Chevrolet MPV

The General Motors offensive continues as we bring you details about the all-new Chevrolet Enjoy which is all set to put up a fight in the burgeoning MPV segment

    This was the third time in six months that I was entering GM’s gates at Talegaon with all the three visits being for all new vehicles. This makes it clear that the American giant means business this time around and is trying hard to get its share of the market. With the Sail U-VA and the Sail sedan already out, GM has brought out the third offering from its GM-SAIC joint venture, the Chevrolet Enjoy. Now this isn’t the first time that we have laid eyes on the Enjoy. GM already showcased it at the 11th Auto Expo in Delhi and the response was terrific. A little over a year later, here it is in the flesh.
    It is pretty evident that people in India like their MPVs but just because the car can seat six or seven, it isn’t reason enough to make it a runaway success. While cars like the Toyota Innova and the more recent Maruti Suzuki Ertiga are ruling the roost, the others haven’t really caught on as well. Which makes it clear that just space is not enough and people are looking for a complete package when it comes to MPVs. So how does the Enjoy fair amongst its fairly stiff competition? Let’s find out.
    The first time you set your eyes on the Enjoy, the big MPV exudes quite a pleasant aura. There is nothing radical about the design and the Enjoy makes no bones about its van-like proportions. The mono-box design is devoid of any fancy creases or any drama whatsoever. The front has a pretty European feel to it with nice swoopy tear-drop headlights linked together by a twin slatted chrome grille with the big bowtie taking centre place. Moving onto the side, one could say that the Enjoy bears a passing resemblance to the Mahindra Xylo, but then most typical MPVs almost boast the same shape. The rear although pleasant has nothing much to talk about. The tailgate is massive and extends almost all the way to the bottom and the only thing enhancing it is a well integrated lip spoiler.
    Step inside the wide opening doors and you are welcomed by a spacious and airy cabin. A beige black theme is used all throughout and we pretty much liked the way it looked and felt. The front seats are extremely comfortable and offer very good support as well. The speedo console is pretty basic with a large speedo flanked by the rev counter on the left and the fuel-cumtemperature gauge on the right. While the dash may look good, the AC controls consist of your average rotary dials (no climate control) with the music system looking like an ‘80s cassette player.
    Moving onto the back, both our cars had captain seats at the rear which were very comfortable with more than adequate legroom. We think a bench seat option might be provided at the time of the launch as well. The rear passengers get their own AC vents at the top with three adjustable blower speeds to play with. Getting into the third row is a little tedious thanks to the middle seats not folding all the way but the seat is quite wide. But thanks to the raised floor at the back, it may get a bit uncomfortable for tall passengers. As far as the space and interiors are concerned we think GM has got it right and all it needs is a tad bit of flair to make it just right.
    Carrying six or seven people with luggage is no measly task. While outright horsepower isn’t important here, the torque and gearing is. The Enjoy is offered with two engine options, a petrol and a diesel with the latter borrowed straight from the Sail sedan/hatch. The petrol in the Enjoy is a 1.4-litre DOHC unit pushing out a 104PS @ 6000 rpm and a maximum torque of 131Nm @ 4400 rpm. The engine feels quite refined but dumping the clutch and getting off the mark is quite a lethargic affair. Once on the move though, the petrol Enjoy can do decent speeds and canters along quite well but other than that, the petrol motor and the Enjoy come across as quite an average combination.
    Getting into the diesel after the petrol brings forth a remarkable change in character. The Smartech 1.3 litre unit in comparison to the petrol puts out 77.5 PS @ 4000 rpm but more importantly a maximum torque of 188 Nm at a lowly 1750 rpm. Getting off the mark, the diesel Enjoy feels much more sprightlier and kept in the meaty part of the power band can chug along all day doing decent speeds. While we have yet to see how the diesel motor performs under a full load, initial impressions make it clear that the diesel is the motor to have in the Enjoy.
    On the suspension front, the Enjoy is equipped with run of the mill McPherson struts with coil springs in the front and a 5-link coil spring suspension at the rear, the Enjoy feels decently stable at low speeds, but as the speeds got higher so did the body oscillations. The suspension set up is pretty soft and while this a good thing in some ways, what is not as good is the damping. Initial impressions are a mixed bag as of now. The Enjoy offers decent looks, very good space and seating and a satisfactory amount of kit as well with our top-end variants boasting driver-passenger airbags, ABS along with EBD. It’s the powertrain (petrol) and the ride quality that felt quite average. But a little amount of tweaking in both the departments is all that’s required and we hope GM is listening. A thing to also note is that the vehicles we got were one step below the actual production vehicles, so we expect the quality to be slightly better in the production ones.
    Apart from that the big question is the pricing and the positioning of the Enjoy. While it’s a tad bigger than the Maruti Ertiga, it is significantly dwarfed by the likes of the Toyota Innova, the Mahindra Xylo and the Nissan Evalia. The question is where will GM slot the Enjoy? Even putting aside the minor discrepancies, what will clearly decide the Enjoy’s fate is how well GM prices it. 

 S P E C I F I C AT I ON S CHEVROLET ENJOY PETROL & DIESEL 

ENGINE: 1.4L, S-TEC II 1.3L Smartech
POWER: 104PS @ 6000rpm 77.5 PS@4000 rpm
TORQUE: 131Nm @ 4400rpm 188 Nm@4000 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 5-speed manual
FUEL TANK CAPACITY: 50 litre
GROUND CLEARANCE: 161mm
TYRE SIZE: 175/70 R14

The overall layout looks good and the combination of beige and black makes it quite airy inside.

The 1.3 litre Smartec diesel unit is the pick of the choice and fares far better than the 1.4 litre S-TEC II petrol engine.

Front seats are extremely comfortable and offer very good support.

With the seat not folding all the way, getting into the third row takes some effort.