Test Dacia Spring 65 – City car for country roads

Is the Dacia Spring also suitable for outside the city?

With the 44 hp basic version of the Dacia Spring you would do well to stay within built-up areas; with 44 hp you can still keep up with traffic in the busy city, outside it, however, it quickly falls short. They now recognize that at Dacia themselves. To make the small EV a bit more of an all-rounder, the Romanians have given it a power boost: the electric motor now peaks at 65 hp, a power jump of no less than 45 percent. Incidentally, the Spring 45 remains available as usual, it is then available as an entry-level model in the Essential version. With the 65 hp engine, the Spring is only available as the richer decorated Extreme.

With the Dacia Spring 65 we now also dare to go on an adventure outside the city.

How extreme are Dacia’s Extreme versions?

The name Extreme has recently been used as a no-nonsense Dacia as a performance level in its other models. Although the name Extreme might suggest more, don’t expect a technique that will conquer the desert or break lap records on the track. The Extreme versions are simply more fully equipped and distinguish themselves from the other versions with a characteristic blue or green paint, copper-colored accents and a finish with topographic prints (contour lines as used in cartography). These prints and accents can also be found in the interior. It makes avoiding the cars just that little bit more adventurous.

Both inside and out, Dacia’s Extreme versions can be recognized by copper-colored accents.

Where does the extra horsepower come from?

The engine in the Spring 65 is not a completely new construction. On the contrary, the power increase has been achieved with a number of relatively simple adjustments to the existing power source. Power is the product of torque (torque) times speed. To achieve a higher power, they simply increased the maximum speed at Dacia: from 8,500 to no less than 14,700 revolutions per minute. To survive the higher speeds, the rotor shaft is fitted with a different set of bearings. Furthermore, an extra stator winding has been added to ensure that there is still a strong enough magnetic field at those higher speeds to be able to develop sufficient torque. And, of course, the power electronics have been adapted to adequately power the motor.

The extra power creates Dacia with a serious increase in revs.

Why does the big Spring’s motor produce less torque?

When we look at the specifications, we see that the maximum torque of the engine has been reduced slightly, from 125 to 113 Nm. That is a form of self-preservation. By increasing the speed, they have shortened the final ratio to the wheels (from 7,162:1 to 12,057:1) so that the Spring 65 still has a top speed of 125 km / h at its high maximum speed. That adjustment of the gear ratio provides a serious increase in engine torque to the wheels. Because the maximum torque has only been reduced slightly, the torque at the wheels has increased considerably. So much so that the narrow Chinese LingLong tires have trouble transferring the driving forces to the road surface at a traffic light sprint without skidding, especially in the wet during our first acquaintance, the wheels sometimes spin merrily. Thanks to its more potent engine, the Spring now keeps up with the traffic on country roads and highways.

The Chinese eco-bands can only just manage the increased power.

Is the improved Spring also more economical?

No. Due to the modified engine characteristics and the new gear ratio, consumption has even increased slightly and therefore the range is a bit smaller because the battery capacity is unchanged at 26.8 kWh. According to WLTP, you can travel 230 km on a full battery with the Spring 45, with the Spring 65 that is a maximum of 220 km. Charging the battery pack is standard with one phase and then with a maximum of 7.4 kW, so it is not very fast. As an option (for an additional payment of €495.87) it is also possible to charge with direct current so that you can plug in at the fast charger. With a peak of 30 kW, this is significantly faster, and is certainly worth the investment.

The increased performance does require some extra energy.

Does the Spring Electric 65 drive better than the basic version?

Yes. As it matured, the Spring also received slightly differently tuned shock absorbers. As a result, the car keeps the tires on the ground better on short bumps, while the carriage sways less. This is about nuances, by the way. And that also applies to the adjustments to the steering, which feels a fraction firmer without immediately becoming overly communicative.

The chassis and steering behave a bit more mature than before.