Author | Zhang Ruichen
Editor | Wu Xianzhi
Recently, we at Photon Motors received an invitation from Great Wall’s Wei brand to test drive the Venti (large cup) Mocha DHT-PHEV for three days in the coffee series.
In fact, many consumers who have a desire to buy a car are now struggling with whether to buy a gasoline car or a pure electric new energy vehicle. At this time, you might as well consider a third option, buying a hybrid car that is both worry-free and fuel-efficient.
The Mocha DHT-PHEV is a plug-in hybrid new energy vehicle with two models in total, priced at 295,000 yuan (0 Anxiety Smart Version) and 315,000 yuan (0 Anxiety Performance Version), respectively. As the name suggests, this car is mainly aimed at the pain point of range anxiety in new energy vehicles.
As for the appearance, there is no need to go into too much detail. It is basically not much different from the previous Mocha and continues the design style of being atmospheric and stable. In terms of body size, the Mocha DHT-PHEV has a length, width, and height of 4875/1960/1690mm respectively, and a wheelbase of 2915mm, positioning it as a midsize SUV.
The body side is round and full, but in order to follow the trend, the overall pop-up door handle looks very abrupt. I always worry that I will pinch my hand when opening the door, and the size of the hidden door handle is too large.
Thanks to its classification as a 5-seater SUV, the space inside the car is “large!”.
In terms of configuration, the Mocha DHT-PHEV gives you everything it can, such as Nappa leather seats, crystal gear shift knob, full-color ambient lighting, HUD, etc. The most surprising thing to me was when I first entered the car and smelled a faint scent, which instantly relieved my fatigue. Later, I learned that this was the three optional fragrance systems of the Mocha DHT-PHEV.
The Mocha DHT-PHEV is equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip, which is currently the mainstream high-end chip on the market.
It drives the 9-inch LCD instrument panel, 14.6-inch central control display, and 9-inch touch panel screen, as well as the AR-HUB augmented reality head-up display.
The AR-HUD left the deepest impression on me. Besides providing basic and rich information such as road signs, turn reminders, speed limits, etc., it can also display vehicle warnings on both sides and lock vehicles, pedestrians, and non-motorized vehicles in front of you. A small box will be displayed under the corresponding object, and it will be locked regardless of whether it is in an assisted driving state or not. In addition, it can lock up to two cars at most, thus improving the safety coefficient.
Unfortunately, the infotainment system cannot install software and cannot achieve mobile phone mirroring. However, fortunately, its own software is sufficient, and the navigation uses Amap GPS, which can solve routine problems even without connecting to a mobile phone. However, it is hoped that Wei Brand can improve the car’s intelligent infotainment system.
Regarding the NOH smart navigation function of the Mocha DHT-PHEV, the chip used in the intelligent assisted driving system is Mobileye Q4, which is actually a popular chip a few years ago. However, other intelligent configurations are still good, such as 5 millimeter-wave radars, 12 ultrasound radars, 5 external cameras, and 2 internal cameras, which can realize light-driven lane change, automatic overtaking, and vehicle avoidance.
However, it is relatively conservative. If the first automatic lane change fails, it will not try to keep changing lanes, and the voice will prompt you that it is not suitable for lane change.
It can be said to be better than the ordinary L2 level assisted driving, but it has not yet reached the mainstream level of new powers in intelligent driving.
The most direct impression this car gave me is that it is really fuel-efficient. Whether I am driving in pure electric mode, hybrid mode, or power-deficit mode powered by the 1.5T engine and the two-speed DHT gearbox, it has a good performance and leaves me with a good impression.Since the test drive time was limited, the test drive was conducted within Beijing city, roughly following this route: starting from near Chaoyang Joy City in Chaoyang District of Beijing, passing through Jianguomen Outer Street and Lianhua Pond Road from east to west to West Fifth Ring Road, and then driving on only Qingnian Road on the Fifth Ring.
The route was about 75 km long. At the beginning, the remaining pure electric endurance mileage was insufficient, so most of the route was completed in a power-depleting mode, which took a total of 2 hours and 15 minutes. The displayed fuel consumption was 7.8L/100km, which may have been because I drove aggressively, plus the air conditioning, heating, and seat heating were on. Although the result was a bit different from the 5.5 liters per 100 kilometers seen online, considering the weight of the 2.2-ton vehicle, the result was still impressive.
The Mocha DHT-PHEV is different from other plug-in hybrid models in that it uses a gearbox with smart two-speed DHT technology, which can enable the engine to cover more efficient driving conditions and meet the transportation needs of consumers on different routes. Compared to the Tang DM with only one gear for low-speed overtaking or uphill driving, the Mocha DHT-PHEV has a significant advantage. The main advantage is the multi-speed direct drive of the engine.
The Tang DM uses a single-gear ECVT gearbox with lower cost and higher stability. It tends to drive the vehicle with the electric motor, and the internal combustion engine is mainly used to generate electricity, and only participate in driving in a few cases. Since there is only one gear, it is impossible to obtain a better speed ratio under high-speed cruising, and the fuel and electricity consumption cannot be better controlled.
In addition, in terms of overtaking on curves and travel experience, the power output of the Mocha DHT-PHEV can also be efficient and quiet. Since it is equipped with an electronically controlled suspension, the support during cornering is also good. Perhaps because of the design of the front MacPherson suspension, some road feel has been retained for the driver, rather than being completely filtered out. The noise control is also good. I can hardly feel any wind noise and tire noise on urban roads.
Conclusion
Given the limited test drive time, our experience with the Mocha DHT-PHEV is not yet comprehensive, and what we can share with everyone is not complete. However, as a plug-in hybrid model with a pure electric endurance mileage of more than 200 kilometers, it can be directly upgraded to a green license plate without purchasing quotas or paying purchase taxes, and it is not expensive even when burning fuel without electricity. Although it cannot be described as perfect, it is enough to appear in the right place at the right time.The Mocha DHT-PHEV has good product capabilities. The hardware has a complex mechanical and electrical structure, and the software has complex output logic and algorithms. This leads to a higher cost and a higher price for this car. Therefore, it needs time to gain acceptance from consumers and let them feel the luxury and technology of Chinese brands, and experience the pleasure of being fuel-efficient without worrying about mileage.
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.