After buying a Model 3 for his wife last year, his own Honda Fit suddenly became less appealing, the electric car’s acceleration was irresistibly satisfying.
Although driving was enjoyable, living in a small town, there were still pain points that needed to be solved. Therefore, in the first half of this year, there was a desire to change the car.
“On the one hand, there were a lot of rough rural roads, so off-road capability was a must; the bottom of the Honda Fit had already been damaged. On the other hand, my son was born this year, and neither the Honda Fit nor the Model 3 had enough space. After installing a child safety seat, only a few people could sit, which could not meet future needs.”
So the decision was made to prepare to buy an SUV, and the car purchasing journey began.
Car Selection
XPeng G3
At first, I was interested in the XPeng G3, but I felt it was too small. Later, my family also said, “You already have an electric car, is it really appropriate to buy another one?”
After thinking about it, it was true. After having children, it is inconvenient to travel by electric cars. Therefore, the G3 was rejected.
Lynk & Co 05
Just when the XPeng G3 was rejected, the Lynk & Co 05 was launched. I was instantly attracted to its sleek styling.
The Lynk & Co 05 had good performance for its price, and had a high-power Volvo engine, with fast acceleration and a soft leather interior. I was deeply interested in it.
Then I went to the dealership, but unfortunately, there were no actual cars. However, I was already obsessed with the Lynk & Co 05 at that point.
When making the order, there was no discount, and there was a three-thousand-yuan handling fee for installment payments. The dealer gave me a car decal and floor mats, but repeatedly promised that I would receive the car in 20 days. I paid a ten-thousand-yuan deposit and made a blind decision to purchase the Lynk & Co 05 without seeing an actual car.
After waiting for 20 days, the salesperson said that the car had been selling too quickly and that they couldn’t get the car from the manufacturer for the time being. At that time, I was already unhappy, but the salesperson kept promising that the car would definitely be delivered in another 20 days, so I continued to wait.
However, after another 20 days, the salesperson said it would take another half month. At this point, I was really angry and canceled the order, leaving the dealership unhappy. I also lost my good impression of the Lynk & Co brand.
Audi Q5
During this period, my parents recommended that I buy a Q5. My wife and I went to see it, but after test-driving it, we felt that the Q5’s power, appearance, and interior were not very attractive, so we gave up.
LI ONE
I knew about LI ONE early on, but unfortunately, my family did not trust this new brand. My wife also said that since we did not test-drive or feel the driving of the previous Lynk & Co 05 before ordering it, she was determined not to allow me to place an order for the LI ONE without experiencing driving it.
We live in a small county below a prefecture-level city in Hubei, and there are no stores nearby, so we could only go to Wuhan, the provincial capital, to see the LI ONE.
However, later on, under my persuasion, my wife agreed to go to Wuhan with me to specifically test-drive the LI ONE.After arriving at the dealership, I finally saw the ideal ONE I had been dreaming of. With huge space, large area of genuine leather, and solid workmanship, my wife was very satisfied after seeing the real car and praised it endlessly during the test drive.
Car Buying Process
Because we had a good feeling about the test drive that day, we ordered the car on the spot. We chose the grey exterior, black interior, and black wheels 6-seater version.
The process from ordering to receiving the car was very fast, and it was delivered in less than two weeks.
Moreover, we happened to catch a promotion at the time, which included free foot pads, lifetime quality assurance, a one-year PLUS membership, and a 500 km door-to-door delivery service.
I was particularly satisfied with the 500km door-to-door delivery service. As I mentioned before, my hometown is a small county, and going to Wuhan requires a two to three hundred km trip. So the door-to-door delivery saved us from having to make an extra trip to pick up the car.
The price of the car was CNY 328,000, but compared to other car buyers who did not enjoy the promotion, it could be considered a bargain.
Regarding insurance, Ideal’s official partner in Wuhan is PICC, with discounts of approximately 35%, and buyers are not required to purchase insurance in the store as they can buy it themselves.
Later, with the recommendation from a 42nd car enthusiasts group staff member, I bought a Ping An insurance policy at a 51% discount.
I got a loan of CNY 132,000 from Bank of Communications for the car purchase, and the whole process was relatively easy. There was no need to go to Wuhan for face-to-face interviews, instead, I communicated and sent data through WeChat for the audit. The vehicle license also did not need to be mortgaged.
During the period, Ideal staff kept following up with the bank, and the experience was great. They did not charge loan fees, GPS location, and other fees like the usual 4S stores.
Driving Experience
It’s been about a week since I received the car, and overall I feel OK about the Ideal ONE.
When the battery is fully charged, the WLTC displays that the pure electric mileage can reach 150 km. Based on my driving habits, the actual range of the pure electric mileage should be around 120 km.
With just commuting as an example, it takes roughly two days to recharge. If I need to go somewhere farther, then I will have to recharge every day. It would be great if the pure electric range could reach 200 km.
When I picked up the car, I refueled the next day, which cost me roughly CNY 220 to fill the tank. The gauge showed that it could travel 510 km with a full tank. After factoring in my own driving habits, I estimate the total range of fuel and electricity to be about 600 km.
As for the driving experience of the Ideal ONE, it is a big car of over 5 meters, so the maneuverability cannot be compared with the small cars I drove before.When turning, the leaning feeling is more obvious, just like the feeling of sailing. It would be better if it had air suspension.
However, the space for a large vehicle is great, and it’s very convenient for a family to go out together.
Moreover, the interior definitely meets the expectations of the family. With four large screens full of technology and leather wrapped door panels, there are air conditioning vents in all three rows of the car, and the second-row seats are electrically adjustable.
However, there are also drawbacks. The seats are a bit hard, so the riding comfort is not very good.
If the third row of the 6-seat car is not folded down, the trunk space is a bit tight. After putting a storage box, there is not much space left for other large items.
When the air conditioning is turned on, the sound is a bit loud. It seems to be dissipating heat at the front, and it would be better if it could be a little quieter.
Also, the mobile app doesn’t feel that smart. You have to refresh it every time you open it, and sometimes there are connection failures with the vehicle.
The Bluetooth key for the mobile phone is not so friendly to Android phones. It cannot achieve the “keyless” entry and driving like a Tesla.
But overall, the Ideal ONE is pretty good.
Although it’s not a car with driving pleasure, it is definitely a qualified and even excellent dad car. But then again, don’t expect driving pleasure from this size of car.
Carrying the family comfortably in the traffic is its duty, not to embark on a passionate journey with a sword.The Idealse ONE has indeed made my life more ideal.
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.