On December 16, 2017, at NIO’s inaugural “NIO Day,” NIO not only officially released the groundbreaking NIO Power electric service system, but also unveiled the first model under this system, which is also NIO’s first real consumer-oriented model – the ES8.
The first batch of “Founder’s Edition” models were priced at ¥548,000 (pre-subsidy), and the base version’s price was as high as ¥448,000 (pre-subsidy). At that time, as a student, the price made me feel like it was somewhat elusive, and I even felt skeptical about the pioneering deployment of battery-swapping technology.
After more than five years, Li Bin put on and took off the “most miserable person” hat, and the vehicle models and battery swapping stations have iterated to the second generation. NIO even planned two brand new sub-brands in one go.
After more than five years, when the sales volume of the ES8 was about to reach 65,000 units, the ES8 ushered in a true major upgrade.
We had the opportunity to experience the pre-production vehicle of the brand new NIO ES8 in a static test drive for the first time.
NIO’s most elegant SUV
NT 2.0’s exterior design was first unveiled with the ET7 at the beginning of last year. Currently, this “Design for AD” design concept is found across all NIO models such as the ET7, ES7, and ET5, which is why the new ES8 is naturally less stunning in terms of its appearance.
However, “elegance” is the best word I can think of to describe the new ES8, a mid-size SUV.
Although the new ES8 is longer, wider, and slightly shorter than the old ES8 in terms of dimensions, it still replaces the old ES8 as the largest model in the NIO family.
Compared to the L9, the new ES8 is still noticeably smaller. In fact, the new ES8 is closer in size to the ideal L8, but with a 65mm longer wheelbase.
The feeling of seeing the new ES8 real car for the first time is much better than the picture that landed in the MIIT on the 14th. The body lines look more concise in light and shadow without the chubby feeling on the MIIT official pictures.
The vehicle we shot was the “Sunlight Gold” 2023 annual color, which made the car look more stable, and the exterior version was the Sun version.
Of course, you can choose the exclusive color of the new ES8 – “Starry Green” – to show off its unique temperament. But let me say a few more words about this starry green. Even under the high-light studio lighting, I thought it was a colorful black at first glance, until I took a closer look and could taste the dark green in it. Overall, it feels low-key.
The new ES8’s air intake grille is divided into upper and lower layers, and the license plate frame divides the front face into two “mouth” sizes. It enriches the visual elements of the front face without looking bulky. Compared with the license plate frame and the paint surface of the front face directly spliced on ES7 and EC7, I personally prefer the design on the new ES8.
The new ES8 has upgraded ABD intelligent multi-beam headlights, with a pixel density of 100, which can intelligently switch between high and low beams and illumination range.“`
And what makes the headlight special is that it matches with the lidar directly, rather than matching the headlight with the camera like traditional automakers. The advantage of this is that the higher detection accuracy of lidar will also improve the application accuracy of the headlight.
From the side, the waistline of the new ES8 is flatter than the old one. With the narrowing of the window line towards the tail, the overall car looks like a “yacht” diving.
At the same time, the new ES8 also uses “hidden” rearview mirrors. With the black roof of the whole car, the car has stronger integrity.
The model we shot is not the top version of the new ES8, but uses 21-inch wheels, five-spoke carbon fiber wheel rims, and black painted 6-piston calipers, which looks very low-key.
The tires used are P Zero series from Pirelli with the specification of 265/45 R21.
And in the top version, this specification has been refreshed again. You can have a 22-inch forged high-gloss wheel, calipers with air shining orange color, and tires from mainland China with the specification of 265/40 R22.
45% flatness ratio and 21-inch large feet are already a relatively exaggerated size in SUVs. It is hard to imagine what it would feel like to drive with these 22-inch large feet.
“`Observant students have been unable to restrain themselves, and the biggest change in appearance is the position of the side camera, which has been moved directly from the plastic molding of the ES7 wheel brow to the upper part of the metal leaf board.
Previously, we complained that being placed on the plastic molding of the wheel brow was too close to the tire, which could potentially cause dirtying of the camera under certain muddy or rainy/snowy conditions. Furthermore, due to its protruding design, it would also increase the risk of damage in case of collision.
This change in position on the new ES8 not only eliminates the above risks but also doesn’t affect the overall appearance.
Of course, the position of the new ES8 charging port remains exactly the same as that of the ES7 on the NT 2.0 platform, with all the fast charging ports located only at the left front. However, regardless of the number of battery swap scenarios you have, as long as you charge once, you will notice the inconvenience brought about by the charging port at the front of the car.
The rear design of the new ES8 is also roughly similar to that of the ES7, but the elements are more refined in detail.
For example, the tail light of the new ES8 has abandoned the upward-angled design of the ES7 on the side of the car and has become more flat overall. This matches the overall flat window line and larger body.
