Said by Mobilize to be “as simple to use as a smartphone”, the Duo’s interior is deliberately basic, both from the perspectives of design and functionality. The company wants it to appeal as much to private customers as shared mobility, fleet-based operators like ZipCar or Enterprise, which means it has to stand up to accommodating multiple users over a short space of time.
On the whole, we can see why it would appeal to those customers, simply because of how easy it is to use. There are just eight buttons on the dashboard itself, each arranged into three separate groupings, making them very quick to get used to. The steering wheel and side stalks have been taken from Renault, which means it retains some familiarity and goes some way to normalising the driving environment.
Directly in front of you is a small but clear TFT display showing only necessary information such as the state of charge, battery percentage and road speed. Next to that is a standard-fit phone holder so that you can use your device instead of a screen.
Its functionality hasn’t come at the expense of some design flair, with the boxy orange dashboard said to be inspired by a 1980s boombox, decals that match those of the exterior, and some attractively-textured surfaces elsewhere.
You sit quite high in the centralised driving position, which makes for decent visibility, but a large A-pillar creates more of a blind spot than you would like. The seat itself is reasonably comfortable but quite unsupportive. In this tester’s normal position, legroom for the rear passenger seat was non-existent, meaning those over 6ft are going to struggle to fit, especially on longer journeys. Headroom, however, was passable.
While we’re having a grumble, it’s a pity that you can’t open the windows fully, especially since air conditioning is an optional extra (and one well worth considering, by the way).
The interior plastics are predictably cheap, but they’re not brittle and will be easy to wipe clean. The dashboard-mounted rocker switches are entirely interchangeable and the splash of orange makes it a more interesting place to sit than it otherwise would be. What’s more, there’s a handy plughole in the driver’s footwell, should the vehicle ever need to be cleaned out.
According to Renault, there is 300 litres of storage on offer, which is nearly ten times more than the Twizy and makes it a far more practical solution than a big scooter. Usefully, there is enough room either side of the driver’s seat for two suitcases.
