The competition in the new energy model market is becoming increasingly fierce, new products of various car companies are emerging in an endless stream, and old products are constantly being updated iteratively. GAC Aion AION S was launched in 2019, and in just two years, it ushered in an upgraded version of the model - AION S Plus, and the upgraded model has made a lot of improvements in appearance, interior and configuration. Have you also made progress in terms of convenience for everyday use? We're going to put the car to a full test today from a practical point of view to see how well it performs.
Test vehicle: 2021 GAC Aion AION S Plus 80 Technology Edition
Official guidance price: 172,600 yuan
First, the functional configuration test link
AION S PLUS front side support keyless entry, while the four doors are equipped with induction unlock function, when holding the key close to the vehicle, the handle of the four doors will automatically unlock and pop out, and lock the car does not need to carry out any operation, out of the vehicle about 2m, the vehicle will automatically lock, very convenient. The AION S PLUS is not equipped with a one-touch start, just carry the key and sit in the car to start.
The exterior mirrors are adjusted with D-pads and are located in front of the main driver's window control area. When adjusting, you need to press the button on the side of the corresponding rearview mirror first, and then adjust it. During the adjustment process, the external rearview mirror has good synchronization and there is no obvious delay. In terms of configuration, the GAC Aion AION S PLUS high-end model tested has the functions of electric adjustment of exterior mirrors, electric folding, position memory, heating, automatic folding of the locked car and automatic roll-down of the reversing car.
The bonnet switch is located in the lower left of the front of the driver's seat, and when opening, you need to pull the in-car switch first, and then flip the switch inside the hatch and lift it with the trend. The left side of the cabin is equipped with a manual support rod, which is generally convenient to open.
Second, the comfort configuration test link
The driver's seat of the test owner is equipped with seat memory and heating functions. The front seats are electrically adjustable, and the control buttons are located under the cushions, which is easier to use. The settings of seat memory and heating function are integrated in the central control screen, and the interface of related functions can be opened through the shortcut menu bar, and the operation is not cumbersome.
In the main driver's seat test, the distance between the front and end of the AION S PLUS's driver's seat was 23 cm, and the seat travel range was moderate, which was able to meet the needs of most drivers.
The multi-function steering wheel only supports manual adjustment up and down, and after measurement, the steering wheel can be adjusted up and down at an angle of 9°. Although the angle adjustable range is relatively wide, because it does not support front and rear adjustment, the overall performance is not satisfactory, but in terms of actual measurements, the driver can still find a comfortable driving position relatively easily.
The rear of the AION S PLUS offers three headrests with large and soft padding on both sides that support up and down adjustment for effective support of the passenger's head. Although the middle headrest is slightly smaller, the actual experience is good.
The central armrests in the front are moderately spaced and the surface is wrapped in leather material for a comfortable touch. Although the armrest does not support any adjustment, due to its reasonable position, it can still provide some support for the driver's elbow, and the performance is acceptable.
Third, the multimedia configuration test link
AION S PLUS is equipped with a 14.6-inch suspension central control screen with a card layout, which is more convenient to use and operate. The system has built-in volcano car entertainment applications jointly developed by GAC Aean and ByteDance, including multiple apps such as Douyin video, watermelon video, and today's headlines, and other apps can be downloaded in the application market, but the number is small.
For the radio function with the most daily use frequency we have also tested, the radio system can be entered through the main screen and the menu page, after entering the radio interface, you can slide the number of axes in the middle of the screen directly to manually adjust the station, long press the favorite channel can be saved, the driver can choose the favorite channel according to preferences. When you click on "My Broadcasts", you can see your favorite channels, in addition to a variety of stations and radio programs.
AION S Plus has a total of 3 USB ports, one of which is a TYPE-C interface, and the 3 interfaces are located inside the front storage compartment and below the rear exhaust air outlet. At the same time, we also tested the voltage and current of each USB interface, of which the front USB interface voltage current is 5.1V and 1.48A, and the rear two USB interface voltage currents are 5.07V and 1.19A. The charging efficiency performance is satisfactory.
The AION S PLUS is equipped with AutoNavi navigation, which is simple and convenient to operate. Destination input supports a variety of input methods, of which the speech recognition rate is high, and it is recommended to use it daily. In addition, handwriting input is also more convenient, the navigation system supports the toponymic association function, after entering the destination, the navigation system will provide a variety of paths to choose from by default, of course, the driver can also plan their own route. The full LCD meter can simultaneously display navigation information, including route guidance and distance display.
Fourth, the space configuration test link
As a space test closely related to consumers, in the previous test drive manuscript of "Small Renovation and Big Upgrade Test Drive GAC AION S Plus", we have already experienced its riding space, and this time we will test it in terms of contact with the same storage space in daily life.
The knob shift is surrounded by storage slots and cup holders, and the wireless charging pad on the front is perfect for placing the phone. The storage space at the front door panels, glove box and central armrest box is decent, but the interior details are slightly rough and made of plastic. Overall, the amount of storage space in the front row is moderate, and the volume is mostly relatively generous, and the location is reasonable to take items and conveniently, which can meet the needs of daily use.
