Dacia's spring Awakening
The original Spring has a complicated origin; it was born from Renault’s City K-ZE, itself derived from the emerging-market-focused Kwid. It received numerous upgrades to increase its appeal to European buyers, and underwent two facelifts. The new Spring is based on the just-launched Renault Twingo E-Tech (off the RGEV Small platform, formerly known as AMPR Small), and will be a sibling to the upcoming Nissan Wave.
One clever and cost-efficient design approach is the front lighting signature. Dacia notes “only the upper part of the signature is illuminated by LED diffusers, while the lower part, angled at 45 degrees, simply reflects the light from above, creating a floating effect. This design also adds depth to the headlights and other lights.”
If you were a fan of last year’s Hipster concept, you may be a bit disappointed. While the new longer and wider Spring is handsome and well-proportioned, it’s far more conventional in appearance, offering only four colors accented with textured matte black trim (and newly available 16-inch wheels). The Spring is also the only A-segment EV to offer a frunk.
The interior--refreshingly not all black--offers more room than the outgoing Spring, as well as Dacia’s trademark YouClip accessory mounting points. There appears to be a quite a bit of reconfigurable interior storage, with accessories including a smartphone cable organizer, a glasses case, a foldable shopping bag, a combination cup holder/bag hook/portable flashlight.
With a slightly bigger 27.5kWh battery and slightly more powerful 60kW motor, the Spring still manages to eke out a slightly longer range: 250km WLTP, or the EPA equivalent of about 130 miles. It’s now capable of 22kW AC charging (up from 6.6kW) or 50kW DC fast charging (up from 40kW). The new Spring also boasts V2L capability.
With VW’s ID.Up, Citroen’s reimagined 2CV, a Kia EV1, and a new electric Fiat Panda due over the next couple of years, this part of the EV market looks to be heating up, and Dacia appears well-positioned to attract buyers looking for a capable and affordable EV.
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