Chevy’s Korean micro car comes up short

Chevrolet’s Spark is a confusing car.

Why? Chevy has a perfectly fine entry-level car, the Sonic. Why it felt a need to go bargain basement with its Spark, a Daewoo (remember that name?) designed four-door micro or city car seems like a decision from the pre-bankruptcy General Motors.

Let’s get out our microscope and examine Spark, which some folks insisted should be called the Speck. It’s small, riding on a 93.5-inch wheelbase and weighing just 2,269 pounds in 2LT trim, as I drove it, with a 4-speed automatic transmission. Consider that most cars now have 5- or 6-speed transmissions and you can see what road we’re headed down.

Spark is made in South Korea and comes in three trims, base, 1LT and 2LT and is aimed directly at the youngsters who simply can’t afford anything larger. Its base price is $12,245, close to its main competitor, the Nissan Versa, but you’d also compare it with Scion’s (Toyota’s entry-level youth brand) iQ or Hyundai’s Accent. Some might argue it would have competed with the Smart car a few years back too, but even the Spark offers more and is a smarter choice than the Smart. Continue reading 2013 Chevrolet Spark 2LT →