On August 5, this year, Geely officially released its new compact SUV – Boyue L, which has three power configurations:
- 1.5 TD DCT version: 1.5T engine + 7-speed wet dual-clutch
- 2.0 TD DCT version: 2.0T engine + 7-speed wet dual-clutch
- Raymix Hybrid Hi-F version, 1.5T engine + 3-speed DHT
The one that interests me the most is the Raymix Hybrid Hi-F version. As a hybrid system that Geely claims can rival BYD’s D-Mi, my colleague Liu Guangdong has already experienced it on the Xingyue L Ray Hybird Hi-F version at the end of August. If you are interested, you can take a look at Is Ray Hybird Hi-F coming out on top with fuel consumption of 4.9 L/100 km?.
So, with the same power system, will the smaller Boyue L have even more powerful performance and fuel economy? I am really looking forward to this.
Also, what I am looking forward to is that Boyue L is the first Geely model equipped with the NOA highway pilot, officially claiming to achieve zero handover on the entire highway. I am also looking forward to experiencing it myself.
Now let’s start with the appearance of this car.
Appearance, targeting the young group
Looking at the front of the Boyue L, I can’t help but have a sense of familiarity. This daytime running light, this grille, it has a bit of a Cadillac feel, what do you think?
The Geely logo on the front is not on the outside of the vehicle, but is placed under the headlight with the daytime running light.
In addition to the middle through-type, the daytime running lights also have a vertical section on each side.
The headlights are placed under the daytime running lights. The advantage of placing them in this position is that even if the car is bumped from the left or right, the headlights are less likely to be damaged.
The vehicle uses a monocular camera for forward vision perception. It is unknown how well the high-speed NOA function performs with this system.
From the side, the car has a compact and solid feel, with the roof transitioning downward from the middle of the cab and the taillights resembling a boomerang fixed to the rear of the car when viewed from the side.
This top-of-the-line version uses Goodyear Eagle F1 high-performance SUV tires, size 245/45 R20. The wheels also have a low wind resistance design similar to that of new energy vehicles.
All the text on the back is in black font, with a continuous taillight running through the middle. The brake lights on both sides are designed like boomerangs, as seen earlier.
Opening the trunk, the storage space is at the upper end of compact SUVs, with a size of 650 L, which is even larger than some mid-size SUVs.
After folding down the rear seats, the storage space becomes even more practical, with a space of 1610 L, which can easily accommodate moving a single person’s belongings.
There is a hook and a lighting lamp on the left side of the trunk, and there is also a moderately sized storage compartment below which can be used to keep items such as vegetables and meat items purchased from the market.Here is the translation:
There is a speaker on the right side of the trunk, and the new Borui L adopts the Harman INFINITY 11-speaker sound system, one of which is located in the trunk.
Opening the cover under the trunk, you can see not only the tools, but also a non-full-size spare tire. I also looked at the Raytheon hybrid version, and they all have this spare tire.
That’s all for the exterior. Let’s sit in the car and talk about the interior.
Interior, Not Many Features but Practical
First, here is the full view of the front-row interior. The design features both a horizontal and a vertical screen. What do you think of this interior? Is there a little bit of the influence of Volvo’s Lynk & Co brand?
The steering wheel adopts a less common four-spoke design with a comfortable grip.
On the left side of the steering wheel are the auxiliary driving-related buttons, as well as a customized star button. The feel of the buttons is average.
On the right side are the voice, multimedia control, and driving mode-related buttons. Unlike the left side, the center of the right side uses a roller instead of a dial.
The engine start button is located in the center console position on the lower right side of the steering wheel.
The seats do not adopt a one-piece racing-style design, but rather a split-type design. I personally prefer this type of seat with adjustable headrest height. The cushion is moderately soft and hard, and the length of the cushion is relatively long, which can almost completely support the thigh.
The top model comes with 4-way lumbar support adjustment and also supports 2-way leg support adjustment.
The buttons on the door panel are made of piano lacquer and, as you can see clearly from the photos, are easily stained with fingerprints and dust. In addition, the adjustment of the rearview mirror is not integrated in the door panel buttons, but needs to be adjusted on the central control screen.
The storage space on the front door panel is considerable. I placed two bottles of 570 ml mineral water on the door panel, and there is still so much space left that it looks like “it’s not a problem to put 5 more bottles of mineral water”.
You can see perforations on the headrest, because the Borui L comes with a headrest sound function. When other passengers in the car are resting, the driver can also hear navigation music and other sounds from the headrest sound.
There is only one headlight height adjustment button at the driver’s left knee position, unlike many other cars that have a row of function buttons.
The front air-conditioning vents all use this single-piece solid directional control.
The central control screen adopts a 13.2-inch vertical design with a resolution of 1440×1920. In addition, it uses the Qualcomm 8155 chip, 16 GB memory + 128 GB storage. Unfortunately, because the vehicle system is still in the engineering stage, we have not been able to learn about the system’s functions, smoothness, and other contents.
There are two storage areas beneath the central control screen, one for wireless phone charging and the other for NFC recognition of card keys.
The fuel version’s shift lever employs a crystal-like design, with the logo of the Thunder Power being placed beside the gearshift. Meanwhile, the Thunder Power hybrid version uses a leather-wrapped shift lever.
