No longer strangers, but people’s needs!
I have a friend who wants to buy an electric car. Not for the sake of novelty, not for the pursuit of performance, and not even for showing off, but for a green license plate. After all, in Shanghai, the license plate costs around 80,000-90,000 yuan, and out-of-town plates are not easy to use, but green plates are still free for now! Therefore, being forced to choose an electric car is also a consumption trend for a large part of the population.
Although my friend already drives a Japanese B-class sedan that was eliminated by his father, he is not willing to pay for a new car that is still boring. Recently (June 17, 2021), after test driving the GAC Aion S Plus, I came up with the idea of recommending it to him. Because this car made me feel that an A+ class car can also have such a high satisfaction level.
With the same 2,750 mm wheelbase and suspension form, this car is obviously based on the AION S. However, with the addition of the “Plus” suffix, AION S Plus has far more changes than just a facelift compared to previous models. Under the earth-shattering changes in appearance, it has a more youthful attribute and stronger product power. This test drive made me realize that accurate positioning is indeed very important. It seems that domestic brands are also starting to absorb the product definition ability of Internet car building.
Practicality above all
Customers who buy these types of cars are most concerned about the range. AION S Plus has three configurations of battery pack capacity: 69.94 kWh, 58.81 kWh, and 50.688 kWh. Although they are not particularly large, thanks to the efficient accumulation of details led by low wind resistance, the corresponding ranges are 602 km, 510 km, and 410 km, respectively.
Compared with AION S, the maximum power of the front-wheel drive motor has been increased by 30 kW to 165 kW, which is equivalent to 224 horsepower, similar to a small sports car. Moreover, it has better power response, which is also one of the reasons why so many people who have switched to electric cars can’t go back.
The torsion beam rear suspension structure of AION S Plus inevitably brings about a large amount of rear-end disturbance and obvious lateral oscillation. Despite the continuation of this chassis architecture, AION S Plus has improved its ride quality according to my recent ride experience in AION S ride-hailing service. In addition to the optimized shape of the seats, the chassis calibration has indeed brought better quality. The acceleration time to 100 km/h is improved to 6.8 seconds, and the wheelbase is 2,750 mm long. Together with better rear space in terms of ergonomics compared to some electric sedans, this car also gives a positive response to the demands of family users.
Appearance is equally important
In terms of appearance, AION S Plus inherits the low wind resistance scheme and design aesthetics of ENO.146, a concept car of the brand. There are two eye-catching colors for the new models, holographic silver and ice pink. Holographic silver emits a light yellow color in high illumination areas and shows blue color in weak light areas, but the color-changing degree is just right and there is no legal hazard. It is perfect for friends who pursue stability while wanting to be a little different. There are also three colors to choose from for the interior, which are more subdued than the exterior.
The redesigned AION S Plus offers more than just a beauty upgrade. The core of the wind resistance optimization comes from the newly adopted variable inlet grille. With five opening angles in total, it ensures automatic reduction of wind resistance when no more cooling airflow is needed. Together with almost flat wheel housings, newly adopted hidden door handles, and other body parts design, a common achievement is made, which is the lowest wind resistance coefficient of 0.211 in the same class. Such a low wind resistance coefficient helps to reduce the energy waste used to resist air resistance during high-speed driving, resulting in low energy consumption of 12.9 kWh/100 km.
The skylight may not be very useful, but the panoramic roof is really cool!
After buying a car, the interior is what we see the most. The biggest highlight of the interior is the 1.9 square meters panoramic roof and the third-generation EC electric panoramic roof that can be optionally installed. The absence of a horizontal beam above the B-pillar makes the rear view very open. This is a great advantage in the same class because currently, there is no car in this class that can provide such a large sense of openness. It caters to the idea of young people that “cars can be cheap, but the experience has to be exquisite.”
Unlike the PDLC technology that switches between transparent and frosted glass-like effect (which can be understood as a single-color LCD screen on the entire glass), AION S Plus changes the depth of color through reversible redox reactions, resulting in better shading effect and a solid-state color-changing layer. It supports manual color adjustment as well as voice control. Compared with the second-generation product adopted by Boeing 787 and the first-generation product adopted by Ferrari Superamerica, AION S Plus has a faster color-changing speed, increasing speeds by three times and four times respectively.
Large Screen Supporting TikTok
The car infotainment system has cooperated with ByteDance in terms of content and supports watching TikTok on a 14.6-inch large screen (need to switch to park gear). Careful considerations have been made for the recommendation algorithm for horizontal views, where videos in portrait mode do not appear in the information flow. The car’s interior camera at the bottom of the rearview mirror also supports filming TikTok videos, which can be uploaded to the platform via the car’s system. Although it is not enough to cause a huge change, it is a response to the diversified social needs. Occasionally shooting some clips of self-driving journeys is also a good use.
As Expected
The new car uses the Bosch iBooster electric brake master cylinder, which can be considered as the most mainstream product in the new energy industry. The brake pedal of the GAC Aion S Plus has a feeling close to that of Japanese cars, with low pedal operating force and long travel distance and low damping. The steering feel is also similar in texture. After leaving the neutral area, the gain amplitude of the steering force is large, but there is less returning damping. This relatively light handling sensation also fits the general direction of calibration at this level, helping new car owners to adapt to pure electric driving habits more quickly.
After saying so much, in fact, this test-drive event is a media test drive before the official launch. But don’t worry, the price and specific configurations will be disclosed when it is launched on June 23.
🔗Source: GAC Aion
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.