The popularity of SUV models has been obvious in recent years, both domestically and globally, but people’s pursuit of youthful appearance and handling has not weakened at all. It gave birth to a crossover model that combines a sedan and an SUV. Whether we call this type of vehicle a crossover SUV or a coupe SUV, people hope to combine the advantages of both types of vehicles.
At this year’s Chengdu Auto Show, Weilai released its third car, the EC6. The overall size of the model is similar to that of the ES6. It is not an exaggeration to understand it as a coupe version of the ES6. EC6 can be regarded as the beginning of the coupe SUV series of the NIO brand. This currently the only pure electric coupe SUV in China has attracted great attention from everyone once it was released.
Compared with traditional car companies, new power brands must be more radical in terms of technology. It can be said that whether it is in terms of car machines or autonomous driving assistance, they are definitely more exciting. The autonomous driving assistance function on this Weilai EC6 gave Che Yunju a big surprise, and even felt it was very magical.
What is the difference from ES6? ?
Many friends who are interested in EC6 want to know the specific differences between it and ES6. First of all, the biggest difference is the exterior design of the two cars. The EC6 is positioned as a coupe-type SUV with a fastback shape and a panoramic glass roof, while the ES6 is a traditional SUV model. This is also The biggest difference between the two. In addition, Himalayan brown upholstery and fabric-trimmed seats have been added to the interior.
Will intelligent navigation work? ?
Not long ago, NIO officially launched the Navigate on Pilot (NOP) navigation assistance function, becoming the second brand after Tesla to have this function. At present, automatic driving assistance has become one of the main configurations promoted by many car manufacturers. NIO is equipped with three current cameras, 5 millimeter-wave radars, 4 surround-view cameras and 12 parking radars (6 in the front and 6 in the rear). , it can be said that in terms of hardware configuration, Weilai EC6 can be said to be not afraid of any competing products.
NIO Pilot provides ACC intelligent cruise, lane departure warning, lane keeping, blind spot monitoring, traffic sign/vehicle and pedestrian recognition and other functions. NOP, on the other hand, can rely on high-precision maps to have stronger global path planning capabilities, and can automatically enter and exit ramps, merge lanes, automatically adjust speed limits, and other more technological and humane functions. Of course, opening also requires certain safety conditions. Taking Beijing as an example, it can only be used on the Fifth Ring Road and beyond. When navigating a route through the map, icons for road sections that allow NIO Pilot to be turned on will also appear on the map.
The test drive route included traffic jams, highways, national highways and other road conditions. Che Yunju also had a detailed experience of the NIO Pilot automatic driving assistance system and NOP pilot assistance function in different scenarios. It really brought us a lot of surprises.
After turning on NIO Pilot on the steering wheel, the pilot screen will be displayed on the instrument panel, and a blue circle will appear under the car icon in the instrument panel. After turning on NOP, a blue light band will appear on the original display, which indicates that the NOP pilot assist function has been successfully switched.
What should be clear here is that currently any automatic driving assistance function does not allow the operation of hands off the steering wheel, and of course the same is true for Weilai EC6. Because the steering wheel uses a torque sensor, if the system prompts you to hold the steering wheel, you can turn the steering wheel slightly left or right to turn off the reminder.
In NOP mode, Weilai EC6 can accurately realize on- and off-ramps and intelligent lane changing functions. You can change lanes by turning on the turn signal to confirm. When the vehicle is traveling at high speed and the vehicle ahead is traveling at a speed significantly lower than the speed specified in the lane, the automatic lane changing function will be triggered. And the rear radar monitors whether there is an oncoming car in the other lane, and within a safe distance, it automatically turns on the steering and completes the lane change action to the left or right.
If a vehicle suddenly merges from behind during the lane change process, the system will remind the driver through images and sounds and will not perform the lane change action temporarily. The front and rear millimeter-wave radars can identify pedestrians, bicycles and trucks. When a vehicle gets too close, it will automatically activate a 360° panoramic image to display the surrounding conditions.
Although this system relies on Baidu's high-definition map to do an excellent job in route planning and driving assistance, it is understandable that people will make mistakes in some complex road conditions, let alone a car.
In general, the purpose of this system is to appropriately relieve your driving fatigue under relatively good road conditions. It has not yet fully reached the level of autonomous driving, so safety is a priority. You still have to be tight at all times. ?
The ACC adaptive cruise system on Weilai EC6 has a follow-to-stop function. If it encounters other vehicles while driving, it can forcibly merge into the lane. The system recognition rate is also very fast and the braking force is strong. Moderation will not make you feel unstoppably scared. ?
It is smooth and easy to drive. Is it a powerful "small car"?
The dynamic performance of NIO EC6 is similar to other models of the brand, and it is still at the level of NIO's preference for comfort tuning. Thanks to the air suspension, it can be lowered in sport mode. The sports version of the model we tested used front and rear 160kW permanent magnet motors, which still showed the rapid acceleration of pure electric models. It only takes 4.5 seconds to complete 0-100Km/h. This is enough to make your blood boil and make you breathless. And compared to the ES6, the suspension support has also gone up a level, which is especially helpful for handling in corners.
As for the steering, it is still NIO’s traditional electronic-flavored tuning. NIO EC6 has different steering force feedback in different driving modes. When in comfort mode, the original factory's brisk steering adjustment is definitely worthy of praise. In terms of vehicle directivity, even when the speed exceeds 100km/h, it can still ensure accuracy. To be honest, compared with other brands of pure electric SUVs, NIO EC6 has given Che Yunji a great advantage. driving confidence.
