[RavenAvi]

Excellent review, guys. Your keen eye for details in the pictures is really commendable.

A classic case of "the good, the bad & the ugly" existing together in a single package - the Chevy Sail U-VA. For starters, I absolutely love the look of the speedo! Looks simple yet futuristic, and the yellow backlighting adds to the look. Very smart, I must say. On the other hand, the interiors are too plain-jane and of a shade which will look dirty very easily. It will be a pain to maintain, unless one goes for good seat covers.

And what is with that rear?! Holy schamoly, it looks like it's descended from a few generations back! Never been a fan of those tower-ish rear lights. I understand they had to go for something similar because of that raised roof in the rear (to expand the headroom for the rear passengers), but they could have stuck something more contemporary in the rear. Unusually high bumper and that outlandish keyhole - doesn't gel well with the rest of the car, IMO. And the loading height at the rear looks to be tall as well.

Same goes for the door handles and the inner door locks. That must have been one heck of a cost-cutting measure. The Sail better be priced right by Chevy, otherwise with all those missing features (come on, even the Brio comes with steering-mounted controls) it might not garner the sales figures GM India hopes it would.

But yes, the trump card is that fantastic diesel engine. If priced sensibly, it should attract enough customers, specially those who prefer practicality and functionality over style and performance. This is a good option for an urban commuter who has to travel 20-30 kms one-way to his job every day. This is Chevy's attempt to pull off a Maruti model here - now the results (sales numbers) are to be seen.

Thanks for compiling the report and the numbers. Rating thread a superbly deserved 5-stars!

[swiftdiesel]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

1.3L SDE Smartech Diesel:

Power delivery is linear & gradual post 1,750 rpm, unlike the Swift’s engine that gives you a more noticeable turbo boost. The Chevrolet Sail has much better low-end driveability, due to the lesser turbo lag. The 205 Nm of peak torque (@ 1,750 rpm) comes in a full 300 rpm earlier than in the MJD & DDiS cars, making it more adept for the urban crawl.

Great review mate! Just a small correction if you may; the BS IV DDiS Swift and Ritz produce the 200 Nm torque @ 1750 rpm like the Sail. The older BS III Swifts had it @ 2000 rpm. In fact all the DDiS iterations from the Suzuki stable now produce it from 1750 rpm onwards.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by swiftdiesel

Great review mate! Just a small correction if you may; the BS IV DDiS Swift and Ritz produce the 200 Nm torque @ 1750 rpm like the Sail. The older BS III Swifts had it @ 2000 rpm. In fact all the DDiS iterations from the Suzuki stable now produce it from 1750 rpm onwards.

Thanks!

The Swift and Ritz does get some boost and toque post 1750 but it's not much. They are not VGT but FGT applications, unlike the Ertiga / SX4. In the VGT applications, boost comes in earlier and the torque peaks @ 1.7k revs. But the Swift still peaks @ 2000 revs while the Sail's engine peaks earlier. As mentioned, the Sail's torque and power delivery is more linear and gradual unlike the shove you get post 2000 revs in the Swift / Ritz.

EDIT: The Sail is an FGT application.

[man_and_machine]

For reasons hard to understand and explain,Chevy is a cursed brand in India. Partly they are to be blamed to bring in models that were extinct with the last of the Dinosaurs, the models from the dead Korean take over etc. With beat it started to look better (and well beat sells to, but only for its D heart). This new car is an attempt in the right direction, but I still it will miss many customers, simply because its GM. How do explain to a colleague just with features list comparison to woo him/her to buy a GM over the Swift! I will find it hard, not matter what the stats on paper say, its the heart (and not just the pocket) that finally does the buying. GMs also age very soon, another reason why they go out of fashion in India?

[vinjosep]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Power window switches are within reach and even allow the co-passenger to control all windows:

Excellent review!

Question: all the power windows have a 1-touch up/ down? The way the switches are marked, either all have this funtion or none.

(anit-pinch might be asking too much, won't it?)

[volkman10]

Great maiden review Suhaas, nicely compiled.
The car being neutral in design would do decent numbers but would not come close to Swift or even Figo, even if priced decently with the dated design and basic missing features like climate control, MID, steering-mounted audio controls, seat height adjustment.

Cheers!

[veyron_head]

Excellent Review there!!

I kind of like the exterior looks of the car. Its plain jane but sure not ugly. That said, the interiors are no better than my 800. The steering wheel, while it may function well, looks downright ugly and cheap. A black colored wheel would have at least taken the 'cheap' out of it.

But I am sure this is a competent car, as was the UV-A. I drove my friend's UV-A and was amazed how solidly built it was and planted on the road like a fiat.

I am sure this car will give them numbers provided they price it well. I wouldn't want to pay anything more than 6 lacs (ex-showroom) for the diesel top end of this car.

[a4anurag]

Very nice and Crisp Review Suhaas!! Rated 5-stars for this one.

Coming to the Sail. It looks like a mix of Ritz (Tail lamps design) and Figo with the overall rear design.

Why do manufacturers give so much of bordering on the rear glass instead of maximizing of the rearward visibility.

