[vishy76]

The Chevrolet Spark can be bought for anywhere between 90K to 1.5L used in today’s market

What I like:

• Excellent perceivable build quality. Can still hold its own against any A-segment hatchback in today’s day and age
• Butter smooth 4 pot 1.0 S-TEC motor has brilliant refinement on offer
• Sorted chassis and driving dynamics coupled with acceptable ride quality for the segment
• Features such as fog lamps, rear spoiler, rear wash and wipe on the top end variant as standard
• Priced quite well for what it offered back in 2012
• Spare parts are not a huge issue in today’s day and age and Chevrolet’s after sales is surprisingly capable even today (in some parts of India)

What I don’t like:

• S-TEC has a weak bottom end and is not the most fuel efficient either
• Hydraulic power steering (though very feel-some) can become cumbersome to use in traffic for the average joe
• Looks and feels dated today. Not exactly a timeless design like the Suzuki Swift
• Notchy 5-speed gearbox takes away a lot from the driving pleasure
• Even the top end variant (LT) missed out on body colored ORVMs and door handles
• The more accomplished Beat wasn’t too far away in terms of pricing from the Spark

[vishy76]

This is the story of a car that should have never ideally been a part of my garage. I will walk you through how it became a part of this family before eventually coming down to how it became mine.

October, 2012

My maternal grandfather is a 70+ year old man. He has been a Hyundai loyalist in terms of the number of years he has owned them. A Hyundai Santro 1.1 Epsilon from 2000 all the way up to 2005 and then a Hyundai Getz 1.3 GVS from 2005 all the way up to 2012. Come 2012 though, and a change of car is needed. My grandfather has now retired and doesn’t have the luxury of a chauffeur. Age also means he finds it difficult to pilot a B-segment hatch through traffic though he drives very occasionally.

With all this in mind, started the hunt for a new car. My grandfather is someone who believes in wasting very little time on cars unlike me or my dad who would loiter around showrooms and check all cars out. He started his analysis and concluded that the Suzuki Alto 800 was too low slung for him, the Hyundai Santro Xing oozed “taxi” and the only car that made sense to him on paper was the Chevrolet Spark. Being the discrete man he is, all we could do was drop in at the nearest Chevrolet dealer (Shree Gopinathji, Vadodara) and check if the car was worth its salt.

It appeared that our timing was spot on. A new (and the last) facelift of the Spark had just been launched and was waiting for us at the showroom. Sporting the large air dam along with clear lens indicators and a revised front bumper, the Spark was trying its best to look like a Mini-Captiva. Changes to the interiors included a slightly tweaked instrument cluster along with new upholstery and a grey shade for the dashboard.

We were immediately offered a test drive and the TD car (as expected) was also a facelift LT. The test drive went well enough with the car ticking all parameters an average joe would want in an A-segment hatch. Very good space, excellent headroom, above average air con performance and stellar refinement as expected.

The negotiation bit was handled by my maternal and paternal grandfather both. As expected, my dad sat this one out since two 60+ year old folks (ruthless negotiators) negotiating with a 30 year old S.A to lower the price on a recently launched facelift wasn’t precisely a scenario one would want to witness. My grandfather (as expected) walked out without making a booking. He was of the opinion that he had given his best offer to the S.A and though he was satisfied with the resale he was getting for the Getz, his word would be the last when it came to the price.

True to his words, the S.A did approach him a month later with a price he was fine with and my grandfather went ahead with the booking. The variant booked was the LS. It had all the basics covered such as an air con, power steering, front power windows and the likes. The LT added fog lamps, a rear spoiler, rear wash and wipe along with an OE head Unit and fabric inserts on the door trim. Nice to have things, but not a compulsion for someone like my grandfather. My grandfather being the stud negotiator he is also eked out each and every accessory to sweeten the deal. The Pioneer Head unit (described later) was carried over from the Getz while an autocop remote locking system was also fitted aftermarket with seat covers.

