Dacia Spring Electric 45 review: city car with go-kart feeling

With the Dacia Spring Electric the Romanian manufacturer is venturing into electromobility for the first time. Since 2021, Dacia has had the spring in Programs. I was allowed to test the 2023 facelift model. In this test report you can find out how it fared and where there is still room for improvement.

The Spring is the first pure Stromer in the range and, as usual from Dacia, remains quite affordable. For €22.550,00 (including 19% VAT) you can get the basic version of the Spring with an SUV look. I was allowed to test the Dacia Spring Electric 45, which is the model variant with 33 kW (44 hp).

tl; dr: good micro car with room for improvement

For €22.550,00 or €25.500,00 with special equipment, there's a small but fine Stromer with a few flaws. The lack of keyless go and the hardly adjustable seats are still points that should be worked on. Likewise, the error with the reversing camera must be fixed. All in all, the Dacia Spring Electric 45 still cut a good figure review. Its 44 hp are perfectly adequate as a city car and the Spring doesn't need to hide when it comes to range.

Design: Small but fine

The spring is quite manageable with its 3,74 meters in length and 1,38 meters in width. Finding a parking space with the car is therefore quite simple. My test car was Goji Red in color with 14 inch steel rims. Visually, the Spring has been revised and looks much more modern from the outside. The new Dacia logo sits on the radiator grille as a large "DC", under which the charging connection is hidden, as on the predecessor. At the rear, not much has changed apart from the elimination of the aluminum signs on the trunk lid. In pictures, thanks to the "SUV" package, it almost looks like one of the big ones until you stand in front of it, because only then do you notice its real size.

Interior: Surprisingly spacious, with sacrifices in comfort

At first glance, the interior of the Dacia seems quite spacious, which is due to the very narrow door panels and the low center console. As a result, the Spring also offers enough space for taller people. Unfortunately, relatively little can be adjusted in the seating position and the ignition lock is a bit in the way of the legs. It is questionable why Dacia does not simply offer keyless go there as with many other models. Displays and instruments are kept relatively simple. A lot of frills were avoided here. It is possible to sit as a passenger on the rear seat bench, but you should not be too tall to sit there relaxed. Larger people already reach the limits of what is possible in terms of head and legroom. The trunk is surprisingly spacious with its 290 l (1100 l with the rear seat folded down) and significantly larger than in the fiat 500e at 185 l (550 l with the rear seat folded down), which we also tested.

Infotainment: Could be more modern

A 7-inch infotainment system with Android Auto was installed in my test vehicle as special equipment. The software is very clearly laid out and shows everything you need. The built-in navigation works well and smoothly. The reception from the radio is solid and connecting mobile devices via Bluetooth or by cable via Android Auto also works perfectly. It's a pity that the USB port for data carriers and wired Android Auto is placed suboptimal and thus covers the screen when a phone is connected. In general, the presentation of the infotainment seems a bit dated. In addition, the speakers built into the dashboard lack any sound dynamics. No highs, no lows and a modest midrange.

The Spring also has a reversing camera, which is shown on the display. The resolution is good for the price of the car. Sometimes even better than other tested vehicles. A ProThe problem that still needs to be fixed is that the screen remains black if the infotainment system is not yet fully charged and you switch to reverse gear prematurely. In such cases, the screen remains black with no information displayed even until the vehicle is restarted.

Handling: driving fun with a go-kart feeling

In the city, the Dacia Spring Electric 45 cuts a fine figure. With its 44 kW (44 hp) it purrs through the streets and even quite quickly. When driving, you get a real go-kart feeling. Absolutely not comparable to a combustion engine with 44 hp. The propulsion of the electric motor mounted on the front axle "catapults" the jump from 0-100 in 19 seconds. Since acceleration only drops above 50 km/h, the low performance of the engine is not noticeable in city driving. If you cover a lot of distances out of town, you should rather use the 48 KW (65 HP) variant of the Spring. It does 0-100 in 13,7 seconds.

Even fully loaded, the Spring still gets off the ground and the steering and suspension are appropriate for the price. Only when driving out of town at higher speeds does the chassis seem a bit sluggish and spongy. As an assistance system, the Dacia offers a limiter, which can be easily adjusted using the steering wheel buttons. A simple cruise control would have been desirable. For driving at night, the Spring's headlights provide acceptable light output.

Charging and range: low consumption and solid range

I tested the Spring mostly out of town. I came up with a consumption of about 12,4 kWh with normal driving. This puts the Spring below the factory specification of 13,5 kWh. The car thus has a range of around 200 kilometers, which is a good value for a battery size of only 26,8 kWh. The Spring can charge via CCS with just over 30 kW, which means it can go from 45 to 20 within 80 minutes Procent battery charge arrives. At the house socket, it charges with 3,7 kW and needs about 7,5 hours.

Picture: TechnikNews

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