Car Review: 2018 Renault ZOE Long Range

Discover the French manufacturer's take on an electric car

2017 was a year for 'Green Machines' in the UAE, with the introduction of several new hybrid and electric vehicles, and the UAE government announcing incentives for electric car owners. Now, hybrids have been around for a while and their presence is significant (Dubai Taxi alone has added another 500 or so Camry hybrids to its fleet). While the same can't be said about electric cars, things may turn in their favour with the launch of Tesla in the region, despite its exuberant pricing. 
The only reasonably affordable vehicle at this point, before the launch of the Nissan Leaf, seems to be the Renault ZOE - which starts at Dh129,000. To forward the cause of sustainability, here is our very first review of an electric car: the 2018 Renault ZOE Long Range.
DESIGN & AESTHETICS
The Renault ZOE is an aerodynamic-looking super-mini in a hatchback format. In terms of size, it's a little longer than a Clio at 4,084mm and has an average width, but it certainly is a tall vehicle at 1,562mm height.
We all know there is a certain stigma associated with hatchbacks here in the Middle East - which, thankfully, is being gradually dissolved, thanks to cars like the Nissan Tiida and the VW Golf GTI. Being a hybrid or an electric vehicle itself is a selling point, but if we were an automaker, our 'Green Car' would have the body style of a compact crossover SUV - simply because they sell like hot cakes. That being said, the ZOE is cute with fluid lines, and will certainly appeal to most women and hipsters. 
There isn't any unnecessary 'jazz' in the design. It's got a rounded front end with an intake at the bottom. The grille covering the intake has an interesting form, similar to topographical lines (which are concentric). Sleek headlamps - congruous with the curved body panels - are split by an oversized Renault diamond logo, which conceals the plug point. Plenty of creases on the door panels keep the flat-slab visuals away, and one of them extends all the way to the rear and terminates at the diamond-shaped tail lamps. Again, the rear has a clean look too and. there's no tail pipe! Yep, that may be a bit of a surprise for the unassuming bystander. Keeping with the trend, the badge, nameplate, headlamps and tail lamps, all feature subtle blue styling cues - depicting its zero emissions status.
As with most other Renaults these days, you get a credit card-sized keyfob. There is always something funky about the interior décor in these vehicles; in this case, it's the incorporation of 'electric' blue trims on the doors and dash. It has a minimalist interior with black surfaces. The simple 3-spoke steering wheel has a number of multifunction buttons. The French manufacturer has cleverly avoided the busy look by placing the audio controls on a stalk behind the wheel, and the cruise control and speed limiter button on the lower centre console. The future-centric design also means that the ZOE gets a largish digital instrument cluster, which can be customised. The centre console gets a glossy, tablet-like surface upon which the Renault R-LINK 7-inch multifunction touchscreen, HVAC controls and vents are mounted.
It may be classified as a sub-compact but there's plenty of room for the two folks in front. There is sufficient storage in the form of cup holders and door bins for your keychain, bottles etc. The seats come upholstered in a resilient fabric with the driver's headrest bearing the ZE signature - a nod to Renault's 'Zero Emission' technology. 
The rear door cutout is a tad small, so one needs to be careful to not knock one's head while entering/exiting. And, unfortunately, due to the position of the L-shaped battery, the rear bench is set high; this means there isn't as much headroom as one would desire.
POWERTRAIN & PERFORMANCE
If you take the ZOE out for a drive and get confused by the total silence on start up, and then choose to check for problems under the bonnet, you'll find it's a tiny but fully-packed compartment upfront. But there is no internal combustion engine; instead, you have an electric motor that fills up the space - hence the silence!
Once you get going, you notice that the throttle response is good and it responds well even to the lightest input. It feels zippy, up to, say, 80 km/h, which makes it ideal for city driving. You can attribute that kind of response to the readily available torque associated with electric motors as opposed to a petrol engine that needs to be revved high in order to deliver a punch. Of course, a lot of that enthusiasm is lost above 80 km/h, but it does have a 140 km/h top speed and it easily copes with the 120 km/h highway limit and traffic. 
So, how far can the power of the electron take us? This is the Long Range model, which Renault claims can achieve a range of 300 km, under real driving conditions on a single charge - double the distance of the previous generation ZOE model. And it really does deliver on that promise, as we saw during our test drive - which involved a mix of both in-city sprints and highway cruising. The system also uses regenerative braking (like we have seen on hybrids like the Toyota Prius), a heat pump and zero-emission Michelin Energy E-V tyres. 
All this is made possible by a 41kWh high-energy, lithium-ion battery unit, which you can charge using the cables provided and which are to be connected to a power source via the socket cleverly positioned under the Renault badge. If you do it at a 22kW DEWA charging station, you can 'fill her up' in as little as an hour, but it can take as long as eight hours at a 3kW charging station. The R-LINK lets you view, in real-time, your driving performance and helps you improve your eco-driving by giving you tips. The computer also displays remaining range, average consumption, instant energy consumption and total kWh consumed.
There are no tail pipe emissions but, then, electric cars are not squeaky clean. You have to take into consideration the carbon footprint involved in the manufacturing of the battery and the car as a whole - and the fate of these batteries after their lifetime! 
In theory, fewer moving parts translate to fewer maintenance issues. Let's hope that is the case with the ZOE. The ZOE drives very much like a regular car with rather accurate steering and good amounts of feel. Also, the suspension is surprisingly compliant, making it suitable for everyday driving.
FEATURES & FUNCTIONALITY
The ZOE isn't the most practical car, but you get a 338-litre cargo capacity at the back-end, accessible via the tailgate; the rear bench doesn't split, but it helps to know that it can be folded for those larger items. The infotainment system is intuitive and responsive. no glitches there. Yes, the sound system fares fine, but I was expecting a more premium audio system for this price! There is Bluetooth connectivity, and a place to slot in the SD card and USB drive. The pre-conditioning system allows you to programme the climate control unit to heat or cool the vehicle while charging. 
VERDICT
The 2018 Renault ZOE Long Range comes across as a chic, sub-compact hatchback with a zippy drive - in the city - and a reasonable build quality. The rear quarters are a tad tight. You can get a Volkswagen Golf GTI for the same price but, as the owner of a ZOE, you will benefit from receiving a free Salik tag, free parking, free registration and free charging at DEWA stations up to 2019. Assuming you drive 30,000km a year, you would only be saving Dh5,000 annually, which doesn't say much financially, but the ZOE does help build on the notions of 'Sustainability', which is certainly the way forward. 
wknd@khaleejtimes.com
 

• On The Road