Car: Chevrolet Spark
Variant: 1.0 STEC LS Petrol
Total OTR: 3.7L (Vadodara)
Accessories: A Chevrolet Teddy Bear, Air freshener, Scuff Plates, parking sensors, mud flaps

The car came home around December, 2012. I wasn’t around since I was based in Mumbai back then and had come down for Diwali vacations when the car was booked. I only got to witness it when I came down in the April, 2013 for my summer vacations. One thing that stood out then and still does today is the paint quality. I think the quality of paint defies segment standards on this car.

July, 2020

Cut to 2020 and things have changed. My grandfather has had a spotless ownership experience with the Spark but lack of usage and the fact that his driving license is only a few months away from expiring means the Spark needs to go. He decides to hand the car over to me.

Got the car home on a rainy July evening. Right off the bat, the air con wasn’t throwing out cool air. The right hand side high beam was not working and the direction control knob for the air con was found to have come free. The biggest issue however was that the car would refuse to start sometimes and misfire on cold starts. Decided to send it to Chevrolet around late September.

The car only had 14.7K km on the odo when it came to me. In spite of being the second oldest car in the extended family (oldest being a Honda City 1.5 IVTEC), the Spark was by far the least used. Sent it to Chevrolet and had the following things attended to:

- Refrigerant gas filled (though I was led to believe that a cooling coil change would be needed)
- Right hand side headlamp socket changed
- Fuel tank drained as the petrol had become emulsion and fuel injectors cleaned
- Spark plugs were changed

All of this set me back 7K. Weirdly enough, the air con works perfectly till date which leads me to believe the service centre diagnosis was wrong. The gas had slowly leaked out of the compressor seals while the car was standing unused for months during the lockdown and that was the reason why cooling had been affected. My procrastination saved me another 7K

The old Spark plugs:

[vishy76]

Exteriors and overall build quality

The Chevrolet Spark was launched back in 2007 in India. It was essentially a Daewoo Matiz with a much better engine and major styling changes on both the interior and exterior front. Unlike Daewoo however, Chevrolet’s core strategy wasn’t exactly to provide segment best interiors or fit and finish or even features. The Spark had more than enough engineering finesse than the Alto even with its old mechanicals and interiors that were miles ahead of the utilitarian Santro Xing, but it never really aimed to stand out or be special. Factors such as interior quality or styling weren’t precisely a USP for the Spark like they were for its elder cousin.

Measuring in at 3495mm, the Spark has the same length as the Alto, but a longer wheelbase at 2345mm. The real ace up its sleeve is the tallboy stance which gives it a height of 1518mm. It is also wider than the Alto by quite a bit.

The front end of the 2012 Facelift sports a larger than life air dam flanked by a smaller grille at the top. Both of these are integral parts of the redesigned single piece front bumper which now comes with revised housings for the fog lamps. The headlamps remain more or less the same with the only change being the switch to clear lens turn indicators. It’s obvious Chevrolet tried to mimic the Cruze and Captiva’s front end here. All in all, the front end has polarized opinions. Some prefer the cleaner front end of the pre-facelift with the more proportionate air dam design while others prefer the Captiva-esque front end. As for me, I will say the design has grown on me and the facelift added some much needed aggression to a front end which had otherwise gone out of fashion.

The side profile is typical tallboy material. A strong shoulder line runs across the length of the car from the front indicators to the rear tail lamp. The uniquely mounted ORVMs add to the funky styling. As expected of a car of its class, the Spark comes with 13 inch steel rims which do a fair job of filling up the wheel arches. The top end LT variant also gets the same rims with the same wheelcaps. Alloy wheels were not a standard fitment on any variant though they were offered on the pre-facelift Spark at some point. Body colored ORVMs and door handles weren’t standard on any variant as mentioned before.

The rear end is the biggest letdown. The tail lamps have gone out of fashion to be brutally honest though Chevrolet did try their level best by tinting the indicator lenses orange (weirdly, the pre-facelift had clear lens ones) and redesigning the reflectors. The exhaust pipe has been neatly tucked in beneath to the left. The Chevrolet and Spark nomenclature assume position on opposite sides of the boot. The variant badge sits right next to the Spark badge. No engine badging exists anywhere on the car.

