Chevrolet Sail LS ABS “Finding New Roads”


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Chevrolet SAIL LS ABS “Finding new roads”
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Hi all this is the ownership review of our new Sail sedan
The story began seriously a month ago.

Requirements
1 The car is needed to ply our weekly highway journey – very frequent
2 carry moderate luggage to airport regularly
3 drivers friendly
4 ample front and rear legroom
5 safety equipment like ABS ,Airbags
6 Practicality
7 Should be easily maintainable Max 5yrs
8 acceptable build quality both interior and exterior

We had on our list of probables

Sedans


1 Swift Dzire
2 Toyota Etios
3 Fiat Linea
4 Tata Manza
5 Ford fiesta classic


Hatchbacks
1 Hyundai i20
2 Fiat Punto 75
3 Vista D90





Swift Dzire : We already had a swift dzire 2009 in our family. The build quality of metal on doors and plastics of the bumpers was of question on both the new and old dzire. The interiors of the car were nice but the car is not well proportioned .The fall in pick up and punchiness of the turbo in new dzire is not to our liking compared to old dzire .With three people in the back the car looks more tilted or ducked towards the rear also our testdrive car had its underbody scratch every speed breaker we drove thru. The diesel clatter was more audible inside the cabin compared to the older version.

Toyota Etios: This car looked very bare basic to me .This car didn’t please us to the eye .There was not much insulation of engine noise nor the tyre noise inside the cabin .On enquiring with the sales man he told us that the car was hit in the cab segment .With that statement we have decide to drop etios from our list.

Fiat Linea: This was our favourite car in the list .The car was a looker and very big. But to our surprise There were two tatafiat dealers in our city and both have no stock of lineas and only one has a punto2012 tuscan wine model on display. When we enquired for test drive the reply was the test drive cars were sold off long ago and we are winding up fiat car sales at our showrooms .


Tata Manza : There was a club class parked in the showroom. The sales guy insisted us to buy it and said that Tata was giving 50k discount on it.we test drove it and felt very similar to our old vista which we had but a little more torquey. We felt why buy a same car with a boot strapped on it and the instrument panel in the right place.

Ford fiesta classic : There was no response from the sales person at the showroom and it was a very pathetic experience .Though the car was good , the lack of response and we were told the test ride was not available at the moment. we walked away.

Hyundai i20 : The car was so nice, quality of materials was good. Fit and finish was impressive but no test drive vehicle was available reason not told. They insisted us to test drive fluidic verna instead. Later a new car was given for test drive .It was nice and throttle response felt good. Later I called up a friend who owns fluidic i20 for his advice and he said maintenance and service is not good.

Punto75Hp : Only one example available and even if we bought it , the service for the car for its free servicing’s is not available at the dealer as fiat has no independent dealer in Visakhapatnam till now and after march 31 I would be doomed.

VistaD90 : The ride was not so impressive and im not prepared for another vista .I had my lessons for owning one.
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Chevrolet SAIL : Remotely we didn’t have the sail or any other Chevrolet in our list .On our way from Hyundai showroom we have passed by Chevrolet showroom and a car in light gold colour glazed through the showroom and we stopped by to see what was it. First Look made me feel the car is well proportioned and conservatively styled. The interiors were a light beige and coffee bean colour and offer an airy feeling.Plastics are strong and well grained similar to Toyota innova .Open the doors and close them they shut with a thud somewhat similar to punto. The salesman asked us to take a TD .

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How it drives and feels: Start the engine and the quietness of the cabin and engine noise reduction is very good. The gear lever is sporty with leather wrapping and piano black finish on the top and perfect short throws. I didn’t feel the rubberiness during the shift of the gears .Slot it into the first gear and declutch the engine is eager to pull .There is very minute turbo lag evident up till 1700rpm past that the turbo pulls strongly all the way. The steering is light,sensitive and very sharp. You might not get the amount of feedback as the swift but it is predictable. Suspension soaks up anything you throw at it on the road which is leaps and bounds ahead of the current generation swift Dzire that I testdrove . While cornering at speeds the car gives you the confidence to push it harder, unlike the old dzire which is tail happy. At speeds above 100 the suspension feels firm and planted without any wobbling or sponginess. Past the 120+ mark you can notice the engine cry hard and power tapering off. Braking on this car is a highlight the ABS kicks in precisely and stops the car in a straight line . There is no spongy type of feel in the braking and the brake bite is good. The gear box has the reverse slot placed ahead of first gear and to engage it you need to pull the collar on the gear stick up. With the light steering and wide glass area parking the car in reverse is easy. The head lights produce perfect brightness and we need not require to upgrade the bulbs. Seats are well bolstered but I would suggest a little more thigh support would be more comfortable. The grip of the Apollo tyres is very good.Ground clearance is very good you dont scratch the underbody against speed bumps even in with 5 persons aboard.The ingress and egress is very good even for elderly people.
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FIT AND FINISH : The panels gaps pretty tight and even .Paint job is very good and even inner panels are painted perfectly. The quality of plastics is upto the mark but had they used black and beige it could have been even better. Everything in the car is built to last a long time .(Note: Both the test drive car and our car did not have even a single rattle. This is something to be taken note for good workmanship TD car clocked 3800kms).


