What is your car budget?
I am a repeat customer and have an EC6.
How much did you spend on buying it in total?
I spent around 350,000 yuan.
How long did you wait to get your car?
“ More than six months “
I finally got my car delivered on the 13th minute of NIO Day. It was initially expected to be delivered in October but got delayed until November. I was a bit sad that I couldn’t get my car before my birthday.
Is this your first car?
“ No “
No, it is not.
Is this your first purchase of a new energy vehicle?
“ No “
No, it is not.
Do you have a home charging station?
“ Yes “
Yes, I do.
Why did you want to change your car?
I am a repeat customer and the EC6 has been with me for 666 days, traveling more than 44000 KM. Although I only had the ET5 for 9 days, it also ran for over 1000 KM.
Did you consider any other cars before buying it?
As I saw this car on NIO Day, I really liked its appearance and directly placed an order.### How would you rate its appearance?
“ Impressive “
Are you satisfied with its space?
“ Acceptable “
Compared with the EC6, the rear space has obviously decreased. As for me, with a height of 181cm, I already felt a bit cramped in the EC6. However, when I ride in the ET5, I feel like a human pillar and don’t even need a shock absorber to move up and down with the car.
How do you feel about its power performance?
“ Excellent “
It’s great.
What score would you give its driver assistance system?
“ Frequently used “
It’s useful.
How’s its energy consumption and endurance performance?
“ Energy-saving “
It’s just okay.
Are you satisfied with its infotainment system?
“ Amazing “
It’s not bad.
How often do you charge it in daily use?
I can swap the battery without worry.
Name three things you would like to see improved:
- Rear space
Compared with the EC6, the rear space has obviously decreased. As for me, with a height of 181cm, I already felt a bit cramped in the EC6. However, when I ride in the ET5, I feel like a human pillar and don’t even need a shock absorber to move up and down with the car.## 2. High Seating, Low Central Console
The seating position is noticeably high. If you are someone who prefers sitting upright while driving and happens to be tall, you might need to consider this. However, as a faithful member of the “lying down while driving” camp, it’s not a problem for me. In fact, the steering wheel can be pulled quite far, making it very suitable for lying down while driving. After getting used to driving the ET5, sitting in the EC6 made me feel like I was stuck in the car.
Apart from the seat height, I think there is another important reason, which is that the central console and front hood are too low. The central console screen requires a downward shift of the line of sight, and because there is no HUD, every time I look at the navigation, I have to take my eyes off the road, which I don’t like. Also, due to the low central console, when driving with my right foot, my knee is basically pressed against the gear lever slot, which can be uncomfortable for long periods of time. The low front hood, coupled with the protrusions on both sides, makes it easy to assess the distance on the left and right sides, which is commendable. However, the forward-facing camera is also relatively low, making it more difficult to judge the distance to objects in front compared to the EC6 (because the EC6 can see its own front bumper, which makes it easy to judge distance).
3. No HUD
As mentioned above, because the central console is so low, when viewing relevant information, the line of sight needs to be moved a long distance away. But in terms of controlling speed, no HUD is actually not as uncomfortable as I had imagined, and I got used to it very quickly. It’s a pity that the latest system HUD can display a small map. I hope a secondary factory HUD will be available soon.
4. No Air Suspension for the “I’m” Model
First of all: the suspension tuning is good overall. Without air suspension, the comfort level is relatively lower, except for the lack of the up-and-down movement that air suspension provides. Of course, the ET5 is still primarily designed for sportiness and secondary for comfort, and this time the suspension tuning was a pleasant surprise. The front suspension is very comfortable, soft and elastic, and passes over speed bumps very smoothly, giving the feeling that the car is slowly lifting and moving over them. However, the rear suspension still feels like the old 866 air-sprung suspension, very bumpy and hard. Over speed bumps, it feels like the car is going to bounce off the road, which is uncomfortable. In addition, the longitudinal space in the back seat is relatively small. When encountering hills, speed bumps, or potholes, it’s easy for passengers in the back to have a poor experience and hit their heads. I don’t know if there is still a chance for OTA upgrades, haha (although it’s unlikely).In terms of tilt control, it is quite good and gives people confidence even during fast turning.
The road information is quite responsive, and it allows people to fully feel all kinds of small pits and bumps. However, those who prefer a smoother ride might not find it suitable.
Here are three aspects that I am most satisfied with:
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The turning radius has become smaller.
I feel that the turning radius is smaller than that of the previous EC6, by about half to one lane width. The improvement is very obvious. Many places where I was previously afraid to make a U-turn, now I can make more confident turns. It also increases my confidence when leaving parking spots or driving through narrow roads. This is a very noticeable aspect of my driving experience. In terms of turning force, the sensations differ between comfort to stability, and I always use comfortable turning, which is very comfortable and gentle. -
NP
The NP feature allows the vehicle to immediately recognize the lane and begin assisted driving when the button is pressed, which is much faster than the EC6. I hardly need to control the car myself and wait for the NP to kick in. Moreover, it is even more sensitive to detecting cars approaching the lane.
When the car in the adjacent lane approaches the lane line, the car prompts me to pay attention to the overtaking vehicles. Although most of the time it is because the driver is not good enough and crossing over the line, it still gives me peace of mind.
It is also better in terms of lane changing logic. With the EC6, when I turn on the indicator, the car begins to detect whether there is a car next to it that can be changed to, and only when it is safe to do so, the lane changing is initiated. However, it is relatively slow, and there are cases where the lane changing fails. On the other hand, with the ET5, it is much faster. It is constantly detecting nearby vehicles, so when I turn on the indicator, it immediately changes lanes. In most cases when there is a car, it speeds up during the lane change, which feels much better than frequently slowing down for the change, like in the past.
There was even a time when I was in the middle of changing lanes to the left and a car came from the left lane. The ET5 immediately returned to the original lane, then accelerated to overtake the car and automatically changed lanes again to the left lane. At that time, I was really shocked by this operation, and I felt like an old driver. This NP function is definitely praiseworthy, and I look forward to the release of the NAD.
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Ambient Lighting
When the music is synchronized and the color scheme is changed to something cooler, it is like having a mobile KTV. Besides looking good, there is nothing else to say but praise! -
Unlocking and locking the car is more ceremonial.
When you approach the car, you see the light strip gradually brightening from the middle, and when you leave, it gradually dims from both sides. That feeling is really cool. Compared to the EC6, where the light simply turns on and off, the difference is too big, haha.### Share Your Driving Experience:
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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.