All in all, the overall physique of the car does bear a striking semblance to the Matiz. The short bonnet, tall roof and the drooping front end are common to both cars though I don’t frankly find anything else to be the same. To sum things up on the design front, the Spark is not going to stand out as a “classic” or “timeless” design like the Suzuki Swift or the Maruti Zen. It had a particularly cutesy appeal when launched but lost its sheen somewhere down the line.

One area where the Spark hasn’t lost its sheen and can still hold its own against cars 2-3 segments above it is the perceived build quality. The thickness of sheet metal used lends a particularly solid thud to the doors which I am frankly yet to come across in an A or even a B segment hatch (barring the Polo and the old Figo) in today’s day and age. Overall paint quality is also very good. Panel gaps are unusually wide around the bonnet area but acceptable around the doors and the boot. The fact that the Spark weighs in at 850kg does come as a surprise considering all this.

Coming to safety, it is anybody’s guess as to how safe a 2 decade old platform will be. The Spark also misses out on ABS or Airbags, but surprisingly comes with proper 3-point seatbelts for the two rear passengers unlike my Kwid.

Larger than life air dam and the new grille were the main highlights of the 2012 facelift. LS misses out on fog lamps:


Bumper gets a lip protruding out at the bottom. You can see this one has already suffered a shunt from the right:


The one-piece bumper might look very good but makes it an absolute pain to access the horn even though it is located behind the grille. The entire bumper will need to come off:


This particular car did suffer a shunt from the front. Although it wasn’t major enough to damage the radiator and condenser, the entire front bumper needed replacement and the bonnet needed denting and painting. The paintjob done by the dealer hasn't stood the test of time:


Two washer nozzles are placed neatly on a cowl below the windshield. Good old days where bean counters hadn’t taken over the engineering department. My Kwid gets only a single washer:


Clear lens indicators are the only change to the headlamps on the facelift. Throw and intensity are strictly average even by A-segment standards:


Low beams:


High beams. Fog lamps would have greatly helped here:


Distinct character lines run from the edges of the grille merge into the bonnet:


The Chevrolet Bowtie nestled between the air dam and the grille:


Uniquely mounted door mirrors. The LS misses out on a passenger side ORVM (only miss I find apart from rear wash and wipe). My car has a counterfeit installed and as you can see, the ill-fitting mirror cap has already flown off:


Side profile oozes tallboy. No body colored mirrors or door handles on any variant:


13-inch rims shod with Apollo Acceleres R13 tyres. Wheelcaps have a neutral design. Alloy wheels not offered on any variant (much like the Alto and Santro):


The fuel tank cap is placed on the wrong side as one would come to expect from a car of this origin:


Rear end looks uninspiring in today’s day and age. Parking sensors installed aftermarket stick out like sore thumbs:


Tail lamps have tinted indicators unlike the clear lens ones on the pre-facelift:


Chevrolet and Spark nomenclature with the variant name suffixed to the latter:



Exhaust pipe neatly tucked away into a cavity in the rear bumper:


Number plate has been swapped to IND type as mandated here in GJ. Old ones looked far more pleasing aesthetically to me:


Yours truly ended up reversing the car into a pole like a proper noob. Damage is a dented bootlid and slightly scratched bumper:

[vishy76]

Open the hefty door, and it’s a fairly easy way into the Spark (though nowhere as easy as the Kwid). One thing you do realise after getting in is that the interior (unlike the exterior), will appeal a lot more to conservative tastes. Barring one or two design elements, I didn’t find the interiors to have any funky detailing or touches.

The overall dashboard layout is extremely simple with the only exception being the unconventional placement of the instrument cluster. The interiors are draped in a theme of greyish beige (reminds me of Toyota’s greige colour and the 2011 Vento’s dash colour). Overall plastic quality is more hard wearing than plush. All plastics are rock hard as expected from a car of this class. While the grey plastics on the doorpads have a rather drab texture, the dashboard and centre console feel far better to touch. The door cards on the LT come clad with cloth, while the LS doesn’t get this.

