This is a very special test drive, bringing the family to Dali, Yunnan, the beautiful Cangshan Erhai Sea, from the perspective of the media and the family as a user, in-depth experience of a recently popular MPV - GAC Toyota Syna.
SIENNA, known as the myth of North American sales, is a household name in the American market, and when it is introduced into domestic sales in parallel imports, although the price is extremely high, it can still sell a lot, from which it is not difficult to feel the love of the Chinese people for this MPV. Therefore, when GAC Toyota announced the introduction of SIENNA into domestic production, the market boiled over, expecting it to bring a new MPV experience that is both affordable and advanced, and also looking forward to it breaking the Buick GL8's unique high-end MPV market.
At the end of October, GAC Toyota Syna was listed, and the guidance price lower than the pre-price once again caused heated discussion, compared with the original parallel imported cars of more than 500,000, it greatly touched the consumption nerves of the Chinese people. In addition to the price, as the first MPV model under the TNGA architecture, can the performance of Xena's products meet expectations? This time we present it with a little different test drive content.
Family reviews
For models positioned for home use, in fact, most of the use scenarios are mainly based on the family of passengers, and their feelings largely determine whether the car is competent at the household level, but few brands specifically carry out large-scale test driving experience activities for this point. More than a month after going public, Xena organized a test drive tour in Dali with the participation of the media and family, deeply restoring the family outing scene, and I could also understand the different sides of Xena from the real feedback of my family.
In the Day Trip to Dali, our transportation is all Xena, and after a day's ride, the family gave two evaluations: comfortable and convenient.
Comfort is mainly reflected in the large sitting space. The body size of the Xena is a little smaller than the Buick GL8 and a little larger than the Kustu, which is in the middle and upper middle level of the same class, which has been able to reserve enough leg head space for the second and third rows. Even if the seats in the third row are inevitably like small benches, because there is more room for physical activity, the family sitting in the third row does not have much discomfort. It is worth mentioning that the second row of front and back movement distance, backrest adjustment angle (maximum adjustment angle of 81 °) are very large, want to sit higher or lower, or lie down, you can adjust as you like.
On this basis, Xena also has a partition independent automatic air conditioning, 11.6-inch rear video and audio entertainment system, heated ventilation seats and other comfort configurations, sitting in the back row of the family can adjust the air conditioning according to their own needs, on the way can also watch movies, listen to music, mobile phones are out of power in the second row, the third row can be easily found charging port, it can be said that completely have their own independent space, do not need to disturb the family who is driving.
And what is convenience? First of all, it is reflected in the abundance of storage space, whether it is the front, rear or trunk, Xena's performance is remarkable. Among them, the front and rear doors, two or three rows of seats have a lot of humanized storage design, you can easily place mobile phones, cards, keys, water cups and other items, and the front row of the center console is under an open storage space, coupled with the opening and depth of the armrest box, as well as large and small storage compartments, can fully meet the daily storage needs.
As for the trunk, it can be extended up to 2112L. In the case of the third row of standing, the depth of the Xena trunk is actually not large, but it is worth praising that the Xena pulled out a deep storage compartment in the trunk position, which can be stacked with more luggage items.
The ease of riding is also reflected in the ease of getting on and off the bus, with double-sided electric sliding doors, kick sensing and anti-pinch functions. Although the platform is relatively high, with the help of the longest on-board and off handrail of the same level, it is also very convenient to get on and off the car, and the passage in and out of the third row is also relatively large, getting rid of the embarrassing situation of bumping legs and heads in and out of the third row.
Comfortable and convenient, it is the most intuitive evaluation of Xena by the family. For ordinary family cars, it is already competent to be able to do these two things, but Sai na is a high-end model positioned in the range of 300,000-400,000, so its sense of luxury and grade are also very important. This point can already be perceived from the family's evaluations such as "the seat is comfortable to sit on", "the door handle is very textured to the touch", "the skylight has a good view", "the car is quiet", "the speech recognition is accurate" and so on.
Media reviews
As a driver in the family, after leaving the back seat for my family, my duty is to drive well. This time in Dali did not drive around the Erhai Sea, but shuttled through ancient cities, villages, etc., the road is small, the road conditions are complicated, and there are indeed some challenges for sai na, which is more than 5 meters long.
But to my surprise, driving the race in such conditions is completely stressless, because it has a wealth of driving assistance features. One of the most practical configurations for me is the multi-function streaming media rearview mirror, the rear blind spot warning system on the reversing side with auxiliary braking function, driving or parking in the case of many people and small roads, these two functions can well help the larger Syna to monitor the situation around the vehicle.
The Toyota Safety Sense Safety (Toyota Collision Avoidance Assist) on Xena is also worth mentioning. For example, Dali has a lot of two-way dual lanes, if you deviate from the lane, or forget to switch the lights, there will be a greater safety hazard, especially in the corner, at this time LTA lane tracking assistance system, AHB automatic adjustment of high beam system can help a lot.
In addition to these "assistants", the new enhanced version of the 2.5L HEV hybrid system equipped by Xena also plays a very important role in our family trip, and the comfort and quietness that the family feels in the ride also has a great credit for this set of always smooth power. From low speed to medium speed, and then to high-speed transformation, Xena's power output is flat and stable, linear, calm, sufficient, it seems to predict how much power you need next, in advance to be there, the throttle is stepped on, the power arrives, in one go, there is no abruptness and no delay, the whole process is comfortable.
In terms of driving control, the start of the race is not like the driver, the second is not like driving a big boat, the body roll is better suppressed when crossing the corner, the steering wheel steering is lighter and more accurate, even if the female user drives, she can have greater confidence.
Returning to the question at the beginning, can Xena meet consumer expectations for 300,000-400,000 home MPVs? Combined with my family's experience and my test drive, I think it's certain. Even if there are new cars such as Jiahua and Kusitu competing for glory in the same period this year, under the empowerment of Toyota TNGA, hybrid system, luxury technology, etc., Xena's high value is the most prominent, and the price is also reasonable. If you want to buy a fuel-efficient hybrid medium and large MPV, Sai Na is really the best choice.