Just Beat It!

General Motors launched the Beat hatchback in January 2010 and since then the company had been promising a diesel version. Now, a year and a half later since making that promise, it has now kept its word and is all set to launch the Beat’s diesel avatar.

The changes on the Beat diesel, apart from the engine of course, include a new electric power steering, a full-size USB port in place of the mini USB port in the petrol version, and a TCDi badge at the rear. The rest of the kit remains unchanged.

Under its sculpted bonnet the Beat TCDi has a three-cylinder 1-litre diesel engine that churns out a peak output of 58.5bhp and 150Nm of max torque. This engine has been derived from the 1.3-litre Fiat multijet, which powers various models of Fiat, Tata and Maruti Suzuki. The engine is fairly refined and despite being a three-cylinder unit is smooth at idle.

Power delivery on the Beat diesel is linear, but the engine does lack that extra punch to make those quick overtaking manoeuvres, especially on highways. The engine however does have a good mid-range and feels quite driveable in bumper-to-bumper city traffic. Also, unlike the petrol Beat, the diesel version of the car doesn’t stall when you try to accelerate at lower revs from standstill.

Speaking of gears, the shifts on the five-speed manual gearbox are slick and the throws positive. According to the company, the Beat diesel returned a fuel economy of around 24kmpl under ARAI’s test conditions. Now while it’s unlikely that you will see such a high figure in real conditions, it is nonetheless an indication of how fuel efficient the car is likely to be. As for the real fuel economy, we’d reserve our judgement until we have tested it ourselves.

Meanwhile there hasn’t been any major change on the ride and handling fronts despite the addition of gas-charged shock absorbers. The ride continues to be composed as the Beat irons out most of the bumps without letting much of the road shocks into the cabin.

Although pricing of the Beat, which will make or break Chevrolet’s game, is yet to be announced, the fact that the company is already touting it as the cheapest diesel hatchback sold in India hints at a competitive pricing. Nevertheless we will have to wait until Chevrolet announces prices to see how cheap the car really will be.

As for the car itself, it’s a good package with its offer of a trendy and youthful image, decent driveability and high fuel efficiency. To further sweeten the deal, Chevy has made it known that the car will get the same 3 years/1,00,000km warranty that is currently applicable on the petrol Beat, which will further endear the diesel version of the Beat to prospective buyers.