Since the second-generation Highlander officially entered the country in 2007, Chinese really had a concept for a very practical 7-seat mid-size SUV. And thanks to the earlier relationship of occupying the market, Highlander also has an excellent mass base, coupled with its own continuous iteration, so Highlander has always been the leader in medium-sized SUVs in terms of product strength and popularity, and the new Highlander has become the lowest fuel consumption player in the 7 medium-sized SUV camps with the fourth-generation THS II hybrid system.
The ultra-low fuel consumption is a devastating blow to Highlander's competitors, after all, fuel consumption is the largest future car expenditure. It is reasonable to say that Toyota should hold on to this hybrid system that is unbeatable in the 7-seat SUV camp and rely on its advantages to stand alone. But what is unexpected is that Toyota has licensed its own hybrid system to GAC, and it is still given the latest, the new Highlander fourth-generation THS II hybrid system! As a result, the new Trumpchi GS8 dual engine version equipped with Toyota THS II hybrid technology was launched, and also matched with a more powerful 2.0T engine, starting at only 228,800, which was nearly 100,000 cheaper than the new Highlander with similar configuration... This makes people wonder, is there still a need to buy Highlander now?!
Fourth-generation THS-II hybrid system
Before talking about power, we must first know that after GAC got the THS II hybrid technology from Toyota, it means that there is no difference in the electric drive part between the GS8 dual engine and the Highland dual engine. Both use a planetary gear set structure, at low speeds to drive the motor by electric power; after the speed is increased, the engine will intervene with the drive motor to drive the vehicle, and charge the battery through the generator; and the drive motor of the dual-engine Trumpchi GS8 is the same as that of the dual-engine Highlander, with a maximum power of 134 kilowatts (182 hp) and a maximum torque of 270 Nm.
But the difference is that the new Highlander engine is a 192-horsepower 2.5L naturally aspirated engine, while the GS8 dual engine is a 2.0T engine with 190 horsepower. If you look at the horsepower alone, the gap between the two can be said to be minimal, but in terms of torque, the hybrid GS8, with the advantage of the turbine, is 82 N·m more than the Highlander, reaching 320N·m, and the maximum torque speed is also advanced from the Highlander's 4200 rpm to 1500 rpm. It is precisely because of the obvious difference in torque that the GS8 and Highlander, which use the same hybrid system, have a fundamental difference in power.
For example, when driving on the expressway at a speed of 60-80 km/h, the output power of the drive motor in the Toyota THS II hybrid system has dropped to a very low proportion of total power, and more rely on the engine to drive the vehicle to accelerate. At this point, the GS8, which can burst more torque at lower speeds, has a clear advantage, and with a slight increase in throttle depth, the vehicle can provide good power feedback. The new Highlander, which I had test-driven before, was difficult to show the feeling of calmness and idleness of the Trumpchi GS8 dual engine when speeding up at medium and high speed, and every time the speed needed to be raised to achieve the acceleration of the GS8 dual engine small throttle opening. And the time spent by Highlander waiting for the speed of the 2.5L self-priming engine to climb is no different from the GS8 dual engine 2.0T turbine starting time, and it has not shown the advantage of fast response of the self-priming engine.
The predecessor GS8 dual engine zero hundred acceleration time
In the low-speed range where the drive motor dominates the power supply, because the GS8 and Highlander both use the same hybrid system, there is no difference in the power performance of the two, and the power release and response speed when accelerating can provide an excellent feeling close to that of an electric vehicle. However, if it comes to a sharp acceleration situation that requires a big foot throttle, because the engine will drive the wheels together with the drive motor, the high torque advantage of the 2.0T engine on the GS8 dual engine will be revealed again, showing the sensory acceleration experience of crushing highlander. After actual measurement, the 0-100km/h acceleration time of the front-drive GS8 dual engine is 7.85 seconds. For comparison, the four-wheel drive hybrid Highlander using a 2.5L naturally aspirated engine generally breaks around 8.3 seconds. Considering that the toyota dual-engine version of the four-wheel drive version generally accelerates faster than the two-wheel drive version, so if there is no accident, the four-wheel drive version of the GS8 dual engine will feel more powerful!
