Chevrolet Spark

Chevrolet Spark at a glance

More Chevrolet models are listed in our Chevrolet catalogue, and the brand's story is told in our history of Chevrolet.

History

The Matiz story began with Italdesign, the studio founded by Giorgetto Giugiaro. Its 1993 Lucciola concept grew out of a city-car proposal that Fiat had turned down, and Daewoo adopted the design. Daewoo's engineers combined it with the mechanicals of the Tico, built since 1991, and launched the car as the Daewoo Matiz in 1998. After Daewoo's collapse, General Motors took over its car business, and production of the Matiz continued. In some European and Asian countries it was sold as the Chevrolet Matiz. After 2005 it received an update that did not change it greatly, and from around 2006 the small car was sold in Europe as the Chevrolet Spark. The Daewoo Matiz continued under its own name in some markets for years, while the Chevrolet Spark became a separate model that was regularly renewed.

Second generation (M200, 2005–2009)

The M200 was built from 2005 to 2009, and in some countries longer as the improved M250. It is small, attractive, popular and good value for money - in essence a reworked, slightly more upmarket Matiz. A minor update followed in 2007.

Exterior and interior

The car looks fresh and unconventional. The front has attractive, unusually shaped headlights and a small grille set low in the bumper, flanked by round fog lamps. Its compact size makes it ideal for city traffic. The sides are simple, with small doors and plain wheel arches, and ground clearance is 135 mm. The rear has round lights, a small tailgate with a spoiler and brake light and a slightly protruding bumper.

Soft lines and a symmetrical centre console make the cabin friendly. It is surprisingly roomy for the car's size: high seats allow four people to travel comfortably, although three rear head restraints are fitted, three adults in the back will be very cramped. The cabin is flexible, and the boot holds 170 litres, expanding to 845 litres with the rear backrests folded.

Engines and chassis

The front-wheel-drive platform has a typical A-segment suspension: MacPherson struts at the front and a semi-independent torsion beam at the rear. Rack-and-pinion steering with hydraulic assistance makes the car easy to drive. Brakes are discs at the front and drums at the rear, and some versions have ABS.

Third generation (M300, 2009–2015)

The third generation, based on the 2007 Chevrolet Beat concept, made its debut at the Geneva motor show in 2009 and was built in several countries, including India, South Korea and Uzbekistan; the Uzbek-built version was later also sold under the Ravon R2 name. It improved in many respects, with striking looks, an interestingly styled cabin and specifications that met the standards of the A-segment at the time.

Exterior

The M300 has a fairly aggressive look with sharp edges, the brand's typical grille and large headlights, plus many small details that add interest. The grille shape was later altered slightly but remains recognisable, and the bumper received different fog-lamp housings and a new lower grille. Black surrounds emphasise the large headlights. The side has a high window line and rear door handles hidden in the pillars, with small lines curving around the wheel arches. Ground clearance is 135 mm, and base versions ride on 14-inch steel wheels. At the rear, a small spoiler with a brake light sits above the tailgate, and the exhaust exits at the lower left of the bumper.

Interior

Materials are far from perfect, but the low price makes this forgivable. The front seats are comfortable and upholstered in synthetic fabric; the "height adjustment" only changes the cushion angle. The three-spoke steering wheel has a recessed centre, and better versions have audio controls on the side. The motorcycle-style instrument panel, with an analogue speedometer in a cowl and a digital display with indicators to the right, looked good a decade ago but now feels dated with its blue lighting. The centre console has a simple radio with a small display and three climate knobs, with a black V-shaped panel above them showing temperature and air direction. There are many storage spaces and three cupholders.

There is little space in the rear, but by A-segment standards the Spark claims one of the roomiest cabins in its class. The boot holds 170 litres, and folding the rear bench flat increases this to 994 litres. A spare wheel and tools sit under the floor.

Engines and chassis

In Europe the M300 was offered with 1.0 and 1.2 four-cylinder petrol engines. North American and Uzbek-built cars use a 1,249 cc 16-valve DOHC four-cylinder with multi-point injection, producing 63 kW (85 PS) and about 113 Nm. Paired with a four-speed automatic, it uses about 7.2 l/100 km, reaches 100 km/h in 12.4 seconds and has a top speed of 161 km/h. In North America the automatic was replaced by a CVT in 2014.

