Opening
Chevrolet Sail U VA First Impressions
With the launch of the Beat, Chevrolet widely improved the options available for customers to choose from. It was offered in both petrol as well as diesel. The Beat however was not as successful as expected in taking on its rivals like the Maruti Suzuki Swift, Ford Figo and Tata Indica Vista.
The Aveo U VA had great interiors but then it was not offered in diesel which is the current consumer favorite in India. Lack of a diesel option was a big drawback for the Aveo U VA.
To rectify these points, Chevrolet recently launched the Sail U VA with a Fiat sourced engine. With a new model fitted with a better performing engine, the company wants to bring pack its lost sheen. Here is our first impression report on the Sail U VA.
Appearance Exterior
The headlamp assembly features clear lens lights which gives a stylish touch to the front as well as the lower half of the front facia. Front bumpers have a curvy finish on both the lines near the headlights as well as near the lower portion. Circular clear lens fog lamps have been fitted on the bumper.
Radiator grille design is a lot improved from the earlier U VA and now sports a modern design with chrome inserts at the edges. A bold Chevrolet logo at the centre marks the new fact of Chevrolet models. The front design distinctly reminds of the premium segment Cruze.
First look of the car and it makes you believe that Chevrolet has improved a lot on this version. The lines from the fender travel smoothly across till the rear quarter panel and also at the lower side of the door panel. There is an aerodynamic flow in the design of body and the new tail lamp extends to the quarter panel which adds to the good look.
There is smooth sail in the design towards rear panel and dickey door. The new clear lens tail lamp, well designed rear wind shield and the smoothly designed bumper give the best of impression.
Appearance Interior
Along with stylish exteriors, the interiors too have been improved in the Sail U VA. Inside, the instrument cluster which Chevrolet describes as a Raising sun styled displays all the needed information in a compact and stylish matter. Front dashboard like neat and stylish.
There is ample space in the glove box and the wide AC outlets help cool the cabin faster. The central panel is a bit straight and simple. Chrome finished knobs and the color of center panel match up with the dash board and give it a decent look. Inside the cabin one also finds important and essential comfort features like bottle holder, arm rest, ash tray and a lighter.
Luggage compartment Lamp and Rear parcel shelf etc are some of the additional convenience aspects of the car. Best part of the interior is the 60:40 split folding rear seats. With this one can vary the ample space for the luggage as required. Overall, the Sail U VA offers great headroom, legroom and also very good cushioned seats with lumbar support.
Performance Drive
With wide opening doors, getting inside the cabin is very easy. Generous legspace makes the ingress and egress very easy. The seats are very comfortable as they have goof cushioning.
The petrol variant which we drove is indeed very smooth. In fact we had to make sure the vehicle is idling for real as we didn’t realize it. There is no chunky hand brake lever and instead there is a small button which does the work. In our brief encounter inside the city, the drive was impressive and was very convenient to be driven around in small corners. Once seated inside the visibility factor is superb from all angles
A turning radius of 5.2m is very impressive especially in occasions where one is forced to take tight U turns or while steering out from narrow lanes. This is also handy while parking the car. Transmission is very smooth. The ride experience is very positive. AC does its bit very efficiently and at a fast pace. The Sail U VA took on the uneven roads with ease as it has a ground clearance of 174mm. The small engine also returns a good pickup response as reaching speeds up to 80 kmph didn’t take any efforts. It is claimed that the Sail U VA can reach a top speed of 140 kmph.
