There is a type of venomous snake from the desert, which is fierce and secretive. Its grey-black scales, terrifying fangs, and huge size make it one of the most terrifying creatures on this planet. Beneath the dull scales are developed muscles. Besides its almost 100% lethal neurotoxicity, this vicious beast also holds the title of the world’s fastest moving snake.
This is the Black Mamba, one of the most terrifying venomous snakes in the world.
Of course, this is not “Animal World” in the middle of the night, our topic is still about cars. However, this car is pronounced “Zhi-Ji” and reads “Snake” – Tonight, Zhi-Ji brings us the L7 Snake Performance version, which is priced at 478,800 and 578,800 respectively.
Among them, the 478,800 version started accepting orders on November 1st, and the 578,800 version is limited-time and limited-quantity order.
The high-performance car circle is like a dark forest. In distant Germany, Tesla and Porsche compete with each other, constantly pushing the limits at Nurburgring. In the eastern Nurburgring – Zhejiang circuit, Zhi-Ji brought the L7 Snake Performance version, surpassing the AMG EQS and Porsche Taycan Turbo S with a lap time of 1 minute and 42 seconds and 212 milliseconds, crowned as “The Fastest Mass-produced Electric Car in Zhejiang Circuit” on October 24.
There is no doubt that this is a formidable guy.
Black Mamba, Car as Its Name
The appearance of the 478,800 yuan IM L7 Snake Performance Lite is as follows:
The top-of-the-line version of 578,800 yuan has a “Limited Appearance Performance Kit”, which has some limited appearance configurations compared to the Snake Performance Lite version:
In terms of appearance, the matte paint of the IM L7 SP Performance Edition gives it a more aggressive look at first glance, and this deep color is indeed quite similar to the Black Mamba snake. The sickle-shaped headlights are emphasized on the black body, making it look more harmonious than the regular version.
On the side of the car body, the addition of matte paint color does not cover up all the details of the car body like a pure black body. The light and shadow of the waistline and side profile of the NIO L7 SP Performance Edition are clearly outlined. After the suspension was replaced, the lower body of this car compared to the regular version also made the car look more low and aggressive.
The roof of the NIO L7 SP Performance Edition uses a glossy material, which forms a sharp contrast with the matte material of the car body and makes the overall body visually more textured and layered.
The 20-inch thin-spoke lightweight forged wheels reduce the weight of each wheel by 4.8 kg. The reduction in unsprung mass also contributes to the improvement of handling performance.
In the rear part of the car, the complex lines of the NIO L7 SP Performance Edition are also highlighted by the matte finish of the car body. In the promotional images, this car paint gives a texture similar to skin grain. The through-type taillights slightly upwards and the bright diffuser at the bottom respond to each other. The regular version of the NIO L7 already emphasizes its sportiness among mid- to large-sized cars, and this sportiness is further strengthened in the SP performance edition.
Unlike the “pretending-to-be-weak” Model 3 Performance, the Zeekr L7 SP performance version belongs to the type that looks “unfriendly” at first glance.
In terms of interior, the biggest highlight of the Zeekr L7 SP performance version is the half steering wheel, which does indeed have a better visual effect compared to the regular version. However, since there is no variable steering ratio, the convenience of such a steering wheel at low speeds is affected.
The seat material is still semi-aniline leather seats, and the black color, suede combination, and matte appearance make the “cool” atmosphere more prominent, completely different from the style of the white interior.
Overall, although the appearance of the Zeekr L7 SP performance version adopts a seemingly “low-key” matte gray color scheme, it is obvious that such a design style is not low-key at all with the combination of the low and sporty body curves, forged wheels, and exclusive fine details. As a factory performance version model, this design style is aggressive enough and has sufficient differentiation from the regular version.
Hardware, must be hardcoreThe IM L7 SP Lite is equipped with a “driving performance special kit”, which has reduced configurations compared to the top-level model’s “driving performance special kit Plus”:
The top-level model has additional configurations such as large-size ventilated discs with painted calipers, LSD, front six-piston and rear four-piston calipers, and semi-heated melting tires. As a model where “symbolic significance” is greater than “volumetric demand”, it is somewhat inappropriate to specialize in configurations in this niche market.
Compared with appearance, these hardcore hardware upgrades are the key to the IM L7 SP performance version’s achievement of a lap time of 1 minute 42 seconds 212 and becoming the “fastest mass-produced electric vehicle in Zhejiang race”.
