Chevrolet Sail

Overview

To make the sense of luxury more approachable and experience of owning a sedan at an even more accessible price range, Chevrolet came up with the Sail sedan. One of the most practical cars in Chevrolet’s lineup for the Philippines, the Sail has been positioned as a family car for common masses. The Chevrolet Sail is available in three different variants – LT manual, LT automatic, and LTZ automatic, with prices starting at Php 791,888.

Interior & Features

On the inside of the Chevrolet Sail too, things are kept quite plain and simple, with a focus on practicality.

The three-spoke steering wheel tries to hide its basic design with the meaty looking silver finish on the spokes. The instrument console behind the steering wheel is quite basic as well, however, the blue backlit manages to compensate the basic appeal of the driver’s cockpit.

The cascading theme of the centre console looks nice and fresh, however, the absence of a touchscreen unit makes it look archaic. Instead, one does get a functional 2-DIN music system with Bluetooth compatibility and buttons for automatic climate control below it. Other than these features, the Sail packs in only the essentials like electrically adjustable and foldable rearview mirrors, tilt adjustable steering, and driver seat height adjustment, with the electric sunroof being the only premium bit inside the car.

One area where the Chevrolet Sail excels is the sense of space on the inside, with impressive legroom and shoulder room ensuring a comfortable place for five passengers with ease.

Exterior

Unlike the other new generation Chevrolet cars on sale right now, the Sail is still based on the previous generation platform and design ethos. Although it is a decent looking car, the overall design is gradually beginning to show age and losing its steam.

The Sail has got the previous generation typical Chevrolet split front grille with brand logo stacked in the middle of the two. The chrome outlining on the both the portions of the front grille give it a touch of premium appeal. The headlamps are wide and nicely styled, however, the lack of projector units or daytime running LEDs make it look quite basic.

The side profile of the Chevrolet Sail looks elongated, thanks to the long wheelbase it has been blessed with. The presence of alloy wheels and a sharp character line running in the middle of the side profile are the most noticeable bit in this otherwise plain side view of the Sail. At the rear, the Chevrolet Sail has got a sporty touch, courtesy the sharp kinks on the rear boot and the block-shaped tail lamp cluster.

In total, the Sail manages to look premium thanks to its long and wide dimensions, giving it a big car appeal. However, the lack of modern features makes it look dated.

Ride & Handling

With a Macpherson strut and stabilizer bar at the front and non-independent torsion beam at the rear, the Chevrolet Sail’s ride quality manages to be plush, thanks to the soft suspensions setup. The steering is quite light-weighted for your basic city commutes, however, it lacks the feel at higher speeds, making it not so involving to drive at higher speeds.

Engine & Fuel Consumption

Under the hood, the Chevrolet Sail is blessed with only two engine options – a 1.3-litre petrol and a 1.5-litre petrol engine. While the former produces 100 PS of power and 127 Nm of torque, the latter is good enough to produce a maximum power output of 110 PS and a peak torque output of 141 Nm. While the 1.3-litre engine is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox, the 1.5-litre mill is being offered only with a 4-speed torque converter.

Braking & Safety

The Chevrolet Sail is equipped with all the essential safety features looked after in this category of cars. The list of safety features of the Chevrolet Sail includes dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, seatbelt pre-tensioners with force limiters, ISOFIX mounts for child seats, reverse parking sensors, and engine immobilizer.

Verdict

The Chevrolet Sail, in total, might not evoke the sense of premium appeal and fails to pluck the heart strings of the young buyer with its plain approach in almost everything. However, the Sail ends up being practical in the basic aspects, such as performance, ride quality, and the sense of space on the inside, which makes it one sought-after option for a family oriented buyer.