The interior of the third-generation Roewe RX5 was recently unveiled, with Roewe designers incorporating many design details with oriental elements in both the interior and exterior. The most innovative feature is undoubtedly the 27-inch center console screen that can be slid left and right.
The interior design of the third-generation Roewe RX5 continues the previous simple and elegant design language. However, in order to keep up with the gradual evolution of cabin intelligence, Roewe has added a 27-inch seamless high-resolution screen with the Qualcomm 8155 chip.
When displaying driving information, navigation information, and entertainment information at the same time, the 27-inch screen provides an extremely shocking and immersive visual experience.
Looking only at the screen, you may find it difficult to be surprised, because whether it’s three, four, or similar to the gigantic screen on the Ford EVOS, we’ve seen too many visual impacts in the past two years. The most interesting thing about the interior design of the third-generation Roewe RX5 is that this screen supports left and right electric sliding, with a maximum sliding distance of 300 mm.
There’s no need to worry about the main driver’s necessary driving information being unavailable, as the car will automatically detect the position of the screen and adjust the display position of vehicle speed and other information. When the screen is on the main driver’s side, the speed is displayed in the centered position on the left to avoid obstructing the line of sight of the steering wheel, while when the screen is on the co-driver’s side, the speed information will move to the upper left corner for easy viewing.
However, movable screens will bring two fatal problems: first, the internal wiring of the screen will produce repeated bending during the moving process; second, the deployment route of the main and co-driver’s airbags will also be affected by this left and right sliding large screen.
Fortunately, Roewe engineers have considered these issues. According to the introduction, the safety of screen wiring and airbag deployment routes are being overcome in research and development, and will not affect safety.To fully unleash the potential of the interior screen, designers of the third-generation Roewe RX5 have developed many different styles of interfaces for it. These include a map mode with extremely rich information displays, as well as an immersive mode that is more straightforward. In order to incorporate more Eastern elements, the designers have also added many Chinese-style backgrounds that can be changed at will.
Another interesting feature is the area around the gear lever of the third-generation Roewe RX5. The crystal gear lever looks transparent and clear, and the designer has also carved a special pattern inside that symbolizes the rivers of the motherland, showing great care and thoughtfulness.
Apart from retaining necessary function keys such as one-touch start and electronic handbrake, there are no other complicated designs in the gear lever area. This interior looks very simple and is a good attempt by Chinese brands to move away from “excessive design” towards “simplicity and generosity”.
In addition, according to Roewe, the third-generation RX5 has the largest passenger space in its class, measuring 350 mm. Furthermore, 98% of the interior is covered in soft materials. In this interior style, called “Barley” by the manufacturer, the visual effect of luxury is well achieved.
Eastern elements in the exterior design
Compared to previous generations, the exterior of the third-generation RX5 has undergone some significant changes. The spindle-shaped design may seem familiar, but the area of the front grille has increased, giving the car a more powerful overall appearance.
The official inspiration for this grille is the wingspan of a phoenix, with chrome-plated strips on top resembling the feathers of the bird. The recognition is high, but the use of large areas of high-density chrome trim makes the front end less concise and somewhat too complicated.
The LED headlights of the third-generation RX5 consist of 18 modules and can be customized for different lighting effects and displays.
The design of the car body side curves is inspired by “silk”, which looks very textured with the silver body. The designer made the car body proportion tilted back to create a dynamic visual effect of short front and long back. However, I have to mention that the black wheel arches make the visual center of the car high, giving a feeling of top-heavy. If the wheel arches were changed to the same color as the body, it may have a better effect.
The design of the rear of the car also follows a sporty style, with two large sporty spoiler plates, sharp taillight styling, and a through-design, all adding to the visual width. The chrome strip above the exhaust pipe cleverly lowers the perception center of gravity, making the entire rear of the car look very sleek.
In conclusion
As one of the hot compact SUV models, Roewe has shown its dedication in interpreting design styles. Moreover, the third-generation Roewe RX5 will continue to provide both fuel and hybrid models to provide greater variety for customers.
The Roewe’s design interpretation of the third-generation RX5 reflects the progress of domestic automakers in interior design. Whether it is the simple and generous overall interior style or the very clever sliding central control screen, it is difficult to see the shadow of other brands.
Compared with the increasingly common design style of some joint venture automakers, the Roewe RX5 has indeed been exploring a more beautiful and contemporary design language. We have also witnessed Roewe’s progress through the generations of RX5.
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.