For a long time, the market for low-priced electric vehicles has been firmly occupied by “elderly mobility vehicles”. Electric vehicles produced by small workshops not only have extremely high safety risks, but also the practice of drivers driving without a driver’s license continues to be prevalent.
In August of this year, Shanghai carried out a special rectification of “elderly mobility vehicles”, and car manufacturers began to consider the sub-segment market of “low-priced electric micro-cars” with considerable potential.
Due to the limited choices of electric micro-cars on the market that cost less than RMB 50,000, the Hong Guang MINIEV was almost the only option for consumers at this price point. In November, this small car, which was priced at less than RMB 50,000, unexpectedly became the only model in China’s new energy market with sales exceeding 30,000 units in a single month.
Chery also smelled the vast opportunity in the low-priced electric micro-car market and launched the Chery QQ ice cream, an electric micro-car priced at RMB 2.99-4.39.
Appearance: Resembling a “big box”
The pink-purple paint of the car made me think of taro-flavored ice cream at first glance. The short body, round mirrors, and front and rear “U”-shaped daytime running lights that match each other give this small car, which is priced at 4.39 RMB for the top configuration, a somewhat exquisite appearance at first glance.
However, upon closer inspection, I found something wrong: Isn’t this shape a bit too similar to the Hong Guang MINIEV?
Unlike the round shape of the QQ in the era of fuel, the Chery QQ ice cream looks more like a large box.
The front grille has been removed, and the left and right “U”-shaped daytime running lights create a feeling of a smiling face; the logo flips up to reveal the charging port, which supports 250 V and 16 A slow charging; below the front face, a square area is divided by black plastic material, and the fog lights on both sides are just plastic decorations.
Different from the horizontal and vertical line design that can be seen everywhere on the Hong Guang MINIEV, the headlight contour and front bumper design of the Chery QQ ice cream still retain a certain roundness, making it look more friendly.The design of Chery QQ Ice Cream’s double-opening doors, the protruding curves of the front and rear wheel arcs, and the concave curves on the door panels are almost identical to those of Hongguang MINIEV. The wheel rims use a relatively distinctive clover shape, decorated with body-colored trim.
The taillights of the car are also equipped with “U”-shaped daytime running lights and headlights that echo each other. The bottom is also a large black plastic decoration, with two reversing radars.
Chery’s publicity referred to this car as a “MINI SUV.” Due to the battery pack on the chassis, the car is overall higher. The relatively square shape, coupled with tires with a width of 145 mm, make the car look like a “big box” overall.
Due to the body size of 2,980 mm x 1,496 mm x 1,637 mm, when the rear seats of the Chery QQ Ice Cream are not folded down, the trunk space is only left with a narrow seam. The rear seats support 50:50 folding, which can meet the temporary loading needs of large items.
Interior: Do not expect too much luxury
Due to the high ground clearance, I hit my head on the door frame as soon as I got into the car. Looking closely, I found that a small section of the door seal had already fallen off the new car. Looking at the body, some parts are directly screwed in with cross screws, without any concealment. But the joint processing of the body and interior is still relatively uniform.
The long and heavy doors make it difficult to open and close the doors of this car. The doors also often do not close tightly in one go, which affects the usability.
Throughout the process of experiencing this car, I kept reminding myself: this is a car that costs RMB 43,900, don’t expect too much. Due to cost limitations, the interiors of these types of micro-cars can only meet the requirement of being “usable,” and I advise everyone to give up their expectations of luxury and comfort.
Despite this, the car fulfills daily use requirements in terms of functionality with no major issues, except the base model, all of which are equipped with a color LCD instrument panel. The middle and left sides of the instrument panel respectively display speed and instantaneous power, while the right side can switch display information, including average power consumption, motor speed, Bluetooth music lyrics, and remaining power. The display area at the bottom shows remaining power and remaining mileage information.
The buttons in front of the instrument panel are used to adjust the driving computer information, and this function is not integrated into the multifunctional steering wheel, which is somewhat inconvenient.
When the reverse gear is engaged, the display screen of the instrument panel will switch to the reverse image interface. However, during the steering process, this display screen, which is already small, will be obstructed, but luckily the compact body can rely on the rearview mirror to solve the reverse problem.
Although equipped with a multifunctional steering wheel, the buttons can only be used to control music and cellphone Bluetooth calls. The “MODE” on the left side of the steering wheel is very misleading. It cannot adjust any “mode” and can only switch songs while playing music.
What makes me laugh and cry is the two silicone phone brackets on the top of the center console, which still seem somewhat cheap. However, the phone can be fixed stably in daily use, and acceleration or braking won’t cause it to fall off. From this perspective, the interior design of the Chery QQ Ice Cream is designed with “functionality” in mind.
Below the air conditioning knob on the center console, there is a USB interface and a driving mode switch button. The Chery QQ Ice Cream offers three driving modes: “ECO”, “ECO+”, and “Sport”.The power window button is placed in front of the gear shift knob, and the entire series uses a mechanical handbrake.
I looked down at the area above the accelerator and, as expected, there is no panel decoration or wrapping here due to cost constraints.
The seats are made of fabric and look sporty in appearance, but don’t expect any support or coverage. The seat cushions are soft but not thick enough, and the backrest is also thin, which is not suitable for long-time driving.
