Introduction to the Seres Huawei Smart Selection SF5

When it comes to the Seres brand, many people may not be familiar with it. But if we tell you that it is the car sold in Huawei flagship stores, then you may have seen it before. It is the Seres Huawei Smart Selection SF5.

1. The Seres Huawei Smart Selection SF5 is a plug-in hybrid new energy SUV, just like the Ideal ONE and the Voyah FREE extended range versions.

2. The Seres Huawei Smart Selection SF5 has only two models: a two-wheel drive version and a four-wheel drive version. The prices are 216,800 yuan and 246,800 yuan respectively, but the two-wheel drive version is not yet available.

3. The car uses a 1.5T four-cylinder engine as a generator, with a rated power of 50 kW and a maximum power generation of 80 kW.

4. The four-wheel drive version is equipped with a front and rear dual-motor combination, with the rear using the HUAWEI DriveONE electric drive system (HW-150), with a maximum power of 150 kW and a maximum torque of 300 N·m. The total power is 405 kW, the total torque is 820 N·m, and the 0-100 km/h acceleration time is 4.68 seconds.

5. The car uses BYD’s NCM523 cylindrical cell with a battery capacity of 35 kWh and a pure electric NEDC range of 180 km. The fuel tank has a volume of 56 L, and the NEDC total range provided by the manufacturer can reach 1000 km.

Driving Experience

As the 1.5T engine is only used for power generation and does not directly participate in power output, the Seres Huawei Smart Selection SF5 feels the same as an ordinary pure electric vehicle. The total power of 405 kW and total torque of 820 N·m give it a deep power reserve.

However, it does not mean that it is very tense to drive. In fact, the accelerator pedal of the Seres Huawei Smart Selection SF5 is relatively linear and controllable. In economy or comfort mode, it mainly runs in rear-wheel drive mode, which is easy to handle. Under sport mode, it generally runs in full-time electric four-wheel drive mode.

There are a total of four driving modes: economy, comfort, sport, and launch, which can be adjusted on the central control screen. The logic of the first three modes is easy to understand. The earlier the generator is involved, the more sensitive the accelerator pedal is.When switched to the strongest booster mode, the range extender of the SF5 will start running at high speed in place, ready to unleash all its power and achieve a 0-100 km/h acceleration in 4.68 seconds. However, at this point, the vibration and noise transmitted to the cabin are also very strong, and can only be enjoyed occasionally.

In addition, you can freely set the threshold for starting the range extender between 30% and 80% of the battery level. (After the car OTA upgrade, the embarrassing “valve threshold” has finally been changed.)

As for the brake part, I’m not very satisfied. Although we know that the front braking force of this type of car is achieved through kinetic energy recovery, its adjustment is still too weak, and the actual feeling is even more “empty” than some Japanese cars, requiring some time to adapt. Fortunately, the braking force after the rear mechanical brake intervention is still good and can give people a strong sense of confidence.

When stationary or at low speed, the sound insulation effect of the SF5 is quite good. However, when the speed exceeds 80 km/h, the wind noise from the A-pillar can be heard more clearly, plus the four P ZERO tires, which are not mainly designed for comfort and silence, the tire noise transmitted to the cabin is also relatively clear.

In addition, when the range extender starts, a buzzing sound and a whining noise from the motor operation will also be heard in the cabin, but overall it is still relatively slight. Considering its positioning and price, this is completely acceptable.

The performance of the chassis suspension deserves a praise. The combination of aluminum alloy front double-wishbone and rear multi-link independent suspension can very well balance the sports and daily comfort. The overall feeling is neutral with a little softness. When faced with undulating road surfaces, the compression and rebound of the suspension are very relaxed, which can basically absorb the vibrations in one action, showing a strong sense of luxury. The P ZERO tires can provide a relatively clear road feel without completely isolating from the road surface.

# Review of Static Design

The steering wheel has almost no road feel in three light-heavy modes, but is highly responsive and accurate thanks to the low center of gravity brought by the battery arranged in the chassis and the strong grip of the PIRELLI P ZERO tires. There is no pressure even when tackling mountains or some low-intensity intense driving.

The Huawei SERES SF5 4WD version, selling for less than 250,000 yuan, has achieved leading performance in many driving-related aspects compared to other models in its class. Although there are still some areas that can be improved, the pros outweigh the cons. After all, this is only the first cooperation between Huawei and SERES.

