Author: Master
Just a few days before our editorial department received the MARVEL R test car, SAIC Group officially announced the independence of the R brand and renamed it “RisingAuto Motors.” The new brand will focus on the mid-to-high-end intelligent electric vehicle market in the 200,000-400,000 yuan price range. Prior to the launch of the all-new ES33, does this MARVEL R have the strength to pick up the flagship of the brand?
Refreshing and not greasy, more like a premium sedan
First, let’s briefly introduce the basic parameters. Our test drive car is the top-of-the-line MARVEL R four-wheel drive PRO version, with three electric motors (one front and two rear) and a total power of 222 kW and a torque of 665 N·m. It can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 4.8 seconds. With a 69.9 kWh NCM523 ternary lithium battery, its NEDC range is 460 km.
In addition, the MARVEL R is equipped with a “two-speed automatic transmission” as standard on the rear axle, but this is not a true transmission in the traditional sense. In fact, it is a clutch that controls the single/dual-motor drive of the rear axle, forming a two-speed transmission-like effect. Under low power output conditions such as high-speed cruising, the main motor with a power of 85 kW will be used first, and the auxiliary motor with a power of 52 kW will be started only when there is a large power demand, which helps to reduce overall energy consumption.
Although the power level is very strong, the throttle pedal of the MARVEL R is still very linear and controllable. Even if the driving mode is set to the fastest “Intelligent Extreme Speed” mode, there will be no obvious impact from the motor during start-up, but the subsequent pushback can still firmly press you into the seat.
The MARVEL R has three levels of energy recovery intensity that can be freely adjusted, and it is not linked to the driving mode. This is highly praised. The drag and friction sensation in second gear is closest to the coasting feel of a general fuel-powered car with gears, and it is also the gear I used most during my test drive these past few days.
I, as the author, have never been a fan of most SUV models. The high seating position is one aspect, but even more important is that many SUVs tend to tune their suspension overly for comfort. Coupled with their relatively high center of gravity, driving them can often feel greasy, like driving a ship.
However, this MARVEL R is completely different from what I imagined. It uses a common front McPherson and rear multi-link independent suspension, and uses aluminum alloy materials in many components such as steering knuckles and lower arms.
The suspension tuning doesn’t blindly pursue comfort, and there is virtually no bouncing even when driving over large bumps or speed bumps. It feels very solid. The suspension bushings and Michelin Harmony 4 tires that excel in quiet comfort can remove most of the small vibrations on the road, leaving only slight road feedback. At the same time, the suppression of roll and pitch is quite good, making it look more like a European luxury car.
Speaking of quietness, MARVEL R’s performance is also impressive. Besides being equipped with a set of quiet tires, all four windows are equipped with double-layer sound-insulating glass as standard, providing the vehicle with good sound insulation. The front and rear rows have a relatively consistent feel, and it is only after exceeding a speed of 80 km/h that one can feel some wind noise.
MARVEL R’s styling does not belong to the type that pursues sports feeling, but the actual driving experience is quite balanced and sophisticated, very much like a luxury sedan.
I can responsibly say that as a new energy SUV model built by a mature automaker, its driving quality performance is much better than many new forces models. Combined with its starting price of 219,800 yuan, it is quite competitive.
Reviewing Static Parts
To briefly review the static parts, the LED light strip that runs through the front of the MARVEL R is called “Universe Light” by the official, which has various lighting effects. Together with the “X”-like surround and the split-type LED headlamps below, the overall sci-fi feeling is quite strong.
The standard configuration of the entire series includes hidden electric door handles and keyless entry. The handle will automatically pop out when carrying the key is near. The taillights are also full LED light sources. The fast and slow charging interfaces are designed on the rear fender. For a medium-sized SUV with a length, width, and height of 4674/1919/1618 mm and a wheelbase of 2800 mm, it is necessary to stop with the front of the car inward when charging.
The luxurious atmosphere of the interior is good, with a large area of leather, soft materials, and suede wrapping, and with red stitching embellishments.
The 12.3-inch full LCD instrument panel has three display modes: MR enhancement, 3D map, and the first AR scene mode. The AR scene mode can directly display the navigation route on the instrument panel with reminders indicating the stopping line before intersections, which is very intuitive. However, to be honest, the frame rate of the AR scene mode is a bit low when moving, which makes it feel a bit laggy, especially after we have become accustomed to various 90 Hz and 120 Hz high refresh rate phone screens.
The center console screen is 19.4 inches with a resolution of 1200×1600, equipped with the Zebra Venus system, and has very rich functions. Conventional functions such as navigation and music are naturally not mentioned, it also comes with Ali series APPs such as Tmall Genie and DingTalk. It also supports a large number of small programs, including Weibo, 36Kr, Mango TV, The Paper, and Phoenix FM, and so on.
The intelligent voice assistant can be activated by the “Hello Zebra” command, with multiple non-wake-up commands and up to 90 seconds of continuous voice input. It can also realize the “visible speech” function. Almost all switches in the vehicle settings, all functions of the navigation page, and even some actions that require reading the statement and clicking in the box can be operated by voice.Translate the following Chinese text in Markdown format to English Markdown format, with professional approach, preserving the HTML tags inside Markdown, and outputting the result only.
However, due to the not-so-strong chip used by MARVEL R, you can still feel obvious lag when opening some APPs. If it can be upgraded in the future when redesigning, this car system will definitely score high.
In terms of space, a SUV with this size is bound to not be lacking. The seats of all MARVEL R series support 8-way adjustment, heating, and two sets of seat memory, and the PRO model will also add seat ventilation. When adjusting the front row to the lowest position, there is still a fist and four fingers space left above my head.
The angle and support of the rear seats themselves are good, but compared with various new energy SUVs with long wheelbases, this space is not outstanding.
The space of the trunk is at a normal level and relatively neat. The seats support 4/6 split folding, and the capacity can be expanded from 507 L to 1546 L.
Summary
In general, MARVEL R is a pure electric SUV that is easy to leave a deep impression on people. Its outstanding driving quality and richly-equipped intelligent equipment are its most prominent selling points. The only regret is that the performance can no longer keep up with the times of the car machine chip and only 4G of memory. If it can be upgraded in a timely manner, MARVEL R will truly become a pure electric SUV without shortcomings.
From SAIC Roewe’s new energy vehicle series, to becoming an independent brand, and finally to FEIFAN Motors, the frequent changes and upgrades of identities in a few years are enough to show that SAIC has made up its mind to make a difference in the field of new energy. We look forward to FEIFAN Motors’ independent operation bringing more surprises to users and the market.
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.