greenspark
Active member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2016
- Messages
- 32
My 5 month review of the Spark EV
I have been leasing my Spark EV for over five months now (lease details in this thread), so I thought it might be helpful to give a detailed review now that I know it inside and out. To make my bias very clear, I love this car. It is very fun to drive, easy to park, and my amortized cost of $55 a month after subtracting the California rebate is an amazing deal. In the interests of conciseness, I will focus my review on aspects of the car that are not covered by other reviews nor things that would be obviously apparent from sitting in the car.
I'll start my review with all of the things I like about the Spark EV. Then I will discuss its deficiencies, the few issues with my specific car, and advice for new owners. I believe the only major feature of this car that I have not tested is the heater since I live in Southern California and have only driven it from April-October.
The Good
Acceleration
This car accelerates fast. In addition to putting a smile on your face, the ample acceleration and instant torque makes driving easier (and possibly safer). You can quickly get up to speed after making a right turn into traffic. If you are a cautious driver this might reduce the risk of getting rear ended. Changing lanes by zipping in front of another car from a red light is also easy. Passing on the freeway is also a breeze. Good acceleration and braking can also make driving trips a bit shorter when driving on a road with many stop signs. No engine noise means that you can zoom around at night without waking up the neighborhood.
Sport mode changes the accelerator pedal response curve slightly so that there is more acceleration when the pedal is depressed only slightly. The effect is somewhat subtle, and as far as I can tell sport mode has no effect when the accelerator is fully pressed. I find that sport mode makes accelerating fast a bit more fun.
I have switched out the stock low rolling resistance tires with high performance summer tires. Depending on the road surface, the new tires eliminate or greatly reduce the loss of traction and resulting yaw motion (commonly called "torque steer") under heavy acceleration. If you want to go fast, and unless you regularly drive with less than 10 miles range, I very much recommend replacing the stock tires.
Small on the outside
Having only driven larger cars before, something I did not anticipate when I got this car is that a small car is much easier to drive in the city. Here are some examples:
Parking is trivial. When pulling into a spot I never need to go into reverse to straighten out. This is of course safer since there is no chance of hitting a car while backing up.
Turning right into a narrow driveway is much easier. If there is a large car exiting the driveway, oftentimes when driving a large car you will have to wait for the other car to leave before you can pull in. The Spark EV is almost always narrow enough to pull in even if the driveway is narrow and there is another car.
A similar situation occurs when turning right onto a narrow street. Since the footprint of the car is smaller when turning, the front left corner stays further away from the opposite lane of the street you are turning right onto. When driving a larger car you will often need to slow down quite a bit to check for oncoming cars and to make sure you stay in the lane. In the Spark EV you can take these right turns at a higher speed since you don't have to worry about crossing the lane divider when turning.
Having a narrow car also means that you can drive down narrow residential streets faster. Instead of going 15 mph in wide car, you might feel comfortable going 20 mph in the narrow Spark EV.
Big on the inside
Despite its small exterior, the interior of the Spark EV is practical and spacious.
The back seats fold down nearly flat and level, and long narrow items like shelves up to six feet long can fit nestled between the front seats.
Small turning radius
In addition to making parking easier, the small turning radius of course means you can make U-turns in a smaller space. This came in handy when I visited an unfamiliar University campus that had some road closures. I was able to easily make several U-turns in oddly shaped parking areas as Google Maps kept telling me to drive down the closed road.
A lease with a jaw dropping price
After subtracting the $2500 California EV rebate, my average monthly lease payments are $55 over the 36 month lease. I paid $0 up front when I got the car. Full details here: http://www.mychevysparkev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=4493. When I mention how much my lease is, people usually respond with disbelief and amazement.
Electronics
One of my favorite features of this car is the large numerical speedometer. The large numbers are very easy to read, and are big enough such that I can read the speed in my peripheral vision while my gaze is directed at the road. The instrument cluster controls on the left of the dashboard are simple and easy to use.
