On the evidence of this outing, the Silence S04, a new electric quadricycle from a Spanish company that also makes electric motorbikes, does everything that the Citroën Ami promises to do but better.
Established in 2014 by former Dakar motorbike racer Carlos Sotelo, Silence claims to now be the biggest specialist EV maker in Europe which probably says as much about European and Chinese EV strategies as it does about Silence itself. It makes 40,000 bikes a year at Barcelona's former Nissan factory.
In the UK, Silences are imported by a team that includes former Jaguar Land Rover bigwig John Edwards, who greets me at the company's Solihull headquarters.
Opposite a parade of shops and takeaways, you can walk into this showroom and buy one of Silence's e-motorbike. The original model, the S02, is a straightforward moped "suited to business users", says Edwards, or there's the plusher S01, which followed in 2019 "as a consumer bike".
Now, nestled at the back of the shop, because they fit there easily enough, these are joined by a pair of the new S04 quadricycles.
The S04 is 1.29m wide and 2.28m long and weighs just 450kg. Like the Ami, it has a space frame chassis over which a composite body is hung, but it feels like a much higher-quality item. You can't see the frame, for a start, because the interior is clad with panels - some soft to the touch, like in a car. Albeit a very small one.
It seats two, but because of the limited width, the driver and passenger sit offset from each other. Behind them is a deep, 313-litre boot, accessed through a hatch.
It's well equipped elsewhere, too. It has both a heater and air conditioning, powered windows, central locking (app-controlled as an option), a 7.0in digital instrument binnacle and smartphone wiring for its speakers.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MG 4
An EV changes your driving style - but not to the detriment of pleasure
PEUGEOT E-208
Time with our French hatch is up. Is it good riddance or au revoir?
In the hot seat
Is the best automotive job in the world actually in miniature scale? Hot Wheels' design boss assures STEPHEN DOBIE it is
Correcting the record
Autocar invented the road test back in 1928 - or did we? KEITH JONES trawls the past to find the true starting point
Road test rebooted
As the Autocar road test forges into its second century, its brief is expanding and it's returning to a familiar place. MATT SAUNDERS explains
Cyber attack
MG is back on the international stage and now trying to return to its sports car roots. MATT SAUNDERS sees if the Cyberster EV can match up to a rival from the present and a relation from the past
KIA PICANTO
As rivals fall by the wayside, Kia's popular city car gets a makeover
MASERATI GRANTURISMO
Latest coupé in a long line of Maserati GT cars hits the UK with V6 power
PORSCHE CAYENNE GTS COUPE
New V8 model gets all the goodies
TOYOTA PRIUS
Back by popular demand with a cool new look and greater driver appeal