Dacia Spring: Spring Makeover for Design and Assistance Systems

The Romanian Renault sister company Dacia has relaunched the electric small car Spring. This benefits primarily the exterior appearance as well as the renewed interior. Additionally, the manufacturer has improved the previously criticized driver assistance and safety features. They continue to rely on a "Right Sized" concept: Data collected via the vehicle's connected systems showed that Dacia Spring customers drive an average of 37 kilometers a day at an average speed of 37 km/h. 90 percent of all journeys are shorter than 70 kilometers, and 75 percent of the Spring is charged at home.

Interior in the Duster Style

The interior, particularly the dashboard, has been redesigned to incorporate elements of the brand’s new interior design with horizontal architecture, as well as to integrate a new range of digital screens. The Spring now features a customizable digital 7-inch display in all versions and a large 10-inch multimedia display in the center of the vehicle in the higher trim levels.

The storage volume has slightly increased to 308 liters (+6 percent compared to the previous model) and up to 1,004 liters with the rear seats folded down, values that are promoted as being from the segment above. Also, the additional storage compartments (such as double glove compartments, door pockets) have a total volume of almost 33 liters, which is significantly above the segment standard. A storage compartment under the front hood provides an additional 35 liters of storage space.

More driver assistance was also necessary

The new ADAS systems expand the on-board offering of the Spring to meet the latest European safety standards: an emergency braking system (urban/rural with vehicle, pedestrian, cyclist, and motorcyclist detection), traffic sign recognition with speed warning, rear parking assistance, emergency brake signal, lane departure warning, lane keeping assistant, attention warning and emergency call (eCall) are now part of the package. With the "My Safety" button, you can quickly access your preferred ADAS settings.

In the new Spring, the more powerful motor with 65 PS/48 kW is available for several vehicle configurations. Acceleration from a standstill to 100 km/h is possible in less than 14 seconds. In addition, the new Spring is available with the 45-PS motor in the "Essential" and "Expression" trims. The standard value to reach the maximum country road speed of 100 km/h is possible in less than 20 seconds.

Energy efficiency through low curb weight

The manufacturer advertises the still low weight, which has only increased by six kilograms to 984 kilograms (top version), ensuring higher energy efficiency and making it the only electric car under one ton. Additionally, they point out the absence of optical accents in chrome or leather derived from animals and the increased number of through-dyed components.

Energy consumption is expected to remain low at 14.6 kWh/100 km. The compact 26.8 kWh high-voltage battery is tailored to the needs of the users. To further optimize the vehicle's range and bring it up to 220 kilometers, the new edition is equipped for the first time with a regenerative braking system, which is activated by selecting the "B mode" via the new transmission control.