, and the brand has done exceedingly well in all ways. The Chev-badged Daewoos have sold like hot cakes both internationally and here in South Africa, and achieved excellent customer ratings in just about every survey conducted.

In the JD Power Initial Quality Survey (IQS) conducted by interviewing the owners of 9 900 new cars bought in South Africa between December last year and April this year, Chevrolet was rated the sixth-best brand in terms of the number of problems encountered by new owners, behind Honda, Subaru, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai -- all cars that cost significantly more.

Then, on November 22, JD Power and Associates released the results of its South Africa Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) for this year. According to this, the reinvigorated Chevrolet brand ranked highest in the country when it came to keeping customers happy during the shopping experience. Chevrolet scored an overall SSI of 861 out of a possible 1 000 points, followed by Mercedes-Benz (846), Mitsubishi, Toyota and Honda. That's pretty good, especially when you consider the pedigrees of the opposition.

All of this takes us to the new Chevrolet Spark, the first product developed by GM-Daewoo Auto and Technology since the takeover in 2002. The Spark -- sold in Korea as the Daewoo Matiz -- is a dinky little city car that comes with a 37 kW 800cc three-cylinder engine, or a one-litre four-cylinder unit that develops 48,5 kW. Neither figure is particularly impressive on paper, but when you take the vehicle's diminutive 800kg mass into account, the prospect of driving it becomes vastly more appealing.

At the launch, I drove the all-new 1 000cc version at sea level, and was pleasantly surprised. At 120kph the little engine's turning over at 4 000 rpm, with 2 500 still in hand, and doesn't seem unduly busy at that speed. On long uphill sections I dropped to fourth gear and my progress continued virtually undiminished. I've heard some very good things about the 800cc triple as well, but haven't yet had a chance to drive the car, which I'm looking forward to doing. Apparently it offers a healthy midrange, way out of proportion to its capacity, and is a lively little city runabout.

The Chev is available in three guises. The entry-level 800cc Spark L, which retails at just R62 000, comes with speakers, an aerial, wiring and power sockets so that buyers can install a sound system without hacking into the car's body panels and wiring loom. It also has various nooks and crannies for oddments, an immobiliser, a full-size spare wheel and various useful touches such as intermittent windscreen wipers and a remote fuel-cap opener.

Cough up R76 140 for the Spark LS and you'll get the bigger engine, air conditioning, key-operated central locking, electric front windows, remote tailgate opening, an underseat stowage bin, a height-adjustable driver's seat, a 60/40 split rear seatback for loading bulky items, a driver's airbag, colour coding and alloy wheels. That sounds like a lot extra for the R14 140 premium asked. The lack of power steering should be a significant flaw, but I drove the Spark LS at the launch and was totally unaware that it lacked steering assistance until I later read up on the specifications.

Rich "poor" people shopping at the lower end of the market can splash out R84 540 for the flagship Spark LT, which comes with the full LS specifications plus ABS, a passenger airbag, power steering, fog lamps front and rear, headrests and remote central locking with an integrated alarm.

The Chevrolet Spark is, in my opinion, a fine little car worth every penny of its asking price. The paintwork exhibits a little orange peel, and the interior plastics aren't up to BMW standards, but the car is a good, honest vehicle at a very fair price. I reckon the LS is the bargain of the bunch because it offers much more than the L-model, but I'm still looking forward to driving the cheaper car. It might just be the best four-wheeled basic transport available for those on a tight budget.

*Wala akong naintindihan mechanically speaking. Twas in Greek for me. *Schooofid me*