Economical Spark has a solid ride
This is it. This is the most affordable new car on the Canadian market. The Nissan Micra is no more, and this car can be bought for less money than a 3-cylinder Mitsubishi Mirage. This car is the Chevrolet Spark. And there’s a lot to like.
Let’s get the numbers out of the way first: with a base MSRP of $10,198, the Spark is the most affordable car in Canada by a healthy margin.
The Spark is available in several trims with the costliest one topping out at $19,298.
The very base model is the LS Manual and our test car was the mid-range 1LT Manual with a base MSRP of $14,898 and $795 of options bringing our as-tested total to $15,693.
The (roughly) $10,000 base model is spartan to say the least and it’s a big $4,700 jump in price from the LS to the next closest model, the 1LT.
If you want the base LS trim with the convenience of a CVT that single option will cost you $4,300 on the LS trim. (The CVT is a $1,200 option on the 1LT trim and standard on the top 2LT trim.) To get that $10,198 price you’ll have to do without a lot. Compared to the mid-trim 1LT, the LS has 15″ steel wheels with hubcaps instead of 15″ aluminum wheels, 4-speaker stereo instead of 6, manual door locks, and manual windows.
Compared to the LS, the 1LT boasts such luxuries as heated power mirrors, LED daytime running lights, cruise control, keyless entry, climate control, steering wheel controls and a car alarm.
How badly does GM not want you to actually buy the base LS model? Well, do you know those “switchblade” keys where the actual metal key is spring loaded and folds up into the plastic fob? You don’t get that on the LS, you get a fixed key!
Now, regardless of which trim you pick, every Spark is motivated by a humble but peppy 1.4L inline-four. It makes 98 horsepower and 94 pound-feet of torque. Not as zippy as the late Micra but much more pep than you’ll find in a Mitsubishi Mirage which only boasts 78 horsepower.
On the road, the Spark feels admirably solid for its size. It boogies up to 100 km/h on any on-ramp without a fuss and the ride quality is pretty good considering the teeny wheelbase.
There are some notable vibrations once you pass 120 km/h but with enough nerve and enough open road, the Spark could very well do 160 km/h.
There’s a fair bit of highway noise at speed but nothing objectionable, especially when you have the optional sixspeaker stereo.
The sound quality at this price point is commendable and it surpasses the sound quality found in other cars that cost $30,000 (the Toyota Supra and Nissan Rogue are two recent examples that come immediately to mind).
The interior looks cheap because it is. The dash, console, and steering wheel all look bargain basement because, let’s face it, it is.
But there’s a lot to like here! The seats are comfy, the visibility is excellent, the clutch and manual shifter are better sorted than in most Hondas, and the Spark is genuinely fun to drive.
You’ll also be getting excellent economy. The Spark is rated for 8.0 L/100 km in the city and 6.2 on the highway.
There are many benefits to its small size besides the fuel economy. No parking spot is too small to wedge the Spark into and it can easily zip through narrow gaps in traffic.
It also handles well because it weighs just just over 1,000 kilograms (about 2,200 pounds) — a featherweight in today’s terms. The Spark just plain drives well because you can place the car easily and see out of every angle with confidence.
And the interior is deceptively spacious! Small though the Spark may be, the interior is roomy for even the lankiest of individuals.
The wider among us may not be as happy in the seats but interior room is generous and the beige headliner helps keep it from feeling claustrophobic.
The rear seats fold down but not flat and with them up, cargo space is limited to one or two carry-on-sized bags. You can fit two people and luggage, or four people but you cannot fit four people and luggage.
So which Spark trim should you take home? The $10,000 LS trim is tempting for one obvious reason.
I like simple motoring but even I would be hard-pressed to live without A/C in a modern car and so for that sole reason I would splurge for the 1LT Manual like our tester. It’s still wonderfully affordable and it includes all the amenities we’ve come to expect from a modern car.
I’d consider buying one myself as an around-town runabout, actually.
It’s so hard to draw complaints against a car that costs so little. How much ill-will can we really impose on a car that can be in your driveway for less than most used Camrys?
Driving the Spark feels like a cheat code. You’re driving the same roads at the same speeds and using the same Apple CarPlay as everyone else but you are doing it for half or one-third the price.
It makes you wonder why we need tens of thousands of dollars in fluff, gadgets, horsepower, and wheelbase in cars we just use to drive to work.
The Spark is not a punchline, and not a toy, it’s a real car and it’s one you should consider.