Author: Feng Jingang
On March 3rd, I had a chance to test drive the Wanjie M5 in Shanghai. Here are my brief impressions. (For those who want detailed information about the M5 product, you can leave a message below or add me on WeChat to request it. Note: Due to limited test drive time, these opinions are for reference only.)
At the test drive site, one of the media teachers told me that the Wanjie M5 is not a heavyweight popular model. In everyone’s eyes, a so-called heavyweight popular model must be mixed with a history of accumulation, user noise, and so on, which the Wanjie M5 does not have. However, I think that although the Wanjie M5 is indeed a new car without a heavy foundation, its Huawei genes destined it to not be an ordinary car and it must have its own highlights.
Therefore, in this test drive, searching for Huawei characteristics on the Wanjie M5 basically became my top priority. As for the results, I can only say that it performed reasonably well, without giving me any particularly big surprises or discovering any major shortcomings. Every aspect was well-balanced and can satisfy most people’s needs. Below are a few points to mention.
The Wanjie M5 is equipped with the brand-new HarmonyOS intelligent cockpit, which breaks through the three major pain points of the traditional car machine, which are “few apps, slow updates, and poor experience.” The car I tested is reportedly the final version for mass production, so it should be the same as what regular users test drive. From my personal experience, compared with the car machine of traditional fuel-powered cars, the car machine of Wanjie M5 has undergone a revolutionary change. But compared with the car machines of products like Tesla and XPeng, the car machine of Wanjie M5 indeed has some advantages, but they are not that significant after intuitive experience, and both have their own characteristics.
I personally guess that the reason why the car machine of Wanjie M5 is highly praised is related to its UI interface design, which is clean, efficient, and delicate. This is the first impression. If the wallpaper is changed, the effect may be greatly compromised, such as a map or an old-fashioned Windows wallpaper. Other car manufacturers can also think about or learn from this aspect. Brands that make phones have a natural advantage over car machines than automobile manufacturers do.When it comes to assisted driving, unfortunately, the WENJIE M5 does not feature the long-anticipated advanced assistance driving system from Huawei, instead opting for a regular L2+. Based on my actual experience driving on the Shanghai outer ring expressway, the system still has room for improvement, including convenience and expandable features. However, the operation aspect is noteworthy, with lever-style startup settings, located below the lamp post, which I think at least has an improvement in product thinking compared to the traditional tedious button style.
According to insiders, the reason why the WENJIE M5 did not adopt Huawei’s advanced assisted driving system is mainly because the cooperation between the two parties has not yet reached that level. As cooperation with Huawei’s Seres deepens in the future, it is bound to be adopted, but the electrical system also needs to be switched and redesigned, which is almost a major redesign and will require some time. Of course, for ordinary users or users who do not value automatic driving, this does not matter and can be ignored.
As for the driving experience, I feel that the handling characteristics of the WENJIE M5 are not outstanding, and overall it is positioned more as a family car with easy and comfortable driving as the main focus. As for the fastest 4.4-second acceleration data, it is indeed fast on paper, but it does not provide the pure acceleration feeling of an electric car, instead combining some of the leisurely and composed characteristics of an internal combustion engine. Especially when accelerating in the middle and later stages, the sound of the range extender is added, so several media instructors have said that it feels like driving an oil-fueled car.
Finally, here is some actual driving energy consumption data for our model, explaining the testing conditions. The first 40 kilometers (suburban road conditions) were in fuel priority mode, while the last 43.9 kilometers (mostly on the highway) were in pure electric priority mode, with air conditioning at 18 degrees Celsius and three adults. In addition, as for the accuracy of the endurance, the WENJIE M5 can achieve a basic 1:1 ratio, which is quite reliable.
A few days ago, AITO announced the price of the WENJIE M5, ranging from 249,800 to 319,800 yuan. Based on this price, speaking of its product strength, I think there are no particularly significant shortcomings, and it is competitive in its class, especially with the added Huawei genes. However, if the advanced assisted driving system from Huawei can be added later, without too much of a price increase, the WENJIE M5 will become quite competitive, which will test AITO’s product definition ability.
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.