2011 Think City
Think City
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by Serafim, on November 14, 2012, 12:49
Th!nk was part of Ford until 2002, and under the patronage of the blue oval it started to develop a small electric city car named the City. After Ford decided to stop the collaboration with Th!nk, the company's financial department has received a huge blow under its belt and the future of the City project became uncertain.
Fortunately, the City project managed to stay alive even after Ford left it for dead. So only six years after Ford left Th!nk on its own, the production version of the City has made its debut using a lot of Ford parts and the latest technology in lithium ion batteries.
The new city car looks pretty good on paper as it offers a 100 miles range and a top speed of 70 mph. fortunately the car looks good in person too and even if it's not as charming as a Smart Fortwo it still has a lot to be loved for. With all this being said, let's take a closer look and see what the electric Th!nk has to offer.
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Most of today's city cars have a lot of common features and one of them is the bubble-looking shape. As it was expected, the Th!nk City shares the same exterior style with its siblings and comes with a bulky body combined with a set of tiny wheels and short overhangs.
The front end design reminds Volkswagen's Beetle as it has the same rounded bonnet and those circular headlights which seem to stare at you continuously. Between the headlights there is a small rectangular air intake which helps to keep the electric components cool.
Underneath the air intake sits a pretty dull-looking bumper. Though despite its basic design, the bumper gets along well with the rest of the body and gives the vehicle an air of solidity.
That feel of solidity however can't be found on the profile where we find a pair of flared wheel arches which further enhance the bulky look. Except for the pillars and bumper, the entire back of the car is made of single part of glass which gives the vehicle a pretty modern look.
Like most of today's city cars, the Th!nk City's exterior dimensions are very compact, and this makes a lot of sense, as the car was designed to be able to move with agility around the city and to park in spaces that can't be used by an average-sized car.
Judging by the compact exterior proportions, one could think that the City's cabin must be a cramped place to be in. Fortunately, the City surprised us in a good way, and instead of the expected tight cabin we found a pretty roomy place which rewards its occupants with a fair amount of head and leg-room. Unlike the Fortwo (which is the closest rival), the City also offers a set of rear seats which can be used by kids and can be folded to increase the cargo space.
Both front seats are fairly comfortable and there is also a cloth roof that can slide back with a push of a button, giving the already spacious cabin an even more pronounced airy feel.
As you are surrounded by a generous glass area, the all-around visibility is part of the first class. The front windscreen has a pretty tight angle which lets you see the top of the car without problems. The rearward visibility is even better thanks to the transparent rear hatch
On the other hand, City's plastic bodied doors feel poorly built and inside you'll find a lot of low rent plastics and third class materials. Other major faults can be found in the fit and finish department and the entire cab doesn't seem well put together. But given the fact that we are talking about a relatively small car manufacturer we didn't expect to find a better quality in the first place anyway. Perhaps if Ford was still involved in the project, things would've looked slightly better.
Leaving behind the poor build quality, Ford's initial involvement can be found in every corner, as the City is fitted with a lot familiar parts, most of them borrowed from the old generation Focus. Our favorite item is the Ford-inspired four spoke steering wheel which offers a good grab and gels well with the rest of the interior design.
Talking about interior design, the dashboard is pretty ingeniously conceived, as it maximizes the use of space offering a huge opened console that can be used to store various things. The center stack is also nicely integrated into the dashboard and every control has an intuitive position.
The City was built with practicality in mind and despite the fact that is just 123.7 inches long, it still provides 29 cubic feet of cargo space – more than enough for your daily needs of transportation.
Unfortunately the Th!nk City doesn't come with power steering or air conditioning, as both of these features would overtax the electric motor. Instead you get four-wheel ABS and regenerative capability for both the front discs and rear drums.
Engines and performance
The electric motor is mounted at the front of the vehicle and offers 34 kW of power (if it's necessary it's power output can grow up to 37 kW/50 hp. The motor is combined with a one-speed gearbox, so you won't need to worry about any gear changes.
From the moment you turn the key, the vehicle doesn't make any noise rewarding you with a silent driving experience that's totally different than the one offered by a conventional fuel-powered car. Once you've pushed the accelerator pedal you are propelled forward by 66 lb-ft of torque – enough to send to you to a maximum speed of 70 mph. For a compact city car, we can say that these figures are pretty reasonable, as far as you won't venture on any longer journeys.
On road, the City's ride is pretty stiff. The unassisted steering is also pretty heavy, but the wheels give you enough feedback to feel safe behind the wheel. Talking about safety, you can also rely with confidence on the standard regenerative breaks which work efficiently.
The Th!nk City isn't as well build as an electric Smart Fortwo, but it's more spacious and the cabin is fairly practical. Though, the exterior design it's still a bit far from today's standards and we have our doubts about the intensive use of plastic for the body. Other than that, the electric motor does its job well and the 100 miles range also sounds pretty assuring.
It's true that the Th!nk city has its faults, but overall it's a clean and practical city car. The Th!nk however, does not come cheap as it's priced at $36,495. Another problem is that the company is now bankrupt and the production has been put on hold.
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