For more detailed parts, we can see that the tail light strip of the new ES8 becomes thinner near the logo. According to official sources, the tail light that uses light guide crystals is only 3 mm thick at the narrowest point.
In terms of power, the new ES8 is consistent with the ES7, capable of delivering a maximum power output of 480 kW (180 kW front + 300 kW rear) and 850 N·m of torque, with a 0-100 km/h acceleration in 4.1 seconds under half-load conditions. Considering NIO’s tendency to exaggerate acceleration figures, this speed should be even faster.
Apart from the need for a larger size, the all-new ES8 has undergone more meticulous polishing in details such as the air intake grille, window lines, side view position, rearview mirror, taillights, and more, coupled with exclusive color matching, all of which give this mid-to-large sized SUV a very unique aesthetic of technology and elegance.
Interior focuses on user experience
I must declare in advance that as the trial production car we experienced will be transported to the NIO Day site in Hefei after we finish our static test, we cannot sit inside the ES8 and feel it.
Moreover, as the trial production vehicle is not the final mass-produced version, everyone does not need to fuss about the details of the interior design mainly focusing on the styling and material choices. Our filming car has a Sepia Brown interior version.
The overall layout of the front row remains basically the same as the ES7, but the steering wheel has some differences. The new ES8 adopts a two-spoke steering wheel design with thickening at the 6 o’clock position.
However, upon careful observation, it can be noticed that the steering wheel of the new ES8 does not have a protruding design that fits more comfortably into the hands at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions, and it is unknown whether it will be added back to the mass-produced car.
In addition, the new ES8 uses satin gold decoration on the metal decoration parts in the interior, such as buttons and logos. The biggest feature of this material is its environmental friendliness but the cost also increases.
After the “seat incident,” the new ES8 has finally become the first car model of NIO’s self-developed seat frame platform. From the appearance, the seat is overall wider and more comfortable, and the only regret is that we did not have the opportunity to sit on it and experience it firsthand.
Of course, the queen’s seat on the co-driver’s side cannot be absent. It supports one-click adjustment of the co-driver’s seat back to 135°, and the rear end of the cushion automatically lifts up.
The second-row seat is designed with a large armrest in the central channel position, and there are also armrests on the door panels.
The central armrest in the front row adopts a suspended design behind it, which increases the legroom in the center of the second row. Then NIO also created an “around the fire chat” atmosphere light here. The light shines downward on the carpet, imitating the feeling of a fireplace.
I personally think that if the air outlets can also blow in the same direction as the light downwards, the visual and temperature sensory experience will be more seamless.
Of course, you can also see an “executive central island” on the new ES8, which is the entertainment center of the second row of the new ES8.
This island is divided into two levels, and the digital layer adopts a drawer-type design, with an electrically retractable front end with 2 cup holders and three wireless charging ports for mobile phones, among which the horizontal charging port is only for NIO Phone. At the same time, you can also choose a car refrigerator, which has a space of 5 liters and can store 8 cans of cola.“`
Meanwhile, the island console also supports native AR/VR video output with anti-shake feature for the entire car, supporting up to 4 people to watch at the same time, and comes with the N-BOX entertainment host as standard.
In terms of listening experience, the new ES8 is equipped with an enhanced version of the 7.1.4 immersive sound system, which achieves a power of 2,230 W through 23 speakers, and also comes with Dolby sound effects, all of which are fine-tuned by Dirac Pro.
The third-row seats also support heating, electric adjustment, and an independently hidden air vent, providing cup holders and Type-C charging ports. However, if there is an executive mid-island version, the second-row seats need to be moved in order to enter the third row.
The trunk configuration of the new ES8 is also rich, supporting the electric folding of the third-row seats. At the same time, in the comfortable mode, the threshold of the rear trunk is lowered to a height of about 780 mm from the ground, and by pressing “One-Click Easy Loading”, the rear suspension height is lowered by 50 mm to 730 mm.
We measured the size of the new ES8’s brand new skeleton seats and found that the difference in size between the ES8 and ES7 is not significant.
Overall, the interior materials, seats, and entertainment of the new ES8 have improved significantly, continuing and enhancing its previous strengths, such as the central console’s integration with mobile phones and entertainment systems, which brings great expectations.
Conclusion
As the “new king” of all Nevo models, the new ES8 based on the NT2.0 platform is not very surprising, but the central console leaves the deepest impression on me.
“`In some more detailed areas, such as tires, headlights, seats, side-view camera positions, and the use of environmentally-friendly materials in appearance and interior, NIO has polished the brand-new ES8 even more attentively.
However, compared with the previous generation, ES8 has upgrades in almost every aspect including exterior and interior styling, dimensions, seating, assisted driving software and hardware, and so on.
Therefore, as the “new king” of NIO, the new ES8 is well-deserved. As mentioned at the beginning, can you guess how long it will take for this generation of ES8 to reach a sales volume of 65,000 units?
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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.