Chevrolet Sail 1.2 LS

Sail 1.2 LS Review

Chevrolet India has launched the refurbished version of its Sail sedan to garner more sales in this festive season. It has made a few changes to the interiors to give it a fresh new look. It has a brand new color scheme with beige and black along with icy blue illumination for the instrument panel. Furthermore, this sedan also gets a refined 2-DIN music system featuring a digital display, which has blue back light. At the same time, its exteriors too have been updated with chrome inserts, which distinguishes it from its outgoing model. It is available in several trim levels among which, Chevrolet Sail 1.2 LS is the mid range petrol trim. This variant is powered by the same 1.2-litre SMARTECH petrol engine, which is mated with a five speed manual transmission gearbox. The car maker has retained all the comfort features including an AC unit, power steering, remote keyless entry and a defogger. At the same time, it gets crucial safety features like speed sensitive auto door lock, safe-cage body structure and seat-belts, which provides good safety to the occupants. This sedan is available with an attractive warranty of 3-years or 100000 kilometers, which can be extended at an additional price.

Exteriors:

This latest sedan has a dynamic external appearance, which is now amplified by chrome inserts. The front facade is fitted with a stylish dual port radiator grille, which is embedded with gold plated company's bowtie. It also has a chrome surround an perforated mesh with matte black finish. Surrounding this is the hawk-wing styled head light cluster, which is equipped with turn indicators and halogen lamps. Its front body colored bumper has a pair of dynamic fog lamps, which are now surrounded by chrome inserts. In addition to this, it also has a perforated mesh, which contributes towards cooling the engine. The side profile looks very attractive owing to its expressive lines and neatly carved wheel arches. These are fitted with a set of 14 inch steel wheels, which are covered with radial tubeless tyres of size 175/70 R14. Furthermore, it also has styling aspects like body colored door handles and ORVMs. The window frames and the B pillars have high gloss black shade, which further adds to its elegance. Its rear end is fitted with a bright taillight cluster, which is powered by high intensity brake light and turn indicators. It surrounds a stylish boot lid, which is now decorated with a chrome strip.

Interiors:

This Chevrolet Sail 1.2 LS trim gets a Beige and Black color scheme, which brings a refreshed look to the cabin. Its dashboard gets a slightly pronounced center fascia and is now equipped with a refined 2-DIN music system. Furthermore, its instrument cluster too has been revised and is integrated with icy blue back light. The seats are ergonomically designed to provide better comfort and are covered with an improved fabric upholstery. Furthermore, the car maker has also updated the steering wheel with black color scheme and is now decorated with gold plated company's logo. There are several storage spaces given inside the cabin like front door map pockets, drink holders, front seat back pockets and a large glove box, which adds to the convenience. Its cabin has a lot of chrome inserts, especially on door handles, parking lever tip, AC vent surround, center bezel and on gearshift knob. There is an ample leg and head space available inside the cabin, owing to its long wheelbase of 2465mm and height of 1503mm.

Engine and Performance:

This mid range petrol variant is fitted with a 1.2-litre SMARTECH engine, which has 4-cylinders along with 16 valves. It is based on a dual overhead camshaft valve configuration and is integrated with multi point fuel injection system. This 1199cc engine has the ability to generate 82.5bhp of peak power at 6000rpm that results in a maximum torque output of 108.5Nm at 5000 rpm. This power plant is skilfully mated with a proficient 5-speed manual transmission that distributes the torque output to the front wheels. The car maker claims that the vehicle can produce a maximum mileage of 18.2 kmpl, which is rather good.

Braking and Handling:

The car maker has equipped its front axle with McPherson Strut and paired its rear axle with twist axle type of suspension. In addition to this, both the axles are further loaded with passive twin-tube gas filled shock absorbers, which augments the suspension mechanism. As far as its braking is concerned, its front wheels are fitted with disc brakes and the rear ones are coupled with solid drum brakes. On the other hand, the car maker has also integrated an advanced power assisted steering system that offers precise response and supports a minimum turning radius of just 5.15mm.

Comfort Features:

This Chevrolet Sail 1.2 LS is the mid range petrol trim, which is blessed with several advanced comfort features. Its cabin is fitted with a manually regulated air conditioning system that regulates the air temperature inside. It also has a list of features including front and rear power windows, day and night inside rear view mirrors, electrically adjustable outside mirrors, power steering with tilt adjustment, rear seat armrest with cup holders and height adjustable headrests. In addition to these, this sedan also has remote operation for tailgate release, interior courtesy lamp, 12V accessory power socket, luggage compartment lamp, front sun visors with passenger's side vanity mirror and remote fuel lid opening. This sedan is now integrated with a new 2-DIN music system that has a CD player with MP3 playback and an FM radio. Furthermore, it has connectivity ports for UBS and AUX-In devices. In addition these, it also has Bluetooth connectivity for audio streaming and pairing of up to five phones.

Safety Features:

This sedan is blessed with a safe-cage body structure featuring side impact beams and crumple zones, which protects the occupants inside. The car maker has also integrated several important features like three point seat-belts, centrally located high mount stop lamp, driver's seatbelt reminder, rear seat child protection lock, dual horn, speed sensitive auto door lock and key-in reminder. Furthermore, it is also integrated with an engine immobiliser that protects the vehicle from unauthorized access.

Pros:

1. Improved music system is a big plus point.

2. Price range is in a competitive range.

Cons:

1. Leatherette seats can be provided as standard.

2. Fuel economy can be improved.