The infotainment system works, but is not fancy. Bluetooth audio and calling works, although it can take a few seconds for my Android phone to connect. The Bluetooth controls (pause/play, forwards, backwards), have a significant amount of latency. It can also play both audio and video from a USB drive. Videos must have a vertical resolution of 480 pixels or less. Video does not play when the car is in motion. Detailed instructions for converting video to play on the Spark EV here: http://www.mychevysparkev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=4624
One minor gripe I have is that the mute button on the steering wheel only mutes the audio. It does not pause it. Pausing audio requires a tap on the infotainment screen.
AC
The AC system cools the car well. The fans are loud at full speed, but the Auto setting quickly reduces the fan speed once the car has cooled down a bit. The key has a button to start the AC before getting in. The key has a long range, so by the time I get to the car it has cooled down a bit.
I don't have air conditioning where I live, so on some super hot days I have sat in the car with the AC on to keep cool. The AC system uses less than 1 KW once the car has cooled down, so a full battery of 18 KW can last for many hours with just the AC on.
Since I live in Southern California and have only had the car from April-October, I have not had a chance to test the heating. However, I do know that the defogger works.
Fast charging
Fast charging allows the car to charge to 80% in 20 minutes. After 80% the charging slows down. I have fast charged a few times and it worked well. Fast charging makes it possible to do long road trips. Using the fast charge network one could drive on on the West Coast all the way from San Diego to Portland. This car uses the CCS connector which is the same fast charge plug used in the new Bolt EV, BMWs, Volkswagens, and Hyundais. Hopefully, the CCS network will expand rapidly in the next few years.
Maintenance
As with most EVs, there is not much maintenance on this car. Here's a link to the maintenance schedule https://my.chevrolet.com/content/dam/gmownercenter/gmna/dynamic/manuals/2015/chevrolet/spark_ev/2015%20Chevrolet%20Spark%20EV.pdf
So far I have only had to take the car in once for a software recall.
Comfort
I find the drivers seat comfortable once it has been adjusted. This car is designed for a high hip point (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H-point). This means that unless you are very tall, the seat will probably be most comfortable 0-2cm from maximum height. The steering wheel does not telescope, so it may feel unnaturally far away. To prevent whiplash, the front head rests angle forwards, and may touch the back of your head. To avoid the headrest touching my head I move the head rest all the up, and tilt the seat back a bit.
Design Problems
There are a few problems with the Spark EV that drivers should be aware of.
Traction Control
The big problem with the traction control on this car is that it reduces power for several seconds after the wheels have slipped a large amount. Near where I live there is a right turn onto a road going up a hill. This right turn is a worst case scenario for front wheel drive cars since the intersection is tilted, and the corner is concrete while the rest of the road is asphalt. This means that unless you turn very slowly, the front wheels always slip. After turning, you need power to accelerate up the hill. The problem with the Spark EV's traction control is that it limits power after the wheels slip. So I approach the intersection, stop, wait for a gap in cars, and turn right. The wheels slip while going around the turn. I then step on the accelerator to get up the hill and get up to speed but I can't since the traction control has limited the power.
This is dangerous since it makes it more likely I could get rear ended. I have resorted to turning off traction control while making this turn. My opinion is that the traction control limiting power is a safety issue, and GM should issue a software recall to fix it.
Hood release
It is possible to pull the hood release with your foot. This could happened by accident when getting out of the car. There is a sensor that warns you when the hood is released, so it's unlikeley you would drive around with a released hood.
Car moves with brake pedal pressed
This happens only in a very specific situation.
Waiting a second between turning on the car and turning off the parking brake and shifting out of park avoids this issue.
Things that could be improved
If the car were to be redesigned, there are a few things that could be improved. None of these however detract from making this a car I enjoy driving every day.
Issues with my car
So far my car has been reliable.
The complete list of issues I have encountered is as follows:
Advice for new drivers
Here are some things that might be helpful to know if you are a new driver.
The touch screen works better when you tap it with your fingernail.
Since other people drive the car occasionally, I devised a system using three pieces of masking tape to mark my seat position. The tape on the seat knob marks the seat cushion height, the horizontal position is marked by tape on the plastic storage area that is aligned vertically with the seat belt buckle, and the recline amount is marked by some tape on the plastic part next to to recline lever (here are pictures).
