| Article Index |
|---|
| BEAT THAT! - Chevrolet Beat Diesel |
| Page 2 |
| All Pages |
Story: Ravi Chandnani
Photography: Sanjay Raikar
IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR AN AFFORDABLE diesel hatchback, look no further, for General Motors India have recently launched the Beat with a diesel engine and the prices start at Rs 4.96lakh (OTR Pune for Base model). The new Beat is powered by a 1.0-litre diesel engine that has the potential to give a tough fight to the cars in the same price bracket. So how good is the car? Let's find out.Visually the car is identical to the petrol Beat. Nothing new has been added to make it stand out except the TDCi badge on the rear left side. It retains the same radical exterior and jazzy interior that were discussed in the February 2010 issue of this magazine. So, let's talk about the engine.
The Big Small Heart
The new 936-cc, three-cylinder diesel motor in the Beat diesel is a completely new engine from GM. It has been developed by GM's technical centre in India and GM Powertrain Europe especially for the Indian market. GM also claim that the power and torque figures of this engine are the highest in the segment. However, we don't see any other 1.0-litre diesel engine car out there in the market. GM India also claim a fuel efficiency of 24 km per litre for the diesel Beat. We were not able to test the car for fuel efficiency. However, going by the performance characteristics of the tiny motor, we believe that it has the capability to deliver a mileage close to the claimed figure, because it has a torque output of 150 Nm, a figure that is almost similar to cars in a higher segment. All of this torque is available from 1,750 RPM, which means that one can drive this car in a higher gear, but at a lower RPM, which results in lower fuel consumption, making for better fuel efficiency. The power output of the Beat diesel is rated at 58.5 PS at 4,000 RPM, quite good for a 1.0-litre engine once again. The gear shift is slick and the gear ratios are well matched to the power and torque curves, which make driving the car within the city and on highways a delightful experience.
Dr Pawan Goenka, President, Automotive Sector, Mahindra and Mahindra, was visibly upbeat as he addre... 
It was during the British Raj that the Maharaja of Gwalior brought the fi rst Rolls-Royce to India ... 
We head for Zurich, switzerland, for a first drive of the all-new Audi Q3 and are instantly won over... 
A few months ago, we compared the Honda City and Hyundai Verna. Now, we have the Skoda Rapid in comp... 
As you can see in the pictures around, what we have for a comparison are the BMW X3 and the Audi Q5. 
