Chevrolet Beat Hatchback Model Gives 24KMPL!

A hotly anticipated car that could change General Motors India’s fortunes in the Indian hatchback market is what the Chevrolet Beat Diesel is touted to be. The folks at the Car and Bike Show on NDTV Profit have managed to test drive the Beat Diesel even before it’s launch and in the process have revealed plenty of features. While the features and specifications are pretty much what we anticipated, an important change is the peak torque that the 936cc, triple cylinder, turbo diesel engine of the Beat generates 150 Nm of torque in what is a light car must be a bunch of fun and fun it reportedly is, as the Beat Diesel is said to be a perky performer with very less turbo lag and excellent driveability. So, apprehensions of the 3 potter diesel not being powerful enough can be laid to rest now. The engine being derived from the common rail 1,248cc multijet diesel engine is also touted to deliver a phenomenal 24 KMPL which makes it one of the most frugal cars in the country, second only to the Tata Indica eV2.

A small but important factor contributing to the higher fuel economy figure apart from the diesel engine will be the electric power steering which replaces the hydraulic unit that the petrol Beat comes with. Also, the electric steering is expected to be carried over to the Beat Petrol, which should result in a marginally improved fuel economy. That said, we’re hoping that the electric steering is well calibrated as matching the hydraulic steering’s feedback is a tough act to achieve on electric power steering units.

Interiors, as our spy shots earlier had revealed remain bog standard, which isn’t a bad thing though while the gearbox is new to match the power and torque characteristics of the diesel engine. The Chevrolet Beat Diesel could turn out to be the most inexpensive diesel car in it’s class with prices beginning somewhere near INR 4 Lakhs for the base variant. If GM India indeed manages to achieve this price point in these times of increasing petrol prices, expect to see the Chevrolet Beat’s fortunes at the hustings being revived rather sharply.

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