Chevrolet's Spark is a confusing car.
Why? Chevy has a perfectly fine entry-level car, the Sonic. Why it felt a need to go bargain basement with its Spark, a Daewoo designed four-door micro or city car, seems like a decision from the pre-bankruptcy General Motors.
The Spark is small, riding on a 93.5-inch wheelbase and weighing just 2,269 pounds in 2LT trim, as I drove it, with a four-speed automatic transmission. Consider that most cars now have five- or six-speed transmissions, and you can see what road we're headed down.
Spark is made in South Korea and comes in three trims: base, 1LT and 2LT. Its base price is $12,245, close to its main competitor, the Nissan Versa, but you'd also compare it with Scion's iQ or Hyundai's Accent.
Compared with Sonic, the nice riding and handling compact Chevy hatchback, the Spark is nearly 16 inches shorter at just 144.7 inches long and weighs about 400 pounds less. A base Sonic begins at $14,800 and is far more comfortable and refined.