In general, better power often indicates higher fuel consumption. However, after my actual measurements, the GS8 dual engine equipped with a 2.0T engine is not much different from the fuel consumption of highlander. This is mainly because the GS8 dual engine 2.0T engine and highlander's 2.5L self-priming, like highlander, use a Miller cycle that can greatly improve thermal efficiency, that is, by closing the valve late, so that the engine achieves the effect of compression ratio less than expansion ratio, in exchange for higher engine thermal efficiency. In the end, the GS8, a 2.0T engine with 190 horsepower, achieved a thermal efficiency of 40.23%, winning the title of the highest thermal efficiency among the current global mass production 2.0T engines. At this time, coupled with the fact that both use the fourth-generation Toyota THS II hybrid system, the fuel consumption of the GS8 dual engine is almost the same as that of the Highlander.
Specific to the numbers, after my several days of test drive, the GS8 dual engine in the congestion, slow travel and pure high-speed comprehensive road conditions, with an average speed of 34.9km / h, ran out of the apparent fuel consumption of 6.7L/ 100km. Considering that the comprehensive fuel consumption of highland dual engine on the owner fuel consumption inquiry website - Bear fuel consumption is 6.73L/100km, if the GS8 dual engine's apparent fuel consumption is accurate enough, there is really no difference in fuel consumption between the two.
Specific to different working conditions, the GS8 dual engine runs out of fuel consumption of 6.1L/100km on Beijing's more congested morning peak expressway. The fuel consumption on the unimpeded expressway is 5.7L/100km, while the fuel consumption on the high-speed highway is 6.6L/100km, and the fuel consumption performance is excellent in all working conditions.
However, it should be emphasized that the external temperature when I was driving in Beijing has dropped to about zero degrees, so for hybrid models, the engine heating time will increase significantly, and the engine temperature loss caused by the vehicle crash wind will be more obvious, and the engine often appears because the temperature becomes lower, resulting in the engine needs to restart the heating situation, which will undoubtedly have a negative impact on fuel consumption, and will also cause insufficient temperature supply of vehicle heating. In fact, the solution to this problem is very simple, just by equipping the active intake grille that can control the opening and closing of the front grille, the negative impact of cold air can be blocked. But unfortunately, the GS8 dual engine does not have this configuration... And Highlander also does not have this configuration...
Although trumpchi GS8 dual engine and Highlander use the same hybrid system, and the fuel consumption performance of the two is almost the same, in the actual driving process, this hybrid system shows some different characteristics on the two cars, and directly causes the two to win and lose in terms of hybrid texture. In a nutshell, in the low- and medium-speed electric drive state, the highlander's texture is better than the GS8 dual engine. In the high-speed state with gasoline engine as the main power supply, the hybrid texture of the GS8 dual engine is better than that of the Highlander. Let's explain the advantages and disadvantages of the same hybrid system in both.
Friends who have driven electric vehicles should have more or less heard the high-frequency whistle generated by the surge in speed when the motor is out. Perhaps because Trumpchi is not so experienced in making hybrid models, when doing sound insulation for the GS8 dual engine, it has not been able to isolate the high-frequency whistle of the new friend of the motor. When the vehicle is driving in pure electric mode at a low speed, the motor emits a sharp sound similar to the sound of electric currents with each acceleration of the vehicle. Even when the speed of the car increases and the engine intervenes to work together, the current sound of the motor is still so obvious. On the other hand, in contrast, the car, in addition to the state of rapid acceleration, the motor is quiet when running.
