Author: Feng Jingang

Introduction: The quality of products is determined by user experience.

User Experience Specialist, Feng Jingang: Chief Editor of Electric Force, Former New Energy Engineer

Days ago, I had the opportunity to test drive three models of the Voyah brand at the Voyah Test Track: the Voyah FREE Extended Range Production Version, Voyah Dreamer 4-seater Edition, and Voyah Dreamer 7-seater Edition. The purpose of this trip was simple: to find China’s new luxury car brands.

After entering the era of intelligent electric vehicles, Chinese automobile brands have finally broken through the shackles of high-end brands. GAC Aion, NIO, LI, and Voyah, even XPeng’s (P7 Pengyi version), are all excellent challengers in brand promotion.

In the intelligent electric vehicle market, the reason why high-end consumers are starting to recognize Chinese automobile brands is directly related to the substantial improvement in their product strength. So, where is the specific improvement? This question needs to be answered urgently.

This time, by experiencing the products of the Voyah brand, I can taste them and search for answers.

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I tested both the Voyah FREE Extended Range Production Version and the Voyah Dreamer 4-seater and 7-seater editions, and despite being two different types of SUVs and MPVs, they have quite a few similarities.

1. Appearance

Appearance, this is the biggest surprise that the current Voyah product line has given me, and I can describe it with one word: mature.

During the joint venture era, there was little design in Chinese automobiles. In the era of independent brands, they began to take the first step of imitating foreign designs, and now in the era of new forces, original designs have become more and more prevalent. This is the inevitable law of development because we have a large number of engineers, and enterprises have begun to value original design.

Therefore, using the word “mature” to describe the appearance design of Voyah’s products is not simple at all. The so-called mature design includes whether it is original, whether it is harmonious, and whether there are surprises.

Looking at Voyah FREE and Voyah Dreamer, I think both meet the above criteria. When looking at Voyah’s products, there is no feeling of imitating foreign designs, and it has a sense of sophistication among innovation. The overall design is also harmonious, with no abruptness, and some of the local designs even bring unexpected surprises.

Based on the above evaluation criteria, when giving a score for the styling design of Voyah’s products, I would give them a 90, mature with a touch of stunning. I estimate that this is also the style that the designer wants to express.

Judging by the front face of Voyah FREE, there are no awkward design elements or abrupt lines. The shape of the grille, headlights, and lower air intake are all harmonious, and the beautiful Voyah logo adds a touch of elegance without losing its grandeur.

# The Dreamer of LanTu has a Design Style Similar to LanTu FREE

The Dreamer of LanTu has a design style similar to the front face of LanTu FREE, except that the grille is larger and uses a closed design. At the same time, the headlights have also been adjusted to an irregular shape. In addition, the shape of the lower intake has been adjusted, and the overall visual effect is more atmospheric, which is related to its positioning as an MPV.

Looking at the side, although LanTu FREE is a large five-seater, it looks small from the side, with a feeling of being short and stout, but there are no sharp lines. Instead, the main feature is soft and curved surfaces, with a strong sense of home. The separated C-pillar should be the best-handled I’ve seen in recent years, very coordinated, combined with the round and forwards-tapered rear, it is also a bit stunning.

Like LanTu FREE, the side of LanTu Dreamer also has a practical and slightly stunning design style. The overall shape is average, which is in line with the positioning style of an MPV, but the upper and lower decorative strips are very prominent and complementary, showing the designer’s desire to express themselves. The effect is still good.

Looking at the rear, with the help of the well-designed taillight group, both LanTu FREE and the Dreamer appear unique.

LanTu FREE’s black plastic surround should be the most well-coordinated and without a sense of abruptness that I have seen.

What is Chinese luxury? In the exterior design of the LanTu product, I can feel a combination of maturity and a bit of surprise. Maturity reflects that the designers have basically mastered the skill, and the stunning part shows their attempts to express themselves. Perhaps soon, their design style will develop into a unique one, and be widely accepted.

2. Interior

Compared with the exterior, LanTu’s products bring me more surprises in terms of interior design. If the former can be described as mature, the latter is simply stunning from a design perspective.In the era of intelligent electric cars, the interior is always inseparable from the large screen. However, the large screen always reminds people of cheap tablets, and how to make the interior look luxurious is a problem. To be honest, I have never seen an answer. Even in the case of the all-new Mercedes S-Class, the strange shape of the large screen always makes me suspect that it is a copycat.

