Used 2017 Chevrolet Spark Consumer Reviews
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4 door hardtop Miata
Bill, 03/28/2018
2017 Chevrolet Spark 1LT 4dr Hatchback (1.4L 4cyl CVT)
28 of 30 people found this review helpful
If you are only going to have one car in the family, the Spark probably isn’t for you. For me, cars are like tools. You can’t owe one screwdriver or one wrench and expect to get much done. My other cars are an F250 to tow my travel trailer and for heavy work around the house, my wife has a KIa Sorrento we use for family outings and the Spark takes me on my 90 mile round trip to work. After communiting in a diesel F250 for a year, it became apparent to me I could just buy another car with what I’d save on diesel fuel and maintenance. That math equation turned out to be spot on. I honestly don’t understand the complaints about power. The Spark has very close specs to a first generation Miata. It is around 2300 lbs and just under 100 horsepower. My commute is in Dallas traffic and I never have issues with acceleration. To put that into perspective, here is a little background on me. I raced 125 cc shifter karts for 20 years and I’ve owed some reasonably fast cars over the years, Supercharged Mustang, Mercedes C55 AMG and a few motorcycles, and the Spark accelerates just fine. It isn’t fast in a straight line but it certainly gets the job done. The street handling is on par with the NA and NB Miatas I have owned. I’m not taking it to the race track, so the handling limits of the Spark are far beyond what you’d ever need on the street. That being said, I have one reasonably decent speed right hander on my way home where I frequently find some unpleasant person in some high power car climbing up my rear. As I enter the corner I can give a slight throttle, lift turn in hard to the apex and hit the throttle and watch them disappear in the mirror. I can frequently see the car behind with fairly significant body roll under steering while they try to keep up. Spark too slow? I think not. I embarrass cars costing sometimes 10 times as much on a daily basis going around that corner. The Spark is a hard top Miata with 4 doors. I only wish to could find one with a manual transmission. The layout of the dash is very intuitive and the radio is fantastic. I don’t know how I lived before Apple Car Play. I pick up my two toddler sons on the way home and there is plenty of room for them. My older son named my red Spark “Rojo”. Luggage space is certainly limited but I have no issue fitting groceries in it. My mileage has slowly crept up from 35.5 to 37.1 in the 25,000 miles I’ve driven. It has only been back to the dealership once and that was for an airbag recall. I do my own maintenance and it is very easy to work on. I change the oil about every 7000 miles and rotate the tires every 5000. I think it is important to review cars for what they are supposed to be and not hold them to the wrong standard. As a commuter car or even just running around town, the Spark far exceeds any expectations I had. It isn’t a track day car, a luxury sedan, or whatever else you might want to compare it to. Yeah, the plastic is hard in the interior. I paid $13,500 for it with all sorts of dealer incentives. What did you expect? And frankly, who cares? I’m not sitting on the door panels or the dash. Are you too precious to be in the presence of some hard plastic? It’s small...duh. I don’t need some expert car reviewer to tell me that. My Spark is fun, well thought out, reliable and gets great gas mileage. If you need a second car or a third, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another....enough said... (except this.. Dear Chevrolet, how much would it have cost to put a dome light in the back of the car? It is seriously dark back there at night when I’m taking the kids out.)
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More than meets the eye.
Steve, 07/03/2018
updated 04/30/2019
2017 Chevrolet Spark LS 4dr Hatchback (1.4L 4cyl 5M)
24 of 26 people found this review helpful
I agree with another poster who compared the Spark to an early generation Miata. Consider the following: 1. Did you know the Spark is actually a European design? It has that European feel and no wonder - it is marketed in several European countries as an Opel “Karl”. 2. In Consumer Reports tests of around 250 cars in 2017, the Spark was rated either #6 or #7 in their accident avoidance (handling) tests. It matches the Corvette and the new Miata in this regard. It also has braking scores in the top 20% or so all cars tested. 3. Traction control can be completely shut off if you wish. 4. All the (0-60) acceleration tests you see are with the CVT trans which has a notable “bog” off the line. The 5 speed manual is at least a second quicker. 5. I can reach 50 mpg on the highway occasionally, and rarely if ever get below 40 mpg. My overall average (5 speed manual) is around 42mpg in mixed driving. Hybrid mileage without the hassles and complexity. Port injection - no D.I. I find the car similar to a 1st generation GTI in terms of weight and power-and it is also kicks to drive and eminently practical. It’s kind of a “hidden gem” of a vehicle and a great value for the dollar. It’s a fun to drive car and an exceptional economy car to boot. Update: I travel a very curvy backroad on the way to work. I frequently encounter people in high end cars (the road is near a wealthy area) and they always seem to be in a big hurry. So far, I have made one Mercedes coupe, one late model 911, and one late model (mk 7) GTI my peers in that they could not gain on me until the road straightened out. The poor guy in the GTI was literally using both lanes of the 2-lane road to keep up with me using just one lane, and the 911 just blasted by once the road straightened out, but hey, I did not hold him up through the corners! For what the car is, it is pretty amazing. It is really all the car you need unless you have a big family. I even think that it looks pretty good, the front end has a serious but not an angry look to it. Edmunds indicates that the manual transmission Spark is probably slower than the CVT. Absolutely not true! The manual is quite a bit quicker, all the tests are done with the CVT, so the car appears slower than it really is. The CVT has a noticeable "bog" off the line. The manual breaks the tires loose in first - even got a "bark" out the tires shifting up to 2nd. Most of the complaints I have heard of revolve around the CVT transmission. The Spark is manufactured and designed as a "clean sheet" design in S. Korea (not a bad thing) and is marketed as an Opel and Vauxhall in other countries. It is not, as I have previously stated, designed in Europe as an Opel. Just FYI. It may just be the smallest 4-door in the world, but it does not look like it and the large rear doors allow easy access. As you may determine, I really like mine!