The rear storage space is basically based on the door panel storage slot and the front seat rear side pocket, and the rear storage bag adopts a double-layer design, which can place a lot of debris, which is very convenient to use. The AION S PLUS is equipped with a rear central armrest with two cup holders with finite positioners, and the rear storage space is remarkable.
The volume of the trunk is not large, and the spatial regularity is relatively general due to the encroachment of the wheel arch. The trunk is not equipped with anchorages. The trunk is not equipped with a switch, only need to carry the key to stand at the back of the car for 3-4 seconds, you can automatically open, but after opening, you need to manually lift, the experience is poor.
For the basic values required for the daily needs of the trunk, we also measured the maximum width of the opening of 141cm, the length of the opening was 110cm, the vertical height of the trunk floor and the internal roof was 55cm, and the depth of the trunk was 118cm.
Fifth, the security configuration test link
In the vehicle front and rear vision test, all seats in the car have been adjusted to the lowest state, and the measured data has some deviations from the normal use of the driver, for reference only.
In the test forward vision phase, we used a 70 cm high pile bucket as a reference and then adjusted the distance until the upper edge of the pile bucket was visible in the main driver's seat. After testing, the final measured data of the pile barrel and the front of the car was 309cm, which was at an average level among the tested models of the same class and performed better.
In the rear vision test, the pile bucket is still fixed and placed, and then the vehicle is moved until the upper edge of the pile bucket can be observed, and the measured distance is 1870cm.
When testing the field of view of the exterior mirror, the tester first asks the tester to stand at a vertical distance of 10m of the left and right rearview mirrors, and then begins to move to the left and right sides until it appears at the outermost edge of the rearview mirror on both sides, and the lateral distance is measured. Then, calculated by a formula, the angle angle of the mirror's field of view can be derived. The larger the angle, the smaller the blind area of the mirror field, and conversely, the larger the blind spot of the mirror field.
The exterior mirrors on both sides of the AION S PLUS are not equipped with double curvature mirrors, and the size of the mirrors is small, so the field of view is average, and the final test result is 20.5° on the left and 19.2° on the right, which is in the lower middle level of the same class of models tested.
During the test, the AION S PLUS's rear reversing radar began to sense the object behind it at a maximum distance of 135cm, and the detection distance was relatively far. The subsequent interval of each distance of the radar is generally mastered, not particularly linear, and is roughly divided into 4 segments, and the beep of the prompt tone is clearer. Referring to the previous test experience, the closer to 25cm in the continuous beeping stage, the closer it is to daily use habits. Judging from the measured data, the nearest prompt distance of the AION S PLUS rear radar is 30cm, which is slightly different from the experience value, so it is necessary to pay attention to observation when actually reversing.
The front radar beep is also divided into 4 segments, the farthest can sense the object in front of it at 110cm, and the nearest prompt distance of the radar is 27cm, which is generally more in line with daily use habits.
The test vehicle is equipped with a 360-degree panoramic image system, the auxiliary line can be changed according to the steering wheel rotation angle, the picture clarity is high, the distortion situation is not serious, and the look and feel is quite good. In the picture, the virtual image of the vehicle can be displayed in the external environment captured by the camera, and the angle can be moved at will, so that the driver can better observe the situation around the vehicle.
In daily use, vehicles often encounter turning or U-turns, and the minimum turning radius of the vehicle is very important at this time. The minimum turning radius refers to the circular radius of the trajectory that rolls over the support plane in the center of the outer steering wheel when the steering wheel is turned to the limit position and the car is steering at the lowest stable speed. The smaller the turning radius, the better the maneuverability of the car. Know the minimum turning radius of your car, and know what to expect when the vehicle turns or makes a U-turn to avoid scratching and other situations. After actual measurement, the turning radius of the AION S PLUS is 4.6m, which is in the middle and upper reaches of the same level of the tested model, and it can complete the U-turn with relative ease.
AION S PLUS in addition to the driver's seat is not equipped with a handle, the rest of the position are equipped with a car handle, the car handle is necessary for people with limited mobility, and for passengers in the bumpy road safety can also play a certain auxiliary role.
Sixth, charging test
In terms of battery life, the outdoor temperature is 2 degrees above zero, and the actual driving range in 45 minutes in Normal driving mode is 24km, and the performance range is 57km. Among them, the warm air 2 gear is opened throughout the whole process, and the temperature is set to 31 degrees, which is speculated to affect the accuracy of the meter mileage to a certain extent. In terms of charging, after actual measurement, the use of 120kW fast charging, charging power is basically maintained at about 45kW. Charging for half an hour, the battery charge from 22% to 60%, the charging speed is ideal, and it is basically consistent with the expected time of the vehicle computer.
summary
Overall, the AION S Plus has reasonable storage space, safety and technology configuration are very rich, and I am personally quite satisfied with the overall performance of this car. However, there is still room for improvement in some details, such as the advantage of the trunk induction opening, but with the manual way, it seems a bit chicken ribs. In addition, the interior vision of the car is not as good as expected, and the field of view of the front and exterior rearview mirrors is slightly lower than the average of the same level. However, as a family car, GAC Aion S Plus is still worth affirming in terms of practicality.