AION V Plus First Drive: Upgraded Version of AION V

Author: Turbocharged Fatty

In June of this year, I experienced the upgraded version of the Guangqi Aion S, the Aion S Plus, in Zhuhai. Less than 3 months later, the Aion V is also about to usher in its upgraded version, the Aion V Plus, and today I test drove it in Foshan for a day to talk to you about this car.

Currently, the Guangqi Aion V Plus has not been officially launched, and the specific version of the model to be released has not been announced. Here is the information we have learned from the product we experienced:

• Equipped with three battery capacities of ≥70 kWh, ≥80 kWh, and ≥95 kWh;
• Corresponding NEDC range is 500 km, 600 km, and 702 km, respectively;
• The entire series adopts a front-mounted single motor layout, providing two power versions of 165 kW and 200 kW, respectively;
• Equipped with the ADiGO 3.0 intelligent driving assistance system, which will provide NDA navigation driving assistance function.

New Family Design Language

Guangqi Aion has always been on the road of “mech style”. Now the Guangqi Aion V Plus and Aion S Plus use the same new design language, summarized as “simplify complexity”.

Compared with the Aion V, there is not much change in the overall body proportions and lines of the Aion V Plus, only some modifications have been made to the front and rear.

As an upgraded model, the Aion V Plus still retains the distinctive split-type LED headlights and the tail light design that extends to the rear doors.

However, personally, I think that this new design language looks good on a sedan like the Aion S Plus. But for the Aion V Plus, which already looks heavy as an SUV, it feels a bit too simple.

Of course, as the saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Minor Upgrade in the CabinThe cockpit of AION V Plus has undergone little changes, except for the removal of the dual screens design, replaced by a 14.6-inch floating touch center console screen.

The main interaction methods in the cabin include 4: touch screen, physical buttons, voice interaction, and DMS-based active interaction.

With the replacement of the 14.6-inch center console screen, the vehicle system of AION V Plus has also been upgraded, providing a similar experience to AION S Plus.

A scrollable card is set on the left side near the driver, where customizable feature cards and sorting can be shown. The bottom dock bar includes homepage, apps, driving, and air conditioning.

The content ecosystem configuration is slightly different from AION S Plus, but the application configuration is similarly comprehensive.

The DMS camera on the steering column and the OMS camera above the rearview mirror can capture the behavior of the front row passengers. It will actively remind the driver of distracted driving, smoking, and fatigue driving, etc. It also provides gesture music switching and gesture photo-taking functions.

AION V Plus is also equipped with AR real-life navigation function. However, it may appear with a “%” in the center of the dashboard frequently due to the software version still in the testing phase.

NDA Navigation and Driving AssistanceWhen it comes to the high-speed navigation assistance feature, people often hear about several new brands, such as Tesla’s NOA, XPeng’s NGP, NIO’s NOA, and the upcoming NOA from Li Xiang. So how does the NDA experience of GAC Aion E-Lion actually perform?

Currently, the NDA navigation driving assistance function installed in our AION V Plus is still a test version, and the mass-produced version is expected to be updated via OTA next year.

The perception hardware of AION V Plus includes 5 millimeter-wave radars, 12 ultrasonic radars, and 6 cameras. It is also equipped with a high-precision map module. The entire system is developed in cooperation by GAC Aion and Bosch.

After the NDA navigation driving assistance function is enabled on high-speed road sections covered by high-precision maps, an icon will appear on the instrument panel and central control screen.

At the same time, text prompts and voice broadcasts will also appear on the dashboard. While driving, if there is a slow vehicle ahead or the adjacent lane is unimpeded, the vehicle will actively choose to change lanes.

After passing the ramp, the vehicle will also accelerate and merge into the main road to the left.

The overall experience of GAC Aion’s NDA navigation driving assistance function is still good, but the execution of actions is relatively conservative. Moreover, for such an L2+ level driving assistance function, it still has a problem that most L2 functions have: weaving left and right.

After experiencing so many L2 level driving assistance functions, it is true that lane-keeping of many models cannot achieve “as close to the center as possible and minimize deviations”. Including the AION V Plus experienced in this test, weaving left and right is also a problem on straight lines and bends at high speeds. Although it will not cross the lane, it still affects the user experience.

Endurance and DrivingI test drove the AION V Plus, which is equipped with a 200 kW motor and a battery pack of ≥ 95 kWh (NEDC range of 702 km). It should be the top-of-the-line model.

Let’s talk about the range first. Before setting off, the remaining range was 567 km with four passengers in the car. The weather in Foshan was too hot (with an external temperature of 34℃), so the air conditioning was set to 19 degrees with the fan speed at 5.

I drove in ECO mode the entire time. The reason for not using ECO+ mode is that in addition to limiting the motor power, ECO+ also limits the power of the air conditioning.

When I arrived at the shooting location, I had covered a distance of 75 km and had a remaining range of 473 km with a drop of 94 km.

Our route was basically 90% highway + 10% provincial road, so the AION V Plus has a highway range discount of around 79%. Based on this discount rate, the AION V Plus (NEDC range of 702 km version) has a full electric high-speed range of about 560 km. If the number of passengers in the car is reduced and the output of the air conditioning is controlled, there may be some range improvement.

The AION V Plus has an upgraded software on the previous motor to improve motor power, but driving with a 200 kW motor power is not aggressive. As a family car, I think the AION V Plus performs well in terms of comfortable and relaxed driving experience.

Like the AION Y, the driving mode has only a small amount of kinetic energy recovery in all modes except for the single-pedal mode, reducing the sense of jolting during driving.

The AION V Plus utilizes independent front MacPherson strut suspension and rear multi-link suspension, with an overall soft tuning. It handles small and trivial vibrations very well, but has a slight tilt when passing through high-speed corners.

Finally

When arriving in Guangdong, you will find that there are increasingly more GAC Aion vehicles driving on the road, as it is a local brand and has gained recognition from more and more consumers.

When it comes to choosing a pure electric SUV model for family use, consumers undoubtedly need space, comfort, endurance, and configuration, and the AION V Plus offers all of these features with a futuristic and technological appearance that is targeted at the young consumer group.

Compared with other similar competitive models like the WM EX5, BYD Song PLUS, and VW ID.4, AION V Plus’s biggest advantage lies in providing a maximum NEDC range of 702km and functions like the NDA highway navigation assistance. Its performance in space and comfort is also unparalleled.

Even though the AION V Plus has not yet officially hit the market, it is noticeable that it has made some upgrades in appearance, power, endurance, intelligent cabin and driving, and has improved its product strength in a relatively balanced way. What we need to wait for now is its official price.

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.