2019 Chevrolet Spark Puts On Dressier Clothes, Remains a Tiny Subcompact
Among the smallest, least expensive new cars for sale in America, the Chevrolet Spark sub-subcompact is being given a mild update for the 2019 model year. It’s due for one, at least based on the progression of time alone: We are coming up on the industry standard three-year refresh cycle, since Chevrolet last redesigned the Spark fully for 2016.
Unlike that redesign, in which Chevrolet bragged that it had increased the Spark’s 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine output by 17 percent, to 98 horsepower—such a “huge” gain is what happens when the car you’re replacing made only 84 horsepower—there are no mechanical changes to speak of in store for the 2019 model. Your two transmission choices remain a five-speed manual or a continuously variable automatic (CVT).
Peer closely at the latest Spark’s front end, and you might notice that the grille shape is slightly different, as are the shapes of the two outboard intakes in the bumper. Chevrolet would like you to take notice of the “rich use of chrome in the grille.” The extra dash of flash, which looks a bit like a shiny nose ring poking through the septum, does nothing to convince onlookers that the Spark is anything but an affordable, tiny thing. Ditto the (not standard) LED running lamps, which sit lower than before to give the Spark what Chevrolet bills as “a more powerful presence.” As we’ve already covered, this 98-hp hatchback is neither powerful nor, at just under 12 feet from snout to bushy tail, overflowing with presence.
What the Spark is chock full of is value, along with surprisingly adroit road manners (acceleration aside). As before, it comes standard with a 7.0-inch touchscreen packing Apple CarPlay and Android Auto phone integration, a built-in 4G LTE data connection powering a Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth, 10 airbags, and a backup camera. And did we mention that, for 2018, all of this could be purchased for just $13,925? Pricing for the 2019 model is forthcoming, but we do know that the Spark will again be available in LS, LT, and 2LT guises; the pseudo-crossover Activ model returns as well, with plastic body cladding and a 0.2-inch-taller ride height than regular Sparks.
Newly available as part of the Drive Confidence package, which last year included forward-collision warning and lane-departure warning, is an automated emergency braking feature. In the event the Spark thinks you’re about to ignite a crash, it will apply the brakes for you or augment the driver’s braking inputs to avoid or minimize a collision. Speaking of braking, that’s it for the 2019 Spark’s updates, so we’ll stop this report here.
