[bbyf16]

i'm thinking of upgrading the headlights to the philips 130/100 and from what I hear, all I need to do is get a relay? can anyone give any info on this? also, my friend told me its best not to do any electrical work til at least the first service (5000k), is there any truth to that?

[anu21v]

Originally Posted by auto-one

The latest issue of Auto Bild magazine (issue dated 15th March 2010) has compared the BEAT with the RITZ and the i10.
In the comparison,the RITZ is the winner,he BEAT comes second and the erstwhile segment leader i10 finishes third.

Well magazines are magazines. I liked the Zigwheel Type test where they compared all the new hatches which included i20, Fabia, Jazz, Punto, Ritz and Beat. Beat emerged at top.

I think there is going to be a good contest between I10,Ritz,Beat, Punto and to be launched Figo. Personally, I think "Beat" remains the best value for money in the current lot.

[kiku007]

Originally Posted by anu21v

Well magazines are magazines. I liked the Zigwheel Type test where they compared all the new hatches which included i20, Fabia, Jazz, Punto, Ritz and Beat. Beat emerged at top.

I think there is going to be a good contest between I10,Ritz,Beat, Punto and to be launched Figo. Personally, I think "Beat" remains the best value for money in the current lot.

Films need heroes and magazines need winners at the end of a road test. I personally feel that the Indian Car Scene has matured enough now where no single car can be termed as THE BEST and each car is closesly matched. There's a thin line of difference between each of them and this differentiating factor appeals/does not appeal to diff. types of people.

IMHO the days of, "The Best Small Car" is gone. The buyer should take a deep look at all the offerings and buy the one that suits him best.

Eg.
Ritz P - One might buy it for the amazing K-Series Engine;Another might hate it for the rear looks.
Jazz - One might buy it for the space and Honda peace of mind;Another might not want to touch it for the price.

I'm seriously bored with the no. of Beat Vs Ritz Vs Polo Vs Figo Vs What not threads in T-BHP. Same points are being discussed over and over and beaten to death. One person is not ready to accept that the other person's choice is right.

P.S: Even I posted a point where-in I was comparing the space aspect of Beat Vs Figo. Sounds silly now

[Gautam Misra]

Originally Posted by kiku007

IMHO the days of, "The Best Small Car" is gone. The buyer should take a deep look at all the offerings and buy the one that suits him best.

In spite of what a particular magazine says there are certain aspects of the Chevy Beat which need a closer look. For instance the poor boot space, lack of features like keyless entry in the top end variants, poor ingress for tall persons at the back.

There is no doubt that this Chevy does not "beat" the competition as far as backseat comfort is concerned.

One must also note that it does not come with a free cashless maintenance which its older sibling (spark) offers. For the beat you have to pay for it.

However at that price point it does beat most of the other competitors.

[extreme_torque]

Test drove one today and I am very very impressed. The engine is inaudible at idle and the power is fairly good. The quality of the insides is an eye opener and for 4.23 Lakhs on-road Delhi for the top end LT, I cant think of a car which can better it.

[vprodigy]

Originally Posted by Gautam Misra

In spite of what a particular magazine says there are certain aspects of the Chevy Beat which need a closer look. For instance the poor boot space, lack of features like keyless entry in the top end variants, poor ingress for tall persons at the back.

There is no doubt that this Chevy does not "beat" the competition as far as backseat comfort is concerned.

One must also note that it does not come with a free cashless maintenance which its older sibling (spark) offers. For the beat you have to pay for it.

However at that price point it does beat most of the other competitors.

key less entry comes with top models in most of the cars but you have to understand that that top model of beat is 50k INR less than any other matching car in the segment so you can always get it fitted from the dealer by paying 2700. Backseat comfort is at par or even better than most hatches in the segment if you compare cars with same width. Poor ingress for tall people in the rear seat is not a design problem since the car has a sporty character to it and to maintain it the ingress appears poor but is not actually is. I agree with you only on Boot space and yes its less but you have to remember that Beat is a city car and you hardly use all that boot space in city driving. You also have to understand that the car offers split folding rear seats which you are getting in some of the cars at that price. The LT variant which matches the prices of i10 Kappa magna is loaded to the gills where as the i10 has no features in the magna variant.
BTW the cashless maintenance in spark does not come for free and there is no such package available for Beat at least in NCR.

