Chevrolet Sail Hatchback 2012-2013 Petrol

Sail Hatchback 2012-2013 Petrol Review

Chevrolet Sail UVA is not a brand new car and quite safely can be termed as a upgradation of the already prevailing Chevrolet hatchback, Aveo UVA. Chevrolet Aveo UVA failed to catch any eye-balls because of multi-fold reasons like the large size, not very appealing looks, poor performance and lack of a diesel option. We would like to believe that it is due to these things that GM came up with the all new Chevrolet Sail UVA Petrol LS for India. This new upcoming hatchback from Chevrolet was showcased in its pre-production form during the India Auto Expo 2012. New Chevrolet UVA with much better looks than its predecessor comes powered with a Smartech 1.2-litre BDOHC petrol engine with 4 cylinders placed in-line formation . The engine of the hatch is capable of churning out a power of 84.82bhp at 6000rpm and produces a maximum torque of 113Nm at 5000rpm. The powertrain comes mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. This new hatchback from GM will compete against Toyota Etios Liva, Nissan Micra, Skoda Fabia, Maruti Ritz, Volkswagen Polo and Tata Indica Vista apart from many others present in the segment. India loves this segment because of these high performance and suited-for-city-drives products available from car-makers across the world which gives the consumers a wide range of choice, thus, for Chevrolet UVA to stand apart, it would take much. Nevertheless, Chevrolet Sail UVA Petrol LS might not be a car which will make heads turn but it is a kind of car which grows up on you.

Exteriors

Sail UVA hatch was designed by PATAC - Pan Asia Technical Automotive Centre. The centre is managed by GM and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation together. The hatchback is larger in size than most of the others present in the segment, with a length of 3946mm, width of 1690mm and a height of 1503mm. The ground clearance of the vehicle is 174mm and the wheelbase is 2465mm. The front fascia of the hatchback follows the typical Chevrolet design scheme that can be seen across models. At the front one can see the usual Chevrolet honeycomb grille which has the Chevrolet bow-tie in the centre. One can see chrome bordering the grille, adding to the premium-ness of the hatchback. Giving the hatch its good looks are the swept back headlamps, round fog lamps which are mounted on the front bumper, the side profile which gives it a backward sloping roofline and a rear end which is flat, as opposed to the flowy front. 2012 Chevrolet Sail UVA Petrol LS  stands on 175/70/R14 tyres and has a kerb weight of 1065kgs. Looking at the size of the car, 14inch tyres seem to be a little smaller.

Interiors

Owing to its large size, Chevrolet Sail UVA Petrol LS has a lot of space in the cabin. When we say space, not only do the front seats have enough legroom but the rear seating as well has an extremely good spacing along with a very good under-thigh support on the seats, front and back. The boot volume of the car is close to 248-litres which is extremely good considering the competition which Sail UVA faces in the segment where it stands. The interiors are two tone and there is a lot of silver inserts which one can see. The look and feel of the cabin is plain and simple with no flashy stuff on the dashboard or anywhere else. The centre console is also conventional and simple. The console consists of a music system which doesn't have a lot of buttons, giving it a neat and tidy look. The air-conditioning controls as well are simple with the regular round dial (rotary) . For some reason which cannot be explained in words but can only be felt, despite the simplicity of the interiors, Sail UVA from inside looks posh and has a sense of luxury to it.

Comfort features

2012 Chevrolet Sail UVA Petrol LS is a pretty simple car with no fancy and frilly things around. It is expected that the hatchback will come with basic features and stuff like steering mounted controls, climate control etc. will not be present but all this will be clarified only once the car launches. However, the materials used, finishing and fitments of the interiors will be of high quality and no compromises are made on that front, whatsoever. The audio system in the car will be a 2 DIN music player , compatible with FM radio services and will feature AUX-in as well .

Engine and performance

Chevrolet Sail UVA Petrol LS is powered by a 1.2-litre Smartech BDOHC petrol engine . The powertrain is a 4-cylinder in-line and has a displacement of 1199cc . The petrol Chevrolet UVA hatchback is capable of producing a power of 84.82bhp at 6000rpm and delivers a maximum torque of 113Nm at 5000rpm. With a fully galvanized steel body and a kerb weight of 1065kgs, Chevrolet Sail UVA petrol can zip from 0-100kmph in about 14.6seconds . There are no rough noises and the engine is quite refined with low vibration levels.

Braking and Handling

Chevrolet UVA Sail hatchback uses ventilated discs with front calipers brakes in the front and drum type brakes in the rear. Though, GM might have made the Sail UVA simple with features inside but there seem to be no compromises with the braking system. The upcoming hatchback from Chevrolet will feature ABS with EBD. The gear shift, power steering, McPherson Strut with coil spring and stabilizer bar front suspension system and semi-independent suspension with coil spring rear suspensions, the ride in UVA is very comfortable and quite smooth. The car is quite responsive, which adds to the pleasure of driving. The Sail drive on the Indian roads is quite smooth and car seems to have a really nice feel to it.

Safety features

Like all GM cars, Chevrolet Sail UVA irrespective of its simplicity, does not compromise with the safety features. Though we do not know in detail what all will be present, Sail UVA hatch will feature anti-lock braking system with electronic braking distribution that helps enhance the braking system of the car and improves the riding, handling and control over the car. There will also be stability traction control and dual airbags for the safety of the passengers. Hatchback will have fog lamps which will help make the drive in Chevrolet's upcoming petrol hatchback safe even during tough weather conditions. 

Pros

New and improved designing, space, performance oriented nature of the car

Cons

Low on features, poor after sale maintenance