[Aika Car Test Drive Original]
In my impression, Chery Automobile has been desperately trying to show everyone the image of its "science man" and "technical house". Although Chery has strong capabilities in engine technology, power matching and chassis research and development, it does have a strong voice in the industry. However, in today's era of good looks, Chery's products are too moderate in design style, and it is indeed difficult to meet the needs of post-90s and even post-00s consumer groups for personality and fashion. And like the Changan UNI series, Wei brand's "coffee" and Geely's various "Yue", they have all succeeded in fanning fans with high value. Nowadays, the "science man" has finally broken out, isn't it design? Let OMODA5 show you what the future holds!
The model of this experience is the 2022 Chery OMODA 5 (tentative) 1.6T DCT version. Although the official has not announced the detailed configuration information, from the configuration level of this test drive, it will be a medium and high-end or top-end model after the future listing. It should be noted that Chery OMODA 5 has not yet finalized the Chinese name of the model, and the official car name will not be revealed until the pre-sale or official release, and this article will temporarily introduce its international version of the name - Chery OMODA 5.
In terms of design, Chery OMODA 5 has indeed subverted our previous understanding of Chery brand design. The overall use of the "Art in motion" design concept to create, the skin futuristic front face shape, with a split headlight group, in the design is not only avant-garde enough, but even with a little two-dimensional style.
The large area of the front of the car, the unbounded matrix grille, using the current very popular independent design elements. And in order to highlight the personality, the interior of the grille is also embellished with "diamond" decorations. The design of the unbounded matrix grille not only makes the visual overall sense of the front of the car stronger, but also more conducive to reducing the wind resistance of the front of the car, so as to achieve the effect of reducing fuel consumption and wind noise.
To create a more sporty atmosphere, Chery OMODA 5 is equipped with a sporty body kit, including a black piano lacquered front lip, rims, side skirts, exterior mirror trim covers, and under the rear of the car under the car... Paired with the avant-garde exterior style of the OMODA 5, it can be said that it complements each other.
Officially, the headlights of the OMODA 5 are called "dynamic sharp" designs, with slim LED daytime running lights above the front of the car, while also taking into account the turn signal function. Below are far/near split full LED headlights and fog light units.
At first, everyone speculated that chery OMODA 5 would be a medium-sized SUV, and then in the exposed data, the size was close to that of the compact SUV. Finally, Chery OMODA 5 finally determined the model positioning of the small SUV, which can be described as a twist and turn. Chery OMODA 5 has a length, width and height of 4400*1830*1588mm and a wheelbase of 2630mm. Such data, if compared with compact SUVs, presumably does not account for any advantage, but if compared with small SUVs, the pressure is much less.
However, on the side of the car, we can see that Chery OMODA 5 does not adopt the popular hidden door handle design, but still uses the traditional door handle shape. However, the configuration is not shabby, keyless entry, keyless start, lock car electric folding rearview mirrors and other functions are readily available.
Chery OMODA 5 has a sneaky rear style, the roof is designed with a downward pressure design behind the B-pillar, and is equipped with a double-layer progressive tail. Through the same high-gloss black door frame and column, combined with the speed of light movement waistline, to create a floating roof of the visual sense.
The Chery OMODA 5 high-end model for this experience comes standard with 18-inch two-tone aluminum alloy wheels. And depending on the color of the body, the color coating on the rim will also be consistent. In terms of tire configuration, Chery OMODA 5 original factory adopts UltraContact UC6 tires with a specification of 215/55 R18, and the retail price is about 900 yuan / strip. In addition to the 18-inch rim specifications, entry-level and mid-range models are also available in 16- and 17-inch rim sizes and styles.
Experience Chery OMODA 5: Polytechnic Male Great Metamorphosis
In terms of interior design, the interior style of Chery OMODA 5 basically includes most of the popular elements. The asymmetrical design of the center console allows the driver to easily view the machine and operation, while also making the interior look not monotonous and rigid. The design of the central control dual screen can enhance the technical atmosphere of the interior to a certain extent, and it is also the design commonly used by the current models with the main technology configuration.
The layering of the center console is very clear, and the air conditioning outlet in the front row is connected by the decorative strips that run through it, and it is connected with the door panel trim strips to form a wrap-around cockpit design. The steering wheel has a sporty flat design and is surrounded by perforated leather materials on both sides, which can be described as sporty. The 3/9 o'clock position is also equipped with multi-function buttons, physical buttons + dial wheel design, only need to be simple to get started, you can blindly operate when driving.
