The Next Spark offers fun city driving

GM Korea’s The Next Spark mini car

By Park Jin-hai

GM Korea CEO Sergio Rocha says The Next Spark is a "game changer" in small cars, having the potential to elevate the carmaker to No.1 in the segment, beating its rival Kia Morning.

I drove GM Korea’s new car at its recent media showcase on the 100-kilometer round trip between the busy city streets of Seoul, near Dongdaemun Design Plaza, and on highways to Namyangju in Gyeonggi Province.

The next Spark seems to be the mini car that will cater to first-time buyers in their 20s and 30s who are looking for style and function on a small budget.

Its exterior has been slightly upgraded with a sharper and more dynamic-looking front, while its interior is full of features that young people might find interesting, including Apple CarPlay, allowing drivers to make calls, send and receive text messages and listen to podcasts. The new Spark is the first domestically produced car with Apple CarPlay. Handling the functions was easy and I found it a big plus for a budget car.

Safety features have been improved substantially, despite the price range ― slightly over 10 million won. It comes with forward-collision alert, lane departure warning and side blind spot alert.

I tried several times to deviate from my lane, but the Spark gave warnings. When my car was too close to the car in front, the system again warned me.

During the first part of the drive, on City Mode, the steering loosened up. When the car sped up over 60 kilometers an hour, the mode automatically disengaged and steering became stiffer.

As is innate with a mini car, it has its limitations in acceleration. It takes some time to accelerate and it feels that the vehicle is short of power on hills.

But at high speed, it offers smooth driving, retaining the balance of the car.

Its fuel economy is slightly disappointing, as the marked mileage was 15.7 kilometers a liter, but it just hit slightly over 12 kilometers a liter.