The M300 is built on GM's front-wheel-drive Global Small Vehicles platform with a monocoque body: over 66% of its structure is high-strength steel and 16.5% ultra-high-strength materials. The front suspension uses MacPherson struts and the rear a semi-independent torsion beam. Rack-and-pinion steering has variable-ratio electric assistance, and the brakes are 236 mm ventilated front discs and rear drums; many versions have ABS and EBD. In the 2009 Euro NCAP test the Spark scored 81% for adult occupant protection, 78% for child occupants, 43% for pedestrians and 43% for safety assist.

Fourth generation (M400, 2015–2022)

The M400 was revealed at the New York motor show in April 2015 and went on sale in the fourth quarter of 2015. It adopted the brand's family styling and gained an attractive cabin, modern technology and generous equipment.

Exterior

Most changes compared with the M300 are at the front and rear; the side changed least. The front has stricter lines and headlights with separate elements and a black background - no chrome. Chrome "eyebrows" above the lights also frame the upper grille; more expensive versions have LED lighting. The grille is split into two parts, with a small upper section and a large lower one covering most of the front. The bumper has LED daytime running lights at the sides, compact fog lamps and plastic inserts, and the bonnet has crisp lines near the headlights.

The rear door handles remain hidden near the rear windows, so at first glance the car looks like a three-door. A line runs from the front wheel arch to the middle of the rear doors, with a small recess instead of mouldings; black or chrome mouldings are optional. Chrome surrounds the side windows, and the door handles are body-coloured. The mirrors are longer; heating and LED indicators are optional. Standard 15-inch steel wheels with covers can be replaced by alloys, and the arches take up to 16-inch wheels. At the rear, a compact spoiler with an LED brake light and a wiper sits above a small, sporty window; the tail lights are halogen or LED depending on the version. A C-shaped recess runs across the bumper with compact fog lamps, and the exhaust is hidden behind the bumper.

Interior

The cabin improved considerably. The three-spoke multifunction steering wheel adjusts for height, and the instrument panel has a large analogue speedometer in the centre, a smaller rev counter and a monochrome trip-computer display; it is informative and easy to read day or night. Every version has a 7-inch infotainment touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth and, in some markets, a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot. Below it are audio and phone buttons, the air vents and a plain climate panel, and a small tray with USB and 12 V sockets. Despite modest materials, gloss plastics and aluminium-look inserts make the cabin look solid.

The tunnel has a manual parking brake, two cupholders, the gear lever and an optional armrest. The front seats are sportier than before, with good side support and tall head restraints, and heating is available. The rear seats two or three. Upholstery is fabric or leatherette. For an A-segment car the boot is decent at 313 litres, rising to 771 litres with the rear seats folded flat.

Engines and chassis

The 1.4 has an aluminium block and head, multi-point injection, an integrated exhaust manifold and 16 valves with double overhead camshafts; with the manual gearbox it uses about 5.9 l/100 km. The M400 is built on GM's global front-wheel-drive small-car platform with high-strength steel in the body, MacPherson struts at the front and a torsion beam at the rear, both with anti-roll bars. Power steering is electric, and brakes remain discs at the front and drums at the rear.

Safety and equipment

The M400 offers front, side and curtain airbags and a driver's knee airbag - ten airbags in North America - plus low-speed automatic braking, cruise control, tyre-pressure monitoring, keyless entry, hill-start assist, stability control, lane departure warning, start-stop, air conditioning, a rear camera, parking sensors, blind-spot monitoring and ISOFIX mounts, depending on market and version.

What owners say

Owners of earlier generations praise the Spark's modest fuel consumption, reliability and low running costs. It is ideal for city use and very compact. On the downside, they mention poor noise insulation, limited visibility, a cramped rear, weak performance, low ground clearance and an underpowered engine.

Rivals

The Spark competed with A-segment cars such as the Suzuki Celerio, Kia Picanto, Hyundai i10 and Toyota Aygo.