To the right of the shift lever are two conventional cup holders. The central area is also covered in a piano-baked paint panel that is prone to picking up fingerprints and dust as well.
The depth of the armrest box is not bad, although the opening is small. It can fit a 570ml bottle of mineral water perfectly, and there is an air outlet for the air conditioner inside the armrest box where it can maintain the temperature of some cold beverages temporarily.
Below the shift lever, there is a small hollowed-out area that is not large enough for items like shoes, but can store small items such as tissues.
The vehicle’s fast-charging port and two USB-A interfaces are also located in this area.
In addition to the typical buttons, there is also an electric skylight and sunshade combo switch at the top. However, only the fuel version has front-row electric skylights that can be opened.
The Thunder Power hybrid version has a single-piece 1.2-square-meter panoramic sunroof, which also comes with an electric sunshade.
The passenger side glove box has a decent depth, deeper than a set of reflective vests, and should be able to store many small items.
# Test Drive: Is this really not a plug-in hybrid?
After sitting in the back seat of this compact SUV, I found that there is more than a fist’s worth of headroom and about two fists’ worth of legroom, which is quite spacious for a SUV of this class.
There are two air vents, one USB-C port, one USB-A port, and a small storage compartment for phones that can be found in the back of the center console.
The storage compartments on the door panels in the back seat are not as large as those in the front seat, but they are sufficient for carrying three bottles of mineral water.
There are also storage pockets behind the front seats that are large enough to hold two bottles of mineral water.
Perhaps due to the use of the CMA platform architecture, although this is a gasoline-powered vehicle, the rear floor is almost flat, which is quite accommodating for those sitting in the middle.
There are only two cup holders in the back armrest. Although they have minimal padding and the backrest is relatively hard, this can be accepted given the price of the vehicle.
The microphone for four-zone voice recognition is located next to the reading light on the top of the rear seat. Unfortunately, I was unable to try this function during the test drive.
Overall, the interior of the vehicle meets the expectations for its price range, but the spacious back seat and storage space are particularly outstanding.
Test drive: this really isn’t a plug-in hybrid?
The test drive was held at the Pingtan International City Racetrack in Fuzhou. The track was completed just before the National Day holiday and features various obstacles to allow everyone to experience the driving experience of this vehicle. I drove both the gasoline-powered and hybrid Hi-F versions, but the following experience is mainly focused on the Hi-F version.
Starting with the HI·F version, I didn’t feel like it was a vehicle with an engine. The starting power response was quick and very close to that of a pure electric car. Another advantage is that the engine noise is minimal. Even when it enters the main electric drive mode after exceeding 20 km/h, the engine noise is significantly less than that of the gasoline version. However, I could still feel the short-term power reduction when the engine shifts gears.
As for the suspension, the combination of front MacPherson and rear multi-link suspension also means that the upper limit of this car will not be particularly high. When passing through continuous speed humps, you can clearly feel the vibration transmitted from the wheels to the interior of the car. Of course, this is not to be compared with cars costing over 300,000 RMB.
But the advantage of this suspension is that even during high-speed cornering on the track, the roll control is done quite well, and it won’t make the driver feel particularly unconfident. However, in terms of braking, I hope that the brake pedal feedback can be adjusted to be a bit harder, so that drivers will have more confidence in braking during intense driving.
Regarding the energy consumption that everyone is concerned about, unfortunately, due to the race track test drive, I cannot give you accurate data. However, based on the fuel consumption of the Star Yue L HI·F version that we test drove previously, the car can achieve a fuel consumption of only 4.9 liters per 100 kilometers in typical city commuting conditions with an average speed of 38 km/h. This is with three adult men and three backpacks in the car. The Bor Yue L, which uses the same powertrain but has a lighter curb weight, should require even less fuel under the same conditions.
As for the high-speed navigation NOA function, unfortunately, I was unable to experience the capabilities of this Geely-assisted driving system personally due to limitations at the test drive site and the fact that it has not yet been officially launched.
Overall, the test drive experience was as expected, with some pleasant surprises. At least my interest in Geely’s hybrid powertrain has increased substantially.
Conclusion
During the launch event, Geely officially announced the debut of the high-speed navigation NOA function on the Bor Yue L. Although I was not able to experience this function firsthand during the test drive, it is always good to see more and more manufacturers begin to emphasize the driving experience of assisted driving.
The good news is that starting from late October, Bor Yue L will be ready for the nationwide public test of NOA, which means we are very close to this feature.The price range of 12.98-17.58 million yuan may not seem cheap at first glance, but considering that it achieved more than 11,000 pre-orders within less than half a month from its pre-sale launch on September 30, the market still recognized this product.
In my experience, this car has achieved excellent levels in terms of space, among compact SUVs. The Hi·F version with the same powertrain as the Star Yue L left a deep impression on me.
Unfortunately, the infotainment system is not yet in its final version, and intelligent features such as the four-tone-zone voice and high-speed navigation NOA cannot be experienced yet. Also, the brief test drive time did not allow me to have a more comprehensive understanding of the driving experience of this car.
I would be very willing to witness the true performance of this car again after it has truly developed the infotainment system, as well as achieved the deliverable level of the high-speed navigation NOA function.
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.