Two weeks ago, while browsing Weibo, I came across the recruitment activity for the “Geely Geometry A Pro User Experience Officer” by Garage No. 42, which allowed me to test drive the Geometry A Pro for three days in Hangzhou, where I reside.
As an owner of the Ideal ONE, I am particularly interested in new electric vehicles from emerging carmakers, and taking advantage of this opportunity, I was excited to experience Chinese-branded electric vehicles like Geely’s Geometry.
After submitting my application form, I received a call from the staff at Garage No. 42 who communicated the details of picking up the car.
I promptly took a taxi to the Geometry 4S dealership to pick up the car, where a manager named Mr. Lin took me to the parking lot to select a car, and offered me a choice between a silver and a blue car.
I hesitated for two seconds and eventually chose the silver test drive car. Here, I made a mistake and should have chosen the other blue Geometry A Pro, which I will explain later.
Upon picking up the car, the instrument display indicated a full charge and mileage of 2967 km.
After finalizing the test drive car and signing the agreement, I was handed the car key, and I started my drive in the Geely Geometry A Pro.
Surprisingly Great Chassis Performance
As someone who usually drives an SUV, my first impression of the Geely Geometry A Pro was: “Hmm, the chassis seems quite good.”
During normal driving, the Geely Geometry A Pro can effectively filter out most small bumps and road undulations on the road. Even after encountering manhole covers or small potholes or speed bumps, the car can handle them fairly well.
While providing comfortable driving, the handling of the Geely Geometry A Pro is also decent, and the steering and lane change performance was quite crisp.
On a car priced above 100K, it was unexpected to have such a high chassis level using the non-independent suspension and the rear torsion beam.
In terms of driving modes, the Geely Geometry A Pro offers ECO+, ECO, and SPORT modes.
ECO+ mode is the most energy-saving among the three power modes, not only limiting power output but also reducing air conditioning power.
For daily driving, I think the ECO mode is sufficient for power needs, and I had no issues changing lanes and overtaking at the speed limit of 80 km/h.
SPORT mode, as its name suggests, has an acceleration time of 6.9 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h according to the official figures. Using full acceleration at a red light, it was no problem overtaking 90% of cars behind me.
However, the tires of the Geely Geometry A Pro appeared to lag slightly behind this level of performance. Using full acceleration from a stop, the tires would slip.# Geometry A Pro Tire, with a size of 215/50 R17.
At the same time, under emergency braking in rainy weather, this set of tires can also give people a feeling of lack of confidence.
Like the driving mode, the kinetic energy recovery of Geometry A Pro can also be adjusted in low/medium/high gears. In the low gear, it feels similar to a fuel-powered car, and the kinetic energy recovery is barely noticeable.
The medium gear and the standard gear of LiONE have similar kinetic energy recovery strengths, while the high gear can sense a significant decrease in speed even when the throttle pedal is lightened.
Overall, the power output and kinetic energy recovery of the Geometry A Pro are more inclined towards fuel-powered cars, which is more friendly to novice electric car drivers.
When switching the power to SPORT mode, the power response of the vehicle is also relatively smooth even when the throttle pedal is deepened in steady-speed driving. The power is available immediately, but there is no sudden jerky feeling.
The intervention of kinetic energy recovery is the same. After releasing the throttle, there is no sudden feeling of being pulled by the body. Instead, from weak to strong, the strength of kinetic energy recovery gradually increases.
Another notable point of Geometry A Pro is its NVH. Due to the absence of an engine, the tire noise and road noise of pure electric vehicles tend to become particularly obvious.
However, driving the Geometry A Pro on a newly repaired and spacious expressway tunnel, without playing music, there is no feeling of considerable noise in the car, and people can talk without raising their voices.
Moreover, the insulation of Geometry A Pro against the motor sound is also good. When driving smoothly, the motor sound is hardly noticeable, and when pressing the throttle pedal for rapid acceleration, only slight electric current sound can be heard.