The seat will probably be most comfortable adjusted higher and further back then you might be used to in lower cars. The seat bottom will probably be within the top three centimeters of travel.
I highly recommend switching out the stock low rolling resistance tires. On my car I have switched them out of high performance summer tires. I did a comparison test on the highway, and found that traffic, and thus speed, had a much greater effect on range than the tires. The test was not conclusive, but if the new tires did reduce range, they reduced range by probably at most 8%. Link to more info about my test: http://www.mychevysparkev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=4536.
I also recommend getting a good sunshade. I got the Heatshield sun shade which works well. Sunshades made for the 2013-2015 gas Spark will fit the Spark EV.
Overall, the Spark EV is a great car that I very much enjoy driving.
I have been leasing my Spark EV for over five months now (lease details in this thread), so I thought it might be helpful to give a detailed review now that I know it inside and out. To make my bias very clear, I love this car. It is very fun to drive, easy to park, and my amortized cost of $55 a month after subtracting the California rebate is an amazing deal. In the interests of conciseness, I will focus my review on aspects of the car that are not covered by other reviews nor things that would be obviously apparent from sitting in the car.
I'll start my review with all of the things I like about the Spark EV. Then I will discuss its deficiencies, the few issues with my specific car, and advice for new owners. I believe the only major feature of this car that I have not tested is the heater since I live in Southern California and have only driven it from April-October.
The Good
Acceleration
This car accelerates fast. In addition to putting a smile on your face, the ample acceleration and instant torque makes driving easier (and possibly safer). You can quickly get up to speed after making a right turn into traffic. If you are a cautious driver this might reduce the risk of getting rear ended. Changing lanes by zipping in front of another car from a red light is also easy. Passing on the freeway is also a breeze. Good acceleration and braking can also make driving trips a bit shorter when driving on a road with many stop signs. No engine noise means that you can zoom around at night without waking up the neighborhood.
Sport mode changes the accelerator pedal response curve slightly so that there is more acceleration when the pedal is depressed only slightly. The effect is somewhat subtle, and as far as I can tell sport mode has no effect when the accelerator is fully pressed. I find that sport mode makes accelerating fast a bit more fun.
I have switched out the stock low rolling resistance tires with high performance summer tires. Depending on the road surface, the new tires eliminate or greatly reduce the loss of traction and resulting yaw motion (commonly called "torque steer") under heavy acceleration. If you want to go fast, and unless you regularly drive with less than 10 miles range, I very much recommend replacing the stock tires.
Small on the outside
Having only driven larger cars before, something I did not anticipate when I got this car is that a small car is much easier to drive in the city. Here are some examples:
Parking is trivial. When pulling into a spot I never need to go into reverse to straighten out. This is of course safer since there is no chance of hitting a car while backing up.
Turning right into a narrow driveway is much easier. If there is a large car exiting the driveway, oftentimes when driving a large car you will have to wait for the other car to leave before you can pull in. The Spark EV is almost always narrow enough to pull in even if the driveway is narrow and there is another car.
A similar situation occurs when turning right onto a narrow street. Since the footprint of the car is smaller when turning, the front left corner stays further away from the opposite lane of the street you are turning right onto. When driving a larger car you will often need to slow down quite a bit to check for oncoming cars and to make sure you stay in the lane. In the Spark EV you can take these right turns at a higher speed since you don't have to worry about crossing the lane divider when turning.
Having a narrow car also means that you can drive down narrow residential streets faster. Instead of going 15 mph in wide car, you might feel comfortable going 20 mph in the narrow Spark EV.
Big on the inside
Despite its small exterior, the interior of the Spark EV is practical and spacious.
The back seats fold down nearly flat and level, and long narrow items like shelves up to six feet long can fit nestled between the front seats.
Small turning radius
In addition to making parking easier, the small turning radius of course means you can make U-turns in a smaller space. This came in handy when I visited an unfamiliar University campus that had some road closures. I was able to easily make several U-turns in oddly shaped parking areas as Google Maps kept telling me to drive down the closed road.
