FIRST RIDE: Dacia Spring – Another groundbreaking model – Podkapotou.sk

Dacia has been experiencing a boom since 2004, when the first breakthrough came. The first major model was Logan.

He replaced his own production and the cooperation with Renault benefited the Romanian manufacturer. The second breakthrough came in 2010, when the first generation of the Duster model was revealed. And the third key element of the portfolio is coming right now as the Dacia Spring electric car.

It must be stated at the outset that Spring will be the cheapest electric car on our market. We mean from the brand, which is included in all safety tests and also has relevance when buying. Spring will therefore be the cheapest electric car. The basic Comfort equipment costs 16,700 euros and has slightly fewer elements than the Comfort Plus for 18,300 euros.

The biggest difference between the equipment is not in the rear sensors or in the reversing camera. Although the reversing camera is closely linked to the Media Nav display with navigation and basic map coverage. For Comfort Plus, Dacia also offers the option of paying extra for DC charging with an output of up to 30 kW. Without it, charging is significantly slower. 6.6 kW from the Wallbox must be enough.

In reality, however, Spring can also fully charge from its home socket in a reasonable amount of time. That is, in the case of a secured socket that can move 3.6 kW. In this case, less than 9 hours is enough. So let’s say the battery is full during the night. From scratch. From zero to one hundred in 9 hours. In the case of DC charging for the mentioned surcharge, which is 400 euros, but that is less than an hour. This time from zero to 100 in ICE cars was not commonly presented. Now it’s even more important than acceleration. It takes 19.1 seconds.

And it is immediately clear that Spring is intended primarily for the city. It has an output of 33 kW (45 hp) and a torque of 125 Nm. Is that enough? It’s not enough? If someone really wants to drive around the city, let them not look at the Eco mode button, Spring will slow down. In normal city traffic, the performance is adequate, in congestion it is not needed anyway. Some states eliminate congestion for electric cars by using bus lanes. However, this is not and will not be the case with us.

However, maneuverability is more important in the city. The small car with a length of 3.7 meters has a turning radius of 4.8 meters, which is a very low value. This can be done by turning the front wheels up to an angle of 38 degrees. The control is quite easy due to the low weight. Operating weight, regardless of the fullness of the “tank” is 970 kilograms. The Li-Ion battery alone weighs only 186 kilograms. It has a capacity of 27.4 kWh.

The manufacturer states, according to WLTP, that Spring will go combined for a full charge of 230 kilometers, but in the city this figure is up to 305 kilometers. This cannot be assessed on a short first run, but with a combined consumption of 14 kWh per hundred kilometers, without any braking, the range is still more than the average required for commuting.

In real use, the size of the luggage compartment will probably surprise most of them. It has a volume of 290 liters, or if you want 270 liters according to the VDA standard. The rear seats can be folded down to increase space. But if you don’t need to drive someone in the back, just wait for the Cargo version, which will have only two seats and a storage volume of up to 1000 liters. At the same time, the load capacity will be a total of 330 kilograms. As part of the fact that such a car is intended for final delivery in a town or village, this is a usable information. The offer will also be enriched by the Business version, which aims to attract fleet customers and car-sharing platforms. Thanks to her, it will be possible to see Spring more and more often.

From the user’s point of view, Spring is a cheap car, the price predetermines it. Therefore, it is out of place to expect any exclusive materials inside. Hard plastics, leatherette, opening the windows on the center panel, manual air conditioning and a few more remarks that it is really a cheap car. However, this does not hurt at all. Everything is easy to clean. It’s worse with aroma. With the all-new Spring, you can really smell the plastics and adhesives. However, this is a temporary matter and these odors will disappear.

Despite the weaker performance, lazier onset and aromatic remorse, Spring is a car that knows exactly what it wants to achieve and offers exactly that. He wants to be an affordable form of electromobility with a guarantee, and he succeeds. The pre-warranty is standard 3 years or 100 thousand kilometers for the whole car and 8 years or 120 thousand kilometers for the battery. For the money, it’s a really decent electric car. The basic price of 16,300 is not competed by anyone, often even four-year-old electric cars. The Comfort Plus for 18,300 euros is already a bit higher, but it is still 5,000 euros below the price of the second cheapest Fiat 500E.