It wasn’t until I saw the Voyah that I felt a little bit about how to create a sense of luxury in the interior of intelligent electric cars. From the adjustable large screen in the Voyah Free to the “big TV” in the Voyah Dreamhouse’s rear seats, it seems that Voyah’s designers always do things unconventionally, but the effects are eye-catching: Oh, so that’s how it can be done?

Voyah comes from Dongfeng, an old state-owned enterprise. I was surprised that Dongfeng’s designers have a forward-looking grasp of the interior design of intelligent electric cars. They seem to dare to think and do more than the advanced new force designers of XPeng, NIO, and Ideals.

In addition to making the large screen—this core element—feel a bit luxurious, Voyah’s designers also have excellent overall control of the design, including color matching, chrome plating, and polygonal design elements. At least for now, this interior looks comfortable, without being as avant-garde as Tesla or as awkward as Mercedes-Benz.

As far as the overall interior design is concerned, I would give Voyah 90 points.

Now, let’s talk about the areas that need improvement. If we say that Voyah’s designers have done well in following traditional luxury designs, then they still need to catch up in cutting-edge intelligent electric car function designs.

Firstly, the functional buttons on the steering wheel and the design of the wiper lever, although the overall design has a good texture, it is insufficient in terms of intelligent electric car functions. The design logic is biased towards tradition. If the layout is based on the logic of simple operation for smart electric cars, also known as “first principles,” then it would be perfect.# Next up, infotainment systems

Speaking strictly of infotainment systems, regardless of whether it’s the Voyah FREE or the Voyah Dreamer, the aesthetics are excellent. The only downside is the software ecosystem which is not yet perfect and appears somewhat cheap, largely because I imagine the focus has not been on the foundational components but instead on the application layer adjustments.

Compared to newer players such as Tesla, XPeng Motors, NIO, and Li Auto, Voyah’s infotainment system has some room for improvement. The overall layout of the interior is excellent, but the software layer could be enhanced.

Across luxury brands, from stalwarts such as Hongqi to newcomers including NIO and Li Auto, Voyah’s interior design strikes a well-rounded balance between the past and future. It exudes luxury and is even somewhat amazing, but if the software aspect is patched up, it would be impeccable.

Performance

While test driving the Voyah FREE and Voyah Dreamer, I had a brief experience at the Voyah test track. Since this time was limited, I will briefly mention a few personal thoughts on the driving experience, and elaborate more in the future if given a lengthy testing opportunity.

Compared to the plug-in Ideal One, the Voyah FREE emphasizes performance with core power parameters more than twice that of the former, with a maximum power output of 510 kW, maximum torque output of 1040 Nm, and 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 4.5 seconds.

Among intelligent electric vehicles, the Voyah FREE’s acceleration is already very rapid, but from my firsthand experience, the acceleration of the Voyah FREE is smoother, in comparison to Tesla’s violent acceleration.

In terms of braking, the Voyah FREE takes 35 meters to stop from 100 km/h, a splendid result. From the experience, the pedal is calibrated linearly, without the staged sensation deliberately set by some EVs for energy recovery.

Perhaps due to sports mode, the Voyah FREE steering feels heavy, but stability at high speed and precision in turning are both quite good, and for a fleeting moment, I felt as if driving a BMW. I do not know how the steering will feel in comfort mode.

Now, let me share a steering-related point. At the track, I also tried the Voyah FREE’s automatic parking feature. The steering wheel automatically turned smoothly and quietly, without any odd noises. Some EVs although also equipped with automatic parking tend to emit distinct creaking noises that detract from the overall experience.

The Voyah track has a straightway, a semi-circular slope, and various unpaved surfaces to gauge the vehicle’s high-speed stability, roll suppression, overall performance, NVH, and many other variables. Overall, the Voyah FREE performs well.

As an intelligent extended range electric vehicle, many people are concerned about the NVH of the Voyah FREE. At least in the current vehicle condition, I did not hear any noise from the range extender. In fact, the range extender making obvious noise depends on the working condition, such as sudden acceleration under charging. Therefore, as long as the charging logic is excellent, it is difficult to hear the noise of the range extender in daily driving.

Regarding acceleration, braking, chassis resilience, NVH, and overall dynamic experience, the Voyah FREE EREV has no obvious shortcomings and can be considered luxurious. It is a great breakthrough for Chinese brands to achieve this level.

As for the Voyah Dreamer, after a brief test drive, the acceleration, braking, and body posture are easy to handle and set up for business purposes. Although it is an MPV, it is easy to drive and easy to get started.

That is the end of my test report. I welcome everyone to exchange ideas and constructive criticism.

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.