According to AutoCar’s latest issue (October 2008), one car that positively thrives in Mumbai’s difficult traffic conditions is the Chevrolet Spark.
Says writer Shapur Kotwal “The game I play is getting from home to office in less than 30 minutes in rush-hour traffic without violet cutting, no flat-out driving with only smooth, unobtrusive swapping of lanes allowed. And no other car in our fleet except the Spark can manage this. Not the 140bhp Passat, not the 156bhp BMW 32od or the Swift Dzire.”
“The game originated when I realised that I was sometimes making it to office nearly 10 minutes earlier that I was used to and it wasn’t me who was driving faster, it was the Spark making good use of its lack of width.”
Slot the Spark perfectly into the gaps and you can make headway in our traffic like a pro gamer playing horizontal Tetris. Its 1495mm width is a full narrower than the Hyundai i10 and this allows it to squeeze through gaps you’d never even consider in anything wider, say, a Swift.
And then there’s parking. Considerably shorter than even a Santro, the Spark can slot itself into the tiniest of gaps. Warns Kotwal “The motor may not feel as responsive as a Santro’s but the motor doesn’t mind being revved and overtaking moves can be executed pretty quickly.”
Sure the car has its weak areas. The central console is a constant pain in the knee, the hatch refuses to be opened by a key and the driver’s seat slopes forward so your thighs are supporting very little of your weight.
But as AutoCar (Oct. 2008) sums it up, “As a car that’s perfectly suited to urban conditions, one with super fuel economy and good comfort, the Spark is winning our respect.”
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