Better than: sparks from mismatched jumper cables
But not as good as: fireworks
GRM Bang For The Buck Index: 65.61
The Chevy Spark looks like a toy, something you can hang on your key chain. Of course, this version takes you from point A to point B at 84 horsepower and can maneuver in and out of traffic relatively effortlessly.
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This will be the Geo Metro of 20 years from now. It's super light, it's crazy slow, but damn, it's actually a fairly competent driver. This little thing is fun to chuck around. My wife—who daily drives a 2-door Yaris hatch—loved it, especially because it has four doors. Getting into the back seat isn't the gymnastic exercise that you get in the Yaris (or similar B-segment cars), but this sub-subcompact gives up no passenger space to the Yaris (cargo space does suffer). The interior feels roomy, and unlike the completely miserable Scion iQ, there's actually decent back-seat space and it gets pretty solid fuel mileage.
Skip the "leatherette" seats. They're vinyl, and come with everything you remember from those terrible vinyl seats from the '70s. They don't breathe, and they absorb sunlight. Prepare to sear your legs on a hot summer day if you're wearing shorts.
But back to the Metro comparison: This car is good on gas, but thanks to its light weight and ridiculous depreciation, I'm expecting these things to have Ford Taurus SHO motors mounted mid-ship in 24 Hours of LeMons races come 2033. That's the only reason I gave it 5 stars for performance potential, because holy crap this thing is slow.
My wife got one back in February. Great little car. Got an auto...but still averaging 38-39 in her around-town running about. We have taken 3 road trips in it...2 averaging 48mpg the other 52mpg. Very roomy. I would consider tetting one if something were to happen to my Yaris sedan DD.
The Chevy Spark looks like a toy, something you can hang on your key chain. Of course, this version takes you from point A to point B at 84 horsepower and can maneuver in and out of traffic relatively effortlessly.
Like what you read here? You can get a whole magazine full of these types of articles delivered to your home or shop 8 times a year. Subscribe now or visit the Grassroots Motorsports online store for back issues.
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