A lease with a jaw dropping price
After subtracting the $2500 California EV rebate, my average monthly lease payments are $55 over the 36 month lease. I paid $0 up front when I got the car. Full details here: http://www.mychevysparkev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=4493. When I mention how much my lease is, people usually respond with disbelief and amazement.
Electronics
One of my favorite features of this car is the large numerical speedometer. The large numbers are very easy to read, and are big enough such that I can read the speed in my peripheral vision while my gaze is directed at the road. The instrument cluster controls on the left of the dashboard are simple and easy to use.
The infotainment system works, but is not fancy. Bluetooth audio and calling works, although it can take a few seconds for my Android phone to connect. The Bluetooth controls (pause/play, forwards, backwards), have a significant amount of latency. It can also play both audio and video from a USB drive. Videos must have a vertical resolution of 480 pixels or less. Video does not play when the car is in motion. Detailed instructions for converting video to play on the Spark EV here: http://www.mychevysparkev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=4624
One minor gripe I have is that the mute button on the steering wheel only mutes the audio. It does not pause it. Pausing audio requires a tap on the infotainment screen.
AC
The AC system cools the car well. The fans are loud at full speed, but the Auto setting quickly reduces the fan speed once the car has cooled down a bit. The key has a button to start the AC before getting in. The key has a long range, so by the time I get to the car it has cooled down a bit.
I don't have air conditioning where I live, so on some super hot days I have sat in the car with the AC on to keep cool. The AC system uses less than 1 KW once the car has cooled down, so a full battery of 18 KW can last for many hours with just the AC on.
Since I live in Southern California and have only had the car from April-October, I have not had a chance to test the heating. However, I do know that the defogger works.
Fast charging
Fast charging allows the car to charge to 80% in 20 minutes. After 80% the charging slows down. I have fast charged a few times and it worked well. Fast charging makes it possible to do long road trips. Using the fast charge network one could drive on on the West Coast all the way from San Diego to Portland. This car uses the CCS connector which is the same fast charge plug used in the new Bolt EV, BMWs, Volkswagens, and Hyundais. Hopefully, the CCS network will expand rapidly in the next few years.
Maintenance
As with most EVs, there is not much maintenance on this car. Here's a link to the maintenance schedule https://my.chevrolet.com/content/dam/gmownercenter/gmna/dynamic/manuals/2015/chevrolet/spark_ev/2015%20Chevrolet%20Spark%20EV.pdf
So far I have only had to take the car in once for a software recall.
Comfort
I find the drivers seat comfortable once it has been adjusted. This car is designed for a high hip point (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H-point). This means that unless you are very tall, the seat will probably be most comfortable 0-2cm from maximum height. The steering wheel does not telescope, so it may feel unnaturally far away. To prevent whiplash, the front head rests angle forwards, and may touch the back of your head. To avoid the headrest touching my head I move the head rest all the up, and tilt the seat back a bit.
Design Problems
There are a few problems with the Spark EV that drivers should be aware of.
Traction Control
The big problem with the traction control on this car is that it reduces power for several seconds after the wheels have slipped a large amount. Near where I live there is a right turn onto a road going up a hill. This right turn is a worst case scenario for front wheel drive cars since the intersection is tilted, and the corner is concrete while the rest of the road is asphalt. This means that unless you turn very slowly, the front wheels always slip. After turning, you need power to accelerate up the hill. The problem with the Spark EV's traction control is that it limits power after the wheels slip. So I approach the intersection, stop, wait for a gap in cars, and turn right. The wheels slip while going around the turn. I then step on the accelerator to get up the hill and get up to speed but I can't since the traction control has limited the power.
This is dangerous since it makes it more likely I could get rear ended. I have resorted to turning off traction control while making this turn. My opinion is that the traction control limiting power is a safety issue, and GM should issue a software recall to fix it.
Hood release
It is possible to pull the hood release with your foot. This could happened by accident when getting out of the car. There is a sensor that warns you when the hood is released, so it's unlikeley you would drive around with a released hood.
