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Test Driving The Zenn Car

It’s no secret that we at Complex love the green stuff. And I’m not just talking about our weekend expenditures. As you know from our April/May issue, we take every opportunity to make our pastures that much greener—reusing water bottles, paying our con-ed bill online, having our breezies rock no panties and bras to conserve laundry water. So you can imagine how quickly we jumped out of our hemp kicks at the chance to drive one of the newest electric rides on the market, the Zenn Car.

Made by Canadian based Zenn Motor Company, the Zenn is a tiny two-seat, three door, Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) which means, thanks to the six 12V Deka batteries that power its drive train, the Zenn is only meant to be driven around your immediate area. This humble hatchback only hits 25 mph and has a range of only 35 miles per charge, so highway use is outta the question. To test out this Low Speed Vehicle (LSV) we whipped it around the one ‘hood where low speed driving is inevitable: Midtown Manhattan. Check out our first impressions (along with a gang of exclusive images) after the jump.

EXTERIOR:
Off the bat, the first thing you notice about the Zenn is how incredibly tiny it is. Driving among the MTA buses and Mack trucks on 6th avenue, it’s hard to feel like you’re not driving a Powerwheel, or a Peddle-Cab. The second is how damn ugly it is. And not ugly like a bulldog or a Smart car, where it’s so ugly it’s kinda cute. Nah, ugly like Flava Flav. But that’s beside the point, we’re here to save the planet, not rip the runway. While driving, we got more stares than someone driving a Mercedes CL-500.

INTERIOR:
Slide yourself behind the airbag-less steering wheel and you’ll find yourself in a cocoon of hard plastic. While it may feel cheap to the touch, it works with the rest of the Zenn’s minimalist, no fuss interior. The top of the line model sports comfortable cloth seats, power windows, a JVC CD player and A/C, a single cup holder and a power panoramic moonroof. In lieu of a speedometer there’s an easy to read central information display that tells you your current speed and the charge left in your batteries and other car vitals.

PERFORMANCE:
You don’t buy the Zenn for 0-60 times. If you want speed, wait for the Tesla Roadster. The Zenn only packs 43 ft-lbs of torque and can’t go over 25 mph. That said, moving around the city is surprisingly spirited. With a curb weight of only 1,200 lbs, the Zenn has no trouble quickly hitting 25mph and keeping up with midtown traffic.

CONCLUSION:
As battery technology advances, expect better looking, feature-filled offerings like the Chevy Volt to start flooding the market. We say wait it out. But if you absolutely can’t wait to stop using fossil fuels and you’re too lazy to hop on a bike, the $15,000 Zenn , while wildly under equipped, would work well as a complimentary car for just getting around your town or small city. For more information, go to Zenncars.com

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