Driving report Citroën Ami: Electric cube

Nobody took the unique piece really seriously, which was shown for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2019 as a so-called study on the Citroën stand. At 2,51 meters, the two-seater Citroën One Concept is a good 20 centimeters shorter than a Smart Fortwo, but more than a covered and heated scooter. Almost consequently, the tiny little boy baptized Ami can be moved by 15-year-olds with an AM driving license. The dream of the Parisian engineers did not end up in the company museum like most of these studies. Now the series version of the fully electric Ami is really there and can travel up to 5,5 kilometers with a 75 kWh battery, does not run faster than 45 km / h and can be recharged in three hours at the household socket.

A car that has never been seen before

Except for a few bells and whistles, such as the lights at the front and rear, the thinking model makes it into series production. A rolling cube with very short overhangs, generously glazed in the upper part of the passenger cabin, flooded with light thanks to a panoramic roof as only real estate advertisements otherwise promise. The vehicle looks a little like it came from a Fischer-Technik kit. With all the barely disguised sparseness, bare sheet metal parts around the headliner or loops instead of the usual door handles, both occupants have a special, different kind of cosiness. The motto: Those out there on their e-bikes, e-scooters or Vespas and we in here, cozy and warm under the plastic roof.

That's exactly how the American is designed. As an alternative to the many two-wheeled small vehicles that will shape the traffic of the future even more than they already have. But - especially in times of Corona and the like, what could come next: Citroën also has buses and trains in its sights, local public transport. After all, the Frenchman offers privacy like a real car, with their own music from a stylish Bluetooth speaker or an ashtray for the remaining addicts.

Fun moment when getting in: The driver's door opens to the rear as it did on the first 2CV “ducks”, while the right counterpart does it as usual. Another homage to the classic are the side windows, which are not cranked, but folded up. The doors are closed with a loop, a classic turn of the key and digital life awakens in the mini dashboard. To the left of the left seat pad, three switches are waiting to be used, replacing the gear stick of yore.

If you want speed - you should think better

Skepticism about a tour of the city's inner-city traffic. A mere 6 kW / 8 PS draw from a 5,5 kW battery. Threatening life as a traffic obstacle, hooted angrily by all the others from the "old" car world. The Parisian “friend” starts singing, his very own song gets louder and louder until the number “45” lights up. It doesn't even get any faster downhill. Of course, in practice it will sometimes be a drag on the fun when the DHL truck is running late again and cannot get past the Ami on a two-lane street.

Strolling around downtown Berlin quickly reveals what such an American can and cannot do. He loves to think ahead, for example when approaching a red traffic light. You quickly learn when to take your foot off the accelerator in order to come to a standstill precisely on the white line without using the brake. Recuperation also in Lilliput country. The steering meets all the requirements of the usual city crank, the overview is perfect thanks to the abundant glazing mentioned, as long as you don't have to look backwards: An inside mirror is currently missing, its outer colleagues are more suitable for scooters in terms of size. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the Ami is approved as a "light four-wheel vehicle for passenger transport". The regulations also save Citroën the installation of airbags and other technology such as ABS or ESP, which normal four-wheeled vehicles have to offer.

Car rather interesting for millennials

No regulation is suspension comfort, which naturally was not in the foreground when planning the little one. In the case of bumps or frayed tram tracks, it happily hops around, allowing more or less hard hits into the interior. This is of course mainly due to the brevity of the American, but certainly also to the red pen of the Citroën merchants. What the heck, that doesn't detract from the charm of the little one. During the tour through the center of Berlin, astonishing things were noticed. It was not the young people who explored the capital in groups who turned their heads towards the singing cube. The middle age groups paid more attention and pulled out their cell phones.

In Germany, the Ami is also accessible to young people

Speaking of young people: In Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia, Ami can be driven from the age of 15, in the other federal states the drivers must be a year older. You will then dock at Dad's normal socket at home. An empty American is ready for the next tour after three hours. The advantage of the small battery of 5,5 kW / h. It had to be compact enough to be able to afford the Ami a low price. Official prices are currently only available for France. The Ami costs 6.000 euros, but can also be leased for 19,99 euros per month with a down payment of 2.600 euros. The German prices should be similar.

The Ami starts with us in the first quarter of 2021. It can be ordered from dealers, but also on the Internet. Configure online, pay and soon it will be at the door like an Amazon package. If you want to spend 200 euros, you can use the services of a specialist who will explain the car on site.

Technical data