The Dacia Spring is already being hailed as the best investment for a consumer looking for an urban electric car. The car is an ideal juncture of manoeuvrability, robust design, and optimum comfort, making it suitable for city tours.
The electric car is the result of almost ten years of expertise from Groupe Renault, which has delivered some promising results in the past. This hi-tech all-electric four-wheeler is the 'pinnacle of innovation' according to the company. It provides ease of handling, a list of modern features, and a stylish design while remaining light on the pocket.
The Dacia Spring has a compact yet spacious chassis inspired by the Renault KWID and offers enough space for four adults. The look and feel of the car are SUV-like because of some of its features like wide wheel arch claddings, roof rails, a reinforced front rocker panel, rear ski, and an above-average ground clearance of 150mm. This makes the Spring a perfect ride for in-city and countryside travel alike.
The car boasts a stylish look starting from its wheels which look like alloys but are made of pressed steel with the ingenious FlexWheel technology. The use of this tech makes it cheaper while replacing or removing them for servicing. In addition, the tires are wider than an average urban hatchback but still provide a narrow turning radius of just 4.8m, making parking a rather seamless task.
In terms of storage, the standard model provides a whopping 300L of boot space along with a glove box, side pockets, rear door cubbies, and a central tray which collectively have a capacity of 23.1L. Furthermore, the cargo version of the Dacia Spring has an additional 500L of boot space, making it a total of 800L, which is quite impressive for an electric hatchback. On top of this, the cargo model can also pull a payload of almost 700 lbs with its rear hatchet made of reinforced steel-carbon alloy.
Although not much has officially been known about the car's inner workings, judging by the speculations and hints, its inside is as impressive as the outside. The Dacia Spring runs on a set of two 44hp motors that are powered by a 26.8kWh battery. According to WLTP city tests, the car can run up to 183 miles on a single full charge in any urban environment. In addition, the Spring has a top speed of 78 MPH.
The electric car's lithium-ion battery can be recharged through various sources, from the 220V home supply to a DC-type connection. For example, a 30kW AC supply can charge the car up to 80% in under an hour. A more feasible 7.4kW supply can fully rejuvenate the vehicle in approximately 5 hours, while the cheapest 3.7kW method would take 14 hours to do the same.
The transmission system is totally gear-free and involves three basic settings - drive, neutral, and reverse. This system is one of the many interesting features and pieces of tech that the Dacia Spring provides.
The Spring has a host of features that increase passenger's comfort level as soon as they step into the cabin. The car is equipped with a front grille with 3D elements and a panel that conceals the charging port on the outside. The twin headlamp system is unique, as it has Renault's signature, Y-shaped LED panels that provide generic lighting and turn directionally and are complemented by electric side-view mirrors for the higher models. The base model also has a central locking mechanism, a full-size spare wheel, and a wide arsenal of gadgets on the inside.
The standard Dacia Spring has a 3.5-inch HUD, giving passengers access to an infotainment system and an array of safety features. An optional 7-inch HUD can be fitted in its place, but AppleCarPlay and AndroidAuto remain uniform across all builds and models. In addition, the exclusive MY Dacia app allows the owner to unlock the vehicle remotely, monitor battery levels, geolocate the car, and pre-heat or engage cooling remotely for a comfortable ride from start to end.
The Dacia Spring, while being cost-effective and manoeuvrable, also flexes some great safety features. The car has three ultrasound sensors that can be used to a great extent for parking assist and work much more efficiently than the conventional infra-red sensors. The higher models also have a rear-view camera to aid the driver's senses. Most importantly, the Dacia Spring has speed limiters, ABS, ESP, EBD, a set of 6 airbags, an SOS button for immediate assistance, an automatic headlight activation mechanic, and an emergency braking protocol. This protocol works by predicting a collision and alerting the driver. The system then assists with the braking if the driver miscalculates the metrics or the risk.
The 2022 Dacia Spring electric car is undoubtedly one of the most exciting vehicles rolling out in 2021, and with a starting price of an expected $17,000, it seems like an absolute steal. The car's sales and booking have already begun in France and some other nations in Europe.
