For those on the lookout to purchase an electric vehicle in the Middle East, choices have been rather limited. Sure, there are the high-end Teslas for those who wish to make a statement but at the other end of the spectrum there aren’t very many options, bar the Chevrolet Bolt. Expanding its line-up and building on its eco credentials, Chevrolet has released an all-new electric SUV in China, called the Menlo, with an attractive starting price of AED 84,000 after national subsidies for new energy vehicles.
Claimed to be a “fashionable blend of a crossover and coupe” the Menlo is a good looking compact SUV that deserves to make its way to the Middle East with LED headlights and integrated DRLs, sporty bumpers, LED taillights, and a floating roofline accompanied by 17-inch dual tone alloy wheels. With characteristics of a sedan combined with those of an SUV and a subtle sprinkling of an estate, the Menlo is different, refreshing, and everything the EV segment is in need of.
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On the inside, the Menlo features a multi-layered dashboard with a 10.1-inch LED touchscreen taking center stage and an 8-inch LED panel in the instrument cluster display. In terms of features, there’s Apple CarPlay, a virtual key, voice recognition, forward collision alert, lane departure warning, side blind zone alert, automatic parking assist, and a tire pressure monitoring system, proving that it’s ready for young EV buyers in the region.
The 52.5 kWh battery pack that powers the Menlo, produces the equivalent of 148 horsepower and 350 Nm of torque. Averaging 13.1 kWh/100 km, the Menlo can deliver up to 410 kilometers per charge. Fitted with a convenient fast-charging mechanism, it can replenish up to 80 percent of its capacity within 40 minutes using a direct current (DC) fast charger. The Chevrolet Menlo offers three driving modes (economical, normal and sporty) and three energy recovery modes (light free recovery, medium efficient recovery and strong energy recovery).
