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The 40 mpg Cars of 2013

2013 Chevrolet Spark

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Curious about the newer model? Check out the 2014 Chevrolet Spark

Overview

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2013 Chevrolet Spark Review

By Joe Santos

Cars seem to be downsizing in the name of price, fuel efficiency, and perhaps, novelty. But while cars like the Scion iQ and the Smart Fortwo may be undersized afterthoughts for many car shoppers in the market for a small car, a real 5-seater like the 2013 Chevrolet Spark could be on the radars of anyone looking for an inexpensive sub-compact that can comfortably fit more than 2 people. The Spark's tiny 1.2-liter engine, eye-catching aesthetics and low price make it a gem in the new-car market, but what also makes this micro-cruiser stand out is that it's available with high-tech features that ride along with the ever-growing wave of technology.

You'll Like This Car If...

In addition to stylish looks, the all-new Chevy Spark has a very attractive starting price and a surprising amount of storage capacity. City-dwellers will like the Spark's ability to fit into the smallest of parking spaces.

You May Not Like This Car If...

Tiny cars can get jittery at higher speeds. If your commute involves a significant amount of freeway driving, you might want to step up to a slightly larger vehicle like the Ford Fiesta, Kia Rio 5-door or Chevy Sonic, which are all more high-speed stable than the Spark.

How It Ranks

#2

out of 3

MPG

#2

out of 3

Horsepower

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Consumer Rating

8.9 out of 10

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consumer ratings

2013 Chevrolet Spark Low/wide front photo

What's New for 2013

The 2013 Chevy Spark is the latest entry into the A-segment market of micro-compacts. Although it's new to the U.S. market, Chevy has actually been building the Spark in South Korea for the Asian and European markets over the past few years. America's rising gas prices have made this model more relevant. That being said, the Spark's miniscule size, edgy styling and smart packaging are what really make it stand out.

Driving the Spark

2013 Chevrolet Spark Front angle view photo

Driving Impressions On the road, the Spark drives like a glorified motorcycle: It's quick and nimble, but also loud and buzzy. The 1.2-liter engine adequately moves the sub-2,300-pound car through and around...

traffic and although 83 horsepower doesn't seem like a lot, it's enough to adequately power the car up steep hills. As far as handling, the micro-car is tossable, but body roll is present thanks to the headroom-creating high roofline. We also detected a lot of wind and road noise in the cabin, but still found it easy to carry on conversations with other passengers. The Spark has a very short wheelbase, so don't expect comfortable highway cruising. If the bulk of your commute is done on busy inner-city streets where tight parking spaces and traffic merges are prevalent, however, then the Spark's diminutive size will outweigh its jumpy ride.

Favorite Features

CHEVROLET MyLink
We like the Chevy MyLink with its 7-inch touch screen, Sirius satellite radio, Bluetooth streaming audio and telephone with voice recognition. But what we like even more is that the system doesn't have a CD player but instead seamlessly connects to the owner's smartphone for personalized integration.

MOTORCYCLE-INSPIRED INSTRUMENT PANEL
Complementing the Spark's futuristic design is the motorcycle-inspired instrument panel that displays a digital tachometer and trip odometer as well as a large, blue-illuminated analog speedometer.

2013 Chevrolet Spark Details

2013 Chevrolet Spark Dashboard, center console, gear shifter view photo

Interior

The Spark's interior is small, but it's roomier than you might think. It has enough room for four adults and the rear seat is easier to get into than those in the Fiat 500 and Scion iQ. In addition to a surprising amount of space, the Spark's interior is as modern as the outside thanks to the body-colored trim pieces and motorcycle-inspired instrument panel. There are plenty of plastics and cloth surfaces in the base Spark, but things get more interesting when stepping up a trim level and opting for the available 7-inch touch screen in the center console area and leatherette upholstery. There's not much cargo room with the rear seats up (11.4 cubic feet), but with the seats folded, the Spark offers 31.2 cubic feet of volume – much more than its rivals.

