The international hit in hatchbacks, Chevrolet Sail U-VA, from the stables of the American car-giant, General Motors, has finally been launched in India.
Rolled-out as a replacement for Chevrolet Aveo U-VA, which has so far failed miserably in registering a respectable sales record in the country, Sail U-VA comes to India after having proven its mettle in the car-markets across the globe.
At a grand ceremony held in the financial capital of the nation, Mumbai, this new small car from GM India was presented today in a group of seven different models, four of which are petrol-consumers and the remaining three, being oil-burners, are the more practical options. While the petrol-fuelled variants are better known by the following model names: Base, LS, LS ABS and LT ABS, their diesel counterparts are known as LS, LS ABS and LT ABS.
ngg_shortcode_0_placeholderAs for the price, the petrol-range starts at an exciting amount of Rs 4.44 lakh and reaches up to Rs 5.57 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai), while the diesel line-up comes for a starting cost of Rs 5.87 lakh and ends at Rs 6.92 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai).
Starting with the exteriors, Chevrolet Sail U-VA is not one for making people go gaga over its looks, but still manages to have a distinct charm that does not fail to make an impression. The car does not possess any complex cuts and curves, just a straightforward design, adorned with neat, sleek and bold lines that blend together perfectly to form an eye-pleasing attire.
The features that form the highlights of this attire are the Chevy-typical dual-front grille split by a golden bowtie badge, a pair of sharply-cut headlamps coupled with stylish Shooting Star style fog lamps, the 12-spoke 14 inch alloys that add a sporty element to the styling, and the body-colored fitments like ORVMs and door-handles.
Where highlights of interiors are concerned, there is a much longer list that comes tagging along with the new Sail U-VA. Even before the car had hit the showrooms, it was known for the immense room and plush furnishing that it has to offer to its passengers. Jacketed in a twin-tone Coffee Beige fabric, the seats of Chevrolet Sail U-VA provide ample support and comfort to their occupants. Plus, the big and small storage spaces fitted inside the seating chamber and the voluminous luggage compartment make the ride even more convenient and fun.
To boost the look and feel of the interiors, GM India have added a dash of chrome on the door handles, covered the steering wheel and gear-knob in leather, and fitted a sporty instrument panel in the cockpit area. On top of all this, an integrated audio system, complete with radio, MP3 and CD player has also been positioned on the front dash, which takes the fun element one notch higher. But it is not just these fancy looks, style and gizmos that make up the new Chevrolet Sail U-VA. The safety package has been loaded equally well, which comes with dual airbags, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and Child-protection rear-door locks.
Zooming in to take a look at what resides under the hood, we come across two kinds of mills – petrol and diesel. While the petrol one is a 1.2-litre MPFI engine that produces a peak 85bhp for a maximum of 113Nm torque, and is shared by Chevy Beat also, the 1.3-litre multi-jet turbocharged diesel mill has a capacity of cranking 77bhp for a top 205Nm torque and is presently employed by Maruti Suzuki Swift, Fiat Punto and Toyota Etios Liva as well. On the scale of fuel-efficiency, both the engines have excellent results to show. With the petrol variants featuring a fuel-economy of 18.2kmpl and their diesel counterparts giving 22.1kmpl, Sail becomes one of the most fuel-efficient cars in the entire segment. That said, the existing players that need to look out for this newbie, in particular, are Volkswagen Polo, Hyundai i20 and Maruti Suzuki Swift.