When I first heard about the Arcfox brand, I was actually quite unfamiliar with it. The rather cumbersome name sounded like a small European niche brand. Later, through a colleague’s introduction, I learned that it is an intelligent electric vehicle brand under BAIC and is committed to high-end and intelligent products. Recently, I had the opportunity to participate in a test drive of this brand.

The ARCFOX αT I tested is the brand’s first pure electric production car, priced in the range of 300,000 yuan for a medium-sized SUV. To be honest, when I learned the price, my first thought was, “Is this car worth 300,000 yuan?”

Whether it’s worth it or not, you’ll know when you try it.

653 km range and 0-100 km/h in 4.6 seconds

Let’s first take a look at the data on paper. The ARCFOX αT currently has two versions, a two-wheel drive version with a NEDC range of 653 km and a four-wheel drive flagship version with a NEDC range of 600 km.

I was quite surprised by this range result, as the NEDC range of 653 km is the first among all pure electric SUVs available for sale in China, without any additional qualifiers.

And the main reason for achieving such a range can be described as simple and brutal: this car has a battery with a capacity of up to 93.6 kWh. Moreover, in order to ensure the performance and safety of the battery, SK’s battery cells from South Korea are used. Yu Liguo, vice president of BAIC New Energy, said, “We don’t just want to join in the fun of making cars, if we do it, we should do it the best.”

Moreover, even with such a range, the performance of the dual-motor model is still impressive. The maximum power of the 600 km four-wheel drive flagship model is 320 kW, with a peak torque of 720 N·m, and an official 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 4.6 s.

During the test drive, I deliberately tried to floor it a few times after pulling away from the car in front. The 4.6 s acceleration time can be said to be very realistic. The power of the two motors was immediately available as soon as I hit the accelerator pedal. It felt like when a naughty kid is scolded by his mother with a chicken feather duster, there is an instant response on the mouth, and there were even four adults in the car at the time.There are three driving modes available on the ARCFOX αT, namely ECO, Comfort, and Sport. Previously, I mentioned the acceleration sensation in Sport mode, but I was surprised that the acceleration of this car is still fierce in Comfort mode, only with weakened power response. When the accelerator is pressed down beyond the buffer period, it still has a back-pushing feeling of 4.6 seconds. Only when the mode is switched to ECO, does it become much gentler.

A detail worth mentioning is that the feedback of the accelerator pedal varies significantly in different modes. In Sport mode, each step of the accelerator pedal from shallow to deep corresponds to a gradual increase in power. However, when switched to Comfort or ECO mode, the initial empty space of the accelerator pedal becomes larger.

The braking sensation of ARCFOX αT matches its acceleration perfectly. The pedal feel is very linear and there is no excessive empty space or sudden increase. It is similar to the feedback of the accelerator pedal in Sport mode, intuitive and predictable, which gives me greater confidence during frequent acceleration.

Furthermore, switching among the three driving modes is directly and intuitively achieved by pressing the “DRIVE MODE” physical button in front of the armrest box, which is more direct and gives better feedback than adjusting through the central touch screen.

Another aspect that is quite noticeable is the performance of NVH on the ARCFOX αT. During the test drive, we mainly drove on the highway with a speed of more than 100 km/h. I felt that the ARCFOX αT does a good job in suppressing wind and tire noise, basically reaching the level of its price range. Moreover, I only found out that the two guys in the back seat had fallen asleep after we reached the next interchange.

After talking about the good aspects, let me mention the problem that I found. The display effect of the three modes on the instrument panel does not give me a better sense of differentiation.## English Translation

The background colors and UI interface of the three modes are relatively similar, with the background color staying the same style in all modes. The only difference is that the Sport UI places the speedometer in the center of the dashboard, while ECO and Comfort modes are essentially the same. I suggest that the manufacturer can make some improvements in the future OTA updates, especially for the powerful Sport mode, which should give users a more exciting visual experience in terms of the interactive feedback.

The same problem can also be seen in the steering wheel. Regardless of which driving mode is selected, the damping of the steering wheel cannot be significantly differentiated. As a high-end brand, it should stand out in details, especially in the driving feedback of different modes. Otherwise, the so-called different driving modes will seem mediocre.

Overall, the ARCFOX αT’s range and performance are worthy of praise, and these are also its biggest selling points. In terms of range, I was able to drive 80 kilometers in one day with intense driving with four people on board, and the battery showed a remaining charge of just over 100. The range of around 80% is also expected. The vehicle’s acceleration/braking performance and feedback, as well as NVH feeling, are also good, but not exceptional.