Exterior

The 2013 Chevrolet Spark has a lot in common with its Chevy Sonic stablemate. In fact, it's almost hard to tell the difference between the two, until closer inspection. Aside from the similar hatchback shape, the Spark delineates itself from its sibling with its sharply angled headlights and taillights and even smaller size. For the Spark, opting for higher trim levels includes a few exterior enhancements, including chrome trim pieces, body-color front and rear bodywork, fog lights, and unique 15-inch aluminum-alloy wheels.

Notable Equipment

Standard Equipment

Considering the economy-minded class it competes in, even the base 2013 Chevrolet Spark comes with a host of convenience features. Some of the most notable include air conditioning, power windows, 15-inch alloy wheels, an AM/FM stereo system with 4 speakers, OnStar, and a 60/40 split/folding rear seat. And since an extremely small car calls for extreme small-car safety features, the Spark has 10 airbags (including a driver-side knee airbag), hill start assist and Stabilitrak stability control with brake assist to keep help you panic-stop quicker.

Optional Equipment

Some of the most notable options for the 2013 Chevy Spark include a 7-inch color touch-screen radio with Chevrolet MyLink, leather seating, Bluetooth connectivity for select smartphones, a 6-speaker audio system, cruise control, and steering-wheel audio controls. These features are available when the higher trim levels are selected.

Under the Hood

The 2013 Chevrolet Spark is powered by a 1.2-liter 4-cylinder engine good for 84 horsepower and 83 lb-ft of torque. While one might harbor low expectations for such a low-power engine, we found that it propelled the minicar with ease and was much quieter and smoother than we initially expected. Power is sent to the Spark's front wheels via a standard 5-speed manual transmission, but a 4-speed automatic is also available.

1.2-liter inline-4
84 horsepower @ 6,400 rpm
83 lb-ft of torque @ 4,200 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 32/38 mpg (manual), 28/37 mpg (automatic)

Pricing Notes

The 2013 Chevrolet Spark holds a base Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) price of around $12,200, while opting for the highest trim 2LT version costs around $16,700. Adding an automatic transmission to any trim level tacks on an additional $925. For comparison, the Spark's price tag is about $3,000 less than both the Scion iQ and a base Fiat 500 and on par with that of a Smart Fortwo. And as far as residual values, we expect that the Chevy Spark will retain its value better than all other tiny cars in its class, except for the Scion iQ.

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2013 Chevrolet Spark Consumer Reviews

Overall Rating

8.9

Out of 10

Based on 46 Ratings for the 2013 - 2014 models.

Review this car

Value

9.4/10

Quality

9.0/10
Reliability

9.8/10

Performance

8.5/10
Comfort

8.7/10

Styling

9.0/10

AMAZING

By chevylove (GA) on Friday, July 19, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 500

10 10.0

overall rating 10 of 10rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Reliability: 10/10
Quality: 10/10
Performance: 10/10
Styling: 10/10
Comfort: 10/10

Pros: "fun drive, lots of compliments, great gas milage"

Cons: "gas tank size, no passanger arm rest, pickup speed"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

"This is my first car and I have had my car for about a week now. I bought the car with 5 miles on it and now have 500. This car is such a fun ride and gets great gas milage. The only not so good things so far it that it doesnt have an arm rest for the passanger, slow pick up speed, and how small the gas tank is. It holds about 10 gallons but i cant really complain with the distance i get out of it. I have no real issues on the highway and i LOVE the looks and compliments i get on my green spark. Over all its a GREAT car and will keep a smile on your face!"

