2018 Chevrolet Spark

The car has a fresh and bold new design with eye-catching paint schemes. The Spark is powered by a 1.4 Liter 4 cylinder petrol engine which produces a max power of 98 HP and 94 ft.-lbs. torque.

The 2018 Chevrolet Spark is available in 4 variants and all these variants are available with automatic and manual transmissions. The base manual variant LS starts at $13,925. The base variant LS comes packed with only the most needed necessary equipment such as aircon, 7-inch touch nav etc.

Trim	LS	1LT	Activ	2LT
MSRP (Manual)	$13,050	$15,750	$16,120	$17,250
MSRP (Automatic)	$14,150	$16,850	$17,220	$18,350
Key Features	Standard Features include:	All Features of LS, Plus:	All Features of 1LT, Plus:	All Features of 1LT, Plus:
	Chevrolet's OnStar communications system	Remote keyless entry	0.4 inch of additional ground clearance	Push-button start
	4G LTE in-car Wi-Fi hotspot	Fog-lights	Roof rails	Rear parking sensors
	Bluetooth and USB connectivity	15-inch alloy wheels	Special 15-inch wheels and bodywork	Upgraded driver information display
	Four-speaker audio system	Six-speaker audio system	Simulated leather seating surfaces	Simulated leather seating surfaces
	Air conditioning	Power accessories (windows, mirrors, and door locks)	Heated front seats	Heated front seats
	Rearview camera	Cruise control	Leather-wrapped steering wheel	Leather-wrapped steering wheel
	7-inch touchscreen
	Android Auto and Apple CarPlay

The full option variant is the 2LT which carries a price tag of $17,250 for the manual variant and $18,250 for the automatic variant. 2LT is equipped with heated front seats, push-button start, leather-wrapped steering wheel, and the rear parking camera. Though the base LS trim has the basic necessary features, it still lacks certain other features such as power accessories (windows, mirrors, and door locks) or the fog lamps. The top trim is packed with a lot of features, but it is not worth the spending.

We Recommend 

The 1LT is highly recommended. Priced at $15,750, the car comes packed with a lot of basic needed features such as power accessories, fog lamps, and cruise control and 15-inch alloy wheels. If you are someone who lives in a cold region, we would recommend the active variant as it has heated front seats which are a need in very cold areas.

"Ask your dad how many horsepower his 1974 Mustang II had and he’ll tell you 10 less than the Spark in a car that weighed significantly more. Advances in engine and electronic technology allow 98 ponies to do a lot more today, giving the Spark snappy acceleration off the line, but still struggling to pass or merge at higher speeds"-KBB

Engine and Transmission 

The Chevrolet Spark is powered by a 1.4L gasoline motor. It is a naturally aspirated 4 cylinder motor putting out a peak power of 98hp @ 6200 rpm and a torque of 94 ft.-lbs. @ 4400 rpm. The Spark is a city car and that is how it likes to behave. The car has an engine that is peppy enough to be driven within the city limits. However, on the highway, this is a different story. You fell the car is underpowered, less responsive to throttle inputs and is not so stable either.

Models	Chevy Spark	Mitsubishi Mirage	Kia Rio	Ford Fiesta
MSRP	$13,050	$13,395	$14,200	$14,505
Engine	Inline-4, 1.4L, Gas	Inline-3, 1.2L, Regular Unleaded	Inline-4, 1.6L,Regular Unleaded	Inline-4, 1.6L, Regular Unleaded
Transmission	5-speed Manual	5-speed Manual	6-speed Manual	5-speed Manual
Horsepower	98hp @ 6200 rpm	78hp @ 6,000 rpm	130hp @ 6,300 rpm	120hp @ 6,350 rpm
Torque	94 ft.-lbs. @ 4400 rpm	74 lbs.-ft. @ 4,000 rpm	119 lbs.-ft. @ 4,850 rpm	112 lbs.-ft. @ 5,000 rpm

The Chevy Spark has a decent power of 98HP but its counterparts, the Kia Rio and the Ford Fiesta are much more powerful than Chevy. While the Chevy is powered by a 1.4-liter motor, the Rio & Fiesta has a 1.6-liter motor. The Rio is the most powerful with a class-leading power of 130 HP and 119 lbs. ft. of torque. The Rio has a 6-speed manual gearbox while all others come with a 5-speed setup. In the engine and transmission section, it is the Rio that outperforms its contenders. 

Acceleration

With the 1.4-liter petrol motor at its heart, the Spark does the 0 - 60 mph in 10.7 seconds and the quarter mile in 18 seconds. The Spark is a city car and its main focus is to drive around the city with comfort and not give performance figures.

