Used 2013 Chevrolet Spark 1LT for sale 

There are 3 trims on offer in the 2013 Chevrolet Spark: LS, 1LT, and 2LT. All these trims get one engine option. The Spark starts as low as $12,185 and costs $16,010 for the top end. This is a very tight bracket. All the trims get equipment like alloy wheels, power windows, air conditioning, split rear seats, and height-adjustable driver’s seats as standard.

We Recommend

We recommend the 1LT trim. Even though there are significant feature differences between the three trims, this trim is balanced in terms of features, and the only things you miss out on are heated seats and foglights. That is not a lot to lose, and you have to look at everything you get for just $13,785. It's hard to get so many good and practical features at this price.

The Spark gets a 1.2 L I-4 engine that makes 84 hp @6,400 rpm and 83 lb.-ft @4,200 rpm. This engine is smooth but lacks acceleration. The car gets a front-wheel-drive setup, and you have the option to choose between a 5-speed manual transmission or a 4-speed automatic.

Customers were not satisfied with the outright performance of this engine as it should have been in a higher state of tune. The 80-odd horsepower leads to a very long 0-60 mph of 11+ seconds, and you reach a quarter-mile at 18 seconds.

The top speed of the Spark is 96 mph, but on the brighter side, customers love the way the car handles and feels very planted. Compared to the Spark, the other two cars performed well, with the Kia doing a 0-60 in 8.8 seconds and the Ford in 9.5 seconds. The Kia Rio has the highest top speed at 107 mph. Also, the 0-60 on the Kia is among the top in this segment of cars.

The fuel economy offered by the Chevrolet Spark is decent compared to the rivals. The manual transmission car makes 32 mpg in the city and 38 mpg on the highway. This is not great, but it is something that you can work with on a daily standard. The automatic Spark returns an efficiency of 28 mpg for the city and 37 mpg for the highway. The Chevrolet gets the smallest tank at 9.2 gallons, and we wish that at least a 10-gallon tank was on offer. This small tank gives the car a range of less than 300 miles in the city and 349 miles on the highway. 

The rival cars in the segment are somewhat better; the Kia having a range of 330 city miles and 421 highway miles, whereas the Ford Fiesta Hatchback manages to do 348 city miles and 468 highway miles. The Ford gets the bigger tank, little better efficiency than the Kia, and hence manages to be the most range providing car in this comparison.

The interiors of the Chevy don’t feel cheap at all, but we know that the materials used are inexpensive. But the interior is very well laid out, pretty modern, and simple.

The neatness inside the interior of the Spark is what appealed to us a lot. There are hard plastics, but they have some texture work going on, and the sporty gauges keep us interested in this interior.

The car can seat 4 people comfortably, and we do suggest not add the 5th one, judging from the rear-seat available space numbers. The seating position is upright, and not very comfortable, but you can live with it. There is decent legroom in the front, and enough headroom as well. We do suggest that the rear be limited to smaller passengers, as the larger passengers will not be happy about the comfort and space. The other two are a similar story in the front and the rear as well. Cargo space in the Spark is tight, and there is less room for 2 suitcases as well. The other cars do a better job about this and offer a little more than 15 cubic feet of space. Few interior features are:

• Cruise control
• Remote keyless entry
• Faux leather upholstery
• Single Zone Front Air Conditioning
• Tilt-Adjustable Steering Wheel

How intuitive is the 2013 Chevrolet Spark’s infotainment system?

The infotainment system in the Spark is pretty basic, and you get a radio, 6 speakers, and an auxiliary audio jack. The higher trim offers much better features, like Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity, MyLink touchscreen interface, internet and satellite radio, USB/iPod integration, and 6 speakers. Some infotainment features include:

• Internet radio
• Auxiliary audio jack
• MyLink touchscreen interface
• Steering mounted audio and phone controls
• 6-speaker sound system

The exterior on the Spark is quirky and has a different sense to it. The Spark is a tall car on small wheels, but you really don’t notice that because of those huge tapered headlamps, the massive front of the car, the accent lines along with the car, and the oddly placed door handles for opening the rear doors.

The handles apparently give the car a coupe look, but we don’t agree. The rear of the car is pretty straight and flat, but the extended roof spoiler gives a better look overall.

The car has a total length of 144.7 inches. It is 62.9 inches wide, 61 inches tall, and has a wheelbase of 93.5 inches. The car is pretty tall and very tight on the wheelbase. This has helped the car be light on its feet, and easier to handle and turn. It is also light at 2,337 lbs. The Kia and the Rio maintain standard proportions and do appear “big” near to the Chevy. Exterior highlights of the Spark are:

• Rear roofline spoiler
• Roof rails
• Power adjustable mirrors
• Fog lights
• Painted Alloy Wheels

The Spark gets 10 airbags, electronic stability control, and antilock brakes as standard. The car also gets OnStar, which provides turn-by-turn navigation, remote unlocking, roadside assistance, stolen vehicle assistance, and automatic crash notification. The car has not yet been crash-tested by the NHTSA or the IIHS for its safety value. Some safety features are:

• Front seatbelt pretensioners
• Hill-start assist
• OnStar system
• Tire-Pressure Monitoring System
• Emergency Braking Assist

For what the car offers, we feel that Chevrolet Spark is a very good car. This car can be the choice for the first-time driver as it is easy to handle, is not very quick, but has a good economy and has a modern look to it. We’re not sure of how you will find the offered color options, but we feel that it’s a fun choice. The car has good interiors and has a very cheap price tag on it. That’s a good thing, and with the refinement on the Spark, we’re sure you won’t be embarrassed if you choose this car.