mitechman47 said:
So I have been in the market for a Spark EV, for all you owners out there, have you tried driving both the '14 and '15? I test drove a '15, turned off traction control (holding down button for 10 seconds until the light came on) and it can barely chirp the tires off the line. Do the '14's have better acceleration? it just didn't feel like a 7.2 second at all- also when at speed, flooring it seemed like an initial burst of power then it pulls it back, do yours do that also? I did have a quite large passenger (salesman) in there so may all that extra weight killed it? Guess I was disappointed, maybe its just cause its so smooth. I do like the firm suspension though, overall I really like the car, just torn between the '14 and '15.
I own a Spark EV and have had it for almost 2 years now.
I can assure you that this car is quick if you drive it in a way where it takes advantage of the performance.
Yes it’s a strange thing to say but after having owned this thing for this long, I’ve learned the DO’s and DON’Ts of how to drive this car.
The car’s weakest link is its traction and suspension. Simply gunning this thing gives the worst performance as the traction control is extremely aggressive and the overall traction of the car is abysmal.
I’ve found many times that cars that beat me off the line are left for dead in mid-range by my Spark EV. I am shocked at how fast this thing is from 25-70. I’ve gone up against some seriously quick German cars and found myself keeping up with them all the way to top speed and edging them out in some cases. However, off the line I’d get whooped.
This is an odd little car with excellent performance only if you know how to utilize it. The rolling acceleration numbers had by C/D are conservative IMO because I know full well what this little thing can do on the roll. But man, does it suffer from a bouncy floaty suspension and poor traction.
Three things that would make the Spark EV a real rocket even off the line:
A) A more laxed traction control system – the current system completely kills the power from any hint of wheel slip.
B) Stiffer shocks/springs – during off-the-line acceleration the squat on this car is drastic and nose lift is equally bad…lightening the front even more and those pathetic LRR tires just can’t cope, traction control kicks in and you’re done.
C) Larger wheels/rims – a simple way to increase your torque multiplier to the road.