It is worth mentioning that in terms of braking feel, the four-piston calipers manufactured by Brembo did not disappoint. It does have that linear feel. It can handle daily car following and emergency braking situations with ease. The adjustment of brake linearity has always been the most important point for Che Yunji, and Weilai EC6 has done a great job in this aspect.
Finally, let’s talk about the comfort of the chassis. The vehicle’s ups and downs during driving are well controlled, not too soft or too hard. When driving on some potholed roads, the air suspension can almost filter it, which is a great plus for the comfort of the passengers in the car.
In general, the NIO EC6 can be said to be a very high-quality car in terms of driving experience. It is not only reflected in the control, but also in the NVH performance in the car and the quality of the sound. It shows the qualities that a luxury coupe SUV should have. Although Che Yunju doesn’t know what brand these 12 speakers in the car are from, but with the performance of NIO? 5.1 immersive surround sound and 6 sound field modes, playing a song of "Hotel California" by the Eagles will make you Experience the immersive feeling.
What are the upgrade points for smart cars? ?
The intelligent digital cockpit is one of the highlights of all NIO models. Almost all control functions of the vehicle are concentrated on this high-definition screen. If you are a new user, you may have to get used to it first. some time. In order to adapt to consumers' car-using habits, NIO uses Baidu Maps on the main interface of the car. On the right side are commonly used shortcuts that can be edited by yourself, and at the bottom is the air conditioner. In addition, responsive tabs can be slid out in four directions: up, down, left, and right.
On this test car, the car system has been updated to the latest NIO OS 2.7.0 version, and more than 20 functional optimizations have made the car more intelligent. The video uses iQiyi, the music is QQ Music, and the navigation is Baidu Map Navigation. It can be said that it fully covers daily usage needs, especially in the navigation experience, functions such as route planning and speed limit reminders are particularly accurate. .
This time Weilai EC6 provides three interior colors, which are technology black, speed gray and the new main color Himalayan brown. A large area of ??Nappa leather material is used in the interior materials, which has a delicate feel, is environmentally friendly and wear-resistant, and can also eliminate visual reflections. The ceiling has also been replaced with Microfiber super fiber velvet material. In addition, the surface material of the central control panel was changed from the original piano paint to a material similar to brushed metal, which also solved the problem of fingerprint residue. The mobile phone wireless charging pad was replaced with a multi-coil, and the power was increased from 5W to 10W.
So, it can be seen that Weilai has put a lot of effort into creating a luxurious atmosphere in the entire interior of EC6 this time, making the entire interior look more advanced and textured. No matter what the future direction of interior development is, at least for now, this can greatly increase the "friendliness" of the interior, allowing people to sit in the car and reduce the impression of the cold plastic texture of electric vehicles. This is also more in line with NIO The main high-end route.
What’s the scenery behind the coupe-shaped B-pillar?
Like other brothers in the family, NIO EC6 looks like a luxury car no matter which angle you look at it. feeling. In particular, this coupe-style design gives it a naturally sporty temperament. The front part of the car also uses the same split light group design as the ES6. But if you look closely, you can see that some chrome trim strips have been added to the interior of the grille to enhance the overall effect. Does this give it a different feel?
The appearance of NIO EC6 focuses on the side. The fastback shape and slightly raised duck tail design form the perfect side curve of NIO EC6. It is understood that the duck tail shape is inherited from EP9 With track genes, it can obtain the best aerodynamics when driving at high speeds, with a drag coefficient as low as 0.26Cd. The vehicle has a visual experience of being ready to go, which is both dynamic and elegant. This is also what Che Yunju finds most attractive, including but not limited to young people.
NIO EC6 is positioned as a luxury mid-size SUV, with body dimensions of 4850/1965/1731 (1714) mm and a wheelbase of 2900mm. This size is larger than the Audi Q5L or Mercedes-Benz GLC. It is spacious. In addition, the roof is equipped with an integrated dome-type glass roof, which is integrated with the fastback rear window, but cannot be opened. The material is double-layer high-strength tempered glass with a size of 2.1㎡, which can insulate more than 83% of heat and 99.9% of ultraviolet rays, providing a sense of open space and transparency in the car.
As for the space that is of greatest concern, in fact, among mid-sized SUVs, the driving space of the EC6 is relatively average, especially because its fastback shape will somewhat affect the rear head space, which is not the same as that of the EC6. Compared with ES6, it is definitely not that realistic. However, because the all-glass roof further reduces the thickness of the roof, it will not make passengers feel cramped or depressed, so you don't actually have to worry too much about headroom.
Cheyun summary?
Coupe-shaped SUV models can be said to be a trend in the development of SUV models at the moment. Whether they are luxury brands, joint venture brands or independent brands, they are almost Launched its own brand of coupe SUV models. The reason why this type of SUV is so popular among the public is precisely because this streamlined body inherently symbolizes movement and individuality. New energy vehicles have the natural advantage of launching coupe SUVs.
Speaking of price, Tesla does have a certain price advantage at present. The domestic Model 3 standard battery life version has been priced at 250,000, and in the future there will be an equally cost-effective Model Y. The lowest price of NIO EC6 is 368,000 yuan. If you choose the battery-swap version, the price after subsidies is basically around 280,000 yuan. However, with the larger size of ES6 and EC6 and NIO’s more considerate service and energy replenishment system, they are also very competitive.
But anyway, this time I got to know and understand NIO again. Its progress is amazing. If I were given another chance to choose a new energy vehicle, I would embrace NIO. .
This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.