In terms of dynamic driving, I think Geometry A Pro deserves a high score.
Stop and take a look, the configuration is really high.
After driving around, I found a vacant space and stopped the car to have a good look at this Geometry A Pro.
The car I got was the top-of-the-line version with a range of 600 kilometers. Compared to Geometry A, the appearance of Geometry A Pro has not changed much, still following the minimalist design.
In terms of appearance, the most noticeable difference is that this Geometry A Pro adopts a two-tone body design, with the upper part of the body being black.
The roof of Geely A Pro is made of a whole piece of black glass, which shows that the designer put effort into winning the hearts of young users.
Geely A Pro adopts a hidden door handle design. With the keyless entry and lock functions, when a person approaches the car with the key, the door handle will automatically pop up. After the person leaves, the handle will automatically retract.
The fast charging port is located on the left rear side of the car, which is more in line with the domestic charging environment. It is more convenient to enter and leave the charging space, and you do not have to worry about the charging cable being too short. Thumb up.
The slow charging port is located on the right front fender. Both the fast charging port and the slow charging port are equipped with thick protective covers. Like.
The main change in the tail of the car is that the chrome-plated bar that runs through Geely A has been changed to a black piano paint bar. There seems to be no other difference.
Entering the car, the overall style of the interior is still simple. Although this is a new car with less than 3000 kilometers, there is basically no smell in the car, and the first impression is good.
The Geely A Pro interior is composed of blue, white, and black, which are harmonious and there is no sense of disharmony.
Due to the limited price range, the door and center console of the car are made of hard plastic material, but overall the workmanship is good and there is no cheap feeling.
The blue and white dual-tone leather double steering wheel is relatively thin and compact in diameter, which female drivers may prefer. It also has antibacterial function.
The instrument screen and car screen of the Geometry A Pro adopt a suspension design. The instrument screen is not large, in addition to conventional speed, gear, and power information, it can also switch tire pressure, instantaneous energy consumption, and average energy consumption information through the multifunction buttons on the right side of the steering wheel.
Behind the instrument screen is the HUD, which can display vehicle speed, driving assistance status, road sign speed limit reminder, camera reminder and navigation information. The HUD display effect is good and can be visible in the daytime.
The seats of the Geometry A Pro are made of double-color material leather and suede. The seat filling is relatively soft and is set more for comfort.
On the seat surface, there is also Geometry’s English logo, which gives a somewhat high-end feeling. The suede material on the seats is also applied to the door and center console armrest box.
The front seats of Geometry A Pro support electric adjustment and are equipped with seat heating function.
The driver’s seat is equipped with a welcome function. When getting out of the car, the driver’s seat will move back. On the side of the co-pilot seat, there is a boss key.
In addition, after fastening the driver’s seat belt, the seat belt will automatically tighten electrically, which is very advanced.
There is also a small detail that the sun visors of the driver and co-pilot have makeup mirrors with illumination, which deserves praise.
The interior rearview mirror also has a mystery. When removing the protective circle outside the rearview mirror, it can be found that Geometry A Pro uses a frameless interior rearview mirror.
Geometry A Pro is equipped with front dual-zone air conditioning, and the air conditioning can be controlled through the touch buttons on the central control panel and the screen.
The touch buttons can control the air conditioning on/off, internal/external circulation, rearview mirror heating, and rear window heating. Temperature adjustment and air outlet adjustment must be set on the screen.
In a car that costs less than 200,000 RMB, it is equipped with a driver’s seat welcome, a co-pilot boss key, front seat heating, dual-zone automatic air conditioning, and frameless interior rearview mirror.
I don’t quite understand, are the configurations of Chinese brand cars piled so high now, or is Geometry too generous?
Below the air conditioning touch buttons is an open compartment with a wireless charging function for mobile phones, and I want to criticize the design here.
Because the compartment is not very high, there is also a protrusion design above the air conditioning touch button area.
