[reveal_da_zeal]

Test driven both Ritz and Beat. Well Beat does looks cunning but if we see practically Ritz is anyday better in terms of Ride quality. Was planning to buy a petrol hatch (for my daily drive of hardly some 10 km) among one of those but now I feel its better to go put some more bucks and get an i20 as i get most of the features. Beat does look smart but not so practical.(Thats my opinion)

[tush]

Logged in after a while. First thing was read this review on Beat by GTO.

You right awesome reviews GTO.

[coolmel]

Suppose one has to buy the beat and change the tyres rightaway..Which would be the best to go? On checking the Bridgestone and Michelin sites, they dont have any for that particular size.

XM1 is available but for a R13 size. Which would be the best to go for??

[Pyrotek]

I finally got to test drive the Beat today. It was an LT variant without the option pack. I have to say I'm completely blown away by this hatch. It looks spectacular and pretty much grinds the competition to dust in this department.

It felt wonderfully simple to drive, and I personally liked the gearshift more than some other hatches I've driven (i10, Punto, this means you). Yes, its ride was not as pliant as I'd hoped (GM has set the standard high in this aspect with some of its previous cars) and the engine did sound a tad boomy but all said and done, any fault-finding is merely nitpicking.

The only real grouse was not surprisingly, the minuscule boot. But no matter, at a price of Rs. 4.59L on-road Pune for the LT and Rs. 5.03L for the LT Option pack, this car has the competition swept, and by a long shot. After the drive, I've pretty much ruled the Punto out as my next purchase.

Great job GM. You have my money on this hatch. Take a bow.

[quadmaniac]

Originally Posted by Pyrotek

It looks spectacular and pretty much grinds the competition to dust in this department. .

My thoughts too. This car should be the hit Chevy's looking for.

Which colour do you have in mind if you were to book? As I am royally confused myself!

~Raj

[kiku007]

Heard from the Chevy dealer that the Beat Diesel might be launched post June-2010. They have no idea on the specs and the prices.

Good move indeed

[rejoycjohn]

Well I think I have a totally different opinion on the comparison

I had gone to the showroom near MG Road in Bangalore to test drive the Beat . Though I had to wait long , in the end me and my friend could get into the vehicle for a drive .

Looks :-
Well this is again subjective as mentioned here , but for me the front looked really fresh compared to any other car currently in the segment . Rear , well I dint quite like the silver outlined lights . Found it to be too flashy ( May be some smoking or stickers can make me happy ) .
Tyres defintely need an upgrade 155 r13 is a real let down .
165 can enhance it .

Comfort :-
This is the most comfortable car that I have drove till date in that segment . ( read as ritz , swift , I 10 ) .With the steering adjustment you can reach a real comfortable riding position . I feel that the small steering wheel and the position would be best for a highway relaxed drive .
Rear , again i found it to be roomy , the shoulder room , the head room as well as the leg room was more than a Ritz or I10 ( I am 175 and my friend is 178 ) .
To compare , we sat inside the Cruz rear seat , and trust me the seating inside the Beat was far better ( space and comfort ) given its dimensions and cost .
Yes as pointed out here , one would need to drool through the rear windows for a view outside . It might feel a bit claustrophobic ,thanks to it real small windows and absence of glass in the last quarter glass .

Quality :-
The plastics looks top notch , the gear nob is worth mentioning . I havent seen that good plastic in any car of that class .The gloss finish strip of plastic in the dash and door pads gives a classy look .
Door pads werent that good in quality and it looked flimsy . The pads were going in and out when pressed also there were gaps .

Ride :-
The best part - the sound of the engine .. guys it really Wrooooooomsss!!
I loved it ! . Decent amount of power , could reach 60 in decent time . ( we test drove and there was a small strech in a pocket road wher I could push it ) . The gear shift is slick . I love the short throw . ( Just have a comparision with Aveo UVA , you will feel the difference ) Its as good or more than a swift / Ritz . AC is good , doesnt suck much power as the regular petrol cars .
Power steering is responsive , its not light / dead as the I10.
Visibility is not as good as other cars , but would get used to it in no time .