Models	Chevy Spark	Mitsubishi Mirage	Kia Rio	Ford Fiesta
0-60 MPH	10.7	10.6	8.5	6.9
Quarter mile	18 sec	17.5 sec	16.7 sec	16.6 sec
Engine	1.4 L	1.2 L	1.6 L	1.6 L
Emission (Tons/yr. of CO2 Emissions @ 15K mi/year)	5.3	4.9	5.5	5.8

The Chevy Spark is the slowest among its contenders. The Mitsubishi Mirage which has a smaller 1.2-liter motor manages to complete the quarter mile 0.5 seconds faster than the Spark. It is the weight of the car that is to be blamed for this. Though the KIA Rio & the Ford Fiesta are heavier than the spark, the engine power output has been tweaked to make them perform better in spite of being heavy.

Ride and Handling

The Spark handles like a typical small city car in that it is very easy to park this car in those tight parking spaces due to its small size. However, its when you start pushing this car you realize that this car is best suited for use only within the city. There is significant body roll around corners and it does not inspire much confidence when pushed hard. On the better side, it has a fairly comfortable ride which reinforces its reputation as a city car. The steering is light and easy which means maneuvering in and out of traffic is very easy. Still, it does not weigh up adequately at highway speeds. It's certainly not the best handling car but pretty clear about what its meant to do and that it does pretty well. 

Braking

The Spark has a 9.3-inch disc at the front and a 7.9-inch drum at the rear. The car comes from a 60mph to halt at 120 ft. The brakes on the spark are impressive compared to its rivals.

Model	Chevy Spark	Mitsubishi Mirage	Kia Rio	Ford Fiesta
Brake Front (in.)	9.3	7	10.3	7.9
Brake Rear (in.)	7.9	9	11	10.2
Curb Weight (lbs.)	2246	2018	2648	2537
60-0 MPH (ft.)	120	127	127	118

 

The Spark has a fuel efficiency of 29 mpg in the city and 39 mpg on the highways. Together, it delivers a combined mileage of 34 mpg.

Model	Chevy Spark	Mitsubishi Mirage	Kia Rio	Ford Fiesta
MPG (city)	29	33	29	27
MPG (highway)	39	41	37	35
MPG (combined)	34	36	32	30

In terms of fuel efficiency, the spark is not far behind the Mitsubishi Mirage which has a smaller displacement engine. The spark manages to deliver a similar mileage with a bigger engine. However, comparing to the heavier rivals, the spark has the edge over the Rio and the Fiesta. 

Blame the lower roofline and shorter length. Rear-seat legroom has also shrunk, but other aspects, like hip and shoulder room, have grown-KBB

Seating and Comfort

When you enter the cabin of the Spark, you soon start realizing that this is a budget car. Most surfaces are just hard plastic and you can really see the cost-cutting at certain places. The layout is simple with the infotainment screen sitting on top with the climate control vents below it and then the controls for the same underneath. The layout is not the most aesthetically designed but perhaps can be forgiven considering that it's a budget car. A metallic grey trim on the dashboard provides much relief to the otherwise dull trim. 

Although the Spark has a seating capacity of five, it can seat four persons comfortably. The passenger sitting in the middle of the rear seat won’t be finding it comfortable to sit there. The car comes with a lot of convenience features such as heated seats and touchscreen infotainment system with android auto and Apple CarPlay to ensure a comfortable drive for the driver and passengers.

Model	Chevy Spark	Mitsubishi Mirage	Kia Rio	Ford Fiesta
Passenger capacity	5	5	5	5
Front (Head/Shoulder/Leg) (In.)	39/50.8/43.9	39.1/51.7/41.7	38.9/54.1/42.1	39.1/52.7/43.6
Second (Head/Shoulder/Leg) (In.)	37.0/49.8/33.0	37.3/51.0/34.0	38.0/53.3/33.5	37.2/49.0/31.2

In terms of front passenger seating space, it is the Ford Fiesta that has the most cabin space with sufficient head, shoulder, and legroom. While moving to the rear seating comfort, it is the Mitsubishi Mirage that is the winner. All these cars are city cars and hence expecting the comfort of a long sedan can be really disappointing.

Infotainment System

The base model of the car has a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. It has a multimedia system with 4 speakers. The reverse parking camera is standard on all variants. The infotainment system is quite slick and easy to use offering most features you could have in a car in this price range. 

The higher variants have the touchscreen infotainment system on the LS along with a six-speaker setup for better sound. The 2LT variant has reverse parking camera as standard along with a host of other features. The biggest boon is that it offers Android Auto and Apple CarPlay right from the base trim. 

Interior Features

• 7 inch Touch Screen Navigation
• Android Auto
• Apple CarPlay
• Chevrolet On-Star Communication System
• Bluetooth and USB Connectivity
• Cruise Control
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Heated Seats
• Push button Start
• 6 Speaker Audio System
• Cargo Capacity

Cargo Capacity

The Chevrolet Spark has a cargo volume of 11 ft.3 with the rear seats upright. Folding them down can give you a cargo volume of 27.2 cu.ft.