It’s easy to mistakenly touch the tactile buttons on the silver metal brushed panel of the center console when reaching for or placing the phone. I’ve encountered several situations where I inadvertently switched the driving mode to SPORT or ECO+ while fumbling for a suitable position to trigger wireless charging.
In addition, the backlight of the tactile buttons on the silver metal brushed panel of the center console is weak, making it difficult to see the icons on the panel in strong light.
The lower part of the center console is a hollow design with limited space that can hold about a bag of toast, and there are also a cigarette lighter interface and two USB charging ports located in the lower part.
Next, let’s take a look at the second row. The second-row seats of the Geometry A Pro can fold down the central armrest and support a 4:6 ratio.
Although it is an electric vehicle, the comfort of the rear seats is still good, and it does not give a very obvious feeling of a small stool.
There is a small bump in the center of the rear floor, which is not high and has little effect on the middle passenger.
The rear also has independent air conditioning vents and USB charging ports. Unfortunately, there is only one USB A charging port and it would be better if there were multiple Type-C charging ports.
In addition, because the Geometry A Pro adopts a sleek shape, the rear windshield extends to the head of the second-row passenger, and you can see the sky when you lift your head in the second-row.
Above the front row of passengers is a huge skylight. Of course, to have such a large skylight, compromises must be made. In this case, the skylight in the Geely A Pro cannot be opened.
If you had to choose between a large skylight and an openable one, which one would you choose?
The opening of the trunk in the Geely A Pro is relatively organized, and it is deep enough. After folding down the second row seats, the trunk can be connected to the rear seats.
In addition, perhaps for the sake of weight reduction, the Geely A Pro is designed without a spare tire. Instead, an air pump and tire repair fluid are provided under the trunk cover.
Smart details
Let’s start with the driving assistance of the Geely A Pro when it comes to vehicle intelligence. The driving assistance of the Geely A Pro is mainly operated by the buttons on the left side of the steering wheel.
Click the button in the upper left corner to enter standby mode. Push the lever up or down to enter adaptive cruise memory speed or set the current speed as the adaptive cruise speed.
One click of the lever up or down increases or decreases the speed by 1 km/h respectively, and a long press on the lever increases or decreases the cruise speed by 5 km/h.
Clicking the left and right buttons can adjust the following distance of the driving assistance, with three adjustable distances of far, medium, and near.
Looking at the button layout, it is easy to see that this driving assistance solution comes from Bosch.
With the intelligent navigation of the cruise settings and the lane keeping assistance switch turned on, when the speed is higher than 60 km/h and the lane markings are clear, the Geely A Pro will activate the lane keeping assistance.
Do you remember the mistake I mentioned at the beginning of the article when choosing a car? That is, the lane keeping assistance function of this test car I chose was broken and couldn’t be activated no matter how I operated it.Later, when returning the car, I consulted with the staff at the Geely 4S dealership about this issue. They said it may be due to some problems with the trial installation and adjustment. They tried another Geely A Pro in the parking lot, which was completely normal.
Luckily, the adaptive cruise control of this car performed well, with linear following, braking and stopping at low and medium speeds, without very sudden and heavy braking. It also handles cars cutting in during constant speed driving more smoothly.
However, using the adaptive cruise control of the Geely A Pro, the starting interval time between following the car in front and stopping is too short. In stop-and-go traffic congestion, the driver has to step on the accelerator pedal to resume the adaptive cruise control.
The Geely A Pro comes with automatic parking function, which can park the car horizontally or vertically. I went to a parking lot to experience the automatic parking, and the result is shown in the picture.
Well, it is basically the normal performance of ultrasonic radar automatic parking.
As for the 360 panoramic view of the Geely A Pro, it is not inferior to the Ideal ONE in terms of function. Not only can it switch between 2D and 3D views, but it can also display a transparent chassis, and the exterior color of the vehicle can be customized.