However, when the speed of the vehicle was accelerated to the high-speed stage with the engine as the main power supply, the power texture of the GS8 dual engine and the Highlander underwent a 180-degree change. The first is the jitter and noise when the engine intervenes, and the performance of the GS8 dual engine is significantly better than that of the Highlander. If you are not in a quieter idle environment, you will not feel when the GS8 dual engine entered and when it exited. When Highlander's engine intervenes, there is always a slight vibration that will be perceived by the driver through the accelerator pedal. Not only that, but at high speed cruising or accelerating sharply, the engine noise of the GS8 dual engine is significantly less than that of the Highlander. More critically, in the state of rapid acceleration, the sound texture of the GS8 dual engine 2.0T engine transmitted to the car is far more beautiful than the Highlander's dry and dry wave like a roar.
Overall, in addition to the whistle of the motor, the running texture of the new GS8 dual engine is slightly better than that of the Highlander. To have such a result, in addition to the tradition of domestic cars consistently stacking sound insulation materials, it is also indispensable to the GS8 double engine, double rubberized glass and Michelin PS4 SUV tires.
Regarding the last part of the GS8 dual engine dynamics, let's talk about how this car is driving in daily life. First of all, the conclusion is that this is a model that is more suitable for the driving habits of the Chinese people, but it does not have highlander tuning seasoned models. Let's start with the turning feel. For a medium-sized 7-seat SUV like the GS8, which is 5 meters long and 1.95 meters wide, it is easy for the driver to feel stressed and afraid when driving without special tuning and optimization of the big car. To solve this problem, the GS8 Dual Engine has focused on optimizing the vehicle's field of view and steering feel.
In terms of eliminating the blind spot of the big car, the GS8 relies on the sitting position on the top and reduces the blind spot of the vehicle to make a good response. In terms of steering feel, the GS8 creates a sense of car experience for the driver through the light hand feel of all three driving modes, which is not difficult to control the vehicle. Thanks to this optimization and tuning setting, the GS8 ultimately has a larger size than the Highlander, while also providing the driver with a smaller subjective handling experience than the Highlander.
But Cheng also turned to the feel, and the defeat also turned to the feel. Perhaps in order to improve the stability of large vehicles in the face of crosswinds at high speeds, when the speed exceeds 70km/h, the GS8's steering damping will have a significant increase, to provide the driver with a very obvious sense of vehicle centering. Specifically, when you drive the GS8 to change the line at high speed, the steering wheel becomes extremely heavy.
Unexpectedly, this heavy steering damping only exists within 10° of the steering wheel rotation angle required for the vehicle to change lanes at high speed, so when I left the high speed and entered the large-angle ramp, the damping sensation that the GS8 had just pulled full disappeared without a trace, directly transformed into a light steering damping setting, and there was no gradual adaptation process left for the driver in the middle. And this kind of damping light and heavy jumping will also appear in the high-speed and bending road conditions. That's where I'm not too happy with the GS8's turn.
In addition to the steering feel, the GS8's suspension setting is also not so friendly to high-speed corners. On shelf, the slightly tight suspension of the GS8 can provide good support for the vehicle, and the action of the suspension when handling vibration is also very clean and clean, but once the high-speed cornering scene is encountered, the front of the car will have a significant sagging action in the process of weight transfer to the outer wheels. At this time, on the contrary, the Highlander, although the car did not take the sports route, but in the face of a small fierce driving, the steering and suspension will not exist in this "jumping" situation, and there will be too obvious pitch and roll. This can also be seen in the depth of Toyota's global manufacturer's ability in body design and adjustment.
Everyone should know that the initial section of the brake pedal stroke of the hybrid model is the electric brake by the motor through kinetic energy recovery, and the middle and rear section is the mechanical brake carried out by the caliper, because the brake pedal of the hybrid model will involve the calibration of the motor electric brake program, the connection between the electric brake and the mechanical brake, as well as the coordination of the electric brake, the mechanical brake and the engine brake, so it is a very difficult thing to adjust. Even Toyota, a manufacturer that has been operating hybrids for 20 years, will occasionally have brake pedal adjustments and play abnormally on individual hybrid models. So when the brake pedals of the new GS8 Dual Engine revealed some minor flaws, I wasn't surprised at all.
