Chevrolet Sail 1.2 LS ABS

Sail 1.2 LS ABS Review

Chevrolet Sail is an entry level sedan model available in the Indian automobile market, which is doing quite well for the company. Now, this sedan has received minor cosmetic updates in terms of its interiors and exteriors. The car maker is also offering it with a refined 2-DIN music system featuring a digital display with blue backlight. At present, this sedan is available in three trim levels with petrol and diesel engine options. Among those, Chevrolet Sail 1.2 LS ABS is the mid range petrol variant, which is equipped with quite a few comfort features like AC unit, power steering and an advanced instrument cluster. Powering this sedan is the 1.2-litre SMARTECH petrol engine, which has 4-cylinders and 16 valves. Its interiors are now done up with a beige and black color scheme, which gives a plush appeal to the cabin. In terms of exteriors, its fog light surround and the tailgate gets a chrome garnish. In addition to this, it also get ABS sticker on its rear, which emphasizes its exclusiveness. This sedan is available with a standard warranty period for 3-years or 100000 kilometers (whichever is earlier). It competes with the likes of Fiat Linea Classic, Toyota Etios and Ford classic in the car bazaar.

Exteriors:

This latest sedan has a dynamic exterior appearance, which is further accentuated by chrome inserts. Its front facade is fitted with a dual port radiator grille, which has chrome surround and embedded with gold plated company's insignia. It is flanked by a large hawk-wing shaped headlight cluster, style that gives a high class stance to the front façade. The front bumper has an wide air dam and a pair of fog lamps, which are now surrounded with chrome inserts. Its bonnet has a few expressive and is accompanied by a pair of washers and intermittent wipers. The side profile remains mostly identical to its earlier version with neatly carved wheel arches. These are fitted a set of traditional 14 inch steel wheels, which are further covered with tubeless radial tyres of size 175/70 R14. Its side profile also has body colored wing mirrors and door handles along with black B pillars, which adds to its elegance. The rear has a stylish tailgate, which is now fitted with a horizontally positioned chrome applique. Furthermore, it is also decorated with gold plated company's bowtie and variant's lettering. It is flanked by a radiant taillight cluster that is fitted with high intensity brake light, courtesy lamp and brake light. This sedan has an overall length of 4249mm along with a total width of 1690mm and height of 1503mm. It has a generous ground clearance of 168mm and a long wheelbase of 2465mm, which is rather good.

Interiors:

This Chevrolet Sail 1.2 LS ABS trim has a spacious internal cabin, which is done up with a new beige and black color scheme. Furthermore, its instrument cluster gets a minor tweak and is integrated with icy blue colored illumination. In addition to this, its center fascia too gets a slight modification and is now equipped with a refined 2-DIN music system . Apart from this, its comfortable seats have been covered with an improved fabric upholstery, which provides a plush appeal to the interiors. The steering wheel too gets a black color scheme and is now decorated with the stylish gold plated company's logo. The car maker has given chrome inserts on AC vent surround, door handles, center bezel, parking lever tip and on gearshift knob. There are several storage spaces available in this sedan including front door map pockets, a high volume glove box, front seat back pockets and cup holders in front console.

Engine and Performance:

This sedan has been fitted with 1.2-litre SMARTECH petrol mill, which has 4 cylinders and 16 valves. It is based on double overhead camshaft valve configuration and has a displacement capacity of 1199cc. It is integrated with a multi point fuel injection supply system, which allows the motor to pump out a maximum power of 82.5bhp at 6000 rpm along with a peak torque of 108.5Nm at 5000 rpm, which is quite good. This power plant is skilfully mated with a proficient 5-speed manual transmission that allows the front wheels to derive torque output. The car maker claims that this petrol variant can deliver a healthy mileage of 18.2 kmpl (as per ARAI certification).

Braking and Handling:

Its front axle is fitted with a robust McPherson strut suspension, while the rear axle is paired with a twist beam type of mechanism. Both the axles are further loaded with passive twin-tube gas filled shock absorbers, which helps the vehicle to deal with all the jerks caused on roads. The car maker has equipped its front wheels with a set of disc brakes and paired its rear ones with high performance drum brakes . In addition to these, this trim is also fitted with an advanced anti lock braking system and electronic brake-force distribution system, which augments this mechanism. On the other hand, this sedan is also integrated with a highly responsive power assisted steering system that supports a minimum turning radius of just 5.15 meters.


Comfort Features:

This Chevrolet Sail 1.2 LS ABS trim is equipped with quite a few important comfort features. The list includes tilt adjustable power steering, front and rear power windows, day and night inside rear view mirror, electronically adjustable outside rear view mirrors, rear sear arm rest with cup holders and central door locking. It also has features like height adjustable head rests, rear seat integrated headrest, front passenger's side sun visor with vanity mirror, an interior courtesy lamp, digital clock, remote keyless entry and luggage compartment lamp. Furthermore, it is equipped with a new 2-DIN audio system, which has an FM Radio, a CD/MP3 player and connectivity ports for AUX-In and USB devices. Furthermore, it also has Bluetooth connectivity for calls and audio streaming.

Safety Features:

The sedan has a list of safety aspects including an engine immobilizer, 3-point ELR seatbelts for front seats, key-in reminder, a door ajar warning lamp, centrally located high mount stop lamp, driver seatbelt reminder, dual horn, side impact front and rear door beam, ABS with EBD , rear seat child protection door locks, a driver airbag, and speed sensitive door auto-lock.

Pros:

1. Refined interior color scheme makes it look attractive.

2. A new 2-DIN music system with Bluetooth is an added advantage.

Cons:

1. Fuel economy can be made better.

2. Boot storage is not as good as other sedans.