Car moves with brake pedal pressed
This happens only in a very specific situation.
- Park on a steep hill
- Step on the brake
- Very quickly turn on the car, turn off the parking brake, and shift into reverse
- The car might slip a few inches before stopping
Waiting a second between turning on the car and turning off the parking brake and shifting out of park avoids this issue.
Things that could be improved
If the car were to be redesigned, there are a few things that could be improved. None of these however detract from making this a car I enjoy driving every day.
- A telescoping steering wheel would allow a more comfortable seating position.
- The front headrests are tilted too far forwards.
- The speakers work, but are not great. I do not notice anything clearly wrong with them like popping, distortion, or rattling, but music just doesn't sound very good. Talk sounds fine. The rear speakers have much more bass then the front speakers. If the speakers were better I would enjoy listening to music much more in this car.
- The fade and the balance can not be adjusted independently.
- This car has small wheels. This means that speed bumps are very effective. For some speed bumps I have to slow down to less than 5 mph in order to not feel like I am being thrown airborne.
- The brake pedals requires a fair amount of force compared to other cars when backing down a steep driveway. I have gotten used to it, so this is a fairly minor issue.
- The AC vents sometimes rattle when fan is set to a fast speed.
- The car does not actually coast when neither pedal is pressed. Instead there is a small amount of regen. This is a minor issue, but sometimes the most efficient thing to do is to completely coast. When crossing a valley (when the road goes down a little hill and then back up again), the most efficient thing to do is to coast on the way down.
- The carpet in the back cargo area that covers the place for the level 1 charge cord and flat tire kit is quite flexible. Something a bit sturdier and hinged would be nice.
- The sun visor is short and blocks almost nothing when turned to the side.
- Torque from 0 to about 15 mph is limited.
- The driver side sticker says that the maximum load of the car is only 650 lbs.
- The mute button on the steering wheel does not pause the Bluetooth or USB audio.
- The cruise control buttons are a bit hard to reach and all have the same shape. This makes it a bit hard to remember which button is which.
- There is no indicator for the fan speed and the target temperature when the infotainment screen is off.
- Turning off the AC requires turning the fan speed control left until the fan speed is 0. A simple FAN OFF button to do the same thing would be nice.
- The infotainment system takes several seconds to boot up.
- There is no simple way to readout the Kilowatt hours left in the battery.
- There is no globe light in the back seat.
- The light in the cargo area is low and on the side, so it is easily blocked.
Issues with my car
So far my car has been reliable.
The complete list of issues I have encountered is as follows:
- Recall to update the airbag software
- The sun visor hook was loose. This might have been a manufacturing problem since I noticed this a few weeks after I got the car. The dealer has fixed it.
- I have also encountered a very infrequent (once a month or less) software issue where the number of radio preset pages spontaneously changes from one page of presets to seven pages. When I told the dealer about this they said I had the latest software and had no record of other cars with this issue.
Advice for new drivers
Here are some things that might be helpful to know if you are a new driver.
The touch screen works better when you tap it with your fingernail.
Since other people drive the car occasionally, I devised a system using three pieces of masking tape to mark my seat position. The tape on the seat knob marks the seat cushion height, the horizontal position is marked by tape on the plastic storage area that is aligned vertically with the seat belt buckle, and the recline amount is marked by some tape on the plastic part next to to recline lever (here are pictures).
The seat will probably be most comfortable adjusted higher and further back then you might be used to in lower cars. The seat bottom will probably be within the top three centimeters of travel.
I highly recommend switching out the stock low rolling resistance tires. On my car I have switched them out of high performance summer tires. I did a comparison test on the highway, and found that traffic, and thus speed, had a much greater effect on range than the tires. The test was not conclusive, but if the new tires did reduce range, they reduced range by probably at most 8%. Link to more info about my test: http://www.mychevysparkev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=4536.
I also recommend getting a good sunshade. I got the Heatshield sun shade which works well. Sunshades made for the 2013-2015 gas Spark will fit the Spark EV.
Overall, the Spark EV is a great car that I very much enjoy driving.
