Well i couldn’t resist writing an ownership review about the new arrival in hatchback competition, CHEVROLET BEAT; the stunning new head turner of the city . It was my personal choice to own this car and hence took the test drive not once; but twice! The technical aspects of the car as follows:

Engine

• Displacement (cc) – 1199
• Max Power (ps) – 80.5
• Torque (nm) – 108
• Mileage ARAI (kmpl) – 18.6

Suspension

• Front – McPherson Strut
• Rear – Compound Link Type
• All 4 Gas Filled Shock Absorbers

More detailed specifications can be found from the official link:

http://www.chevybeat.co.in/specification.html

For:

• Radical and modern styling inside & out
• High road presence easy to drive with confidence
• Good ride quality
• Super bike inspired speedometer and 2 door hatch appearance
• Fuel efficiency of 18.6 KmpL
• 3 year service guarantees

Against:

• Noisy rear suspension
• Lack of under thigh support at the rear seats
• Short drivers may find it difficult to handle in bumper to bumper traffic.

I booked the LS variant (PS, LS, LT, LT(O) are available) as i had no further budget. At a cost of Rs.3,92,000, this deal almost felt like a steal from Chevrolet!

The following items where absent in LS when comparing to higher models:

• Airbags, ABS, Collapsible height adjustable steering column
• Alloy wheels and thicker tyres
• In car entertainment (Controls integrated to dash with micro usb port and 4 speakers.
• Roof rails & Ariel
• Fog lamps
• Rear wiper/washer
• Body colored door handles and rear view mirror, black colored b pillar.
• Automatic climate control AC
• But i am completely satisfied with what i got. It’s a true value for money!

Now my ownership review at 500Km in digital odo:

Design & Appearance

The Good: The car as its name suggest will surely beat the a** of other cars in its class namely A star, Ritz & Swift (K series), & i10 kappa and other oldies like Santro, Zen Estilo etc. With a competitive pricing and a house full of goodies, this baby chevy will surely be a head ache for its competitors.

The design is radical and aggressive with Chevy Cruze inspired radiator grills, muscular bonnet and side panels, rear door handle cleverly integrated to C pillar, after market looking rear tail lamps, first of its kind wheel cap look alike rims; all these impart a unique look to the car. Excellent fit and finish too. A high quality Chevrolet Bow tie logo; even better than the one found in Captiva, and yeah; 2.5mph impact proof bumpers for bumper to bumper traffic.

Even the small neglectable design aspects in the interior are taken care of. Say for example rear passenger knee resting areas in B pillar, hooks provided near the front passenger headrest, hooks in rear roof handles, wiring for rear speakers and antenna cable even in LS variant(You cannot find such things in Maruthi cars.) The interior is also inspired from Cruze with a twin cockpit like feel; first of its kind with such superior fit and finish though there is no beige option (I personally not a big fan of beige as it is very difficult to maintain). The  instrument cluster is inspired from super bikes with a digital console and an analogue odo coupled together. The LS variant lacked the silver finish in an otherwise sporty steering wheel, dash and instrument console and also glossy black areas in the dash and doors as against the LT variant. The dash also lacked the climate control ac/ digital display, integrated mp3 player/digital display.(found in LT). The engine is super silent and there is very little noise in the cabin once you shut all your windows.

The bad: Though the Chevrolet Beat has a Cruze inspired dashboard, It always felt my knees rubbing the lower center console of the dash. I think this is common with at least some Chevrolet cars.(eg Spark, Cruze etc). The gearshift lever also lacks a trendy design comparing to the other design aspects of the car. I also have an opinion that the dash could have been shrinked which will increase the interior space.

Handling and Comfort.

The Good: The car gives you a big feel once you enter inside. The interior is spacious with more leg room and head room than its competitors.  The ride quality is perfect and is a good handler too. Though I haven’t tested its high speed stability yet, it feels like you are cruising at 40Kmph even if you are actually doing at 60-70Kmph. The car feels comfortable at corners too but I haven’t actually tested high speed cornering. Also you don’t feel the bumpiness in back seat which is common in other tallboys. The steering is hydraulic and hence gives the feeling of a big car. The front seats are supportive and is ergonomically perfect for me. The day and night IRVM is a boon in night driving. The ORVMs are also placed well. Since Chevrolet beat is a tallboy, its quite easy to get in and out of the car. The boot is 170 L which is enough for me though the competitions offer much bigger boot space.

The bad: The rear suspension is noisy in bad roads. Yea I really mean it. It sometimes kills the pleasure of driving such a nice car. The lack of under thigh support in rear seats is just another issue I found. (Or is that the rear seat shorter?) Also shorter people will find it difficult to drive in bumper to bumper traffic. Height adjustable driver seat is a must. The power window switches in LS variant is poorly placed. Dont know what the designers where thinking of! (See the pictures)

Performance & Mileage

The Good: The engine is rev happy with smooth power delivery. The sales person in the showroom described about a mechanism fitted to the car which limits the revving up of engine leading to a slightly miser power delivery and better mileage. Company is offering you 18.6 KmpL on an average. What else you want in today’s driving conditions? The drive is smooth & silent, car attains higher speeds at lower gears and the engine is torqy; its really a boon in city driving. I got a mileage of approximately 18-19KmpL yesterday and hence what the company offers is right. The main thing I felt was that you can drive too fast or too slow at 2^nd and 3^rd gears. 2^nd gear easily attains 60Kmph and 3^rd gear attains 90-100Kmph. This is really good in overtaking or in a ‘slowdown & speedup’ location (eg: bump, junction).

The bad: The performance of the engine with A/C on is mediocre. You need to downshift every time to overtake in highways. Also the car feels irresponsive at lower speeds and higher gears with A/C on. Ie.the car feels like it wont go even if we push the accelerator completely. This may be a ECU technique to improve the mileage and may be subjective to your driving styles.

Caution those who are driving Maruthis or Hyundais! You may need to change your driving and gear shifting styles to completely enjoy the performance of the car.

In general, this is a wonderful car to drive and to own and i would give 9/10.

Recent Updates:

• Clocked 1800Km in odo and doing well
• Completed 1st service (oil change on 15000Km)
• Sound from rear suspension rectified. 2 rubber bushes were replaced