Tech Specs
| Technical Specifications | ||
| Make | Chevrolet | |
| Model | Sail U-VA | |
| Variant | Petrol | Diesel |
| Engine cc | 1199 | 1248 |
| Power in PS / Rpm | 86/6000 | 78/4000 |
| Torque in Nm / Rpm | 113/5000 | 205/1750 |
| Transmission | 5/M | 5/M |
| Tyre size | 175/70 R14 | 175/70 R14 |
| Brakes Front | Disc | Disc |
| Brakes Rear | Drum | Drum |
| Fuel Tank capacity | 42 | 42 |
| Dimensions in mm | ||
| Length | 3946 | 3946 |
| Width | 1690 | 1690 |
| Height | 1503 | 1503 |
| Wheel Base | 2465 | 2465 |
| Ground clearance mm | 174 | 168 |
| Minimum turning radius M | 5.2 | 5.2 |
| Kerb Weight Kgs | 1065 | 1124 |
| Boot Space in Litres | 248 | 248 |
| Claimed Mileage Kmpl. | 18.2 | 22.1 |
Features
| Features | Base(Petrol) | LS | LS ABS | LT ABS |
| Ex showroom Price Bangalore | ||||
| Petrol | 451894 | 492521 | 527634 | 567836 |
| Diesel | NA | 597730 | 630298 | 673768 |
| On road Price Bangalore | ||||
| Petrol | 542148 | 590061 | 637329 | 685187 |
| Diesel | NA | 720774 | 759545 | 811293 |
| Power steering | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Air conditioning | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Front Power windows | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tilt adjust steering | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 60:40 Split Folding rear seat | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Rear power windows | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Central door lock | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Rear wiper washer | No | No | No | Yes |
| Rear Defogger | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Integrated audio system | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Driver airbag | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Passenger airbag | No | No | No | Yes |
| ABS | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Speed sensitive autolock | No | No | No | Yes |
| Alloy wheels | No | No | No | Yes |
| Leather wrapped steering wheel | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Leather Gear Knob | No | No | No | Yes |
Competition All Specs
| Specifications |
Chevrolet
Sail U-VA |
Ford
Figo |
Maruti Suzuki
Swift |
Chevrolet
Sail U-VA |
Ford
Figo |
Maruti Suzuki
Swift |
| Petrol | Diesel | |||||
| Variant | LT ABS | Titanium | Zxi | LT ABS | Titanium | Zxi |
| Engine Displacement | 1199 | 1196 | 1197 | 1248 | 1399 | 1248 |
| Power in PS / Rpm | 86/6000 | 71/6250 | 87/6000 | 78/4000 | 69/4000 | 75/4000 |
| Torque in Nm / Rpm | 113/5000 | 102/4000 | 114/4000 | 205/1750 | 160/2000 | 190/2000 |
| Transmission | 5/M | 5/M | 5/M | 5/M | 5/M | 5/M |
| Tyre size | 175/70 R14 | 175/65 R14 | 185/65 R15 | 175/70 R14 | 175/65 R14 | 185/65 R15 |
| Brakes Front | Disc | Disc | Disc | Disc | Disc | Disc |
| Brakes Rear | Drum | Drum | Drum | Drum | Drum | Drum |
| Fuel Tank capacity (L) | 42 | 45 | 42 | 42 | 45 | 42 |
| Dimensions in mm | ||||||
| Length | 3946 | 3795 | 3850 | 3946 | 3795 | 3850 |
| Width | 1690 | 1680 | 1695 | 1690 | 1680 | 1695 |
| Height | 1503 | 1427 | 1530 | 1503 | 1427 | 1530 |
| Wheel Base | 2465 | 2489 | 2430 | 2465 | 2489 | 2430 |
| Ground clearance | 174 | 168 | 170 | 168 | 168 | 170 |
| Minimum turning radius | 5.2M | 4.9M | 4.8M | 5.2 | 4.9M | 4.8M |
| Boot space in Liters | 248 | 284 | 300 | 248 | 284 | 300 |
| Claimed Mileage kmpl | 18 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 18 |
| Features | ||||||
| Power steering | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Air conditioning | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Front Power windows | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Driver seat height adjust | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tilt adjust steering | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Music system | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Steering mounted audio control | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth phone interface | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Intelligent Central locking | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Rear wash and wiper | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Rear Defogger | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ABS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dual front airbag | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fog lamps | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ex showroom Price Bangalore | 567836 | 501999 | 587902 | 567836 | 599999 | 701085 |
Conclusion
The Chevrolet Sail U VA will get its competition from Ford Figo, Maruti Suzuki Swift, Hyundai i20 and the Tata Indica Vista. The extra warranty back up on the Sail U VA encourages the consumers to atleast consider this one.
Chevrolet has made a superb attempt with the Sail U VA by offering it in both petrol and diesel forms. Chevrolet claims that the Sail U VA delivers a mileage of 18.2 kmpl for petrol and 22.1 kmpl for diesel which is impressive and will help consumers gather confidence in considering it.
This time around Chevrolet has prices it at a fair point and pitching it to the correct set of consumers. Hope the Sail U VA helps the company finally make an important position in the small car market scene.