DSCN1430.jpg LIKES: Ride quality
Handling
Value for money
Well-proportioned and built car in the price bracket
Best state of tuned Multijet diesel available in india with 22.1 KMPL
Service intervals similar to fiat and not as frequent as swift or dzire
Chevrolet promise 3yr service package that covers everything except
tyres and battery and all we need is fill it shut it and forget about service

costs for 3yrs. For 20.5grand




DISLIKES: Conservative looks at front but rear looks very nice.
Power window switches placed before the gear lever looks dated
(This is all I dislike for now will update if necessary)





BUYING : the car has no freebies and commands a wait list for a month for select colors like gold and grey as it was launched on FEB 1st this year .Also due to the demand Chevy hiked its price by 6000rs .


Ex showroom Visakhapatnam 697484
Insurance (-NCB 50% -Agent commission) 9105
Life tax 83700
Handling 3000
T/R charges 250
P.Reg Charges 1500
Chevy Promise 20500
On Road 815539

Accessories:
Seat covers with free steering cover 5000
Faux wood stickers + sill plates 2000

TOTAL 822539



Thank you .
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Last edited:
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Re: Chevrolet SAIL LS ABS “Finding new roads”

Chevrolet SAIL LS ABS “Finding new roads”
Hi all this is the ownership review of our new Sail sedan
The story began seriously a month ago.
Chevy Promise 20500
Faux wood stickers + sill plates 2000
Wow thats a nice car man. Congrats.

A compact Sedan that looks way better than many ones out there.
Look at the rear, better designed than most of the full fledged sedans.
Great choice Staya!

Regarding interiors, they looks a bit dull but you can add some excitement by adding some black leather finish on hand brakes, gearknobs etc. Get good alloys soon and it would look stunning even more.

What is Chevy Promise? and
What is that Faux wood accessory?

Congrats again. Enjoy!!
 

allhyundaicars

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first of all would say those pics looks amazing. just loved the first 3 pics.
the first pic can be given for the car's official advertisement. i feel so [:D]

congrats for the car. [:)] and i agree , black + beige combination always looks better [:D]
 
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@Satya

Hmm, wonderful review buddy and it is about my favorite car[clap] and color too(my Ritz is of same color)

Welcome to TAI buddy !! finally found a TAI mate in Vizag with a Sail Sedan. Get ready for a Hyderabad-Vizag TAI meet(you and me) with your car during 9th & 10th(I am travelling to Vizag)[:)]

I wish you happy miles with your Sail buddy !!
 
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Re: Chevrolet Sail LS ABS “Finding New Roads”

@Satya: That's an impressive ownership report.

You have covered every aspect of the car.

You have narrated the report very well.[thumbsup]. And your photography skills are really good.

Will be waiting for more of your experiences.

The choice of exterior and interior are complementing one another, great choice.
 
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Congrats on your new car . The sail sedan is a no nonsense good looking vfm sedan in the market right now . I have driven the car and its really fun to drive car . Enjoy your time with it . Rating it 5 *

Edit - does the ls abs comes with fog lamps ?
 
Last edited:
Thread Starter #9
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Re: Chevrolet Sail LS ABS “Finding New Roads”

Wow thats a nice car man. Congrats.


What is Chevy Promise? and
What is that Faux wood accessory?

Thankyou Rightnow,

Chevrolet Promise is a hassle free service package, which is paid one time fixed amount of 20500 which includes engine oils, brake oils, spares like brakes, clutch, wiper blades, headlights etc. for 3 years from the date of purchase of vehicle.

Faux wood is a wood like looking sticker for the center console on the dash board as well as for door panels

Thank you eXperience
Nice to see TAI member from visakhapatnam.


@Satya

Get ready for a Hyderabad-Vizag TAI meet(you and me) with your car during 9th & 10th(I am travelling to Vizag)
Thank you very much Gurrala74. i will be out of station, tirupati but i shall try to be here atleast by 10th.

does the ls abs comes with fog lamps ?
Thank you very much Raja.
Sorry, I forgot to mention the fog lamps were accessories costing 5000rs including wiring and fitting

Thank you very much Superbad

Thanks you very much allhyundaicars

Thank you very much mukeshus

Thanks to all for your compliments.satyabobby9[:D]
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Many Congrats Satya, the car looks wonderful. I can vouch for the 3 year package. It was given free when we had purchased the Optra Magnum and truly for 3 years we did not spend any money for the services. The sound insulation on Chevrolet is one of the best available in the market today.
 
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Hey Satya, Welcoem to TAI and many congratz for most sensible buy in today's Indian Market. I liked this car from the day it launched mainly because of the VFM and simplistic design. Nice that you opted for Chevy Promise and wooden stickers looks good on your dash. [clap].

Your sail is not the top end?
 
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Congratulations for your New Machine.
Again a FIAT favourite customer gone for another car due to the Sales/Service issue of FIAT guys.


Chevy with FIAT 1.3 Multijet Diesel is nice with the Quoted amount. Happy rides.
 
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Congratulations Satya for your new acquisition [clap]

Definitely a VFM sedan in that segment and great review accompanied by great set of pictures.

BTW: The interior combination is looking good as well.

Wishing you miles of happiness with your SAIL.
 
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the only thing i find a bit el cheapo is the steering wheel.

rest all looks VFM.
 
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Congrat's on your new purchase, Sail is one of the most promising entry level sedans which you can buy currently in our market, liked those seat covers and the grey color of the car gives it a more sophisticated look.

Happy motoring
 

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