[k149in]

I am surprised and happy that Chevy is bringing a very practical car. Reminds me about the Sunny. Lots of space (compared to other B2 segment hatches), having just the enough power, balanced feature set and a no-nonsense design just not like a A-star or back of a Ritz. If priced appropriately, I am sure it will find good number of customers who prefer mind over heart.

Very thorough review as usual Suhaas. Thanks for bringing it so well!

[tj123]

To be honest the car looks a bit dated when compared to i20, Swift or Polo..etc. Overall it seems to be a decent package, now it needs some killer pricing and marketing to push this car in the market.
The diesel power plant is an asset , but let down by push type locks , flap type door handles. The interior seems to be too plain Jane , I did not like the digital tacho , and omission of MID is not pardonable.
Overall an OK car , but time will tell how well it is put together.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by vinjosep

Excellent review!

Question: all the power windows have a 1-touch up/ down? The way the switches are marked, either all have this funtion or none.

(anit-pinch might be asking too much, won't it?)

Nope the power-windows do not have the one-touch up / down function.

Not having anti-pinch windows may not necessarily be a bad thing, I believe.

Originally Posted by volkman10

Great maiden review Suhaas, nicely compiled.
The car being neutral in design would do decent numbers but would not come close to Swift or even Figo, even if priced decently with the dated design and basic missing features like climate control, MID, steering-mounted audio controls, seat height adjustment.

Cheers!

True, the Sail is not exactly 'loaded', but if priced correctly, I think it should be a hit.

The hatchback may find several customers but the sedan with its larger boot does have the potential to take over the taxi-market.

Originally Posted by veyron_head

I kind of like the exterior looks of the car. Its plain jane but sure not ugly. That said, the interiors are no better than my 800. The steering wheel, while it may function well, looks downright ugly and cheap. A black colored wheel would have at least taken the 'cheap' out of it.

I don't think the interiors are on par with the 800. In fact, I think it was reasonably well put together. Quality cannot be measured by the style or design of the interior. Have a look at the Polo's interior and you'll know that the most boring interior can ooze of quality.

The interior did not feel cheaper than a Swift's. It's just that the Swift's interior looks better.

Originally Posted by veyron_head

But I am sure this is a competent car, as was the UV-A. I drove my friend's UV-A and was amazed how solidly built it was and planted on the road like a fiat.

The Aveo U-VA was a re-badged Daewoo Kalos. It wasn't known for it's stability or handling per-se, but it is just as good an all-rounder as the Sail U-VA. The space it had to offer was segment-topping.

Originally Posted by veyron_head

I am sure this car will give them numbers provided they price it well. I wouldn't want to pay anything more than 6 lacs (ex-showroom) for the diesel top end of this car.

That's an optimistic figure if you ask me. Remember, the top-end Beat diesel retails for more than 6 lakhs OTR in some cities.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by ku69rd

A very Good Nice review, have rated it 5 Stars.

Indeed. Has the details which is required.

The car does look very good and would have been a very healthy package if it had been launched atleast 18-21 months ago. This could have even preceded the new swift revision launch, somehow felt that with hatchback market nearing saturation this might find a bit of slow pace in getting off the showrooms.

Becomes a classic case of too little too late. There are too many hatches and talking of diesel hatches @ 6-7L it is so damn confusing that almost all of us would scratch our heads if buying a Car for ourselves. Recommending it for others is easier BTW

The door lock position both for inside as well as outside has really irked me. In this day & age...? And one needs to have a key to open the boot as well?

Maybe I am nitpicking and as most say, the Car is a Jack of all trades but still...

Thanks Team for penning this review up

[su1978]

GM launches some good products but they fail to impress market. IMHO the most important reason is the A#S#S#. My GM drives and feels much better than my Marutis but i am scared to take it out of station on long drives due to the fear of getting stuck somewhere in the middle with little or no assistance.

Secondly, it is rightly said that sales is a one time affair but service is a lifelong affair. After sales service should be strong and the availability of spares in the open market also are two of major contributors towards an impressive sales chart. GM has lacked in both these aspects. If they can pull up their socks and provide both these to the customers, then they will be able to pull in decent numbers.

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Becomes a classic case of too little too late.

Hopefully they pull the shop in place to launch the rumored the Trax before the SUV Fizz is also lost out

[aditya116]

Smashing review suhaas and rehaan, you guys literally put the car through a microscope, many things i am sure even chevy engineers would have missed :-).

I think it will appeal to the group of relatively older 35-45 ish owners whose choices would be practical hatches like vista, liva and figo.Their shares might likely go down.Hope it will garner 2.5 -3k sales. Front end styling is good, maybe rubbing strip on sides, blackened tail gate like brio and a rear spoiler will keep it looking interesting. The tail lamp design was plain unimaginative.

Interior space will be the best selling point coupled with the best iteration of the MJD in india (?). Well why not have sharp looking black interiors when you have acres of space - i understand beige would be better for cramped interiors.

Have one query, i felt all MJD engines run out steam north of 130 especially when loaded, contrary to tall claims by some on the forum.What did you guys feel?

Other designers (FIAT) should take a leaf out of sail for maximising usable interior space. I loved the bit you guys pointed out on the raised seats and lowered footwell. really maximises underthigh support and decreases the need to push your seat back.