At the same time, the wheel hub view that is highly praised on the Ideal ONE can also be found on the Geely A Pro. As long as the turn signal lever is turned, the Geely A Pro will automatically open the 360 panoramic view on the car screen, which is very intimate.
Of course, there are also some imperfections. The switching between different views and functions of the 360 panoramic view is not as direct as on the Ideal ONE. Moreover, the 360 panoramic view switch of the Geely A Pro is hidden in the sub-menu, which is not very convenient to use and feels a bit cumbersome every time it is turned on.
There is a blank button on the left side of the Geely A Pro steering wheel. I suggest that it could be used to set a physical switch for the 360 panoramic view, which should be very handy to use. Alternatively, a virtual switch could be added to the first screen of the car display, which can be clicked to directly turn on the 360 panoramic view.# Geely A Pro’s Infotainment System is OTA-enabled
Geely A Pro’s Infotainment System is OTA-enabled and I hope the product manager of E-cool’s infotainment system can consider adding a switch in the next upgrade.
Speaking of the infotainment system, let’s talk more about Geely A Pro’s infotainment system.
The first screen of Geely A Pro’s infotainment system displays four modules by default: music, vehicle status, map and membership. The bottom of both sides is the air conditioning control area.
The infotainment system’s response speed is quite good, and there is no operation lag when switching between music, navigation, and other functional modules.
In addition, the infotainment system also has an application store where users can download their own APPs.
At the same time, the lower left button in the left area of Geely A Pro’s steering wheel can awaken the voice of the infotainment system, and the right side button area of the steering wheel can control multimedia and various functional switching operations.
The wake-up word “Hey Geely” can also be used. Although Geely A Pro does not support continuous free dialogue, the overall response speed and recognition accuracy of the voice function are excellent, and it can basically meet daily usage requirements.
The infotainment system of Geely A Pro makes me feel a little conflicting. The overall interface design is somewhat biased towards “engineer thinking.”
For example, the high-frequency functions are not placed in easy-to-reach locations, and it takes some time to find them.
However, on the other hand, the functions of the infotainment system of Geely A Pro are quite rich, and many details make me feel well-considered, such as the following:
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Scheduled travel time can be set on the infotainment system. After setting the scheduled travel time, the air conditioning and the power battery can be preheated separately when the plug is inserted, which is particularly useful for winter and summer driving.
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When reversing, the music volume will be reduced, making it easier for the driver to observe the surrounding environment.
3. When stepping on the accelerator without fastening the seat belt after putting the gear into drive, the vehicle cannot start, and the instrument panel will display a reminder to fasten the seat belt.
- When turning the turn signal lever, the vehicle will automatically display a 360-degree bird’s-eye view image on the infotainment system.
Overall Summary
After experiencing the Geometry A Pro for three days, it’s time to summarize the experience.
The mileage displayed on the instrument panel when I picked up the Geometry A Pro was 2,967 km, and the NEDC range on full charge was 600 km.
When returning the car, the mileage displayed on the instrument panel was 3,160 km. I drove a total of 193 km in three days, and the remaining NEDC range was about 360 km, which is about 80% of the displayed range.
My driving environment included city roads, highways, congested and smooth roads, and the air conditioning was set to 22-24 degrees Celsius throughout the trip. Most of the time, there were two people in the car.
In addition, I spent about four hours taking pictures of the car and playing with the infotainment system while the air conditioning was on.
If we exclude this part of the power consumption, I guess that the Geometry A Pro can achieve a real range of more than 500 km in normal urban road conditions with the air conditioning on.
If it is spring or autumn and the air conditioning is not turned on, it should not be difficult to exceed the NEDC range of 600 km.
Although the Geometry A Pro’s advanced driving assistance and infotainment system are average, its impressive driving performance, unexpected overall features, and solid range make me appreciate it more than I expected.
If I want to buy a pure electric sedan at the 100,000-yuan level, I believe that I will seriously consider the Geometry A Pro as one of the options.
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.