Is the most powerful among 200,000 level after a 30,000 rise still worth it?

If you’re not someone with a strong obsession for car brands, it’s hard not to be impressed by the sugar-coated shell of the C11 on paper.

Written/hosted by: Rao Weihao

Shot/edited by: Zhong Chuwen

This video is about 10 minutes long, click below to watch

For just 230,000 yuan, you can buy a new car with over 500 horsepower? This kind of scenario, which used to only happen in fairy tales, has actually come true. Yes, it’s the Lingpai C11 Performance Version.

Actually, it’s not really a new car, because as early as October last year, the C11 began to be delivered, but the models delivered before were all single-motor versions with only half the power of this car. The dual-motor four-wheel drive Performance Version of this car has only just started to be delivered half a year later. Lingpai has really played some good futures trading with this one.

When the C11 first came out, the four-wheel drive Performance Version was priced at 199,800 yuan, directly breaking through the ceiling of power-to-price ratio. Unfortunately, Lingpai, which relies on power-to-price ratio as its foundation, has not been able to avoid the recent wave of battery price increases. The price of the C11 Performance Version increased by 30,000 yuan in March.

Despite this, it is still the cheapest new car with over 500 horsepower that you can buy at the moment. Don’t have a concept of what that means? Let me give you an example. The BMW X3M Thunder Edition, with similar body size and power, costs around 900,000 yuan. Of course, there will surely be netizens who would say, “hey, isn’t it normal for electric cars to have a lot of horsepower?” Alright then, how about the Tesla Model Y High Performance Version, with 486 horsepower and a price of 420,000 yuan?What does the 544 horsepower (400kW) maximum power and 720N·m peak torque do for the C11 Performance version? According to official claims, this car can achieve 4.5 seconds for accelerating from zero to one hundred kilometers per hour. The C11 Performance version had a one hundred kilometer per hour acceleration time of 4.8 seconds at the beginning of its market debut, which was improved by 0.3 seconds via OTA upgrades. According to manufacturers, this acceleration can be further improved.

In addition to its power, the C11 has a very rich configuration, and all configurations are standard across the range. The price difference only affects the vehicle’s range and power.

The C11 Performance version is equipped with a 90kWh ternary lithium battery, which has a high capacity and cost, but only has an NEDC range of 550 kilometers, which is not particularly robust given the battery capacity. The energy consumption is also not particularly impressive. If circumstances permit, I would like to borrow this car again to conduct a photovoltaic test and see how far it can go.

My colleague Chen Han had previously provided a detailed introduction to the vehicle’s appearance, interior, and space configuration, so I will not elaborate further here. Interested friends can click “here” to review. In my opinion, this type of car is very suitable for being placed on a display stand for sale. Its appearance is really very attractive, with strong power, ample space, and sufficient configuration to introduce to customers for an hour without repeating key points. If you are not someone who is strongly attached to an automotive brand, you will find it hard not to be impressed by the appearance of this car.

As for the driving experience of this car, I will make a brief summary here. For more detailed information, please click on the video at the beginning of this article.

1. The power is very strong. Full acceleration will give you a dizzying feeling of heart palpitations. The motor version is sufficient for daily use.

2. The car is easy to handle for everyday use, without feeling overly aggressive. It caters more to drivers used to gasoline-powered cars.

3. The brakes are strong, but the brake pedal is not linearly calibrated.

4. The suspension structure and materials are very good. The chassis is upgraded compared to the regular version, with a more sporty orientation and good support. It is slightly hard for daily use.

5. The steering is not particularly sporty, with a strong electronic flavor, and the experience of steering and the chassis are somewhat out of sync.

6. The insulation is good at low speeds in urban areas but only average at high speeds. The sound quality of the upgraded sound system after “million-level acoustics adjustment” has improved but has not undergone a fundamental change.

7. The assisted driving hardware is very strong, but the software level is not yet perfect. There is still a lot of room for improvement, and the full-stack self-research capability is worth admiring, with a high ceiling for development.

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.