In the actual experience, the disadvantage of the GS8 dual-engine brake pedal adjustment is that when the driver steps on the same braking stroke, the actual braking force of the vehicle will vary due to the difference in speed. As a result, the braking force of the vehicle will sometimes be slightly greater than the driver's expectations, and sometimes it will be slightly less than the driver's expectations. This situation has never occurred in Highlander, highlander's foot feeling will be closer to the traditional gasoline car, and the connection between electric brake and mechanical brake is very smooth, there will be no sense of separation at all, and no additional adaptation is required. Overall, the performance of the GS8 dual engine has been good, and the single-engine is also a good model, but compared to toyota, which is as stable as an old dog, there is indeed a certain gap in the adjustment of the details.
After talking about driving, let's finally look at the static performance of the new GS8. In fact, the reason why the new GS8 has attracted a lot of attention as soon as it was launched, in addition to using the same Toyota hybrid, and the price of nearly 100,000 cheaper than the Highlander, the main reason is that its appearance is indeed eye-catching enough. The huge size of the car and the use of a large area of diamond-shaped mesh in the front face even give the GS8 a degree that allows the front car to feel a strong sense of oppression from the rearview mirror. And in the few days I've been driving the GS8, I've found that the car's turnover rate on the road is no less than when I drove a million sports cars before.
The 14.6-inch giant central control screen gives the GS8 a simple and technological interior look. Although the integration of the air conditioning control system in the central control screen will lose a certain ease of use, the GS8 still ensures a certain convenience by adding an air conditioning switch and a front windshield defogging button in the middle of the central air conditioning outlet (in the red box pictured above).
Also technologically pleasing is the 12.3-inch LCD meter, which offers two instrument styles, one of which is a conventional instrument with a strong Toyota hybrid style, suitable for daily use. The other is a navigation map-based interface, which is suitable for long-distance driving.
In addition, the GS8 has an ACC-specific instrument style, which is only displayed on the meter when the ACC is activated.
For a 7-seat SUV, space is crucial. When I adjusted my sitting position at 174cm tall, I had two punches in the front row.
It is worth emphasizing that the main driver's seat of the GS8 is very long, and this kind of seat cushion length that can be directly topned to my calf is the first time I have encountered it in my test drive career. Not only that, but on the GS8's fuel and dual-engine top models, the main driver's seat also provides an electric leg rest function, which can provide perfect thigh support for drivers of almost any height, thereby reducing the feeling of leg fatigue when driving.
Enter the second row while the front seat remains still and place the backrest angle to the most reclining, where the second row has head space with one punch and two fingers and two punches of leg space.
Adjust the leg space in the second row to a punch margin into the third row, and the third row of leg allowance in the GS8 is four fingers, and the head space is three fingers. This kind of spatial performance is already very good for a mid-size SUV. However, it should be noted that the lower seats in the third row cause a 4-finger gap between the end of my thigh and the seat, which is also a problem that all 7-seat SUVs currently encounter.
The third row of the GS8 also has a very user-friendly design, that is, the electric seat storage. Although it will be slightly slower in terms of speed than manual, for some girls who are short and have little strength, electric storage will save them the time and effort required to store the seat. In addition, the second row of the GS8 also supports the one-button reclining of the trunk button, which is convenient for the handling of large luggage.
After test driving the new GS8 dual engine, I found that this car does not conflict with the Highlander. Among them, the GS8 will be more tasteful to Chinese consumers with a better sense of driving quality and a high-tech interior. The Highlander is still as steady as an old dog in terms of tuning, which is more suitable for those who are critical of driving experience. Just considering the nearly 100,000 yuan difference between the two, if your usual driving state is not as sensitive as when the car reviewer works, then the GS8 dual engine is obviously the more cost-effective choice. Of course, if you prefer the "Bullhead" Logo, that's a different story