► Sub-£20k quadricycle
► Up to 142 miles of range, 56mph
► Unbeatable smiles per mile
When’s the last time you saw a brand new car that made you stop, stare and either burst out laughing or grin like a village idiot? No, I couldn’t think of anything either, at least until I experienced the ridiculously charming Micro Microlino.
As you may have twigged, this isn’t technically a car. Instead, it’s a quadricycle that doesn’t have to adhere to the same stringent safety regulations as the best superminis. That makes the Microlino not just small, but ridiculously tiny. It’s a couple of fingers longer than 2.5 metres, 1.5 metres high and just under 1.5 metres wide.
Two flavours are available: Lite and regular Microlino. The former is speed limited so 16-year-olds can drive it with a basic CBT scooter licence in the UK, while the latter goes twice as fast and can only be driven by car licence holders. Both get a choice of batteries so you can increase the range to beyond 100 miles.
I did that and more in our test vehicle on a wide variety of roads to see just how usable the new Microlino bubble car really is. If you’re curious about our testing methods here at CAR, we’ve a how we test page to explain our protocols and methodology.
At a glance
Pros: Range, keeps up with traffic surprisingly well, big boot, it’ll make you and everyone else smile
Cons: Lifeless steering, ‘squirrelly’ under hard braking, no safety kit, costs the same as an actual car
What’s new?
Micro has taken a different approach to building a quadricycle than rivals. Instead of a simple tubular chassis with a few body panels attached, the Microlino gets a stronger steel and aluminium monocoque like a proper car. The battery pack sits under the floor and an electric motor drives the rear wheels. So far, so conventional.
Isetta-inspired styling stretches to a narrower rear track than front and a single door up front. Unlike the original 1950s bubble cars, the steering wheel and column stay put, so passengers are always last in, first out. Retro two-tone colours and sportier matt tones are available, all of which are preferable to the food-processor white of our test vehicle.
What are the specs?
Experience with the Citroen Ami suggests it’s well worth spending an extra £1000 to get the full 17bhp and still-limited 56mph top speed. You get a diddy 6.0kWh battery for the entry price that’s good for a WLTP range of just 56 miles. Drop another £1800 and you gain a 10.5kWh pack for a claimed range of 110 miles.
If the Short and Medium range options aren’t enough, there’s the £3500 Long Range with up to 143 miles of driving distance. Those range figures are impressive given the size of the batteries involved. All Microlinos are claimed to do 0-31mph (0-50kph) in a blistering 5.0 seconds, assuming you’ve hit the Sport button on the armrest.
You do get a variable speed fan with heater, and a heated rear window, but don’t expect much safety kit. Quadricycles don’t need airbags, ABS anti-lock brakes or stability control, so the Microlino has none of that, let alone advanced self-driving capabilities such as AEB or lane keep assist.
What’s it like to drive?
Yes, the Microlino is slow, but it’s by no means a nuisance to other road users like the 28mph Ami rival. A small battery-equipped example tips the scales at just 596kg with the largest battery adding only 34kg, so 17bhp goes surprisingly far.
Keeping pace with traffic during rush hour was rarely an issue, especially with an HGV in front masking the Microlino’s struggle to accelerate to 56mph uphill. Sport mode brings a useful extra urge by unlocking the top 5% or so of the power band, which makes it feel quite peppy on the flat.
I avoided motorways (not hard in East Anglia) but didn’t shy away from dual carriageways or national speed limit roads where you’re foot to the floor for minutes at a time. It feels far more stable than you might expect, with only strong crosswinds causing the Microlino any real bother.
Braking can be a little more dicey. The pedal requires a fair bit of pressure to really slow things down and an emergency stop can have the tail swinging around a few degrees as you approach locking up the tyres. I’d advise keeping plenty of distance to the car in front and being vigilant of those around you. Not everyone spots something this tiny in their periphery.
Unassisted steering needs a little muscle at manoeuvring speeds and is light on the move. Any hope for pure, unfiltered feedback is quickly dashed as there are virtually no messages from the wheel’s vegan leather rim. It is precise and untroubled by truck ruts and cambers, though.
Grip levels are strong enough that I ran out of nerve before I started sliding at any point on test during more extreme cornering speeds. The high seating position and narrowness of the Microlino exacerbate the noticeable body roll, and visions of the Citroen Ami rolling in Monaco soon enter my head.
That narrowness does mean you can make most corners far less severe than they would be for a regular car. Clear A-road roundabouts require only small lifts of the throttle and twists of the wrists. You can make surprisingly good progress and have a lot of fun in the process. Judging by passengers’ liberal use of the two grab handles, they were not enjoying themselves quite so much.
Comfort is a pleasant surprise. Potholes and rubber speed bumps are downright unpleasant, yet most surfaces are smoothed off more adroitly than an Ami or Renault Twizy.
Our big-battery test car was set for a range of around 90 miles on mainly national speed limit roads with a fair few 30mph and 40mph villages thrown in. We’d expect a slightly longer range in warmer conditions and on more urban-intensive routes.
What’s it like inside?
You access the Microlino’s two-seat interior via a push button hidden on the black strip that lines up with the front light bar. A gas strut pops the door open while a soft-close mechanism takes care of the latch once you’ve gently pulled it closed behind you.
The narrow bench slides back and forth as one unit and is able to accommodate long legs. Headroom is more of an issue, but even two taller members of the team can sit comfortably enough for short journeys.
Quality is way better than you’d expect from a quadricycle. The driver’s display looks sharp, there’s very little exposed metal and a general feeling of solidity. Only the A-pillar cladding let the side down, not clipping properly into the roof lining on one side.
You get a little touch-sensitive screen to control the blower, but infotainment is provided by a smartphone mount and, in our test car, a well-fitting Bluetooth speaker slotted into a cubbyhole. Four USB-C ports are present and capable of fast-charging a compatible device.
The biggest surprise is arguably found underneath the rear hatch. A 230-litre load capacity isn’t going to trouble an E-Class estate, but it is a lot of space for such a small package.
Before you buy
While the Microlino’s obvious rivals are other quadricycles, it’s a fair bit pricier than rivals. The £18,000 asking price would get you a Kia Picanto and change, or a small SUV like the MG ZS. By the time you’ve added the big battery, you’re not far off the cost of a car-of-the-moment like the new Renault 5….
Those cars all have a lot more equipment and a far longer range, although the Microlino’s size is a real boon in town. Perhaps unsurprisingly, sales targets are relatively modest, with this being seen as a luxury mobility solution perfect for your London townhouse rather than an affordable way to get around.
Verdict
Perhaps tellingly, there would be room for a Microlino in my ultimate fantasy garage. Yes, it’s expensive, a bit too narrow for two to sit comfortably, and it’s not the most stable thing I’ve driven, but it feels a cut above the Citroen Ami and Renault Twizy, and far better developed than the Dacia Spring.
However, few cars have brought such joy to myself and those around me, and the lack of binging and bonging every few seconds is refreshing. The range of our big battery test car also impressed given the size of the Microlino, making it an interesting alternative to your usual small cars.