Blue light looks great , though I dint find the new instrument cluster very good ( looks = subjective ) .

Well GM should be offering the 3 year warranty and recently their *** has improved . If you are looking a car to use it for 5 / 6 years . Yes you can go for it , as the depreciation wouldnt make you very sad if its for a longer period . Mileage is decent , ratings say 17 /18 for a litre of Petrol .

This will be a car that has the capacity to make things merrier for GM in India .Hope the sales and service guys would help them reach there .

I am sure that no man would feel bad after buying a Beat - The prophet in me think so :-)
cheers

[Pyrotek]

Originally Posted by quadmaniac

My thoughts too. This car should be the hit Chevy's looking for.

Which colour do you have in mind if you were to book? As I am royally confused myself!

~Raj

I'm considering the Green Cocktail shade. The TD car was in this colour and the number of glances I got on the road had me grinning ear to ear.

[quadmaniac]

Nice choice. I'm torn between red, blue and green :-|

The colours however look very different from the one on Chevrolet Beat in real life. The green thankfully doesn't look THAT fluorescent.

[yogeshnaik]

Excellent & great work by GTO. The OEM Radio looks good. The cyan colour back lighting looks a different. Sports model might come with amber of red back lighting. Good review GTO. I liked the rear end of the car.

[shadow]

The Green Cocktail Metallic looks fabulous. It really matches the bold in your face look for the front. Very green goblin.

[tj123]

Except the rear boot space of 170 lts all the others specs make it a wonderful small city car. It has the looks the FE ,ride comfort & modern interiors to cater to the new gen drivers.

Maruti’s A star , Estilo, Wagon R & Ritz will feel the Beats bite. Other cars in the category like Santro ,i10 & Punto active will all feel the Beats Heat.

We have to see that sales figures for the next quarter to comment on the sales performance and user (customer) acceptance in the Indian market.
I am eagerly waiting for the Ford Figo, which will also be priced very competitively, really waiting for the hatch segment hot up.

[slayer87]

guys, took the test drive of Beat today and what a car it is. i would have bought the car even if it was 50k more than the current price. its got everything i would want in a city hatch. Great Road presence, awesome and futuristic interiors and great dash layout.
The quality of plastics were superb considering the price, for me this was the highlight point. the quality of plastics were much much better than swift/ritz and according to me even better than SX4.
Especially the quality of the plastic of the steering wheel was amazing in the LT option pack. it had a soft, rubberised plastic and was better to hold than a civic. I own a civic so i know a little about the interiors and quality. Now, comes the icing on the cake, the suspension and my god it was better than any other hatch i've driven in sub 5 lakh category, completely silent and very supple.
The engine is truly refined at idle, this has been said by many T-bhpians. it is dead silent. The car is just 50 kg lighter than Swift. I have fallen for it and going to book the LT option pack. The only thing i would have to change are the tyres, they are very narrow and wont to justice to the car. I want to know the best upsize for this car, the current size is 155/70 r14.

[Sn1p3r]

@slayer87: I had a short online conversation with Tire Guru Nikhil and he suggested that the right upsize is 185/60R14 and that C drives come in that size. Rest there are not many options available. The only issue is the offset and the design of the wheel well. I am eagerly waiting for the TD in few days time. Whats your take on the white color I know my mother likes only white. How was the NVH and the ride quality in the back?

I would like the more technically capable fellow bhpians to comment here: What are the possibilities with this engine. All I hear is that this engine will have turbo for US market. Do you think any other mods will be available as the car will indeed come to me in 3 months time

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by Sn1p3r

@slayer87: I had a short online conversation with Tire Guru Nikhil and he suggested that the right upsize is 185/60R14 and that C drives come in that size. Rest there are not many options available.

ES 100 also comes in 185/60R14. I have in on my i10.