Review: 2019 Chevrolet Spark

When it comes to subcompact cars, there are a few on the market to consider. Primary focus is usually size and pricing, and our 2019 Chevrolet Spark had a few upgrades. 

Exterior Design

The exterior design of the 2019 Chevrolet Spark is fun and stylish. Our road test came with the exterior paint colour Orange Burst Metallic, and other colour options include Caribbean Blue Metallic as well as Raspberry and Passion Fruit. Those are quite the paint colour names! Our road test model included a sunroof, which helped make the interior cabin feel brighter and more spacious. Our road test also had 15” painted aluminum black wheels with red inserts. While we weren’t a big fan of the red colour, there is a grey insert available too.

Interior Design

The front seats are surprisingly spacious and our road test had a matching colour trim in the leatherette seats. Our road test also had front heated seats (buttons are located in the centre near the parking brake), and the front driver seat has an arm rest which made the ride more comfortable.

The 2019 Chevrolet Spark dashboard is laid out well with all functions in the centre stack within easy reach. The infotainment system has Apple Carplay and Android Auto available so drivers can stay connected through their app. The instrument cluster is a combination of digital and analogue displays, and has a minimal amount of functions that won’t be distracting while driving.

The centre stack is elongated and shaped in a way that the cupholders fit underneath. There’s also storage available in front of the cupholders. While this is a good way of making space in a cabin size that is quite small, we did find it cumbersome at times to put drinks in the cupholder as it didn’t have enough clearance between the bottom of the stack and the gearshift. If your cup size isn’t too tall, you won’t have a problem.

Under The Hood / Basic Maintenance

The engine bay in the Chevrolet Spark is quite compact, no surprise. All the basic do-it-yourself items are located up top including the air filter, fuse panels, fluid reservoirs and battery. Items are easily accessible and reservoirs with their minimum/maximum levels are clearly marked.

Child Car Seat

It probably goes without saying that if you plan to install a rear facing child car seat in the 2019 Chevrolet Spark, you won’t have much space left in the front passenger seat. I don’t recommend installing the child car seat behind the driver because the driver seat will be close to the steering wheel, which puts the driver in danger if the air bag deploys. The rear seat bench is flat and the cushion is firm so you likely won’t have a problem getting the correct recline angle.

The headrest of the rear seats come over the seatback so you’ll want to remove them in order to install a forward-facing child car seat. This way, the child car seat will sit flush. The rear tether anchors are located behind the seat closer to the trunk floor. Lastly, the UAS anchors are clearly marked and are easily accessible at the edge of the cushion.

Storage / Trunk

The 2019 Chevrolet Spark has enough cargo space for everyday errands and while the trunk is compact, the rear seats fold down in a 60/40 split for additional space. The spare tire is located under the trunk panel along with the tire jack and necessary tools.

There isn’t a centre glovebox, instead there are various storage sections. In the dashboard, there is a storage shelf built in on the passenger side.

While the Chevrolet Spark is manageable at highway speeds, it performed better on our drive through the city. With a starting price of $9,999 CAD the 2019 Chevrolet Spark is a great consideration for those looking at an entry-level vehicle and are planning to drive mostly on local roads.

Model tested:

2019 Chevrolet Spark 2LT

1.4L DOHC Ecotec 4-cylinder engine

Continuous variable transmission (CVT)

Front-wheel drive

Seating Capacity: 4 people

Road Test Terrain: 70% highway, 30% city

Tested MSRP: $23,580 CAD