[vprodigy]

What you'll like:

• Car's price point and the feature that you get for that price
• Auto AC works amazingly well with the press of a button
• Great ride and handling just like a breeze
• Beautiful blue dashboard display lights that dim at night and the Unique superbike-inspired speedometer and digital tacho
• Well packaged interiors (for 4+kid)
• ARAI fuel efficiency topper (sure to deliver closest to ARAI claims)
• Beautifully designed greay interior tone and Dash lining with the classy Piano finish
• Unconventional yet very sporty styling and very well received and admired by onlookers - well most of my friends in office

liked it.
• very good music system and good sound quality within the car



What you won't:

• Compact 170 liter boot. 50 - 60 liters smaller than competition - not used 80% of the time
• slightly undertyred (155/70R14) - An upgrade to 175 will be vgood dont really need 185
• claustrophobic rear seats - but the integrated door handles give it a coupe look from outside
• Chevy's 3 year service guarantees - no such thing available atleast in NCR and not really required if you are a good driver
• Engine noise filtering into the cabin above 3000 rpm - some like it some dont

[vprodigy]

This is my first ever review on a car and I just feel lucky to review Beat of which I'm a proud owner as well. Look at the car and its a sure stunner and a treat to the eyes (as I haven't met anyone yet who feels the car looks odd or ugly most people find it great). The rear exteriors of the car are quite normal. Now the car surely has a wow factor the moment you get into it. The beautifully designed dash, IC and the piano finish gives a lux sedan look to the car. For the front passengers the dash is a treat to the eyes. The blue lit Dash and IC looks amazing in the day and in the night as well and the light adjusts itself by dimming out the moment you turn on the headlight which is a very intelligent and thoughtful feature else it could have been a distraction if it was kept at same day time intensity. The good quality of materials used in the interiors stands out and does not look cheap at all.

There is decent legroom for the driver and can be increased by pulling back the front seats. One thing that I did not like was the level of the driver seat is feels little lower and is actually is and with the dash made a little high you feel it often but that does not cause any discomfort thanks to the very comfortable seats for the front passengers but a height adjustable seat would have been a welcome addition atleast in the top variants. The feeling of the steering wheel is great and comes with the hight adjustment which is another plus. The steering wheels scores on other cars when it comes to ergonomics and very comfortable to hold and drive. The rear seats are quite comfortable with little thigh support and at par with other cars in the segment there is good leg room for the rear passengers and can accomodate three adults with a little squeezing but comfortable for 2 adults and a kid. The rear head room and leg room can be a little problem for a tall guy on a bumpy road. The boot space is just Ok for city use and I wish it was little more atleast match its nearest competetors.

The suspensions are very good and absorbs most of the city potholes and speed breakers. The ride and handling is superior to i10 and other maruti cars and as good as a swift or i20. The ride is stable and inspires good confidence at higher speeds. There is a bit of a body roll like most of the cars in the segment but can be reduced by upgrading the tyres. The ground clearance sounds low but clears all of the city speedbreakers if car is slowed down. I cleared all the speed breakers in Gurgaon which has the worst speed breakers in the world and all the NCR guys will agree with me on that. So ground clearance which was a big concern for me has not been a problem so far. The pressed steel wheels look better than the steel wheels + caps found in other cars.

Now lets get to the heart of it which is the 1.2 STEC2 engine from chevy. Well we all have been surprised by the very quiet engine at idling but I was also surprised to it noisy at higher rpm's (3000 plus). Now when I say its noisy that does not mean the engine has problems at higher rpm but the sound which is very much like a sports car sound filters a little more into the cabin. I personally dont mind it since it only adds to the sporty character of the car but sometimes makes me a little suspicious which I will check with the dealer as to what this sound is all about. Has this been deliberately added to
the car or is it something else but if you leave that sound apart the car drives effortlessly in the city and when I say effortlessly I mean it. It is a pleasure to drive in the stop go city traffic and you really dont lot of downshifting as long as you are in the right gear. The feel there is a lag in the initial pickup of the car especially in the 2nd an 3rd gear and does not inspire confidence while overtaking other cars. I10 has a better pickup then the Beat but its not that bad after all. I feel the lag but i'm not sure if the other Beat owners feel it as well. Can anyother proud owner please comment on this?
The gear shift is a little hard compared to the hyundai's and even maruti's but then you have to get used to it and I hope things will be much better after the first few services and a few thousand km running. Overall the car drives very well in the city and on the highways as well and very good ride and handling characterstics. The wheels although many here may not agree with me are just perfect for that city ride and for that magic fuel efficiency figure but if one has more highway driving then an upgrade to 175 is a very good idea and I personally dont think 185 is required for beat.

