2013 Chevrolet Spark First Drive

You may call the 2013 Chevrolet Spark "unique" without upsetting defenders of the English language. "Unique" means "one of a kind," so "very unique" is poor wording, and describing an item as "unique" when there are other things like it is wrong. The Spark is Chevy's new A-segment mini. Three other cars sold in the U.S. compete in this size category, and none is like this Bowtie A-car. It certainly has none of the cartoonish character of the Fiat 500, and it's more than $3000 cheaper than the op-art design, two-door hatchback Scion iQ, a car surprisingly substandard in its driving dynamics, especially for a Toyota product. The only competitor that comes close to the Spark's $12,995 price is the Smart Fortwo, a two-door two-seater that serves as a strong argument for the commuter biking movement.
The rear seat, with cupholders dividing left from right, has generous headroom and pretty good legroom, with a necessarily short seat cushion. The car is tall: one inch taller than the already upright Sonic B-car. With the Spark's rear seats up, there's not much more cargo space than in the Fortwo. But who combines grocery shopping with double dates? Flip and fold the rear seats and the Spark offers 31.2 cubic-feet of volume, Chevy says.

The Spark is successor to the Daewoo Matiz, a onetime favorite of the Third World and emerging markets. Chevrolet already is building the Spark in South Korea for Asia and Europe. North America gets a specific chassis setup and a bump in engine displacement from 1.2 liters to 1.249 liters, thanks to both bore and stroke, plus electronic power steering, aluminum wheels, StabiliTrak stability control with brake assist, and Hill Start Assist. We get 185/55R all-season tires on 15-inch wheels, while other markets get 14-inch wheels or smaller.
The best thing that can be said about the optional four-speed automatic, which should cost an extra $1000 or so, is that it's not a CVT. Beside the fact it has just four speeds, it adds about 2 seconds onto the five-speed manual's already considerable estimated 0-60 time. What better time to teach your kids how to operate a clutch pedal? The only issue is that if most prospective customers heed this advice, it'll surely upset Chevy's inventory.
The 83-horsepower engine moves the car adequately, and offers plenty of power for first-time drivers. It can get out of its own way, though not at all quickly. At highway speeds, there's plenty of wind and road noise, though the car is quiet enough inside to conduct normal conversation with front- and rear-seat passengers.
Front-engine, FWD, 4-pass 4-door hatchback 1.2L/83-hp*/83 lb-ft* DOHC 16-valve I-4 5-speed manual, 4-speed automatic

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