Five-Point Inspection: 2013 Chevrolet Spark

Chevrolet is selling the Spark with razor-thin margins. What’s more, the company isn’t trying to hide that. In fact, it’s almost a point of pride, and perhaps one of the most astute choices in recent years.

That’s because you can get one for about $13,000 after delivery. It’s far from being the most exciting car you’ll drive but with such low pricing it makes a convincing case as a first car or budget friendly city machine.

The Spark is meant to work as a brand ambassador, bringing first-time buyers away from other automakers, and based on strong initial sales it seems to be doing just that.

Chevy MyLink is great when it works, but it would be nothing short of negligent not to disclose that the software experienced a “serious error.” Resetting it wasn’t a problem, but the fact that it happened at all speaks volumes for the software’s skin-deep quality.

The box you see above popped up when we tried to sync an iPhone the first time. Needless to say, it didn’t work.

Assuming it runs error-free, MyLink will offer GoGoLink, a smartphone-fed navigation system in the near future, but it’s unavailable for now meaning the system isn’t nearly as useful as it could be.

If it can stay bug-free, MyLink is an easy-to-use system that will benefit from being expandable through smartphone apps

You might as well drive around with a giant exclamation mark over the car. The Spark’s headlights make it look more surprised than a kid getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar. But given the young market it’s aimed at, its quirky styling might not seem so outlandish.

In fact, Chevrolet has already sold more than 500,000 Sparks worldwide, meaning the mini car is really nothing new outside its the U.S. market.

Despite that, the interior color accents that match its near glow-in-the-dark paint options leave the car feeling brighter than the glow sticks at a rave.

Inexpensive doesn’t have to mean impractical and that’s something the Spark is out to prove. With five doors and space for four passengers, it’s one of the cheapest options on the market today. If you buy one get used to hearing two things from passengers: first, that the car is tiny; second, their surprise at how spacious and useable the rear seats are.

In fact, the car even has enough trunk space to fit a surprisingly large grocery load, even with the seats up.

The Spark does most of what it’s meant to very well. It’s easy on gas, it can carry you to and from a shopping excursion and it pairs up with a smart phone easily. That’s great, but it’s almost as if Chevrolet’s engineers forgot what driving ergonomics are.

With hands placed at “10 and 2,” you’ll probably notice that about half of the LCD touch screen is impossible to see. Similarly, anyone taller than 5′ 9” will find that the steering wheel sits in the way of seeing the speedometer – and since it’s attached to the steering column, moving the wheel up and down doesn’t help.

Holding on to the wheel like your driving instructor encouraged is also necessary in the Spark. A big bump around town or wayward highway gust of wind can easily set the car off course. So hang on.

Expecting any real power out of the Spark’s 1.2-liter four cylinder is silly. The car is slower than dial-up internet and about as noisy as establishing that sort of connection.

Despite that, it’s got enough power to find the speed limit around town and even on the highway — just don’t expect the latter with any speed.

Passing is pretty much impossible, but then again this isn’t meant to be a long-distance traveller and for the price it’s tough to expect more than you’ll get.

Stacked next to similarly sized subcompacts, the Spark is well priced, well equipped and reasonably livable, just don’t expect much more than the basics.