The overall body of the Huawei SERES SF5 is almost devoid of sharp edges and corners, with a very rounded and elegant design. The double sigma “∑” daytime running lights extend downward from the eyebrow of the lamp, running along the bottom of the bumper and fitting seamlessly with the contour of the front of the car, which is highly recognizable.

With a length, width and height of 4700/1930/1625 mm, and a wheelbase of 2875 mm, it is a relatively standard SUV size, but its overall shape is more like a crossover SUV. The rear of the car is round and solid, with a through-type taillight design, and it has a good sense of technology.

Equipped with the SERES Pilot system, the hardware consists of 5 cameras, 3 millimeter wave radars and 8 ultrasonic radars, which can perform some basic L2 level assisted driving functions, such as ACC adaptive cruise control and LKA lane keeping, and will plan higher level assisted driving functions in the future.

All four doors are designed with hidden induction door handles, which can automatically unlock and pop out when the key is approaching.

The Huawei SERES SF5 has sufficient performance on its tires, equipped with four 255/45 R20 PIRELLI P ZERO top-performance tires, with a price of 1,699 yuan per tire on certain e-commerce platforms.

The fast/slow charging interface is located on the left rear fender. Using AC slow charging from 20% to 90% battery level takes 3.6 hours, while fast charging from 20% to 80% takes 43 minutes.

In addition, it also supports discharge function. The discharge power in camp power mode is 3.3kW (220V AC). It can also be used as a rescue vehicle with DC discharge power of 20 kW.

The entire center console of the Huawei SERES SF5 is devoid of any physical buttons, all integrated into the 17″ large center control screen. A high EQ description would be “concise”. However, the material is still quite good with large areas covered by soft materials, leather wrapping, and wood grain decoration. It also retains a 12.3″ LCD instrument panel in the traditional position without changing the driving habits.

The angle of the air outlet of the air conditioner is hidden and needs to be adjusted in the secondary menu opened in the center screen. However, there are only two points and basic Cartesian coordinates, unlike Tesla and XPeng that directly show the pattern and trajectory of cold air on the center console, which is not very intuitive overall. (Details of the vehicle-mounted system analysis, such as HUAWEI HiCar, will be presented in the subsequent “Vehicle System Micro Experience”)

Standard HUAWEI SOUND® high-quality stereo speakers with 11 speakers, including 4 treble, 4 mid- and low-tone units, 2 bass, and 1 central full-range unit. However, the perception of sound is a matter of personal preference. The sound separation is too open, the mid-range is relatively weak, and for some reason, the current version of the vehicle-mounted equalizer is missing. Hopefully, SERES could add it back in the upcoming OTA upgrade.

To be honest, the overall configuration of this car is very high. For example, the front seats are not only equipped with 8-way electric adjustment, 4-way power lumbar support, and three sets of memory, but also with heating/ventilation/massage. Even compared with pure gasoline cars at the same price, there is no opponent.

Adequate Space Performance

In terms of space, the SERES Huawei Smart Selection SF5 is not outstanding. In addition to the regular door panels, glove box, and armrest box, there is only a covered storage compartment at the bottom of the center console. There are no front cup holders.

The upper layer of the armrest box is designed with a wireless charging panel. It is difficult to put a OnePlus 9 Pro (bare machine length 163.2mm) with the original phone case into it, which may be squeezed to the small non-slip mat protruding from the bottom. Huawei Mate 40 Pro with a similar height plus phone case will also face the same problem. If it is a larger flagship smartphone such as Samsung S21 Ultra, Xiaomi 11 Pro (Ultra), iQOO 8 Pro, etc., it may not fit at all without removing the case.

When adjusting the front seat to the lowest suitable position for driving, my height of 174 cm has the following space performance in the front and rear seats:

The rear seats can be divided into 4/6 and folded down. The space is relatively regular, and the volume can be expanded from 367L to 723L after folding down, which is quite practical.

Final Words

To sum up, the overall product strength of SERES Huawei Smart Selection SF5 is quite strong. With a price of less than 250,000 yuan, it can have a very good driving experience and rich configuration, and the cost performance is indeed quite high. Although some details are not yet mature, as the saying goes, “the blemish does not conceal the beauty”, which is enough to show the sincerity of SERES and Huawei. With such performance on the first new car, it is believed that Huawei and SERES will have great potential in the future.

If you don’t care about the above small details, then this car is undoubtedly a very good choice.

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.