Tag: 1300cc

General Motors launched the new Sail U-VA in November of last year. The car is a premium hatchback that comes with a 1248 cc engine that delivers a maximum power of 78 PS at 4000 rpm and a torque that is close to 205 Nm at 1750 rpm. The car has been voted the ‘compact car of the year’ by AutoCar for 2013. In terms of tech specs, the car measures 3946 x 1690 x 1503 mm with a wheelbase of 2465mm and a ground clearance of 168 mm. The car has a seating capacity for 5 people and has a kerb weight of 1124 kg. The Sail U-VA has a fuel tank capacity of 40 liters. The car is available at a starting price of Rs. 4.19 lakhs ex-showroom, Delhi.

Manufacturer’s Claim On Mileage

We have not discussed too many cars here on MileageInfo. However two cars in the same engine range are Honda Brio (1198cc) and Maruti Suzuki Ritz (1197cc). These cars have slightly lower engine displacement and yet deliver a higher power of 88PS and 87PS respectively. Despite Sail U-VA delivering a lower power, it doesn’t disappoint in terms of mileage. While the manufacturer claim on these cars is 19.4 kmpl and 18.5 kmpl respectively, General Motors promises 22.1 kmpl on the Sail U-VA. Of course, it needs to be noted that all fuel consumption discussed here are under standard test conditions which is pretty different from the real world road conditions that you would be subjecting your car to.

Customer Feedback & Test Drive Reports

Let us now take a look at what the real world customers have got to say about their Sail U-VA. ZigWheels have rated the car 7.5 out of 10 overall. Looking at some customer reviews over there, it looks like Sail U-VA does deliver on mileage. While one customer reports to be seeing 21.33 kmpl FE (presumably on highways) on his LT ABS Diesel model, another customer who has purchased an LS ABS Diesel reports 15 kmpl on city roads and 20.6 kmpl on highways. Still pretty good.

MaxAbout does not have an elaborate in-house review for the Sail U-VA yet. However, they do report that the top speed on the car is likely to be around 160 kmph. Another point to note and compare as a buyer is that Sail U-VA comes with a 3 year warranty that covers the first 1 lakh kilometers. MaxAbout reports a mileage of 16 kmpl on city roads and 22.1 kmpl on highways. It is not clear if this was tested by their team or has been reproduced from the General Motors’ brochure.

The Hindustan Times did a review of the Sail U-VA diesel earlier this year. In the article, the newspaper notes that although the engine is the same as the ones available on Maruti Swift and Fiat Grande Punto, the Sail U-VA has a different air filter and a new fixed geometry turbocharger that gives the engine a more refined feel. HT however notes that in terms of respose, the Swift is still better. Speaking about mileage, the writer reports a figure of 13.1 kmpl on city roads and 19 kmpl on highways with the diesel variant of the car.

The TopGear review once again notes the relative lack of response on the Sail U-VA. As the author puts it, “to go quick, you really need to give it some beans”. The reported mileage seems lower than other reviews we have seen though. The website notes a city road figure of 12 kmpl which goes up to 14.5 kmpl on the highways.

Overdrive in their report note that the spacious interiors and frugal fuel consumption are two big pros for the car. On the flip side, an outdated design and “no aspirational value” – although I am really not sure what they mean by this – are the cons. The real world mileage as reported by the website is 17.25 kmpl overall (which is 21.6 kmpl on highways and 15.8 kmpl on city roads).

I have summarized the reports below. To be honest, the Sail U-VA does look a bit dated and from the looks of it, the engine needs a little push to get responsive. However, if you are mileage conscious, this car does seem to be one of the best in class and can deliver a better FE than any other in the same budget. What are your views?