A small hatchback with a Diesel engine under the hood –
seems like quite a recipe! Tiny enough to cut through the rush-hour traffic plus
returning wallet-friendly fuel economy; Small really is the next ‘Big Thing’. Today,
in the small car market, we have around a zillion options to choose from- Right
from the bare basic Tata Indica to Hyundai’s uber-cool (and uber-expensive) i20
Diesel. Somewhere in this pack sits the recently launched Chevy’s Beat, in
Diesel avatar.
Although the overall design remains unchanged, the Beat still
looks the part. On the road, the ‘In-your-face’ look and its bold styling will
surely turn heads. On the inside, the interior too is modern and well laid out
with good quality all-round.
Under the hood is where this car gets interesting, a tiny
3-cylinder 936cc engine (smallest Diesel engine in any car today) does the job.
It puts out 58bhp @4000rpm and a punchy 150nm of torque @ 1750rpm. While the
performance is not what’d call ‘’brisk’’ but the Beat does the job rather well.
Where the Beat Diesel really shines out is in its drinking
habits. With fuel prices heading north every other week, the great Indian
equation of “Average kya hai?” does seem mighty relevant now. Here the Beat
fares quite well. Chevrolet claims over 20kmpl, which I think is a good enough
reason to go for the little Chevy over other city runabouts.
In a word; the coming together of a nippy, practical car
with looks that set it apart and a frugal engine, the Beat Diesel is perfectly
placed to ruffle feathers all round, much to the delight of Diesel lovers. Prices
range from Rs 4.3 lakh to Rs 5.45 lakh, making it a great buy for someone
looking for a cheap and cheerful city car.
What’s hot- Interior layout and quality, Fuel efficiency,
Price
What’s not- After sales service & support, Too slow!