The seat upholstery on the LS is composed of part vinyl and part cloth. Again, it feels more hard wearing than plush. Both seats get fore and aft adjustment with recline as expected from a car of this class. A height adjustable seat for the driver isn’t offered (as expected). The seat cushioning seems to be on the stiffer side to me. Perfect for longer hours in the car, but a minor irritant for shorter journeys.

The centre console houses the instrument cluster at the top. The instrument cluster on the 2012 Spark gets a few green accents as compared to the ones before.
The round AC vents at the centre are again made of plastic that feels hard wearing and have a rather crude tactile feedback as compared to the Kwid. The good part is that both can be shut entirely and let very little air through. Below the AC vents sits the HU. The top end LT variant gets an OE Chevrolet HU from the factory (A blaupunkt in all probability), while the LS and L don’t come with factory fitted head units. The LS gets speaker preparations and an antenna as standard. Seen here is a Pioneer HU which has been carried over from the Getz. At the very bottom are the ac controls. Again, extremely straightforward. One interesting observation is that the thermostat knob and the ac direction control flow knob assume inverted positions. The latter isn’t working on my car as I will describe later.

Overall fit and finish is what I would term acceptable by A-segment standards. Though exposed screws inside the cabin and a few poorly finished bits could have been bettered on the facelift.

Steering wheel with an obnoxiously large horn pad. No leather wrap as expected but I would have liked it if the Chevrolet Bowtie was a proper logo and not an integrated piece of plastic on the hornpad. Feels good to hold:


The empty recess behind the steering on the facelift was actually a digital cluster with telltale lights (CEL, coolant temp, Oil pressure etc.) on the pre-facelift Spark. My 6-inch phone can slide in comfortably, but I don’t want it to fly onto my face incase of a frontal impact so I refrain from keeping it here:


Nestled neatly in its binnacle, the instrument cluster might look spartan but does have a few tricks up its sleeve when it comes to the MID. These include:
- A digital fuel guage and much welcome coolant temperature guage
- Digital Tachometer
- Battery Voltage Indicator
- A trip meter






Stalks have an LHD orientation and feel durable. Overall quality and feedback is as expected of an A-segment hatch:



AC vents feel durable enough but score low on tactile feedback. The good part is all vents can be shut individually and throw very little air out when you do so:


The headlamp leveler switch towards the right of the steering. The only interior switch (apart from the power window switches) which isn’t backlit:


Both front doorpads get a recess that can hold a 1L bottle and some knick-knacks:


Mirror adjustment knob. My 5.5L Renault Kwid sold in 2017 doesn’t get this feature. How the penny pinchers have taken over the auto industry these days:


The 1-DIN Pioneer HU seen here. The small size leaves a recess below where I used to store the service diary. Takes USB, Aux, CD and the usual AM/FM as inputs. Music is played through two speakers on either ends of the dashboard. Sound quality is typical A-segment OE territory (read: pathetic).




Straightforward air con controls. Notice how the locations of the thermostat knob and AC direction control knob have been switched. Recirculation slider is a lot easier to use as compared to my Kwid:


A recess at the bottom of the centre console along with two bottle holders. My phone goes at the back usually:


5-speed gearbox with a sliding mesh reverse gear. 2nd feels especially vague to slot into. Throws are very rubbery and long in general. Golf ball type gear knob feels great to hold:


12V cigarette lighter near the gear lever:


Plastic quality at most places is on par with today’s hatchbacks and is below average at others. The handbrake falls in the latter category. Another cubby hole here which can come in handy for placing a phone:


Glovebox is average sized but the lid feels very cheap. Interestingly, there is a recess below it. My grandfather had stored a hammer here to break the glass open in case of an emergency. I removed it because it’s a heavy unsecured object susceptible to flying around the cabin in a rollover or crash and its no good when breaking tempered glass anyways:



Front seats have more than adequate bolstering and a good amount of underthigh support. I would definitely rate them over the Kwid which has much thinner seats and skimps out on adjustable head rests:


Rear seats are quite comfortable too. Underthigh support and bolstering is more than adequate, though seating 3 abreast might be an issue due to the narrow width. The rear doors are also wide enough to aid easy entry unlike the narrow ones on the Renault.

