It's a hot, elegant and cheeky spark

FAMILIAR with the expression transforming an ugly duckling into beautiful swan? If you are, then you will understand what I'm talking about when you see the hot new Spark!

Sinfully elegant, cheeky, comfortable, raring to go and bound to stand out in a crowd. The variety of colours beckon and make a statement that says: "Look at me!"

And appreciators of beauty will definitely follow it with their eyes. Where the Sparklight was compact, the Hot New Spark is petite, yet it packs a mean punch.

The interior of the significantly improved Spark, boasts leather seats, a CD player, aircon and power steering.

The exterior, with its glossy colours, immediately attracts you to its ATM (African trademark).

The door handles of this petite five-door car are something to behold.

I am talking about the rear door ones that took a minute or two to locate.

They are right at the top, adding finesse to this already snazzy set of wheels.

And if you think it's a slouch on the road, you've got another think coming.

As we cruised through the often bend-laden roads of Cape Town, it was pleasant to feel it smoothly cruising through the bends and holding its own on the road among the big guns.

Mind you, I am not throwing the baby out with the bath water. The Spark Lite boasts its own charm. A traffic stopper because of its unbelievably small size.

It's the kind of car children take one look at and assume they can drive. Full-figured individuals start out sceptical wondering whether they can fit into the car.

But its resilience is just amazing.