2014 Chevrolet Spark EV 2LT First Test

Your browser, , is out of date and not supported by www.motortrend.com. It may not display all features of our site properly and could have potential security flaws. Please update your browser to the most upated version. Update Now At some point while whipping silently around a corner -- with the exception of two screeching front tires fighting 400 lb-ft of torque -- I came to a startling conclusion: Chevy's SS brand is alive and well. The 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV 2LT is not just one of the best electric vehicles not named Tesla, but one of the best hatchbacks Chevrolet has built in years. I suspect drivers with a daily commute that takes them through congested Californian and Oregonian cities will start thinking of the Chevy Spark EV as the Chevy Spark SS. I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised at how fun the 2014 Spark EV is. The manual-equipped gas-swilling Spark is one of the most fun vehicles in its class, driving like a motorized barstool, with a peppy 84-hp, 1.2-liter I-4, a willing chassis with a ridiculously small wheelbase. The Spark EV takes the base Spark, dumps the little four-banger, and replaces it with a permanent-magnet AC motor making 140 hp and a simply astonishing 400 lb-ft of torque. That's more torque than a Ford Mustang GT, Porsche 911 Carrera S, and even a Ferrari 458 Italia! Chevy rounds out the Spark EV's package with some 21 kW-hr lithium ion batteries in the trunk, staggered wheels, and an instrument panel from the Volt. Front-motor, FWD, 4-pass, 4-door hatchback 140-hp/400-lb-ft permanent-magnet AC electric

View the original article here