Author: Doraemon
The compact sedan market is like the current employment environment, with fierce competition and the need for real skills. Looking at joint venture brands, Dongfeng Nissan’s Xuan Yi has won the favor of many consumers with its “Nissan Sofa.” However, the automotive market is transitioning from pure fuel-powered models to electrification. Domestic brands, led by BYD, are rising with great momentum. From January to May, BYD’s new energy models accumulated sales of 113,213 units, a year-on-year increase of 143.41%. So for consumers who want to buy a car, is it better to hold 100,000 yuan to buy a plug-in hybrid car or a traditional fuel-powered car?
Today, we will compare the 11.98 yuan plug-in hybrid BYD Qin PLUS DM-i 55KM flagship model with the 12.99 yuan traditional fuel-powered Dongfeng Nissan Xuan Yi 1.6L XL CVT Enjoy Edition, to see who is the best option in the compact sedan market.
“New National Trend” VS Sportiness, who is your “Hamlet”
Although the theme of this article is the difference in driving mode, from the perspective of consumers, a young, trendy, and personalized appearance design is really necessary to arouse their purchasing desire.
First, let’s take a look at the BYD Qin PLUS DM-i. As a member of the BYD Dynasty family, it inherits BYD’s most classic Dragon Face design language, with eight-sided dragon chant front grille, arrow feather dragon-eye LED headlights, 5mm dragon claw-shaped LED taillights, and dynamic dragon leaping waistline, which are all designed with national trend attributes, demonstrating BYD’s understanding of the “New National Trend” for consumers. It is fashionable, classic, atmospheric, and exquisite.
Next, let’s look at the exterior of Dongfeng Nissan Xuan Yi. The new model has adopted Nissan’s latest family design language, with an even larger V-shaped grille, matched with a very fashionable floating roof design, which gives the overall appearance a sense of sportiness. However, Xuan Yi’s design has been like this for many years, which can be visually fatiguing.
# “New National Trend Light Luxury Aesthetics” vs. “Japanese Sofa”
There is a saying that “there are a thousand Hamlets in the eyes of a thousand people” when it comes to the level of appearance. However, in recent years, the trend of Chinese domestic products is rising. Judging from the trend of younger consumers’ pursuit of fashion, I personally think that the “new national trend” design of BYD Qin PLUS DM-i is slightly more advanced and durable than the “Japanese sofa” design of Nissan Sylphy, and more in line with the current trend.
For users, the vehicle interior will be the most intimate connection between the owner and the car. Therefore, a more upscale design and a more technological atmosphere of the interior will directly improve the comfort and happiness index of the passengers.
In the BYD Qin PLUS DM-i, we can feel a light luxury and comfortable atmosphere. Its environment-friendly suspended cabin, paired with the water and sky central console decoration, reveals natural and comfortable feeling. Coupled with its ergonomically designed integrated sports luxury seats, highlighted by red and white stitching textures show comfort and luxury on the journey.
On the other hand, the Nissan Sylphy is much more crude and simple. Although its three-barrel air outlet looks very sporty, the overall sense of luxury in the car is slightly lacking. It should be noted that the Nissan Sylphy also perfectly retains the configuration of the “Nissan sofa”, with ergonomic diamond-cut stitching seats, making the ride experience first-rate.
Of course, what needs to be emphasized here is “ride quality”. Japanese car models are notorious for their poor sound insulation, but there is no need to worry about this on the Qin PLUS DM-i, as its overall NVH noise reduction technology is enough to make passengers feel the library-level quiet enjoyment.
Although it is a compact sedan, Chinese people’s demand for space has always been based on ‘larger’ as the standard. Judging from the parameter comparison, the Qin PLUS DM-i is larger than the Sylphy in terms of overall dimensions and spacious parameters. The most noteworthy feature is that the Qin PLUS DM-i uses a fully flat center channel design for the rear seats, ensuring the comfort of rear passengers, while the raised design of the Sylphy rear seat channel may compromise the comfort of passengers. At the same time, the Qin PLUS DM-i’s rear seat 4/6 ratio makes the trunk space more spacious when folded down, better meeting the needs of the entire family’s travel.
In addition, both models create a technological sense in the interior design with a floating central control screen. However, the Qin PLUS DM-i has a 10.1-inch intelligent floating rotating large screen, which is filled with technology and luxury.
In terms of design and material, the interior has always been a strong point for independent brands. Therefore, for Chinese consumers who pursue high-quality and technological interior, Doli believes that, despite the fact that the Nissan Xuan Yi is known as the “Nissan Sofa”, the BYD Qin PLUS DM-i still outperforms it in overall design and technology.
Traditional Fuel VS Plug-in Hybrid, which one is more worth choosing?
For young consumers, power performance is extremely important. At the same time, young users are also a generation that pays attention to saving money, so they need cars that are fast and fuel-efficient. According to the theory of traditional fuel vehicles, power output is often related to fuel consumption. Plug-in hybrid models can perfectly balance these two aspects, which means that the Qin PLUS DM-i has come to its stage.