Note the proper 3-point seatbelts for the two rear passengers. Unfortunately, no seatbelt for the centre passenger. I guess you win some and you lose some:


Party trick. Both rear seats can be flipped down to generate more boot space. Again, its where Chevrolet “hasn’t” cut costs that has really made me smile. Goes to show how car makers are getting smarter by the day at silently deleting features:


No rear power windows (on the LS and L) and bottle holders for the rear passengers.


With the front seat adjusted to my position, here’s the amount of kneeroom available:

[vishy76]

Engine, driving dynamics and NVH

Doing duty in the Spark is a 1.0L Daewoo sourced S-TEC (S stands for “smart”) engine. It’s a simple 4 pot naturally aspirated petrol belting out about 62hp at 5400rpm and 90.3nm torque at 4200rpm. Though both these figures are healthy by segment standards, the Spark (on paper) makes peak torque 1200rpm later as compared to the Santro Xing which makes 98nm at a meagre 3000rpm. Do these figures actually mean something in the real world? The short answer is “Yes”.

Turn the key and the S-TEC settles into a smooth idle. None of the discomforting vibrations that one is used to on modern-day A-segment hatchbacks penetrate the cabin. At idle, all that filters into the cabin is a mild hum with almost no vibrations felt on the steering wheel or floorpan. Let off the clutch with air con on, and the Spark wont quite move off the line effortlessly. The weak bottom end means the car does need some throttle input to get off from standstill. Within the city, this is a major irritant. Lifting off speed breakers in 2nd will need some slipping of the clutch and throttle input. The long throw 5 speed gearbox and the hydraulic power steering (which is on the heavier side) do mean the Spark isn’t as effortless to drive in the city as its modern-day counterparts.

Out on the open road, overall performance is what I would call “brisk”. The engine starts coming into its stride at around 1700rpm and pulls well up to about 4300rpm post which power tapers off sharply. Mind you, it’s not what I would call free revving or an engine that is eager to hit the limiter like the K10. In fact, the S-TEC is quite slow revving and does start making some unpleasant noises and vibes post 4300rpm. Its best to upshift at this point rather than aiming for the revv limiter. What helps the cause of the engine is the short gearing. I found myself short shifting to 5th gear at speeds as low as 40 kmhr. The downside obviously is that engine speeds are quite high even when cruising in the 80-100 kmhr pocket.

The 5-speed manual is a fly in the ointment. It just doesn’t have the sure slotting feel of most Japanese gearboxes and feels particularly vague. 5th gear takes some effort to slot into, while 2nd gear has an obnoxiously long throw. The non-synchronised sliding mesh reverse gear is another story altogether. It just refuses to slot in sometimes and gets stuck halfway through at others. The clutch is as light as one would expect of an A-segment hatch though I did have to get the bite point adjusted since it was a tad too high for my liking.

The hydraulic power steering is another “dated” attribute of the Spark I appreciate. It does feel heavier than an EPS for sure at parking speeds but I don’t find it to be cumbersome in the least. At higher speeds the HPS comes into its own. No, its no Fiat steering that talks to you, but it weighs up more than adequately and has enough feel even at dead centre position to inspire confidence. One weird thing about the HPS in the Spark is that you will hear the pump humming when you turn the steering from lock to lock and hold it there.

The Spark uses a mcpherson strut suspension at the front and the ubiquitous torsion beam at the rear. In comparision to most other A-segment hatchbacks, it does have a slight bias towards handling and is set on the stiffer side. At lower speeds, there is a hint of stiffness to the suspension though its nowhere near bone jarring. At moderate speeds, it easily dismisses off and thuds through most potholes with aplomb.

High speed composure is par for the course and the Spark can cruise at 80-100 kmhr without breaking a sweat. Having said that, larger undulations or very poorly paved surfaces will make the rear end lose composure. Its best to keep speeds in check on single or double lane highways where poorly laid tarmac can rear its ugly head at any moment. I haven’t pushed the car too hard owing to the old tyres around corners, but the overall handling package is what I would call above average for an A-segment hatchback. Keep the height and short wheelbase in mind, and you will have no issues. The same goes for the brakes. I found them to be more than adequate with the pedal having a progressive travel and good bite. The brakes also seldom locked up unless I really forced them to.

