Cheeky revive time, my mercegges went for winter hibernation as after my move I barely use my car so it’s an unnecessary expense since with insurance and parking it costs just to stay still. Thus, I now get to try out per minute rental cars if I need a car for some reason in the city and yesterday I had just such an occasion!
2020 → Renault ZOE
This was my first ever time I’ve driven an electric car of any sort and I have some thoughts about that, but first the car itself. The Renault ZOE is now an aging product, given it’s been on sale since 2012 and we’re nearing 2024, however it did have a heavy refresh and this is obviously one of the post refresh cars. I love how fabrics are making a resurgence as decor elements in cars, simply coating cheap plastic trim bits in a nice grey fabric can make a world of difference and the interior of this ZOE is a testament to that.
All round the interior is really nice and for the most part the ergonomics are lovely, the seating position is great and the steering weights up nicely once you get going. I drive a 90s car normally, so I’m not used to these modern cars with the pinkie light steering. Android Auto connectivity worked great and the dash display was useful, but HOLY DAMN do I hate the eternal Renault audio stalk. It’s really inconvenient to reach, maybe I could get used to it with ownership I don’t know. Please have a volume jog on the wheel.
How does it drive? Well, I don’t have much EVs to compare to, mostly ICE econoboxes and the like. But I gotta say, wow EVs are fun. The driving is just somehow much more engaging and positive compared to an automatic petrol/diesel car. Of course a manual car is most engaging but a modern EV is a joy to drive. It stays so flat in city bends you can take fast with confidence, the power delivery is instant and regen braking is lovely in the city as well. I had trouble getting used to the sensitivity of the throttle pedal as EVs rarely have a crawl mode like ICE automatics do, and leaving traffic lights I had a split second of panic every time as I thought the car stalled (lmao) since it became silent when you got going and there was a jolt forward from the instant torque.
I’m very impressed with how far Renault has come with their cars, and I’m sure I’d have even more positive of an experience with something newer like the new Megane, Scenic or Austral. The ZOE after all is getting phased out, which in a way is sad as it was one of the revolutionary new generation of EVs in Europe when it came out. This drive has solidified my want to get a range extended EV for my next used car once I have a bit more income, possibly an A3 E-Tron (2016 - 2018), or anything else with electric propulsion and a gas generator. I’d of course love a new full EV like a BYD Atto 3 or something, but well. I’d need on street charging or a house first and a well paying job, so no.