The Qin PLUS DM-i is equipped with BYD DM-i super hybrid, a 1.5L high-efficiency engine with a maximum power of 81 kW and a peak torque of 135 N·m, which is specialized for plug-in hybrids. The electric motor has a maximum power of 132 kW and a maximum torque of 316 N·m, which is supported by the EHS electric hybrid system and the DM-i super hybrid blade battery. This means that the Qin PLUS DM-i has a comprehensive working range of 1180 km when fully fueled and fully charged, and can accelerate to 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds.
This makes the Nissan Sylphy, known for its fuel efficiency, “amazing”. It is equipped with a 1.6 L naturally aspirated engine with a maximum power of only 99 kW and a peak torque of 159 N·m. Despite being an extremely fuel-efficient powertrain matched with a CVT gearbox, its comprehensive fuel consumption under normal conditions can still reach 4.9 L/100 km (starting price). It is worth noting that the BYD Qin PLUS DM-i has a fuel consumption of only 3.8 L/100 km under discharge conditions, not to mention when it is fully charged.
It is worth mentioning that the BYD Qin PLUS DM-i can achieve four different driving modes, including EV pure electric mode, HEV series mode, HEV parallel mode, and engine direct drive mode. Therefore, the BYD Qin PLUS DM-i can achieve a faster, more fuel-efficient driving experience that is close to that of a pure electric vehicle. It not only surpasses the same level of models in terms of power and fuel consumption, but also has smoother overall power output and quieter interior. The Qin PLUS DM-i can also be called the “fuel car disruptor”. So, returning to the beginning of the article, it is clear that it makes more sense to have 100,000 RMB to buy a traditional fuel car or a plug-in hybrid car.
Of course, the degree of intelligence and safety technology configuration in cars is equally crucial for consumers when selecting a car. Overall, the two models are not lacking in terms of intelligent configuration.
The DiLink3.0 system that the BYD Qin PLUS DM-i is equipped with has always been known for its openness in the automotive industry, and its voice recognition system can recognize multiple dialects and support more than 4 million downloadable apps. For example, the in-car karaoke system can bring users a new entertainment experience.
The Nissan Sylphy is also not inferior, equipped with the new Nissan Connect ultra-intelligent connection system. Its voice control can remotely control the vehicle, and the Arkamys high-fidelity classic AI sound effects algorithm can also bring consumers a comfortable driving experience.Although the configurations are sincere, the slight lead in details can bring convenient and practical effects to users, which is the so-called true chapter in details. For example, the Qin PLUS DM-i is newly equipped with NFC key, which can provide users with a safer and more convenient way to enter the car. At the same time, in the dashboard that can best experience the sense of technology in the car, the Qin PLUS DM-i is equipped with a full LCD instrument panel, while the Xuan Yi adopts a 4.2-inch instrument panel with mechanical instruments. Therefore, in terms of the sense of technology in the car, the Qin PLUS DM-i is more technological.
In addition, in the safety configurations that consumers are closely concerned about, the Qin PLUS DM-i is equipped with intelligent safety assistance configurations such as reversing radar and cruise control that the Xuan Yi does not have, which not only improves safety, but also improves driving convenience. At the same time, if the budget is sufficient to directly purchase the 120KM flagship top model, it can obtain the same safety driving assist functions as the Xuan Yi’s top model at the same price, such as 360° high-definition transparent panoramic image system, lane keeping assist system, traffic sign recognition, full-speed domain adaptive cruise control, automatic parking, etc. Therefore, in terms of the comparison of intelligence and price, the Qin PLUS DM-i is also very worth choosing.
It is worth mentioning that for consumers who hold more than 100,000 yuan and want to buy a compact sedan, this car they purchase may be the only car in their family. It should be noted that in first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, it is very difficult to obtain a quota for fuel vehicles through license plate lottery. Even if you have a quota, choosing to buy the Nissan Xuan Yi means occupying an extremely “precious” quota for fuel vehicles. The Qin PLUS DM-i not only can get a “green license plate” but also can be exempted from purchase tax and vehicle and vessel tax in most areas. Not to mention avoiding the “pain” of lottery, it can also save a lot of money in terms of economy.
Note by Dolly:
I believe that at this point, for users who have more than 100,000 yuan, they already have their own answers in their hearts as to whether they should choose a traditional fuel vehicle or a plug-in hybrid vehicle when buying a compact sedan.Actually, compared to the design and interior that may have personal aesthetic differences, it can be seen that BYD Qin PLUS DM-i has a slight advantage in the intelligent configuration, which is the most important aspect for a vehicle. And the powertrain is also the area where the two models differ the most. The plug-in hybrid system used by Qin PLUS DM-i not only provides users with strong power performance, but also extremely excellent fuel economy. Overall, if you want to buy a compact sedan with a price of over 100,000, then Qin PLUS DM-i is definitely the best choice.
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.