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2017 Chevrolet Spark for sale near you
3 of 12 listings
- LS 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $6,4915 mi away
- 1LT 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $12,99011 mi away
- LS 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $14,599In-stock online
See all 12 listings
Second Spark
Don Oxldey, 05/28/2018
2017 Chevrolet Spark 1LT 4dr Hatchback (1.4L 4cyl CVT)
10 of 10 people found this review helpful
This my second Spark, my first was a new 2013 Manual Spark, no cruise control...traded it in last year on a new 2017 Automatic Spark with cruise control....Have been reading the mileage rating and I do better...run Mobil 1 and installed a K&N Airfilter, cruising on the highway at 65mph, I average 46mpg. Last month I drove from Laughlin NV to Columbia, SC and back, going over I used 52 gallons of gas, coming back I used 53.5 gallons because I decided to take a US Highway to avoid some traffic on I-40.
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I LOVE CLYDE
Lexndres, 02/23/2017
updated 08/23/2017
2017 Chevrolet Spark LS 4dr Hatchback (1.4L 4cyl CVT)
9 of 9 people found this review helpful
Update: I still stand by my original review. I still love it, its dependable. Still no adjustable sun visor but other than that just is a fantastic car Original review:Yes i have named my beloved Spark. Reminds me of a ghost from Pac-Man. Anyway I do love my car. Zippy little thing, great gas mileage. First car i have not regret buying. Only a couple of minor things I would suggest changing, moving the gas flap opener thingy back a couple of inches, a gasket around the gearshift (I have lost several credit cards down that little gap and they are gone forever) and the most important thing, an adjustable sunvisor. This is so small and doesnt move so it makes blocking the sun an real issue. BUT other than that I LOVE THIS CAR!
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Cheap but amazingly reliable
B. Borgerson, 03/19/2017
updated 09/26/2022
2017 Chevrolet Spark LS 4dr Hatchback (1.4L 4cyl CVT)
14 of 15 people found this review helpful
World’s cheapest sports car? Car and Driver made this car an “Editors’ Choice” in its category. Consumer Reports is not quite so thrilled. Easy to see why. This little puppy is fun to drive, with agile handling and – at least when only the driver on board – plenty of zip to thoroughly enjoy a smooth and winding country road. Down sides? On a bumpy road you will get jostled, there’s precious little back seat and cargo room, and the interior on my base LS version is heavy on hard plastic. Plan on seat pads for long trips. But I can hardly quibble when I snagged an automatic for $10,500, replete with up-to-date electronics, ten airbags, tire pressure monitoring, Bluetooth and ONStar – but no cruise and no power on anything in the doors. Still, I haven’t paid that little for a brand new automatic since 1989. And well built? It’s so tightly fitted that, windows all up, you have to give the door a firm little slam to overcome the air compression. This is the six month update prompted by Edmunds. No news is good news. Turned it over to my daughter and she's been driving it around Seattle, and out for a couple camping trips on back roads. Zero problems. One year prompted update. Still zero problems at 7000 miles so upgraded reliability to five stars. Update after 30 months. My daughter and her boyfriend packed up all their stuff ( to the roof) for a school year teaching assignment and then drove the Spark from Seattle to Alabama in the heat of late August. No problems. Update after 40+ months. Back from Alabama to Oregon after side trips to North Carolina and Louisiana. Purring right along, still zero problems. Update after 51/2 years, about 60 k miles. Now belongs to my daughter. New tires and battery but still no repairs.
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