Hard-working engine
The 2013 Chevrolet Spark is equipped with a 16-valve, 1.2L four that develops 84 hp and 83 lb-ft of torque. Those numbers sound rather low these days, and they are; only the smart fortwo is less powerful -- and if you count EVs, so is the i-MiEV.
With a 0-100 km/h time of 14.1 seconds, the Spark isn’t exactly rapid. However, it doesn’t feel that slow under normal driving; not once during the test did I complain or swear about the car’s lack of grunt, especially with the car’s mission as a city dweller.
On the open road, the 2013 Chevrolet Spark actually drives bigger than it is. It tracks straight and true, like a larger car would. I was expecting it to be a chore out on the highway, and was surprisingly impressed.
Less impressive is the Spark’s optional automatic transmission, which only counts four gears. Upshifts don't come quickly, leaving the small 4-cylinder stranded at high revs for a few seconds while filling the cockpit with engine noise. At 100 km/h, it spins at 2,600 rpm.
As much as I tried, with a mix of city and highway driving, I couldn’t manage better than 7.5L/100km. If you want to obtain the Spark’s highway rating of 5.2L/100km, you’ll have to be extra gentle on the throttle and drive well below the speed limit on the open road.
The Sonic and Cruze both offer 6-speed automatics, which would help the Spark drop engine revs on the highway; then again, its higher cost would make the car even more expensive, and might not be well adapted to the 1.2L engine’s modest output.
Read more in Spark EV forum.
The 2013 Chevrolet Spark is equipped with a 16-valve, 1.2L four that develops 84 hp and 83 lb-ft of torque. Those numbers sound rather low these days, and they are; only the smart fortwo is less powerful -- and if you count EVs, so is the i-MiEV.
With a 0-100 km/h time of 14.1 seconds, the Spark isn’t exactly rapid. However, it doesn’t feel that slow under normal driving; not once during the test did I complain or swear about the car’s lack of grunt, especially with the car’s mission as a city dweller.
On the open road, the 2013 Chevrolet Spark actually drives bigger than it is. It tracks straight and true, like a larger car would. I was expecting it to be a chore out on the highway, and was surprisingly impressed.
Less impressive is the Spark’s optional automatic transmission, which only counts four gears. Upshifts don't come quickly, leaving the small 4-cylinder stranded at high revs for a few seconds while filling the cockpit with engine noise. At 100 km/h, it spins at 2,600 rpm.
As much as I tried, with a mix of city and highway driving, I couldn’t manage better than 7.5L/100km. If you want to obtain the Spark’s highway rating of 5.2L/100km, you’ll have to be extra gentle on the throttle and drive well below the speed limit on the open road.
The Sonic and Cruze both offer 6-speed automatics, which would help the Spark drop engine revs on the highway; then again, its higher cost would make the car even more expensive, and might not be well adapted to the 1.2L engine’s modest output.
Read more in Spark EV forum.
