Before, we were discussing how traditional brands will make efforts in the field of new energy vehicles and whether they will meet users’ needs in terms of car-making technology, product experience, service rights, and other aspects. The veteran automaker SAIC Maxus is making efforts in the pure electric MPV market by launching a full-size pure electric MPV, the SAIC Maxus MIFA 9.
According to the official description of SAIC, “MIFA” means “Frontier” in Chinese, implying moving forward and gradually reaching a good state.
MIFA represents “Maximum” for ultimate, “Intelligent” for intelligent, “Friendly” for friendly, and “Artistic” for elegant. I participated in this test drive experience event in beautiful Yunnan and will share my feelings about this car with our readers from various aspects.
At first glance, its front face adopts the mainstream large-mouth scheme of pure electric vehicles, which is highly recognizable, and you can see the large-mouth and car body volume from a distance. The overall size of the vehicle is not bad in the MPV segment, at 5,270 x 2,000 x 1,840 mm, with a wheelbase of up to 3.2 m, the longest in its class, and a car width of 2 m. At the same time, it is equipped with a panoramic sunroof and large-area side windows, with a large area of transparency, making people sitting in the car feel very good, without any sense of oppression.
We experienced the seven-seater version. This time, a total of seven versions were released in the MIFA 9 series, with three six-seater versions and four seven-seater versions. Considering the current policy of opening up the second and third child in the country and the situation of having elders at home, many families will prefer medium and large SUVs or MPVs. However, in the minds of ordinary consumers, buying an MPV is relatively expensive, but this time the price range is still very powerful, ranging from 279,900 yuan to 419,900 yuan. You can customize the basic configuration according to your own needs. It’s highly praised!
Spacious and versatile interior layout
I was very worried about the space in the third row before, but after experiencing it, it can be fully utilized. The leg space is 980 mm, and I, who is 183 cm tall, did not feel any discomfort when sitting in the last row.
The second row adopts aviation seats equipped with legrests, with many modes, such as common electric 12-way adjustment, heating, ventilation, etc. I never expected that it would be equipped with a massage mode, and there are a total of 24 types. But I have to mention that although the number of massages is many, it gives people a feeling of not being strong enough. I hope that the engineering team can make adjustments later.
This car is also called a space magician. The entire car uses electric sliding tracks, and can complete the entire car seat adjustment within 5 seconds. There is a 550 mm-long boarding handle on the B-pillar, which can be easily used by both the elderly and children to get on the car. I have to say that they have really put in a lot of effort, leaving a very good impression on me.
The space is also very versatile, with plenty of storage space throughout the vehicle. The first-row armrest box and the second-row armrest display have excellent storage space. The official claim is that when fully occupied, the trunk can accommodate 32 + 26 + 20-inch suitcases. If further expansion is needed, you can activate the “Luggage Space Mode” with just one click. The second and third rows will automatically move forward, releasing up to 2,179 L of luggage space. However, in this mode, comfort may be compromised. In addition, thanks to the advantages of electric vehicles, it also has a 55 L front trunk space, which can store backpacks and other items.
Smart Technology, All-Powerful Warrior
As a pure electric MPV, MIFA 9’s performance in terms of intelligence is also very impressive. It is equipped with Qualcomm 8155 and MediaTek 8666 dual high-performance chips, which are high-performance chips for automotive applications. The combination of a large embedded 12.3-inch touch-sensitive central LCD screen, a 10.25-inch full LCD instrument panel, and an entertainment screen on the co-pilot side adds more fun to the trip. Furthermore, the second-row is equipped with two Pad tablets, which are not just for music and video. They can enable interaction and information sharing between the front and rear rows. When sitting in the back row, I can see the distance to the destination, vehicle status, video sharing, etc., achieving full connectivity throughout the vehicle.
In terms of assistance, MIFA 9 adopts the UTOPILOT L2++ Youdao Zhitu high-end intelligent driving system, which integrates multiple functions such as full-range adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, lane keeping, and collision warning and active braking. In addition to these conventional functions, MIFA 9 can also automatically avoid obstacles in automatic overtaking mode and achieve automatic parking. It can even perfectly navigate narrow roads avoiding obstacles on both sides precisely to the centimeter.
In front of the driver is the DMS main driver biometric recognition system, which monitors and reminds the driver when fatigue is detected during driving. In addition, there is also an HUD head-up display system and a streaming media external rearview mirror. This series of cutting-edge technologies can make driving this car appear more calm and confident.
Power System, Go for It
The MIFA 9 is equipped with a front-mounted permanent magnet synchronous motor with a maximum power of 180 kW and a peak torque of 350 N·m, which can compete with high-power 2.0T engines from luxury brands according to specification. However, the actual driving experience shows that the power performance of this model is outstanding. After multiple accelerations, a relatively linear acceleration process can be clearly felt. There is no feeling of power attenuation in the later stage, which is much better than what I expected for a car weighing 2,570 kg.
Although driving characteristics are not exclusive to MPVs, MIFA 9 is equipped with various driving modes and three energy recovery modes that can be selected. If you are a novice who has just transitioned from a fuel car, you can adapt to it in a short time. Although the weak mode still has a weak dragging feeling, as a veteran driver, I believe that everyone can adapt and operate it well within 10 minutes. The performance of the sport mode is also very outstanding. The front acceleration is still set in a very friendly way for the rear two-row passengers without the kind of sudden push-back feeling.
The whole vehicle adopts a front MacPherson + rear five-link independent suspension. In my personal opinion, MIFA 9 is tuned to be slightly hard in style. It can filter out some small pits and small bumps on some roads, but it is not thorough enough. When passing some continuous deceleration belts or manhole covers quickly, there will be a slow rebound. It is worth noting that as a family or commercial car, I value the comfort of the rear seat very much. After all, many times the boss or the elders sit in the back seat, and the hard bumpiness will make the trip uncomfortable. In addition, the large-size body of the car will not sway left and right during turns, like on a ship. It will have a very obvious suppression of lateral swaying, which deserves a thumbs up.MIFA 9 adopts SAIC Group’s new generation E2 architecture intelligent and efficient electric drive system, equipped with a 90 kWh ternary lithium battery, and the CLTC range is more than 560 km, so there is no need to worry about the endurance problem during suburban travel. The electricity consumption is 17.1 degrees per 100 kilometers, and according to the valley peak charging cost of 0.31 per kilowatt-hour, the actual cost of charging the whole vehicle is about 30 yuan. Equipped with a 350 A fast charge, it can be charged to 80% of the electricity in 30 minutes, so as long as there is a fast charging place when going out, you can replenish the endurance while having a meal and resting.
After a day of test drive, I recommend that you can bring your whole family to experience it. Whether it’s static or dynamic, it will impress you more than just looking at pictures, and it performs quite well in terms of comfort, luxury, intelligence, and economy.
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.