As it is a two-door layout, manual folding of the front seats is required to enter and exit the rear seats. Moving the seats forward and backward is quite difficult. Consumers with weaker strength should experience it personally. I am 175 cm tall, and my knees are already touching the front seats after sitting inside. This rear seat layout is not suitable for adults to sit for long periods of time.
During the photo shoot at the tourist attraction “Yugeng Mountain” in Wuhu, many Wuhu citizens actively asked about the information of this small car. I also invited a fifth-grade elementary school student to experience the rear seat.
After adjusting the front seats, the child still has more than a fist of legroom. The child said that the rear windows are relatively small and cannot be opened, which could be a little depressing, but overall the riding experience is not bad.
It seems that Chery QQ ice cream can still serve as a means of transportation for picking up and dropping off children to school.
Sweet Zone 0-60 km/h
By turning the mechanical key, releasing the mechanical handbrake, grasping the plastic steering wheel, and matching with the windscreen with a small inclination angle and a high sitting position, there is always a feeling of driving a van. The vision is good.
Drive around the city of Wuhu in ECO mode. Although the motor power is only 20 kW, the weight of 743 kg and the low-end torque advantage brought by the electric drive make this small car very nimble at low speeds.
Driving this little guy of less than 3 meters through the bustling streets at 12 noon, turning and changing lanes effortlessly, weaving through the traffic with no pressure at all. The convenience brought by the small car body in urban driving is now beginning to show, and I can even feel a little driving pleasure, quite interesting.
In addition, I can confidently step on the accelerator when starting. There is no need to worry about overspeeding, because the maximum speed of this car is only 100 km/h. The acceleration after exceeding 60km/h has slowed down significantly. The rushing wind noise entering the car will make you feel like you have already accelerated to 120 km/h. This kind of experience will inevitably slow down your speed to within 60 km/h.
Compared with ECO mode, the Sport mode of Chery QQ ICE CREAM is not friendly at all. Although the throttle response does become more sensitive, the whole car will suddenly lurch forward and then slowly decelerate after releasing the accelerator. In order to verify this feeling, I checked the motor speed in the car computer. In Sport mode, I found that the motor speed did not decrease but increased every time after acceleration and releasing the accelerator. Such tuning makes the driving experience of this car extremely poor and poses certain risks in Sport mode.
In ECO+ mode, the maximum speed of the vehicle is limited to 60 km/h, and stepping on the accelerator halfway will slowly start the vehicle, which is not suitable for daily use, but suitable for emergencies when the battery power is insufficient.
Before driving, I didn’t have high expectations for the suspension performance of Chery QQ ICE CREAM. But in actual experience, the low-speed shock absorption of this suspension is not bad, and rolling over manhole covers will not lift your butt off the seat. However, small vibrations from the road surface will increase significantly when the speed exceeds 30 km/h, and you can already feel slight resonance of the vehicle after exceeding 60 km/h.
Chery QQ ICE CREAM uses front disc and rear drum brake configuration. Due to the light weight of the car, the deceleration force brought by this brake system is sufficient, but the tuning is very non-linear. There is no reaction in the early stage of braking. Once you reach a certain critical point, the braking force will suddenly release, and the foot feel is like switching: only “on” and “off”.Overall, the Chery QQ Ice Cream performed well at speeds below 60 km/h, with good low-speed power and flexibility, and the small body size making it convenient for city use. However, the gradually increasing wind noise and vibration at speeds exceeding 60 km/h can cause discomfort.
Good Range, but Narrow Tires
The Chery QQ Ice Cream is equipped with 145/70 R12 narrow tires, which have a positive impact on the range. The top-end version I test drove is equipped with a 13.9 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery, with a NEDC range of 170 km. The average energy consumption displayed after a day of test driving is 10.5 kWh/100 km, which translates to a range of around 130 km.
I did not use the air conditioning during my test drive, which also helped to improve the range. The heating and air conditioning of the car I was assigned to test drive was faulty and stopped working after 10 minutes of normal operation, causing me to shiver in the sub-zero temperatures in Wuhu. As this was a production version of a new car, this type of problem should not have occurred.
It was raining on the day of the test drive, and when I gave the car some acceleration in a U-turn, the rear-wheel drive Chery QQ Ice Cream immediately started to slip. None of the models in this range are equipped with ESP, coupled with a large turning radius and narrow tires, so driving this car in rainy or snowy weather requires extreme caution.
Final Thoughts
As a means of transportation, the Chery QQ Ice Cream is undoubtedly suitable. The average energy consumption displayed during the test drive was 10.5 kWh/100 km, which translates to a range of around 130 km, and the quiet, smooth output of the electric motor and the nimble and compact body make the driving experience in the city quite good.
However, rough details in the production process, poor brake calibration, and poor driving stability make it difficult for this car to achieve the ideal user experience. After all, the top-end version I test drove only costs 43,900 yuan, and is limited by cost constraints.
The custom car trend led by the Hongguang MINIEV has shown the possibility of using low-cost small cars to convey the car culture. In contrast, the exterior design of the Chery QQ Ice Cream lacks creativity to some extent. Furthermore, both the Hongguang MINI and the Chery QQ Ice Cream have downsized their ESP, and do not have rear anti-collision beams, nor do lower-end models have airbags.As the sales of cheap micro-cars are increasing, it is a pressing issue to improve their safety through the establishment of new industry standards and policy restrictions.
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.