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City vehicle?

The Microlino is inspired by the BMW Isetta of yesteryear. As you can see, it is a compact electric city vehicle, although the description “city vehicle” actually makes my hands itch immediately. Earlier, we showed that an Opel Rocks Electric is also perfect transportation for people living outside the city. After all, those people also need to run errands. So we also approach this test of the Microlino from the perspective of whether you can use it as a shopping cart in the “countryside.

Microlino reaches 90 km/h!

Compact urban vehicles abound, but they often have one major limitation: a top speed of 45 mph. This Microlino may just go on the highway, as it reaches a top speed of about 90 mph. According to its makers, the Microlino is the “ideal mix of a motorcycle and a car. How do you like that highway driving? Actually fine. You must not be fear-mongering, but with decisiveness to claim your place on the road. And make sure your battery is fully charged when you hit the highway, or the system will start squeezing the Microlino’s power. We drove on the highway several times, even overtaking trucks in the process. That went fine. If you take other traffic into account, the Microlino is fine to drive on the highway. It just feels like a car.

Hopelessly old-fashioned

Okay, so you may think of this Microlino as a car? Yes, but Dutch law – which is often quite crooked and hopelessly old-fashioned when it comes to these types of vehicles – sees it differently. On paper, the Microlino is a “quad,” as it falls into the L7e category. Let’s put it another way: the Microlino – which could replace a normal car for very people – is not eligible for SEPP funding. For individuals, this means that the vehicle is not eligible for a subsidy of 2,950 euros.

Grant?

Only when the Microlino is used for business is there any financial benefit in the form of MIA or VAMIL. A shame, because for individuals in particular, a Microlino is a perfect substitute for the car. Importantly, the model is also inexpensive to purchase, but that is precisely where it falters. In fact, the base price of the model is 17,990 euros. That is just 4,000 euros too much as far as we are concerned. There are three versions to choose from, the Urban (base model), the Dolce and the Competizione, with buyers also able to choose from different battery packages. Prices are as follows:

Microlino prices

• Urban 6 kWh: 17,990 euros
• Dolce 6 kWh: 19,990 euros
• Dolce 10.5 kWh: 21,990 euros
• Dolce 14 kWh: 23,490 euros
• Competizione 10.5 kWh: 21,990 euros
• Competizione 14 kWh: 23,490 euros

Equipment Urban:

Urban interior & rims, coupe roof, soft-close mechanism, Sport Mode, dual displays, LED lighting and heating

Equipment Dolce:

Dolce interior & rims, Infinity LED light bars, sunroof, retro colors, chrome details, steering wheel upholstered in vegan leather, soft-close mechanism, Sport Mode, dual Displays and heater

Equipment Competizione

Medium Range 177 km, Competizione interior & rims, matte color chrome details, Infinity LED light bars, sunroof, steering wheel upholstered in vegan leather, soft-close mechanism, Sport Mode, dual displays and heater

The basic version

The Microlino Urban always features a 6 kWh lithium-ion battery, good for a range of up to 90 km on a full charge of electricity. This version features a built-in charger with a maximum power of 1.35 kW. Charging time to 80 percent is about 4 hours. To look at it, the model looks a bit sparse, with steel wheels without hubcaps, the absence of a sunroof and a rather basic interior.

Dolce and Competizione offer more luxury

Want more range and more luxury? Then you should already go at least for the Dolce or Competizione. There is a choice of a 6 kWh, 10.5 kWh or 14 kWh lithium-ion battery with that version. The 10.5 kWh variant has a maximum driving range of 175 kilometers, a built-in charger with a charging power of 2.6 kW and a charging time of 3 hours to 80 percent. The largest battery of 14 kWh offers a driving range of 230 kilometers and a built-in charger with a maximum power of 2.6 kW. Charging time is 4 hours (80 percent).

The weight of the Microlino depends on the battery pack. The base model with 6 kWh weighs 496 kilograms. The 10.5 kWh battery version weighs 513 kilograms and the 14 kWh variant has a weight of 530 kilograms. Say the weight of a Caterham Seven.

Specifications Micro Microlino

• 0-50 km/h: 4.9 seconds
• Top speed: 90 km/h
• Power electric motor: 12.5 kW (17 hp)
• Electric motor torque: 89 Nm
• 6 kWh battery: 90 km
• 10.5 kWh battery: 177 km
• 14 kWh battery: 230 km
• Weight with 6 kWh battery: 496 kg
• Weight with 10.5 kWh battery: 513 kg
• Weight with 14 kWh battery: 530 kg
• Length: 2,519 mm
• Width: 1,473 mm
• Height: 1,501 mm
• Luggage space: 230 liters (three beer crates)
• Number of seats: two

Self-supporting aluminum body

The first in its class, the Microlino features a self-supporting aluminum body. The vehicle also has a reinforced steel door and independent suspension on all wheels.

Standard equipment

By default, the Microlino is already quite richly equipped. Think central locking, three-level electric heating, a ventilation system, a heated rear and windshield, four USB ports, sliding windows and a Type 2 4-meter charging cable for charging to a Wallbox.

Interior finishing

The interior finish of pretty high level. Depending on the variant chosen, the Microlino also features a smartphone holder, a sunroof, a dashboard strip in anodized black aluminum, a bottle holder and interior panels made from environmentally friendly natural fibers.

According to Microlino not a car

According to Microlino, this vehicle is not a car, but an intermediate solution to a motorcycle and car. This is far-fetched as far as we are concerned, because people need to learn to realize that a Microlino is excellent at replacing a car. It drives like a car and feels like a car. In addition, such a Microlino is also surprisingly practical. It gives a large luggage space of 230 liters (room enough for several beer crates) and on board you sit cozily shoulder-to-shoulder. Every ride is an adventure. Microlino’s focus on use in larger cities only could be broader as far as we are concerned. A Microlino is also excellent to live with if you live in the country, in a rural setting. Imagine being able to use this vehicle as a messenger car. Sounds like a dream right?

Grain of salt

Take the WLTP battery figures with a grain of salt, though. The medium-sized battery we drove should, on paper, be able to achieve over 170 kilometers on a full charge of power. You’re not going to achieve that in practice. We reached a maximum of 120 kilometers, but even more often less than 100 kilometers. Whether that is little? We did not experience it that way, as the Microlino took us where we needed to be, and back again. Applying the motto “load when you can, rather than load when you must,” we always arrived at our destination. So yes, with a Microlino there is excellent daily living. In fact, it is incredibly fun.

Low cost

The running costs, on the other hand, are laughably low. For a full battery, we didn’t even pay 3 euros. Also the underwear is spot on, replacing the straps idem. An additional advantage of this “quad,” is that for as little as 12 euros a month, you have all-risk insurance for the Microlino. So it is a bit more expensive to buy, but the total cost of ownership is laughably low. Laughter, that sums up this Microlino in the best possible way. He looks comical and endearing. It drives surprisingly well, a bit spartan at times. This two-seater also proves sufficiently smooth in practice, especially with rocket mode engaged. Okay, in wet weather the windows fog up a bit and the electric motor makes quite a noise. But we found that to be the very “charm. The design, the many nice comments and the driving enjoyment all strip away all comments. In any case, we are big fans of the Microlino. We would even venture to say butterflies. Let it stand? Hell no! The Microlino is a must have!