2016 Chevrolet Spark (first test drive review)

[strawboss]

I agree that a quality belt is critical, but making sure that you replace the tensioner with a OEM unit or better is also critical and replace the water pump with every belt change. No sense in replacing the belt and tensioner then have the pump start leaking and destroy the belt. Since most engines are interference engines in design one belt failure is all it takes to do major damage to the valves and pistons. Chain driven camshaft as the Mirage has was really important for me as a buying decision.

I feel the same way as a Ford Escort I owned a long time ago suffered a seized water pump stripping the timing belt and ended up eating it's valves for dinner.....

[IwantaMirage]

The local Chevy dealer near me in Pennsylvania, has a 20% off msrp deal going. They have a new 2016 Spark for $10,800. Manual transmission and rollup windows.

[IwantaMirage]

That's what I was going to say is even thou they are redesign the Spark im sure the price will be a lot higher then the Mirage. So hopefully the Mirage will still keep doing better. GM hasn't made Thir own small car in many years! They use other makers and put Thir name on the outside. So if you think your getting a Chevrolet your being deceived unless you start looking at the tags in the door or under the hood. But stop and think about it? How many people ck that when they are buying that car? Very few. They think Thir getting a Chevy .

My local Chevy dealer has a base Spark for $9,995 it has crank windows and manual locks, but it also has a huge touch screen with apple carplay and android auto..it is a 5 speed manual. I am going to see it tomorrow.

[IwantaMirage]

When I got to Bob Fisher Chevrolet today the base Spark LS for $9,995 was already sold. So I drove a red LT1 manual transmission.
Here are my impressions: The manual has crisp shifts with good mechanical feel, the throws are mediaum not short not long. The clutch engages toward the end of the pedal travel. The engine seemed peppy, much more so than the Mirage, this was a 2016 1.4 liter 4 cyl weighing around 2246 lbs. The seats felt like burlap, rough but seemed durable. All Sparks (even the base model) come with android auto and apple car play built in! You can run your phones apps thru the large colorful screen in the car. The a/c worked well, it was 96 degrees here today. The steering had some slop in it on center, left and right for a few degrees then when you turned it felt better/more feel/less slop. The car handled well, somewhat of a firm ride/semi sporty, again better than the Mirage. The Spark comes with 2 years of scheduled maintenance free from Chevy. I guess I wasnt expecting to like the car as much as I did. It was fun to toss around and it had pep even with the a/c on. A huge improvement over the last generation Spark. The cargo area was nearly identical to my Mini, not too big but not too small. The sales lady kept telling me the Spark received the highest safety rating in its class. So Im not sure what to do, I liked the Versa and I liked the Spark. I want to drive a Versa S with the manual transmission.

[IwantaMirage]

That's what I was going to say is even thou they are redesign the Spark im sure the price will be a lot higher then the Mirage. So hopefully the Mirage will still keep doing better. GM hasn't made Thir own small car in many years! They use other makers and put Thir name on the outside. So if you think your getting a Chevrolet your being deceived unless you start looking at the tags in the door or under the hood. But stop and think about it? How many people ck that when they are buying that car? Very few. They think Thir getting a Chevy

Actually no, the base Spark is $13,500 and comes with back up camera, a/c and apply car play and android auto standard. And the thing was fun as hell to drive with the manual! Almost sporty. Chevy has a 20% discount on some of them which brings the price down to around $10,800! Base ES Mirage is 13,830 before discounts. No back up camera or infotainment, just a radio and cd player and a/c.

[inuvik]

Actually no, the base Spark is $13,500 and comes with back up camera, a/c and apply car play and android auto standard. And the thing was fun as hell to drive with the manual! Almost sporty. Chevy has a 20% discount on some of them which brings the price down to around $10,800! Base ES Mirage is 13,830 before discounts. No back up camera or infotainment, just a radio and cd player and a/c.

I think the new revised Spark has made some improvements and at the base level is a pretty good value. What only time will tell though is powertrain reliability. The Spark historically has had a few issues with munching the timing belt with unfortunate results since the Spark is a interference engine. GM also downgraded the powertrain warranty for the 2016's to 60k. Be interesting to see how mileage is overall.

[Eggman]

How is the Spark on fuel consumption?

[cyclopathic]

How is the Spark on fuel consumption?

It is slightly worse when compared to 2017 Mirage, 301/41 vs 33/41 city/hwy.

This is with manual, according to fueleconomy.gov

[Eggman]

I see what you mean. Here is a link to fueleconomy.gov comparing the Mirage v. Spark with manual transmissions.

Vehicles	2015 Mitsubishi Mirage 1.2 L, 3 cyl, Manual 5-spd MSRP: $12,995 - $15,395	2017 Mitsubishi Mirage 1.2 L, 3 cyl, Manual 5-spd MSRP: $12,995 - $16,495	2015 Chevrolet Spark 1.2 L, 4 cyl, Manual 5-spd MSRP: $12,270 - $16,535	2016 Chevrolet Spark 1.4 L, 4 cyl, Manual 5-spd MSRP: $12,660 - $17,285
EPA Fuel Economy	Regular Gasoline 37 mpg combined 34 mpg city 42 mph highway	Regular Gasoline 36 mpg combined 33 mpg city 41 mph highway	Regular Gasoline 34 mpg combined 31 mpg city 39 mph highway	Regular Gasoline 34 mpg combined 30 mpg city 41 mph highway

[cyclopathic]

^^ keep in mind that 2015 and 2017 numbers are not apple to apple comparison due to revised EPA load calculation guidelines. 2016 could be tricky depending on when and under which guidelines it was reviewed.