2013 Chevrolet Spark: Up Close
More 2011 L.A. Auto Show Coverage
Chevrolet says the car will start below the Sonic’s $13,735 base MSRP. It had better start thousands lower. The Korea-built Spark has upscale styling, a livable backseat and flashes of interior ingenuity, but too many areas remind me of the ill-executed Chevrolet Aveo.
Alas, the interior can’t cash them.
Chevrolet’s MyLink system looks promising, with lightning-fast response and intuitive menus. It’s what MyFord Touch should have been all along. The Spark’s gauges ape the Sonic’s, with an information display flanking a single gauge. It moves as you adjust the steering wheel, but customary of entry subcompacts, it doesn’t telescope.
The cabin feels narrow, with paper-thin doors that pull everything outside perceptually closer. There’s room to spread your knees, and the driver’s seat tracks back far enough, but the car’s huge windows make you feel like you’re in a fishbowl — and a small one, at that. Visibility, at least, is excellent. Those huge windows come courtesy of a belt line that starts at wrist level near the A-pillars. The Spark’s length — 14.3 inches shorter than a Sonic hatchback — makes the rear window sit smack-dab behind the rear seats. It’s huge, and the rear head restraints retract out of the way. Nothing behind you will stay hidden. Traffic in the next lane, however, could be another issue. The Spark’s backseat door handles mount behind the windows, blending a solid panel into the C-pillars. The whole of it takes a big chunk out of over-the-shoulder visibility.