Firstly, improvements were made on the body. Compared with the IM L7 ordinary version, the SP performance version can lower the body posture up to the maximum of 45 mm through the upgrade of the shock absorbers, while the Lite version can lower it by 30 mm.
And upgrading the power system is also crucial. The motor of the SMART L7 SP Performance Edition has upgraded cooling system. Compared to the ordinary version with a maximum power of 425 kW, the maximum power of the SP Performance Edition can be “overclocked” to 445 kW, and the acceleration time is shortened by 0.17 seconds to 3.7 seconds per 100 kilometers.
The SMART L7 is the only Chinese electric car model equipped with rear-wheel steering (the other is GEELY). However, in the past, the ordinary version of the L7 had the phenomenon of “nose dive” during intense driving at high speeds, as the rear wheels would turn in the same direction as the front wheels. Of course, such problems are not allowed to occur in the SP Performance Edition. The rear-wheel steering system of the SMART L7 SP Performance Edition has been recalibrated, allowing the rear wheels to turn in the opposite direction at speeds below 100 km/h, turning the previous drag on the track into a helper.
In terms of suspension, the IM L7 SP Performance Edition is equipped with Öhlins shock absorbers. The soft and hard adjustable shock absorbers allow for a 20%-50% increase in damping compared to the regular version suspension that also prioritizes comfort. This suspension system is more focused on sport performance.
As the only part of the vehicle that touches the ground, tires play a crucial role in the dynamic performance of the vehicle under extreme conditions. The top-of-the-line IM L7 SP Performance Edition is equipped with front 255 mm and rear 305 mm wide tires, compared to the Porsche 911 Carrera with front 245 mm and rear 305 mm tires. The IM L7 SP Lite Edition, on the other hand, has front 245 mm and rear 275 mm tires.
On the top-of-the-line model, the IM L7 SP Performance Edition comes with semi-slick tires – Michelin CUP 2R. However, during daily driving, the tires may not warm up from the drive from home to the office, and the grip in rainy weather could also be problematic. The owner may need to prepare a set of tires for everyday use and “unlock” the performance tires on race day.
This combination also increases the lateral limit G value of the IM L7 SP performance version to 1.19 G. On the track, the strong grip can give you earlier exit times in the corners. Save 0.1 second each corner, and it adds up to 1 second after 10 corners. Every second of improvement on the lap time ranking board is the result of attention to details.
As for the brakes, the IM L7 SP performance version is equipped with front six-piston and rear four-piston calipers, but this setup is not available on the Lite version. However, the Endless high-performance brake pads are standard equipment for the entire lineup, with a friction coefficient of 0.47, providing better heat resistance performance under intense driving conditions.
IM’s Performance Totem
In my opinion, IM is a brand with an obsession. They have a determination to break through the limit in handling performance after creating enough luxury. On the basis of the ordinary version models, the full-time four-wheel drive, rear-biased output characteristics, and the only rear-wheel steering configuration among Chinese brands all demonstrate their passion for driving performance.
This reminds me of BMW’s seriousness about driving performance back then. Like BMW, IM has established its own high-performance department called IM Motorsport, and the IM L7 SP performance version is born out of the hands of the IM Motorsport department.IM Motorsport and WAE Williams Advanced Engineering team jointly conducted extensive optimization calibration of the chassis, suspension, and braking systems based on the IM L7 platform over the course of a year, specific to different racetracks.
After the tuning, the turning deficiency of the IM L7 SP was reduced, making the rear end more flexible, which is a commendable achievement. The aggressive appearance package, lower body, semi-slick tires, Endless brakes, Ohlins suspension, and six-piston calipers, all justify the “performance version” label.
The current domestic electric vehicle market is like the flourishing period of the western automotive industry in the past. We can see brands taking the intelligent route, those focusing on precision product definition, and those with luxurious and stylish designs. This vehicle stands out for its pure performance orientation and has beaten a number of well-established car manufacturers on the racetrack.
In my opinion, the IM L7 SP performance version cannot become a high-volume model, but it does not diminish its significance. This car is the brand totem of IM. Such efforts are reassuring in the early stage of the burning cash race of new players.
However, the IM L7 SP Lite version has some reduced features compared to the top trim level. Since it was destined to not be high-volume from the start, it is still slightly regrettable that they did not directly define a fully-equipped version.
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.