Renault Zoe is somewhat similar to a travel electric toothbrush. Sure, you may need to charge it a little more than some of the more expensive alternatives, but it's small, affordable, and very easy to use.
Even the old Zoe is somewhat similar to massive dental equipment, but this new model has a few pinches and delicate folds to make sure it looks like (mint) fresh. At the front, you'll notice a few more air intakes than before - some of which help direct air after the front wheels to reduce drag and increase range - and a whole bunch of LED headlights.
Renault also gave Zoé headlights for brake lights; Give up the strange blue lens coating of the old car.
But what has been done at home is more exciting than that. The old free-standing infotainment systems of Renault Zoe are gone with weird heating buttons. Alternatively, you can get an ultra-smooth dashboard layout, a brand new infotainment system, and a digital display of the driver as standard. You can even get a dashboard lined with some recycled materials suitable for whales made from old plastic bottles.
Fortunately, Renault Zoe is much more comfortable inside than the regular Greenpeace sit-in - at the front, at least. Those in the back will feel rather surrounded if they are about six feet long and there is not enough shoulder space to hold three adults.
Renault Zoe doesn't rely on tools like some electric cars. Instead, it focuses on being affordable to everyone, having a good range, and surprising driving pleasure - for a minivan.
You probably don't use a shabby electric city car to carry heavy loads. Instead, make your way through traffic at rush hour - something Zoé feels giving birth to do. You get a good view forward thanks to the large windows and lighting controls that make narrow turns very easy.
The new Renault Zoe is capable of doing more than just shopping. Thanks to the fully functional batteries - which take three hours on a general 22 kW charger - you will be able to travel about 240 miles. Charging at home using the standard configuration 7 kWh is an eight-hour task, but 80% fast charging with a 50 kW charger will take 56 minutes on the most powerful model.
Full charging at home will cost you about $ 7, which is about $20 less than the equivalent amount of fuel for a petrol car.
All these versions are also very pleasant for a small car, so you will have no problem getting away from intersections or bypassing slow trucks. However, Renault Zoe is not a fast cruiser on the highway. Of course, its electric motor is much quieter than a gasoline or diesel engine, but you'll still hear a lot of noise from wind and tires at high speed.
You can get at least speed control to make long trips a little bit more likely, but only mid-range and above vehicles benefit from an additional safety package, including automatic emergency braking, as standard.
But you should not be discouraged. Renault Zoe is a small, high-performance electric car that comes with a decent package, and offers you entry-level cars, active performance and a fairly impressive amount of the standard package. Do not try to hold an adult behind your back.
Storage Space:
Even for the compact car, the Renault Zoe's interior doesn't have much storage space. None of the door boxes can hold a one-liter bottle, but the ones at the back are so narrow that it will be difficult to carry anything larger than a phone or pocketbook.
You can have at least one storage tray in the center console and one above the glove box with a rubber lining to prevent smooth items from slipping. Choose Iconically or GT Line and you'll also get a wireless charger behind the gear lever.
All Renault Zoe models come with a pair of cup holders between the front seats, but you can't help but think it would have been better to put them in the front better so you don't have to reach the rear. To extract a cup of hot boiled gas from a gas station.
Boot Space:
Renault Zoe contains 338 liters of boot space. It's 25% larger than the VW e-Up box but it's much smaller than the 435-liter box you get in the Nissan Leaf. The boot slot is reasonably wide and there is no particularly large loading flange, so you won't be able to lift your back when lifting heavier things.
The shoe itself is beautiful and square, so you can easily slide in some bags and get some hooks to stop shopping on the way home. There is dedicated storage space below the boot floor for Renault Zoe charging cables, but not enough space to store the bundle rack if you need to pack very few high up the stump.
You can fold the rear seats in the Renault Zoe to increase its load capacity to 1,225 liters. However, iconic models and above only have two-way folding seats to allow you to carry one passenger in the rear and long luggage that protrudes from the box at the same time.
Whatever model you choose, you will find that the rear seats do not fold completely flat, and there is a big step between them and the floor of the box, which makes it difficult to push heavy boxes behind the front seats.
What's it like to drive?
Renault Zoe is a breeze to drive in the city. Its compact size, narrow spin circle, and large windows mean you won't have any problem getting into traffic. Rearview is a little clogged with a large brace next to the trunk lid, but you can get rear parking sensors and a rearview camera to help you avoid shocks and scratches in the parking lot. If that isn't enough, there is also a self-parking system that will guide you across the bay and the parallel space.
When you have to control the direction, you'll find that the lighting controls in Renault ZOE mean your arms will not suffer after a few hours of navigating the city's narrow streets. The Zoé suspension also eases small bumps, but large craters send a noisy sound through your seat.
Leave the city, and you will find that Renault Zoe is working well with winding rural roads for such a small car. Storage of batteries underground means that Renault kept the heaviest part of the Zoe as close to the road. This means that it does not tend to bend in narrow corners - which may make passengers feel slightly green around the nostrils.
The smoothness of the electric motor and the immediate way to power it means that the Renault Zoe is surprisingly enjoyable for moving from one corner to the other on winding roads. It's not a hot hatch, but it will make you smile bigger than most compact city cars on a deserted B road.
Head on a highway and Renault Zoe hold up to fast traffic. The more powerful 135-hp models have enough power to accelerate the slow-lane overrun and you won't hear much wind or tire noise at 70 mph.
Unlike some equally elegant petrol or diesel cars, Renault ZOE feels very stable on the highway speed and gets standard speed control across the range to get rid of bites on long trips.
Unfortunately, you don't get automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, traffic lights recognition, blind-spot monitoring, and automatic high beams on rookie cars - these features are reserved for Iconic and GT Line models.
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