I have been driving a Tata Indica V2 petrol for over the past 2 years as well as a chevy optra, so basically I am comparing the spark to both these cars.
One of the primary reasons for buying this car is that it was the easiest car that my wife could handle. Also I’m mightily impressed by the service provided by Pashankar auto for my Optra. Therefore I went for the spark LT version (Platinum metallic color).
Here are my first impressions of the car (Today was the first day of my drive, so will update this review more).
1) The handling is sensational as compared to the Indica, and the power is fairly good as compared to the Indica.
2) It has a very refined feel while driving this car.
3) I am not sure about the fuel economy yet ... so watch this space.
4) The LT version looks good with the roof rails and the body colored bumbers and rear view mirrors along with the wheel caps.
5) The first gear felt a little tight, but all the other gears are very smooth.
6) The most important impression that I got was that the Spark was an extremely zippy car, it will really zip through the traffic and it has some fair bit of power for its size.
7) The front seats are spacious enought and will accomodate 4 people easily. Indica clearly wins the battle in terms of space.
8) It definitely felt that a lot of people on the road were giving the car a second look. Perhaps it might be the looks or just maybe that there aren’t a lot of sparks on road yet.
9) The aircon is very good.
10) It take time to adjust to the centre instrument console.
11) The wiper and light controls (which are located in the opposite direction) wasn’t a problem for me, as I am used to driving an optra.
I am mightily impressed with the car on the first day. The most important feeling I got was that I felt like I was driving this car for a really long time,
It’s been a month since I’ve been driving the car. The tight first gear issue was resolved after the first servicing. The car still handles like a dream. But the best part is the fuel efficiency.
1) In the city, with the AC on, it gives me an average of 13.8 kms per litre.
2) Yesterday, I drove from Pune to Mumbai (via expressway), and the car gave me an astounding 23kms to the litre with the AC on. I was simply stunned by the return