It’s been a long time since we’ve heard anything from Chevrolet in the small hatchback segment. It’s two small hatchbacks, the Beat and the Spark have not been doing too well against the competition. Speaking of competition, it has just increased, thanks to the launch of the new Nissan Micra and the Micra Active. To keep the Beat in the race, Chevrolet has given it a subtle refresh.
The Chevrolet Beat refresh is limited to changes on the interior of the car, the mechanicals have not been fiddled with though. On the outside the car looks the same as before, it has aged quite well. The design is still stylish and contemporary, the long swept back headlights, the two-piece grille, the rakish front windshield, sharply rising window line, the smart roof rails and the hidden rear door-handles make it look funky. We think it is still one of the best-looking small hatch in the market. Now only if Chevrolet would bring the facelifted Beat launched in international markets to India.
Anyway, what interests us are the changes Chevrolet has brought to the interiors of the car. Gone are the black and grey interiors with piano black inserts, now the Beat gets black and grey interiors with silver inserts. The silver inserts can be found on the dash (on all variants of the car except the PS) , around the bottle holder on the front doors [On the LT and LT(O) variant] and on the front and rear door pads [On the LT and LT(O) variant].
The most interesting addition to the car is the inclusion of a height adjustable driver seat (on all variants except the PS). According to Chevrolet, many buyers in this segment demanded for this particular feature to be available, and the company has acted upon this demand.
[slideshow id=12]
The Beat is available with an option of two engines and three fuel options. The Beat diesel is powered by a 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder engine with an output of 58 BHP, 150 Nm which is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission and returns a fuel efficiency of 25.44 KMPL. The Beat petrol is powered by a 1.2-litre, 4-cylinder engine with an output of 79 BHP, 108 Nm which is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission and returns a fuel efficiency of 18.6 KMPL. The Beat LPG, which a bi-fuel variant, is powered by the same motor as the petrol variant with an output of 82 BHP, 107 Nm on petrol and 79 BHP, 104 Nm on LPG which is mated to a 5-speed transmission, it returns 13.3 KMPL.
Will the Beat sell better becuase of these changes? We’ll have to wait and see. Follow Car Blog India for more news on Chevrolet in India.
