Chevrolet Sail U-VA review, test drive

The Sail is among the larger cars in its class, with an overall length just under the four-metre mark. But that’s not all. As the large and stretched-out windows establish, GM has endeavoured to maximise space inside the cabin. The result is pretty spectacular, because the Sail feels roomier than many seemingly larger mid-size saloons. This feeling of space is further helped by a dashboard that extends far ahead towards the windscreen. Sadly, the dash itself doesn’t look particularly distinctive, with a design that leans more towards functionality than outright style. Still, the protruding centre console, neat contours and the combination of sand and tan coloured plastics are quite pleasing. What isn’t is the quality of plastics. The hard surfaces feel a bit cheap and are a big letdown. You also won’t like the basic light and wiper stalks that seem to have been plucked from the cheaper Chevy Spark and come without proper rubber boots. Another not-so-nice bit is the instrument console. While the large, analogue speedometer is easy to read, the digital tachometer (standard across the range) beside it is a tad small and not all that legible.