Loaded with High-Quality Materials and Comfortable Features

I generally don’t comment on whether a car’s design is good-looking because different people may have different aesthetic perspectives. However, whether the workmanship of a car is good or not, people’s feelings and opinions are basically the same.

My conclusion is that the overall workmanship of the ARCFOX αT is on par with that of big manufacturers, and there are no major defects to be found.

Even though the ARCFOX αT shown on site is still a PP prototype, the overall level of craftsmanship gives a sense of high completion, with the body’s paint surface being very delicate and the reflection of light being very continuous and consistent, and the joints of the sheet metal being small and uniform.

Entering the car, with stitched leather, NAPPA seats, and a 20.3-inch 4K high-definition screen, the car conveys the concept of “high-quality materials” to consumers in every perceivable way.

Manufacturing process and Magna

Speaking of manufacturing process, it’s worth mentioning Magna, one of the world’s largest auto parts manufacturers. Beijing Automotive Group (BAIC) and Magna jointly built the BAIC Blue Valley Magna high-end intelligent manufacturing base, which specializes in producing models for ARCFOX. This is also Magna’s first complete vehicle manufacturing factory established outside Graz, Austria. It seems that BAIC has invested a lot in this regard.

However, as I mentioned earlier, “overall,” perhaps due to being the brand’s first car, there is still room for improvement in the quality of ARCFOX αT in some details. For example, the touch buttons on the steering wheel are actually strange physical buttons with a strong plastic feel to the rear air outlet, which compromise the overall sense of luxury of the car.

After discussing the workmanship of the car, let’s talk about the space.

First, a comparison of the size of ARCFOX αT and similar models:

ARCFOX αT doesn’t have any particularly outstanding features in terms of size, but thanks to its 2915mm wheelbase, the rear space of ARCFOX αT is still relatively good. I am 168 cm tall, and the following picture shows how it fits:

However, due to the low height of the car body, the headroom of ARCFOX αT can only be said to be sufficient. I gestured with a normal sitting posture, about 4 fingers on the top of my head. Fortunately, ARCFOX αT is equipped with a panoramic sunroof, which reduces the sense of oppression. The seats are made of soft materials with a long cushion length and good wrapping, ensuring high comfort for passengers.

Now let’s talk about the storage space.

ARCFOX αT has a lot of storage space, including a deep armrest box, a storage compartment under the center console, and a wireless charging slot designed specifically for mobile phones. Although it’s not particularly spacious, it’s basically enough for daily use.

Although the longitudinal space of the rear seats is very large, the trunk space has not been sacrificed. After opening the trunk cover, there is also a layer of storage space underneath. The car does not provide a spare tire, but is equipped with a bottle of puncture repair liquid and an inflator, as well as a low-power charger carried with the vehicle.

Let me start by expressing my frustration. Although ARCFOX αT comes with an electric tailgate, the opening button is located on the license plate frame, which is too low and inconvenient for accessing. Personally, I prefer using a key to open it.

Now, let’s talk about the infotainment system, which has abundant features but still needs to improve on user experience.

Looking back at the positioning of ARCFOX as a premium intelligent new energy vehicle brand that pursues ultimate performance and innovative design, intelligence is also included. It’s reflected in two aspects: infotainment system and advanced driver assistance system (ADAS).

First, let’s summarize the user experience of the infotainment system: “The smoothness is very high, the functions are also very rich, but the interaction is a bit complicated, and there is a certain learning cost.”

Inside the ARCFOX αT, there are three large screens, including a 12.3-inch full LCD meter screen, a 10.1-inch functional touch screen, and a huge 20.3-inch 4K central control screen.

This 4K screen is quite attractive and spans across the center console of the front row. It looks very stunning at first glance, and the 4K resolution makes the display effect very delicate, comparable to current high-end tablets. “ARCFOX wanted to create a ‘mobile theater’ when designing this big screen, and with Harman Kardon audio, if there is a ranking of the in-car movie experience, this car will be among the top few.”

In addition, this big screen also integrates entertainment, maps, app stores, and other functions. Mainstream applications such as Kugou Music, Baidu Maps, and Himalaya can be edited and preset to the homepage according to personal usage habits.

If you look closely, you can also find four virtual buttons on each side of the big screen. Clicking on them will show this picture.

Yes, you should have thought of it. This is to facilitate the passenger on the co-pilot side to operate this big screen. In other words, what can be controlled by the driver can also be controlled by the passenger through these buttons. This design makes up for the awkwardness of the people on both sides reaching the other side of the screen and also takes the co-pilot’s user experience into account. This is a very thoughtful detail.The 10.1-inch touch screen integrates commonly used settings and adjustment functions such as air conditioning control, vehicle control, volume adjustment, and seat adjustment. Due to the integration of most functions into this large screen, the buttons on the DOCK bar are very dense, making it difficult to find a specific function when first starting out. It takes some time to adapt.