Overall NVH is again above average. The 4-cylinder engine only allows a hum to seep through at idle and a thrum as the revs climb. Damping from road noises is inadequate though and could have been improved.

Engine bay is quite compact, but neatly packed:


The power steering fluid reservoir. HPS pump is inherently noisy on the Spark:


Takes in 5W30 Mineral Oil along with pink coolant (long life):



Seen here is the fusebox. Gets 3 spare fuses (10A, 15A & 20A) along with a fuse puller. Diagram comes neatly pasted to the lid. Note the VIN plate in the first image:



The compact engine bay does mean access to some parts is very difficult. Strut mounts are placed quite far back and are nowhere as easy to access as one would expect on a car like this:


Serpentine belt is known to be inherently noisy on the Spark. Nothing can be done about it unfortunately:


Dipstick has OIL clearly written on it to ensure you don’t mistake it for anything else:


Changed both the headlamp sockets (H4s) as the older ones had burnt off:



Shot a video of the engine note. Very smooth idle. The Kwid's 3-pot (understandably) dances around on its mounts

https://youtu.be/5TV4xMc8nG4

[vishy76]

Smaller yet significant things

Boot space of 170L on par with the Alto, but a lot less than the Santro Xing (208L):


Fuel tank capacity stands at 35L, which is again on par with competition. The fuel guage in my car does have a mind of its own at times. Indicates reserve even when there is 6-7L of fuel in the tank:


Door ajar warning includes the bonnet too! Genuinely laudable move. The boot doesn’t get this warning though:


The scuff plates I had mentioned earlier:


Bonnet release lever is neatly placed and feels very solid to use:



Fusebox is hidden underneath the dash at a very inconvenient location. Again, comes with a diagram pasted on its lid:



Remember the dysfunctional AC direction control knob? This is the reason. The crimping between the cable end and the hook has come free. Tried Araldite but it came free. Will be trying some M-seal to fix this. Chevrolet would want to change the entire HVAC module for 4.8K:


A blank exists where the fog lamp button for the LT would be. The centre console trim comes in a brushed silver finish on the LT. On the LS and L, its black:


The aftermarket parking sensor fitment. Gets a Mercedes rip-off type display mounted above the IRVM along with a very irritating audible feedback speaker on the right C-pillar trim. Note the cabin lamp here (should have been placed in the centre IMO):


The car came with these loud seat covers. Removed them and found the foam inside had disintegrated and was flying around the entire cabin. Yours truly was sneezing away to glory. Thankfully, the stock upholstery was in excellent shape:


A shot of the centre console at night. Green backlighting for the controls and instrument cluster looks soothing:


Fore and aft adjustment lever for the seats feels crude to use:


Tyre pressure recommendations indicated near the driver side door:


Panel gaps are very wide around the bonnet, but acceptable around the boot and the doors:



Expenses incurred till date:
- Ac Gas recharge, spark plugs, injector and fuel tank cleaning, replaced bulb holders for both headlamps : 8K
- Scheduled service (oil, oil filter, air filter): 2.7K
- Front strut mounts, struts: 7K

[vishy76]

That was all folks. That was my short review on the Chevrolet Spark, my first car. The future for the Spark remains grim as I might need to sell it off once I go to college, but until then she’s mine. I could sell the car off now and pocket the money, but I do have a lot of respect for the way my grandfather has kept it over the years and the fact that he chose to hand it over to me.

The Spark isn’t exactly a “desirable” car per say. It was produced by a company that orphaned customers, it doesn’t quite sport a very timeless design, does have its share of niggles and isn’t precisely an outstanding performer in any specific area. All said and done however, the car has taught me that sometimes the very fact that you exist is something to be thankful for. You need not be a stalwart at everything in life, sometimes its good to just lay low, enjoy the smaller things, have a good time and leave. The Spark isn’t as fun to drive as a K10, isn’t as spacious as a Santro and nor does it look particularly attractive. However, I would be lying if I said I haven’t had the time of my life learning driving on this car. I hold it very close to my heart and always will. Its like your first love. It might not have ended very well, might not have been the best tale in the world, and you know there are better things to come, but you remember it as clear as day and cherish it.