All in all I would rate Beat as a great value for money car that no other car in the 1.2 litre segment and at that price can beat. For all those who have been planning to buy a small petrol hatch Beat is one car you guys need to check out. Beat comes with all the goodies that you can't imagine in other cars at that price. And for all those who are scared to buy a chevy then let me tell you that spark did teach Chevy a thing or two about the small car market but now Chevy has got few things to teach other car manufacturers in this segment. Chevy with its latest offering of Beat and Cruze has seriously dent the profits of other car makers and provided Indian customers with great cars. I hope Chevy keeps launching more cars in all the segments. I wish Chevy good luck.

[quadmaniac]

vprodigy - Thanks - excellent, well-worded review of the Beat.

Originally Posted by vprodigy

The blue lit Dash and IC looks amazing in the day and in the night as well and the light adjusts itself by dimming out the moment you turn on the headlight which is a very intelligent and thoughtful feature else it could have been a distraction if it was kept at same day time intensity.

Wow, didnt know this

[vprodigy]

Some of the features that you don't get in other cars in 1.2L segment at this price. This is for the one's who are confused about buying a good 1.2 litre petrol car and scared of buying a GM. Chevy was not even on my list when I started checking cars almost six months ago and I did a thorough review of all the cars in the 1.2 L segment and finally decided on Beat after drawing long charts, test drives and burning midnight oil .

EXTERIORS

1- Rear spoiler with HMSL
2- Rear wash wipe with demister
3- Foglamps
4- 14' steel wheels
5- Plastic case enclosed tail lights which can protect them from direct damage
6- Stylish B pillars
7- Body colored bumpers, door/tailgate handles and orvm's
8- Stylised rear door handles
9- Satin silver roof rails

INTERIORS

1- Digital Tacho
2- Tilt steering wheel
3- Blue lit IC and Dash with auto dimming at night
4- Bucket Seats
5- Auto AC
6- Music system with 4 speakers, antenna, USB and Aux support
7- Under seat tray
8- Boot lamp
9- All four power windows with central locking
10- Height adjustable front and rear headrests
11- Battery saver
12- 60:40 split folding rear seats
13- Sunglass holder
14- 2.5 mph impact proof bumpers

Disclaimer - I'm a car enthusiast and not a chevy agent/dealer and the comparison/suggestions made are only on the basis of my knowledge about this product.

[dar3dev|l]

vprodigy: thats an excellent owners review buddy. Really tempted to buy the beat, but with my daily driving of over 60kms, i wish they had its diesel variant as well :(
I have an grey beat parked outside my office and can see ppl turning their heads while they walk !

[vprodigy]

@dar3dev|l - thanks bro. Beat is a great car and for all those who are planning to buy a petrol hatch must check out Beat at-least once. Above 60 kmpl daily drive call's for a diesel car and in that case if you really like Beat then you'll have to wait for few more months and by that time we'll also have the Polo diesel in the market and possibly a Ford Figo diesel. If you want to buy a good diesel car now then Swift and Punto can be a great diesel car buy. I would prefer Punto over swift because of the space since the heart is same but Punto has its minuses when it comes to quality of plastics and Maruti has its obvious advantages.

[deeptrip]

vprodigy - Congratulations again and Thanks for a great review, it was certainly a pleasure to read it. I am still waiting on my cocktail green LT, been 37 days.

Could you throw some light on:
1. The ambient noise reception by the cabin. Car horns and tyre noise.
2. How does the ICE sound on a fairly high volume, will the speakers need change immediately or one can live with it, if we don't blast it.

Does anybody know, who manufactures the ICE for Chevy Beat?

[vprodigy]

@deeptrip - thanks bro. I drive with the music system on so have hardly noticed the outside noise filtering in but I will test that next time and as for the tire noise itdoes filter in little bit and can be heard when the road is really bad.
Trust me the music system is really nice and good for in car entertainment and does not go bad till volume level 30 which is quite good but if you want much better output you just need to install better speakers no need to get rid of the HU. For all those who are going for LS jut because of the music system then let me tell you its quite good and you can always change the speakers. If you don't blast it you can live with it all your life.

[da.maulik]

aah! finally Finally, I am able to write something here.

Just before a week on this Sunday, I got my Beat LT in a very short period of booking time. I booked it about a week ago & I got it in a week here in Bhuj-Kutch. A dream come true. Firstly I wanna thank team-bhp for helping me a lot to take a proper decision & frenz like Vprodigy who encouraged me to buy Beat. I will write a elaborated review in next post.