Not really, but extolling its many virtues as Gautam Sen pens a letter to his sister.

Dear Devjani,

Some years ago when you wanted a small car, I suggested that you go in for the Daewoo Matiz. Of course you remember! How can you forget? You have never quite forgiven me for that, I know.

It is true that both you and your husband, Dhruv, did point out that Daewoo was in trouble, and you were worried about aftersales and residuals. But I did manage to convince you two. I did say that big companies don’t disappear overnight, and that a good car like the Matiz was going to be around. I was, sure enough, wrong. (It is another matter that you two don’t ask me for advice about cars anymore, and even if you do, you ignore it completely… but I understand).

But in retrospect, I wasn’t completely wrong. Daewoo did shut shop in India, but the Matiz is still being made, in other parts of the world, mainly Korea, where General Motors took over the Daewoo factory. I know you don’t care, but I thought it was my duty to bring it to your notice. What’s more, it is going to be made once again in India but this time around, by another company, in another location, with another name. You don’t believe it? You say, what guts?

The company with all that guts is GM, the branding will be Chevrolet, the car will be made at GM’s Halol factory (near Baroda), and the model will be called Spark. I know that GM is not going to be happy with all that I’ve said in the last few sentences, because they are going to take pains at distancing themselves from the Matiz, and more specifically, Daewoo. Well, you two are not the only ones who hate that word, and I am sorry for bringing back memories of the residuals for your Matiz when you eventually sold it, but then it is difficult to forget and forgive, right?

You are right in asking as to how they are going to do that? How different is the Spark to the Matiz? Is it another animal altogether?

Let us compare specs. Yes, yes, I remember, you were never quite technically inclined, though you have always enjoyed driving, but at least Dhruv will remember that the Matiz was a 3.6 metres long, 1.5 metres wide, 1.48 metres high, 52bhp, 796cc triple-cylinder engined car. And yes, at that point of time both of you were aware of that fact that the engine of the Daewoo was the same as that of the Maruti 800, though more powerful. In fact, the relationship between the Matiz and the 800 was not just engine-deep. It went beyond. The Matiz was derived from the Daewoo Tico, which in turn was the Suzuki Alto, a generation newer than the 800. The engine was carried over, albeit modified to generate more power, as was most of the platform.

The Spark’s dimension is almost identical. And when you look at the profile you see the same form, don’t you? But it is in the details that things have changed, considerably. To start with, the Spark that will be sold in India will come with a 995cc four-cylinder engine that at 65bhp,
develops some 13 horses more than the Matiz. More importantly, torque – which is what you need for acceleration and city driveability – is almost 50 percent higher at 91Nm, as compared to the Matiz’s 69.

So Dhruv’s complaint, that somehow Korean horses didn’t seem as healthy as Japanese or European horse, will seem to have been addressed by the new powerpack. But the Spark being 100kg heavier, that power advantage will be whittled away: the Spark’s top speed is 156kph, just 12kph higher than the Matiz’s.

Guess that won’t be an issue with you, as you used the car mainly in the city and use you did, enjoying every bit of it, threading your way through tight traffic, appreciating its manoeuverability, its chuckability. Plus, it was decidedly more sophisticated and refined compared to the 800 and the other small cars of that time, and though you could sense the greater power (compared to the 800), the performance was somewhat blunted by the weight of the car, which was some 725kg. And yes, you didn’t care for the gearbox – sometimes it was difficult to find second. But you were happy with what you got at the pumps, right? At the end of the day you must admit that you quite liked the Matiz, right?

So how does the Spark compare? You are curious. So was I. So before GM launched the car in India – which, I understand, they will do so in a few weeks after you get this letter – I thought I should have a go at a Spark here in France. In fact, I have noticed that when GM is translating their cars from their international markets to India, nothing much is lost, and so I was sure that the car that I would have tried out here would be very similar to the car that will be launched in India. Of course, the steering wheel will be on the other side…

But the looks will be the same. Which as you will see is quite a bit different from your Matiz. The front end is all new as is the rear, as are the front doors, as is the interior. Even the outer skin of the rear doors have changed. Obviously it is a complete reskinning job, and despite the fact that around 40 percent of the Spark’s panels are from lighter high-strength steel, the weight has gone up. I have always found the Matiz’s Giugiaro design very cute, and so had you. What do you think of the reworking? It has matured, don’t you think so? Kinda grown up now, with a more substantial face: less cute, more purposeful perhaps. The round rear lamp is distinctive, the poached egg headlamps look more serious, a heavier bumper and grille giving it a sense of solidity.

The interior too has undergone a complete overhaul. If you are thinking that sitting inside the Spark will bring back a sense of déjà vu, forget it. The cute, yet sensible, layout of the original Matiz has been ditched for a cute, but less sensible, layout that has the instrument pod at the centre, above the console. An arrangement that I am not too enthusiastic about, as the speedo-tacho combo is less convenient to read. Straight ahead, through the steering wheel what you see is a digital pod that houses the warning lights. I am sure that the aam junta will love this novelty, but you and me, who are not into gadgets, will find it somewhat irksome.

Otherwise the inside is full of thoughtful details: hooks for hanging stuff, bottle holders, coin and card holders, sunglass case, drawers under the front seats, and so on. Though headrests and seat belts are for five, five healthy people the size of Dhruv or me may find the car a really tight fit. For four there is enough space. And three children the size of your nephew, Milan, can fit very comfortably on the rear bench. Incidentally, the boffins at GM have re-engineered the rear suspension, which other than improving ride comfort, has increased boot space from the Matiz’s pitiable 104 litres to 170 litres. Remove the back headrests and the split rear bench flips forward, boosting the capacity to 845 litres.

From what I can remember the driving position is very similar to the Matiz, but you would be the best judge of that, as you were more familiar with the car. You sit high, with a commanding view forward. Despite the increase in power, the performance is best described as relaxed. The car has to be pushed to make decent progress. But it is quicker, claims GM, with 0-100kph despatched in a little over 14 seconds. The Matiz did that in some 18-odd seconds. And I get the feeling that the in-gear acceleration has also improved considerably.

That said, the four-cylinder powerplant takes away some of the car’s character. The original three-cylinder unit had a great engine note, don’t you think so, was free-revving and, despite not being particularly fast, always felt lively and enthusiastic when zipping through city streets. But that’s nitpicking. Clearly, the Spark’s performance is adequate for its target market; more important are its abilities in an urban environment. With compact dimensions, especially the slender width, the Spark is easy to thread through gaps, just like the Matiz. But what we have additionally is an altogether more mature car, with greater out-of-town abilities.

Moreover, the engineers have worked hard on refinement. The Spark is far quieter on the move than the Matiz was thanks to better insulation. Only a background engine hum penetrates the cabin, and there’s little road and wind noise at highway speeds. Grip levels are low, which is hardly a surprise given the Chevy’s tiny, skinny- profile tyres, and understeer sets in early through tighter corners. And while the light steering is ideal in town, its lack of feedback becomes obvious at speeds. Thankfully, the long-throw gearchange is direct – and is hugely better than that of the Matiz – and the brakes feel strong. The ride is now smoother at lower speeds, too, further improving comfort for occupants.

Apparently, GM says that fuel efficiency has got better with the bigger engine. I dunno, but I got 15.7kpl here: a combination of highway running and Paris city commuting. That looks good, right? Much better than what you got in Bangalore, if I remember right.

So, do you think I can tempt you to get another Matiz, sorry, Spark? Dhruv may be into size – he is a man – but you know better. Now that you are moving to Kolkata, the Rs 3-lakh odd may be just the runabout for you. Think about it.

Your brother, Gautam