1 person out of 1 found this review helpful

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Fun drive, great gas mileage

By Cruising (GA) on Wednesday, July 17, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 7,200

10 9.0

overall rating 9 of 10rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 9/10
Value: 8/10
Reliability: 8/10
Quality: 8/10
Performance: 8/10
Styling: 9/10
Comfort: 9/10

Pros: "Great price, great gas mileage, handles well, fun"

Cons: "AC not great sitting still, small side mirrors,"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

"I bought my Spark about 6months ago. I absolutely love it. Fun to drive, handles great, and i have gotten tons of compliments on it. For a small car, it is roomy in the front seats. Back seats are somewhat small, but I have had four adults in for short drives several times with no problems at all. Just drove , one way, 400 miles to go on vacation with one person in back seat and she said it was more comfortable than the back seat of another larger vehicle that she had recently been in. I would definitely purchase again. I have seen reviews saying it has no acceleration, but again, for a small car I think it does great. Cargo space is plenty big for groceries and errands, but does not hold a lot of luggage. However, back seats do fold flat and you can fold both sides or just one. The AC does not blow very cold if sitting still in traffic. That has been my biggest complaint so far. Since I don't live in a area where I am in traffic to and from work, that has not been a big issue."

1 person out of 1 found this review helpful

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Great price! Great Room! Fun to Drive

By Iggy_Engineer (CA) on Tuesday, July 16, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 1,200

10 10.0

overall rating 10 of 10rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Reliability: 10/10
Quality: 9/10
Performance: 8/10
Styling: 10/10
Comfort: 10/10

Pros: "Bluetooth Great head room Mileage Hillstart assist"

Cons: "Little noise on freeway. AC at 85 deg struggles"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

"I recently bought the Spark after researching all the tiny cars out there. I was amazed that the Spark came standard with AC, power windows, and power door locks. I got the 1LT trim, manual transmission. It's fun to drive. The shifting is so smooth. It keeps up with traffic and I can fit in the Bike Lane. I live in San Diego and recently drove it to Santa Barbara. Using Stick Shift, Neutral a lot, and cruise control at 66 MPH I was able to get OVER 42 MPG! It's an eye catcher. I would definitely recommend this car with Manual Transmission and at least the 1LT trim (also because dealers are more willing to give you discounts with manual transmission). Bluetooth works great, and I can actually fit four people in it, comfortably. When you see all these average size adults comfortably getting out you'd think you were looking at the old clown car clip. I'm 6 feet tall and I don't have to put the seat all the way back, which is great for the 5 foot 7 person sitting behind me."

1 person out of 1 found this review helpful

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be ready for no AC on this car

By gilberto (FL) on Monday, July 15, 2013

I don't own this car

10 3.0

overall rating 3 of 10rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 3/10
Value: 3/10
Reliability: Not Rated
Quality: 4/10
Performance: 7/10
Styling: 2/10
Comfort: 3/10

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 3

"I do not highly recommend this car what it brought my attention from this car was the price and save on gas, the average on gas combined is 34 mpg which is not the best compared with ecobost technology and the prices after you paid all the dealer fee you finaled paid 19.000 dollars which is not sheap.but my big frustration was the AC ,is using a gas that cause major trouble to the engineering of the motor and the AC, carefulness with this I heard that there is a lot off car with this problem already reported"

1 person out of 7 found this review helpful

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2013 Chevy Spark 1LT

By Sparkie (OR) on Tuesday, July 09, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 4,000

10 6.0

overall rating 6 of 10rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 6/10
Value: 7/10
Reliability: 10/10
Quality: 6/10
Performance: 5/10
Styling: 5/10
Comfort: 2/10

Pros: "Great on gas, Parking ease"

Cons: "Ride, seat comfort, cargo space, dings easy."

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 3

"While this car is great on gas, we are getting over the EPA rating's as much as 45 on the highway! This car I would not recommend to older driver's its ride to very harsh all all but smooth roads. Take a long test drive before you buy. I did not. Its very under powered, so getting on freeway's is not easy. quality is there for the money. body dents very easy and paint chips easy too. Mine is black. It drive like a go cart, which could be fun for some. Parking is as easy as it gets. I will be looking for a new car soon and taking a BIG loss as resale is very poor. Radio in mine has no CD to which makes no since yet. also little to no cargo room. Auto trans shifts well."

2 people out of 3 found this review helpful

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