Chevrolet Beat is beating the hatchback segment

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The Chevrolet Beat from the house of General Motors saw the light of the day in January 2010. The company inspired from the success of the gasoline variant also claimed to release the diesel version of the car. The diesel cousin of the Beat was made available nearly after a year and a half later since making that promise.

The diesel variant is the same in terms of the engine. However the changes are in the form of a new electric power steering, a full-size USB port in place of the mini USB port in the petrol version, and a TCDi badge at the rear. The remaining of the car is similar to the petrol cousin.

Under the hood the car has a TCDi has a three-cylinder 1-litre diesel engine that powers up to a peak output of 58.5bhp and 150Nm of max torque. This engine is a rip off from the 1.3-litre Fiat multijet that runs the Fiat, Tata and Maruti Suzuki. The engine is okay in terms of the refinement and pretty smooth despite being a three-cylinder.

The car has a linear power delivery but does not live up to the power delivery in terms of a quick zip past through the traffic or on the long escapades. The car still seems to have its place with a decent mid range and seems zippy enough when you’re stuck in the traffic. The diesel car also does not buckle under pressure compared to the petrol when you need to rev from a parked position.

The gear transmission happens without much fuss and the five speed mechanism does respond well. The car as per the ARAI test reports delivers a mileage of 24kmpl. However on the real roads the car might not deliver the same magical figures so do not be too carried away with the mileage.

There is not much change in the ride and handling quality of the car in spite of having a gas-charged shock absorber. The journey is as comfortable as possible and silences most of the irregularities on the road keeping it adrift of the cabin.

The pricing of the car in India plays a huge role in the success of the car. The car is arguable one of the cheapest diesel cars in the market and will open a new avenue with its competitive pricing.

The car is a good value for money with an upbeat and quality looks in spite of being positioned in the entry level segment. The car is trendy and has a youthful image. It has a decent drive quality for the city and high fuel efficiency. The icing on the cake is the car will get the same 3 years/1, 00,000km warranty that is currently applicable on the petrol Beat. This will only make customer’s not to think twice before buying the car which will look to repeat the same success of the Chevrolet Beat petrol version.The car is a huge plus with design, Styling, Performance, Fuel efficiency and Badge Value. It does have its share of downs with the Space, after sales service; Rear seat space, No electric mirrors.