Dacia Spring – Test drive: Electric car for 130 000, –
Half a year ago, Dacia, Renault’s Romanian cheap brand, launched the small electric car Spring in Europe.
However, it has taken a while to get the car to Norway. The reason is that the factory has been unsure of what the car can perform under the harsh winter conditions we have in Norway.
Among other things, the car does not have a so-called «Nordic winter package», with, among other things, a more powerful heater.
The new electric car for all of us
Winter tests underway
Dacia is now in the process of conducting tests of Spring north in Sweden, to find out, among other things, what it can handle in cold climates.
During the test of the candidates for Car of the Year in Europe, which screens in Denmark every year, we spoke with Dacia’s communications manager Orianne Tamburini.
She says that the car already chooses well in Europe and that the demand also comes from the Nordic countries.
– Before we start selling the car in Norway, Sweden and Finland, we want to know what the car performs, both in terms of winter comfort and range. We must be completely open to this in our communication. That is not all that is needed for an electric car, which can be very long distances. Some just want a simple and cheap electric car, she thinks.
Short range
That’s exactly what Dacia Spring is: First and foremost, a car for shorter distances. It has a battery of 27.5 kWt and is stated with a range of 23 miles on mixed driving. Somewhat longer in city driving.
In winter with some freezing temperatures, we can expect the range to be around 14 to 15 miles.
It also lacks a comfort equipment that is common in other new cars today.
If you pay a little extra, you get equipment that allows the car to be charged quickly. It still manages just 30 kilowatts, and that is certainly by today’s standards.
That’s how much you save on an electric car
Think before you drive past
The engine is at just 44 hours, so the expectations were therefore not very high when we sat behind the wheel for the first test.
In a way, we could be pleasantly surprised. In city driving, the small engine seems relatively nimble, thanks to a good torque.
The acceleration up to 70 km / h is quite good. From 0 to 100 km / h, on the other hand, it takes almost 20 seconds.
In other words, we have to think more than once before we can try to drive past the car in front …
Easy to drive
Like all electric cars, Spring also has stepless gears.
In addition, we sit a little higher than other cars and have a good overview. This makes the car easy to drive.
Driving comfort on the road is better than we expected, although the interior noise is relatively high.
The car passes the critical moose test at about the same speed as the other small cars. However, the driver does not receive any assistance with anti-skid systems and must check the skids that occur himself.
See the electric cars of the future
Norwegian price
When it comes to driving comfort, the big question is how spring will be clear and cold, Norwegian winter day. Dacia says that it is not relevant to install a more powerful heater for Norway.
The Norwegian Renault importer, which also sells Dacia, has not yet found any prices on the car.
However, we believe that I can be about the same as in Denmark. That is from around 130,000 kroner.
Regardless, spring will be the cheapest electric car you can buy in Norway.
Warning: The windscreen may come off
The second cheapest is Smart Fortwo, which costs rights at just under 200,000 kroner.
The car can be released for Norway when the winter tests are finished. That could happen in early 2022.
Dacia Spring in a nutshell
Le / Bre / Hø m .: | 3.74 / 1.77 / 1.52 |
Drive: | Front-wheel drive / continuously variable transmission |
Engine hp: | 44 |
Consumption kWt / mile WLTP: | 1.37 |
Battery kWt: | 27.5 |
Range km WLTP: | 240 |
Fast charger kW: | 30 |
Luggage compartment on: | 300 |
Trailer kg: | 0 |
Payload kg: | Not specified |
To Norway: | Early 2022? |
Price (pounds: | Not ready. Our tip 130,000 |