And on that rather relatable note , its time to end this review. Thanks for reading through. I hope you enjoyed reading this thread as much as I enjoyed putting it all together.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[GTO]

Great review . Thanks for sharing, and the walk down memory lane. I was a big fan of the Daewoo Matiz (almost bought one for my sister) and the Chevrolet Spark (bought it for my bhabhi). Excellent car and superior to the competing Marutis & Hyundais in so many ways. For the price, the design + build + suspension were pretty darn good. My bhabhi happily used her Spark for many years, before upgrading to a Grand i10.

In the engine area though, I prefer Maruti's K10 and Hyundai's 1.1 & 1.2L motors.

Thanks again for sharing! Your car will go to our homepage this week .

[vigsom]

That review of a Spark is as honest, detailed and stock as it can get. Except the internals of the engine and the gearbox, you've covered almost everything. Even bird poop was left as is.

My two highest speed rides on Indian highways were on the Spark - first one was in 2010 when I rode in a friend's 2007 Spark LT from Surat to Anand for a wedding. The second was in early 2017 from Chennai to Bangalore in a KA registered 2013 Spark LT. On both runs, the Spark was doing 130-140kmph effortlessly. Rubbery gear shifts and a low FE were probably the only downers in an otherwise well packaged car.

[shancz]

Great review, brings back memories, We owned a Matiz and a Spark(2008) still runs in family.

Personally I didn't like the center mounted instruments and the throttle response which felt a bit indirect/lagging. The steering felt notably stiffer than the Matiz(non PS in both).
But outside of these the car was marvelous like already mentioned.
Agree with GTO and the suspension was the most underrated feature, I doubt how many current hatchbacks can match that.

Coming to repair costs, let me share an experience.
I had to get the car towed to a service center a couple of years ago (still functional then) after the gear seized in a traffic jam in the hills. The clutch plate material had melted and got stuck to the flywheel, looked like lava. The service center guys were extremely helpful and managed to scrape off the material and save the flywheel, unheard of these days especially when they had the flywheel available. We paid for a new clutch plate, cable and cover costing us 8-9k incl labour.
The repair costs seemed cheap but maybe I am just spoilt by looking at MSIL repair bills .

Thanks again for the thread, a very good morning indeed

[ashis89]

Excellent review of the Spark. Wish you many more happy years with it.

A close friend of mine had a red Spark LT which he loved to the core. Inspite of a weak bottom end, the response was better than my WagonR K10. That and a strong AC is what I liked about his ride. Even the suspension was slightly softer. It was a better car for the city than my WagonR.

Downer was the low FE, heavy steering and that quirky centre console.

[Latheesh]

Hey, thanks for sharing your ownership review. I had 2009 modified model and according to me it was the best looking Spark both interior and exterior (it had full beige interior), later they started removing features to cut cost. Our car had body colour handles, body colour mirrors, roof rail, adjustable rear head rests, split rear seat, mud flaps, and floor mat as standard fitment in LT variant. Most of these are missing in later models. There was even an LT(O) variant with driver airbag+alloy wheels earlier.

[Siva Prakash]

This was a really good review, there was something about the way it was written that made it feel like a team-bhp official review.
The Spark is a really good car and I think it aged really well, just like my Ford Fiesta .

[kamilharis]

Great ownership report and it's a cute little car to own.

But I was not a big fan of the car mainly due to the way it drove. My uncle had one and I used to take "driver" duty once in a while whenever I visited him. It was a pain to drive Spark in the traffic and I literally hated driving it in the traffic. If the car is fully loaded then it becomes more painful in urban driving conditions. Keeping this fact & low FE aside, this is a good car to own in many other ways.

Spark was later sold for a mere sum and replaced with a Celerio AMT.