After adapting, it becomes much easier. The DOCK bar has a high level of subdivision, so the overall interaction hierarchy is not deep. Finding the relevant function usually takes only 2-3 steps.

Here are a few features I like. One is the one-button air direction control of the air conditioning, which can be reached by clicking the second virtual button on the DOCK bar. This function can adjust the blowing direction of the air conditioning in the front row with one button, including “face blowing”, “window blowing”, and “foot blowing”. It can also be customized by sliding the blue sliders on both sides of the portrait. Very practical.

In addition, you can also customize the interior ambient light and the panoramic image of the chassis during reverse, which is a “transparent” visual interface.

Overall, the car’s operation is smooth, the functions are also rich, and there is corresponding sound feedback when clicking on virtual buttons. However, while the functions are rich, the menu has become a bit cluttered, and the UI design is not stylish or beautiful enough, and the color and chart are quite plain.

Assisted driving

Assisted driving has always been the focus of our attention, but due to the limited test drive time and distance and relatively simple road conditions, we did not get to experience much.

Hardware-wise, the ARCFOX αT’s assisted driving perception hardware consists of 1 monocular camera, 4 panoramic cameras, 5 millimeter wave radars and 12 ultrasonic radars. The assisted driving chip is made by Intel, but the specific model is unknown.

On the functional side, the ARCFOX αT’s set of assisted driving features include automatic lane change with turn signal, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), lane keeping, and automatic parking.

It is worth mentioning that ARCFOX αT does not adopt the traditional complex “ACC-LKA-SET” series of activation methods, but instead provides an independent assist driving lever.

Similar to XPeng Motors, when the conditions for activating assisted driving are met, the driver can activate it by continuously tapping the lever twice in the direction of the driver. Personally, I prefer this method.

In addition, the HUD display effect is also commendable, displaying three modes, integrating speed information and assisted driving display, with a moderate font size that is easy to read. After assisted driving is activated, the driver can view it in real-time without looking at the dashboard, making it more direct and safer.

However, the actual driving experience is not very satisfactory. On the highway, the ARCFOX αT was unable to maintain the entire course on some slightly curved sections, and withdrew from the curve three times during the test drive.

The braking point when the vehicle is in adaptive cruise control is also relatively late, and due to uncertainty about the boundary of ARCFOX αT’s capabilities, the late braking in some complex situations undermines the driver’s confidence, requiring multiple manual interventions.

In addition, regarding automatic lane change with turn signal, the ARCFOX staff told me that the minimum activation speed is 40 km/h, but after repeated attempts, I was unable to change lanes, and it is unclear whether or not my operation was incorrect.

The assisted driving experience can only be described as falling below my expectations, but this car is still a pre-production prototype, and perhaps there will be some improvements in the future.

Conclusion

To sum up, the ARCFOX αT has some good aspects, such as excellent craftsmanship, the longest NEDC range among pure electric SUVs, strong performance, and innovative interior space.

The problem is that this is a product in the 300,000 RMB price range.

Excluding the domestic brand, there are too many choices in the 300,000 RMB segment, with BBA brands and various low-priced joint venture cars, as well as a bunch of second-line luxury brands. When it comes to pure electric vehicles, 300,000 RMB can buy a P7, Han EV, Model 3 for sedans, and the Aion LX, ONE, and Tang EV for SUVs.Compared to other models in the market, ARCFOX αT doesn’t have a killer feature. Its advantages include battery life, acceleration, craftsmanship, and so on, but in my opinion, it’s not compelling enough. On the other hand, ARCFOX αT does have a distinct appearance and recognition, but frankly speaking, it doesn’t have the breathtaking effect that some competing products have.

As a new brand that needs to accumulate recognition, the product has to attract people’s interest. In my view, if a product doesn’t display enough attraction on top of good product quality, it is regrettable.

After experiencing ARCFOX αT on the day, their product manager once said to me, “Please tell us the areas for improvement. We hope to work together to get this done.”

Perhaps it may be cruel, but that’s my opinion.

However, as a new brand that has emerged from a traditional car enterprise, having such an attitude is a good thing. Looking back at the new car manufacturers, who could have made a flawless first product? Moreover, in terms of product completion, ARCFOX has already surpassed many brands.

But that’s all in the past. At present, most new manufacturers have already released their second-generation products after stumbling in the first. They have grown much more mature, but for ARCFOX, this will be a tremendous pressure.

This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.