Model	Chevy Spark	Mitsubishi Mirage	Kia Rio	Ford Fiesta
Cargo Volume with rear seats up (ft.3)	11.1	17.2 cu.ft.	17.4 cu.ft.	14.9 cu.ft.
Cargo Volume with rear seats down (ft.3)	27.2 cu.ft.	47.0 cu.ft.	32.8 cu.ft.	25.4 cu.ft.

The Kia Rio & Mitsubishi Mirage has a much larger cargo space compared to the Spark & Fiesta. In terms of cargo space, the Spark is really disappointing whereas the cargo capacity of the Rio and Mirage are just excellent. Each of them provides a cargo capacity of over 17 cubic feet. However, with the seats down, it is the Mirage that tops the segment with a massive cargo capacity of 47.0 cubic feet. 

The 2018 Chevy Spark makes the most of its small size and no longer looks toylike—just minimal—inside or out-TheCarConnection

Dimension and Weight

The Spark is a smart looking hatchback from the exterior. It has neat lines and good proportions. The blacked out headlamps and the large bold grille with the fog lamp housing look cool. The rear door handles have been neatly tucked into the C-pillar to give it a clean look. At the rear, the tail lamps are quite sleek and the contours on the bumper round of the simple yet bold looks. 

The Chevrolet Spark is a compact city hatchback. It weighs 2246 lbs. and has a ground clearance of 6.6 inches, which means you don’t have to worry about scraping the chassis on those large bumps or potholes. With a length of 143.1 inches and width of 62.8 inches, the car is easy to maneuver through the crowded city traffic.

Model	Chevy Spark	Mitsubishi Mirage	Kia Rio	Ford Fiesta
Curb weight (lbs.)	2246 lbs.	2018 lbs.	2648 lbs.	2537 lbs.
Length(in)	143.1 in.	149.4 in.	160.0 in.	159.7 in.
Width(in)	62.8 in.	65.6 in.	67.9 in.	67.8 in.
Height(in)	58.4 in.	59.4 in.	57.1 in.	58.1 in.
Ground clearance (in)	6.6	6.3 in.	5.5 in.	6.1
Wheelbase (in)	93.9 in.	96.5 in.	101.6 in.	98.0 in.
Track width - Front	54.5	56.3 in.	59.8 in.	57.7 in.
Track width - Rear	54.5	55.7 in.	60.0 in.	57.7 in.

The Mitsubishi Mirage is the lightest car in the segment followed by the Spark, Fiesta, and Rio. With a length of 143.1 inches and width of 62.8 inches, the Spark is shorter than the Mirage, Fiesta, and Rio. This means parking the car into those tight parking spaces won't be an issue with the Spark.

Standard Safety features:

• Driver Airbag
• Passenger Airbag
• Front Head Airbag
• Rear Head Airbag
• Front Side Airbag
• Rear Side Airbag
• 4-Wheel ABS
• Front Disc/Rear Drum Brakes
• Brake Assist
• Electronic Stability Control
• Daytime Running Lights
• Traction Control
• Rearview Camera

Standard safety features available in 2LT: Rear parking sensors, forward collision warning, and lane departure warning.

IIHS Ratings:

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Ratings
Moderate Overlap Front	Good
Side	Good
Front Crash Prevention	Basic
Child Seat Anchors (LATCH) Ease of Use	Acceptable

 NHTSA has not yet rated

Chevrolet Spark vs Mitsubishi Mirage

The Mitsubishi Mirage is lighter than the Spark, has a smaller engine and has the best in class fuel efficiency also. The Mirage is also more spacious than the Spark.

Chevrolet Spark vs Kia Rio

The KIA Rio is the most powerful car in the segment. It also has a six-speed transmission and is more spacious than all its counterparts.

Chevrolet Spark vs Ford Fiesta

The Ford Fiesta is not the most powerful or most spacious car in this segment. The Fiesta has a 1.6-liter petrol engine mated to a 5-speed gearbox. Since the Fiesta is lighter than the KIA, the Fiesta has the best handling, performance, and fun to drive aspect.

The Chevy Spark is a small city car. There are a lot of other options to consider in the same segment. The KIA has more space and comfort, the Ford offers better handling and performance and the Mitsubishi offers the best acceleration.

Let me remind you once again that the Spark is a city car. The main purpose of a city car is to commute around the city easily and park in tight parking spaces. The spark does these better than its rivals who offer more performance and comfort. So if you are looking for a perfect city car, look no more. The 2018 Chevrolet Spark is the car for you.