OTHER VEHICLE

When Chevrolet first rolled out the Spark in 2007, it made its intentions clear with the little hatchback. The Spark was destined to be a cheap and cheerful hatchback designed specifically to provide basic transport from point A to point B. And although we know that the little hatchback is good for its intended usage, it never seemed to click with those on a strict budget in India.

That said, Chevrolet isn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet, and has given its Spark a much-needed facelift. But is that enough to garner fresh interest? Chevrolet thinks so.

The majority of the Sparks restyle is at the front, where the original car’s simplistic styling has been replaced by something that’s a whole lot more ‘in your face’. Leading the list of changes here is the new two-part grille that extends onto the redesigned front bumper, linking the Spark to other cars in Chevrolet’s line-up. If anything, this should help give the Spark a more premium image. The chrome piping in the region of the grille and fog-lamp enclosures also adds a bit of flash. The clear-lens headlamps help establish this as the new Spark. Viewed from the side, it’s only the black plastics on the door sills that distinguish the updated Spark from the old one. Similarly, changes at the rear too are restricted to the addition of a black panel on the lower portion of the bumper.

The cabin, too, remains largely unchanged. The basic design of the dashboard is a carryover from the original Spark of 2007, but the plastics now come finished in a different shade of beige. A revised instrument cluster (with a digital tachometer) and new fabrics for the seats are the only other noteworthy changes. Sadly, Chevrolet has missed an opportunity to improve front-seat comfort on this update. As before, the seat base slopes slightly downwards and this can be quite uncomfortable on long drives. However, even so many years after launch, the Spark’s rear seat continues to impress with space and comfort, bettering the Alto on this vital count. Boot space though is quite compromised and you’ll be best off packing light.

Styling update and minor changes to the cabin apart, the new Spark is pretty much the same car as before. Chevrolet has not tinkered with any of the car’s mechanicals, so it drives just like the Sparks of old. What that means is you get a smooth and linear power delivery from its 63bhp, 1.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine. Sure, the Spark is not particularly fast, but overall performance is more than acceptable for a city car. Helping the Spark’s city car credentials is its feather-light clutch that is allied with an equally light, if slightly notchy, five-speed gearbox.

The Spark’s excellent manoeuvrability and its steering requires little effort to turn, which will make it very appealing for first-time car buyers. Ride quality and stability are also pretty impressive for a car of this class. In terms of economy, you can expect 12.3kpl in the city and 16.9kpl out on the highway. You also have the option of buying the Spark with a factory-fitted LPG kit. Interestingly, the Spark LPG is only available in the higher LS and LT trim levels. The base Spark (Rs 3.26 lakh, ex-showroom, Delhi) is only offered in petrol guise. In terms of features and pricing, the Spark is at par with the competition. The top-spec LT model that costs Rs 3.81 lakh gets decent kit with power windows on all four doors, power steering, internally adjustable rear-view mirrors, rear defogger and an MP3 CD player with Aux and USB input. However, airbags are not offered even as an option.

So in conclusion, the new Spark holds on to its core strengths of being a city-friendly and easy-to-drive car with a comfortable back seat. It now has more flamboyant styling, it still offers good value, is fuel efficient and thanks to Chevrolet’s service incentives, should be cheap to maintain as well. All in all, the Spark maintains its status as one of the best hatchbacks to buy for those on a tight budget.

This is the Land Rover Freelander 2, the one they will introduce in India in March 2013. Because this is a mid-life update, Land Rover has, predictably, chosen to give it subtle updates that make the car look and feel fresher, rather than go in for expensive sheet metal changes.

With Tata carrying out extensive exercises to constantly improve its range of cars, we’ve seen quite a few updates, facelifts and upgrades on several of the manufacturer’s products like the Manza. The latest in the line-up to get a new avatar is the Indica Vista with a 90PS (89bhp) diesel engine. It is powered by the 1.3-litre Fiat Multijet diesel engine that is shared with the likes of Maruti Swift and the new Chevrolet Sail. It makes the extra power (and pulling power) thanks to a different turbocharger and different engine tuning. The company claims this turbocharger, known as a variable-geometry turbo, improves the car’s low-speed responsiveness as well.

It’s 9 o’clock in the morning and it’s already collar-wetting hot. My day started about four hours ago, so I’m feeling a bit washed out and in real need of a strong cuppa.

That’s till this little bit of wickedness blares up to the forecourt. Coffee forgotten, grogginess washed away, heat ignored, smile enhanced.

The Abarth 500 glints under a glaring Indian sun. The first clue of this car’s sporting intent comes from the 205/40 ZR17 Pirelli PZero Neros. The Lamborghini Diablo and the Ferrari F40 used PZeros. The Ferrari 599GTB and the Porsche 911 use PZero rubber.

The next clue comes from the bulging chin. It’s bulging because behind it is the air-to-air intercooler. It feeds the turbocharger with cool air.

You can do this all day with the Abarth 500. It looks so delicious, you want to walk around it, picking out that diffuser at the rear, the twin tailpipes, that deep-set chin and those Abarth ‘Scorpion’ badges plastered around the car. What you won’t find is a Fiat badge.

It’s a sign. A sign to tell you that this isn’t a regular Fiat. It’s a 500 with a 1.4-litre, 16-valve, 136bhp turbo-petrol. It’s a 500 that weighs 1,035 kilos. It’s a 500 that almost matches the power to weight ratio of a BMW 325i. There’s a Sport mode which lifts the maximum torque peak from 19kgm to 21kgm and makes power delivery a little more peaky too. Let’s do some driving.

Founder Carlo Abarth was a bit of a nut. He’d stuff big motors into small cars. Whether they fit or not was another matter, but some ran with their engine lids propped open to keep them cool. So, to say I have expectations of this new Abarth 500 is understating things a bit.

I’m too excited to dwell on the red-on-black stitching on the seats, too excited to feel the fantastic cabin quality and too absorbed in twisting the key to glance at the boost gauge and the shift light. The sound from the twin pipes is a bit disappointing to be honest. It’s not as  deep or as loud as the car’s looks suggest. Anyway, Sport mode engaged, clutch in, first gear and off.

3000rpm is where it’s at. It’s where the turbo wakes up. It’s where you feel that push in the small of your back. It’s where you start smiling. Shift light, clutch in, grab second. More of the same. Shift light, clutch in, shift to third. I’m already at 120kph when the first bend appears. Back off a bit, take the turn and realise how quickly we went around that corner. It’s deceptive, this car. The tremendous grip from those wide tyres, the absolute lack of body roll and its big-car feel lull you into thinking you aren’t doing anything heroic, when you actually are.

Should you get carried away by the car’s seemingly endless grip, the Abarth has disc brakes all around and a very clever Torque Transfer Control system (TTC). It works like an electronic limited slip differential. The TTC system allocates power to the front wheel with more grip, and brakes the other one to kill wheelspin, without interrupting the engine’s power delivery. This last bit is important. It means that you won’t feel the system interfering when you’re having fun. It means you can throw the car at bends with relative abandon, knowing the electronics will sort things out. Within reason, of course.

Grouses? The steering wheel. It’s too big and it’s too artificial. The Sport mode adds weight to the wheel, but it still misses out on feel.

Fiat should bring this car to India.