Chevrolet Enjoy

Chevrolet Enjoy Review

More for less has always been our need for every hour. The can range from getting more kilos of rice at a lesser price to getting extra space while travelling in a rickshaw. Call it a fixation or a habit; it is just a part of our mundane life.

Even though nuclear family is getting popular, the bond of a joint family will never lose its sheen. We love travelling with all our family members together even if it makes squeezing the kids in some corner of the vehicle.

Considering India and its needs, many manufacturers have tried their bit in offering a multipurpose transport vehicle. Generous space was the main priority followed by convenience. The performance of it came in later but wasn’t ignored as rising fuel prices were always taxing.

Toyota is the only manufacturer to have cracked this segment with the Qualis, which was extremely successful (it still demands a premium in the used car market) before being replaced by Innova. The Innova dominates the segment with full authority followed by cheaper options like Xylo, Tavera etc. There is a new trend of compact MPVs which are cheaper than mainstream players but offer spacious interiors. Ertiga, Evalia are the best examples.

Chevrolet pitches its Enjoy in this segment. Prices start at Rs.5.76 Lakhs(Ex-Showroom Mumbai). It is powered by a 1.3L Diesel engine and also delivers a mileage of 18.2 kmpl. We take it for a spin and see if the Enjoy leaves us in the same feeling as its name.

Multi Purpose Utility vehicles are like moving houses. They all have the conventional bread box design. The Innova and Aria which are premium MPVs look better but then the Evalia looks like a Japanese gangster ride while the Ertiga looks like someone pulled the Swift out of proportion.

Thankfully, the Enjoy doesn’t remind of the Tavera which does it purpose but then looks too crude and raw. The front face of the Enjoy is decent for an MPV. It looks like a van is fixed with a sedan’s face. This one doesn’t get Chevy’s split grille but instead nicely meshes the headlight lines with that of the radiator grille.

The lower section of the headlight flows back on the side panel and creates a dynamic waist line, which in other cases are too bland. When seen along its length, the sedanish nose looks good. Also, the wheel design is nice. The Enjoy has a ground clearance of 161mm which is low. It may score in aesthetics but then there is always a chance of it the lower floor brushing on the tall speed bumpers.

Comparatively, the Enjoy is 4305mm in length and 1750mm in height which is more than the Ertiga but then the Ertiga is wider than the Enjoy. Moreover, the Ertiga scores more in terms of sheer looks as it is more compact in dimensions and yet is a mass people mover. Chevrolet has tried really hard to make the side profile look attractive with a dedicated profile on the side design. It looks well in proportion.

On the rear, there is a large tail door which swings up to make way for a large luggage loading area. It has tall vertical tail lamps. There is an integrated spoiler with high mount stop lamp. It is really weird to imagine why any MPV would need a “sporty” spoiler. The rear windshield is totally useless when it comes to reversing the vehicle as the visibility is too low.

Again like any other MPV, the Enjoy doesn’t amaze you with its interiors. The plastic quality feels a tad weak and the trims aren’t too engaging either but the trade off is very simple. It is very spacious. The cabin feels very roomy.

Once inside the cabin, the headroom feels amazing and so does the legroom. Even in the second row, the seating comfort is superb. In our LTZ variant, we had captain seats which were finished in good quality leather. The seats are beige in color. It is not the widest MPV on sale but it manages to seat all passengers very comfortably. The third row can seat 2 adults conveniently.

On the instrumental panel, it has a very basic triple cluster showing the engine speed, speedometer and fuel and engine temperature. The cluster doesn’t feel appealing and lacks modern features. The digital display on the speedometer showing trip reading is very difficult to read in dark conditions as it is illuminated with a blue light.

The central console offers a single DIN music system. It does not offer Bluetooth connectivity but then offers USB support which performs decently. The design line of the central console is very drab and the buttons and knob quality is average. Even the top of the line variant does not get automatic climate controls and instead gets manual 4 speed AC. The rear section gets roof mounted AC similar to the Innova. The AC unit performs very well though we didn’t get a chance to challenge it much due to prolonged rains.

