Chevrolet Sail Review
The Aveo is a competent product, but in the face of new competition that is more desirable, more and more people are overlooking a product that once was very competent. GM India has realised that the market for the AVeo was nearly non-existent and rather than expend energy on refreshing it, are giving it a complete overhaul in the form of a model change. Enter the Sail NB, a fresh new look from GM's stable that should up the desirability factor considerably. The ‘NB’ in the name stands for ‘notchback’ – meaning the rear hatch will be hinged above the rear screen and not below it like a standard sedan. The Skoda Laura is one such notchback familiar to us, and the last sedan to have this feature in the segment was the Hyundai Accent Viva. The NB is required to differentiate the sedan from its twin, a hatchback that shares its name. In profile, the Sail NB has very similar proportions to the Cruze, with a long bonnet and stubby boot. Personally we like the proportions very much, since it gives the car the impression of being driven by a big engine like a muscle car. More than a few styling elements also are reminiscent of the Cruze, like the grille and headlamps. Looked at from the rear, it gives the impression of being very tail-heavy thanks to the height of the metal, from bumper to bootlid. There is a little relief in the form of the interesting crease from the taillamps toward the centre of the bootlid, but otherwise the tail looks plain.
The Sail has been designed originally for the Chinese market, so one thing is guaranteed: the rear seat will have ample space, which combined with the good looks should endear it to a lot of prospective customers.
If the Beat, Captiva and Cruze are any yardstick, we can expect modern interiors with the blue backlighting that we've come to expect from modern designs wearing Louis Chevrolet's bowtie on the grille. We don't expect the plastic quality to be the best in the business, but it certainly won't feel cheap, either.
Motive power will come from at least one petrol and one diesel engine each. The latter is a familiar 1.3-litre, four-cylinder common-rail unit that was co-developed by GM and Fiat, and that in three-cylinder form powers the Beat diesel. We expect it to offer nearly class-leading fuel efficiency figures that may even match segment leader Maruti Dzire's miserly fuel consumption. If you opt for a petrol, you're likely to get a 1.2-litre unit whose displacement will offer a good sticker price, but with the benefit of variable valve timing to up power and efficiency figures. A 1.4-litre, 100bhp petrol unit is also rumoured, but in the absence of any other model to power and considering the relatively low fuel efficiency figures, we think it highly unlikely that it will make it to the Indian market.
The Sail is the second highest-selling car in its home market, China, so it is with confidence that GM will launch the Sail in India – it caters to a very similar audience that values good looks, great interior space and good fuel efficiency in a package that is great value.