It now costs me at least 50 per cent more to fill up my car than it did a few years ago, and with every gas-sipping vehicle I drive I wonder if it is worth my while to move on and get something new.
I'm sure I am not the only one to think like this, although because I drive a different vehicle every week I probably think this way more than the regular Joe.
Auto dealers have also been wringing better mileage from their vehicles each year and with the U.S. corporate average fuel economy emissions rules for 2016 each manufacturer of cars and trucks with a GVWR of 10,000 lbs or less will have to average just over 35 mpg, and the average for its cars will have to be 42 mpg for every vehicle in their entire fleet.
As those rules affect the vehicles we receive here in Canada, whether they are built here or not, it means we will see more fuel efficient vehicles in showrooms from every dealer.
Apart from new technological advances there are only so many ways to get better gas mileage from a vehicle, and the main two are less weight and less power,
sometimes both combined.
And with this there has been a deluge of smaller more fuel-efficient, gas-powered vehicles entering the market as of late. But each dealer has to try to separate its vehicles from the competition whether it be by price point,
options, coolness or some other attention grabber.
Chevy is no exception to this with the introduction of its new Spark. Initially I thought it was going to be an electric vehicle, but it is in fact a little 1.25 litre four cylinder gasoline engine.
And Chevy has decided to introduce it in what it calls Jalapeno green. I'm not sure if that is the correct green for a Jalapeno but the nice thing is the metallic green continues on the inside giving it a different look and feel to other vehicles of its type on the market.
The seats have also been presented the way a chef would present a dish at a high-class restaurant.
Picture a lovely chocolate moose with fresh whipped cream and green mint sauce drizzled back and forth across the plate. This is how the seats have been served and it looks quite good.
The Spark is small as its name might suggest, or maybe it is just clever as others may think by the name. The back it cut off and the wheels have been stretched to extreme corners of the Spark, which aids with the handling. This handling is actually quite decent for a car of its type. Several years ago I never would have thought of whipping a vehicle like this in to a corner, but with my life insurance paid up I figured what the heck, and I was pleasantly
surprised at how the little Spark handled itself.
On the inside the Spark provides plenty of front room for two adults and enough room for two kids in the back, and with the average Canadian family now only producing something like 1.235 kids there will be lots of room in the Spark.
The centre of the rear seat has been used for cup holders and a storage bin and on the front dash there is storage for coins on the left and larger items to the right.
The Spark gets along fine for a little 1.25-litre engine and cruised nicely at highway-plus speeds. It may not be the fastest thing in the world but it is not supposed to be.
It is supposed to get you from A to B, in and around town mainly, with 40 miles per gallon.
The rear seats with adjustable head rests split and fold for more trunk storage space if needed.
The steering wheel came with cruise, stereo and Bluetooth functions on it and the speedo was close enough to my fingers while holding the steering wheel I could touch it. In the centre of the dash Chevy has placed a seven-inch touch screen for the stereo with satellite radio. There is also a USB drive below for more music, which appears on the screen for you to flip through. The Spark also comes with six months of OnStar service and Chevy has also thought about safety with electronic stability control, traction control, anti-lock brakes, tire pressure monitoring system and 10 airbags. There are two front impact bags, two front side-impact bags, two rear side-impact bags, two side curtain bags and two front knee bags.
All they need to include is some shoes with all the bags and my wife would buy this vehicle in a heartbeat.
At a price of $17,245 which includes the destination charge of $1,500 the Spark definitely shines bright among the competition.
SPEC SHEET
Vehicle
CHEVY SPARK
Vehicle type:
4-door sedan
Transmission:
4-speed auto
Engine:
1.25-litre four cylinder
Mileage:
7.1 l/100 km
40 mpg City
5.2 l/100 km
54 mpg Hwy
Price as tested:
$17,245
