
The 2013 Spark, the pint-sized mini car that’s been slipping through the narrow streets of Europe for the last year, is primed to hit North American shores as Chevy’s smallest city slicker to date. With more interior spaciousness than many cars in the segment––including the smart fortwo, the Fiat 500 and the Scion iQ––exceptional efficiency and a cabin loaded with technology, the Spark promises to deliver a healthy charge to the urban landscape.
It’s only impossible to have a car in the city if you own the wrong car. Urban vehicles need to be a different breed: nimble, efficient, versatile and, most of all, small enough to zip through traffic and drop into claustrophobic parking spaces. The 2013 Spark, Chevy’s newest introduction, checks every box on the city census, with attitude, and adds Chevy-quality safety measures to make its starting MSRP of just $12,245 even more appealing.
Smaller than the Cruze and even Chevy’s compact Sonic, the Spark five-door gets a nice boost in the cabin height department to ensure that it’s sneaky spacious. It also concentrates a healthy amount of attitude into its small shell; sporty 15-inch alloys are pushed nearly to the corners, while premium features like a dual grille, chrome accents, roof rails and enhanced front and rear fascias are available on upper trims like the 1LT and 2LT. Color options like Lemonade, Techno Pink and Salsa Red let you customize the Spark to better fit your style.
The 2013 Spark also packs a bit of a punch. Beneath its shapely little hood are a standard 1.2-liter dual-overhead cam inline four-cylinder engine and either a standard five-speed manual transmission or an available four-speed automatic, if you’d prefer it. You’ll get 84 hp and outstanding fuel efficiency, along with nimble, dynamic handling, from the lightweight, MacPherson-strut suspension-equipped Spark.
You’ll really appreciate the size of the Spark when you’re squeezing into a pint-sized parking space. There’s room for four inside, with a good few inches of extra height for more comfort. Interior colors reflect the exterior shell, and the Spark delivers standard amenities like air conditioning, power windows and sleek ambient lighting. Upper trims offer available premium features like heated seating, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and the advanced Chevrolet MyLink infotainment system. The optional infotainment center makes the Spark the only car in the segment to offer a seven-inch color touch-screen radio that can display smartphone-based navigation and contacts for hands-free calling, as well as audio controls, Bluetooth connectivity and Pandora and Stitcher internet radio playback.
The Spark takes a large-scale approach to safety. It sports a body structure that’s about 60 percent high-strength steel and more than twice as many standard airbags (10) as seating positions. Chevy also gave its newest standard StabiliTrak electronic stability control, rollover sensors, Hill-Start Assist, antilock brakes, OnStar and a five-year/100,000-mile Powertrain Limited Warranty.
The 2013 Spark is a city dweller, through and through. Boasting punchy performance, impressive spaciousness and modern tech inside its tiny frame, Chevy’s latest is built for the concrete jungle.