The Chevrolet Beat Diesel is set to arrive in the later half of next month but that did not stop the Car and Bike Show of NDTV to get their hands on the upcoming car. Some interesting points have surfaced from the review. The Beat Diesel is powered by the same Fiat Multijet engine, which does duty in alot of cars in India. However GM engineers have knocked down one cylinder, while simultaneously maintaining decent torque. The 936cc, 3-cylinder motor is known as SDE Smartech Diesel and produces 57.3 bhp of power at 4000 RPM and 150Nm of torque at 1750 RPM. This makes the diesel Beat posses the highest torque per liter in it class. The Chevrolet Beat Diesel’s engine is paired to a new 5-speed manual gearbox (which is smooth) and turbo lag has been minimized using a smaller turbocharger. The car features pedal mapping, which is said to adjust to the drivers driving style. Just like the petrol variant, the diesel variant’s suspension too has been tuned for comfort.
The best part of the Chevrolet Beat diesel will undoubtedly be the mileage, which has got an ARAI certification of 24 kmpl. A GM is targeting the Hyundai i10 and the Maruti Suzuki WagonR with the Beat diesel. What is more interesting is the fact that the company has been able to achieve excellent NVH levels. The diesel Beat is quieter than even the Ford Figo (which is very silent itself) and is very zippy to drive. The company has now shifted to a electric power steering from an hydraulic one. The petrol variant will get EPS in due course of time. All variants of the petrol Beat will be available on the diesel ones as well, with the top variant getting ABS and airbags. The company has however added a full sized USB port and tweaked the tuning settings for the audio system. The Beat diesel also has a 3-layer paint application which resists rusting and corrosion. Now the only crucial detail we await is, the price.
When compared to the Ford Figo, the Beat wins some, loses some. For instance, the Figo has some features which the Beat lacks and vice versa. However the Beat diesel has lesser turbo lag and better maneuverability compared to the Figo. The Ford on the other hand has better space and handling. GM has been manufacturing extra units of the petrol Beat. This has be done in order to shift manufacturing focus on the Beat diesel closer to launch. This is being done because GM wants to eliminate waiting period for prospective buyers and is expecting large volumes for the diesel Beat. You can checkout the complete review at NDTV’s website here.