In this review, you will find me using the word “MPV” irritatingly often but then the Enjoy is indeed one. How can you make a MPV and not give space for utility? The Enjoy is not very convenient when it comes to in cabin convenience. The door trims have given storage containers a miss and instead there are cup holders on the central console.

This may not sound big but then in long journeys its of great discomfort. The door pockets can barely hold anything useful. Even in the rear, if the vehicle is fully loaded then it’s difficult to squeeze in large luggage suitcases. The best that can be loaded would be two handbags. This issue however disappears if the last row of seats are suspended.

The first time I saw the Enjoy was at the last Auto Expo in Delhi. It was then called the “MPV”. Not that its overall look suggested anything else. It indeed looked very promising then and now as the Enjoy has been launched it doesn’t disappoint much.

Chevrolet offers an all new 1.4L Petrol SMARTECH Engine which produces a power of 104PS at 6000 rpm and a torque of 131Nm at 4400 rpm. This engine comes with a 5 speed manual transmissions. The 1.3L SMARTECH Turbo-charged Diesel Engine has been sourced from the Sail sedan. This one produces a maximum power of 77.5PS at 4000 rpm and a torque of 188Nm at 1750 rpm.

MPVs are supposed to be very easy to drive vehicles and the Enjoy too is the same. Its wide doors make easy entry inside the cabin. Even the rear passenger doors ease in entry. The sliding doors like in case of Nissan Evalia are not too comforting. Since the floor of the Enjoy is at a lower height, one doesn’t need to climb inside.

The driver’s area is very spacious and the knees don’t rub against the steering adjustment lever or the central panel which is indeed nice. The diesel engine unfortunately is evidently audible inside. The rattling of the engine is more at lower rpms which also suggests that the in cabin insulation can be bettered.

We had the diesel Enjoy LTZ with us. The Enjoy looks smaller than an Innova but driving it doesn’t feel very compact. Maneuvering the Enjoy through traffic is not an easy task at all. At high speeds, the steering feels very light and is not assuring. This one also a lot of body roll which is highlighted while taking turns.

The suspension build is strong. It gets McPherson struts for the front while the rear gets a detailed 5 link suspension. The very fact that the Enjoy is a rear wheel drive makes it perform well on slopes where other front wheel drive cars tend to lose traction. The Enjoy can travel at a maximum speed of 130 Km/h which is surprisingly low as on empty highways, where the Enjoy will be spending its maximum tenure, reaching speeds of 100 – 110km/h is not difficult at all.

The high of this diesel engine is from low range to midrange engine speed. There is a power surge felt in as low as 1400 rpm which goes strong till the mid range but then at the extreme side of the rpm band the power delivery is flat before diving down. This effectively means driving in city traffic would be good. On highways, with the car fully loaded it would perform decent if not impressive. Lack of power is felt at high speeds but even then it does not disappoint. In fact the clutch and the gear shifts are extremely smooth which we experienced on the Sail U-VA too. We got an average fuel efficiency of 13 kmpl.

The MPV segment is indeed a difficult segment as the benchmarks are set very high with the Innova followed by the other few. The Maruti Suzuki Ertiga ZDI is priced at Rs. 9,21,448 (Ex-Showroom Mumbai) while the Nissan Evalia is priced at Rs.10,23,000 (Ex-Showroom Delhi). Compared to these two, the Enjoy LTZ seems modestly priced as Rs. 8,44,982 (Ex-Showroom Mumbai).

The Enjoy is a very easy to drive vehicle. It may not have the finishing of a great MPV and also the interiors aren’t top notch either but even the Enjoy does not let you down in any case. It can take in a large family with ease. The Enjoy also passes the essentials of a well proportioned decent looking MPV. Chevrolet has done it with pricing as it’s the most lucrative MPV option on sale. In the next generation vehicles, if changes like proper cabin insulation, revised interiors and yes more cup holders are added then the Enjoy will be a great deal.