12.3-inch full LCD dashboard, display effect and clarity performance are not to say, belongs to the current mainstream level. The instrument theme can change with the switching of driving mode, the animation effect is very smooth, the feedback for the control is more timely, and there is no obvious stuttering.
After a day of test driving experience, the accuracy of the voice recognition system is still quite good, through the voice control system, you can control the sunroof, air conditioning, seat heating, navigation and other functions, basically can cover the vast majority of our daily use of the car when the physical operation. And the speech recognition system will also support multiple languages including Chinese, Spanish, Arabic, Russian and English to meet the car needs of consumers around the world.
And it is worth mentioning that when you get in the car, the vehicle will not only identify the driver through the camera, but also the speech recognition engine based on iFLYTEK and the AI emotion monitoring and adjustment system can more accurately restore human emotions, and the voice is more affinity. The car machine is no longer a cold tool, but also a friend with a delicate mind and expressiveness.
The sound system is provided by SONY and provides professional-grade sound reproduction, which is also a configuration that OMODA 5 is designed for young people. In the interior details, we can also see 64 colors of rhythmic mood lights, which can not only be personalized according to the mood, but also dynamically switch with different states such as driving mode or music.
Chery OMODA 5 comes standard with sport barrel seats throughout the series. Unlike other sports bucket chairs I've experienced, the OMODA 5's seats, while they look combative, are exceptionally soft and comfortable to ride, with thick seat padding that supports both the waist and shoulders. Only because of the special shape of the bucket chair, resulting in the support of the headrest in general, friends with higher requirements for comfort can buy a comfortable cushion to improve later. Coming to the rear row, the head space in the second row has also been affected somewhat due to the slippery design of the roof. Fortunately, the hollow design can allow the rear passengers to fight for some vertical space, but friends who are more than 180cm tall will still feel that the vertical space in the rear row is a bit cramped.
Experience Chery OMODA 5: The sense of technology does not lose the new forces
In the power part, Chery OMODA 5 will be equipped with a Kunpeng powered 1.6TGDI engine, with a maximum power of 145kW (197 hp) and a peak torque of 290Nm. It is mated to a 7-speed wet DCT dual-clutch transmission. At present, it only provides this one power in China, and will provide different power including 1.0T, 1.5T, 1.5L and so on overseas to cope with the special needs of overseas markets. It is reported that in the future, Chery OMODA 5 will also launch hybrid and pure electric versions.
In terms of chassis structure, Chery OMODA 5 adopts front McPherson independent suspension and rear multi-link independent suspension. This is definitely thick enough, in the same class of models, whether it is a joint venture or a Chinese brand, a large part of the model uses the rear torque beam suspension. There may not be much difference between driving on an urban loop, but the difference is quite obvious when it comes to bumpy roads or at the limits of handling.
After a simple experience, although the appearance of the OMODA 5 looks very sporty and radical, this one feels very comfortable and homely for me. The power performance of the 1.6T engine is very good, after all, the power parameters of close to 200 horsepower are placed there, and the power performance must not be bad. The time for turbo intervention is not too early, but thanks to the advantages of low inertia turbines, power lag is very slight for small-displacement turbocharged engines.
If you're new to the OMODA 5, you may feel that its throttle pedal isn't responsive enough under D gear, and you may need to step down 2/5 to feel more powery. But when the engine speed is close to around 2200 rpm, the torque will gradually reach its peak. Although it is not timely, the power in the middle and rear sections is very abundant, the acceleration process does not feel abrupt at all, and the smooth operation and operation quality are very good. So I think that since it is not a sport-oriented SUV, we don't need to be too harsh on this indicator.
The shift response speed of the dual-clutch transmission is relatively average, especially when starting in 1-3 gears. Of course. The slow shift speed will not affect the acceleration smoothness, but it will make the driver feel that the power transmission is not crisp enough and the sportiness is slightly worse. Of course, this 7DCT transmission is fine for everyday household use, and even in the low gears of the sport mode, the transmission can provide excellent ride smoothness. If I had to choose between sportiness and smoothness, I might also prioritize smoothness.
Chassis performance is one of the advantages of the OMODA 5, the soft suspension setting can bring excellent shock filtering, whether on gravel roads or encounter bumps such as speed bumps and manhole covers, the suspension can be easily resolved, bringing a comfortable riding experience for passengers. However, such a suspension setting will also bring some drawbacks, such as when braking, the front suspension is weakly supported, and the nodding phenomenon will be more obvious. In general, whether it is power, transmission or chassis is a relatively sleek and Buddhist setting, if you are more pursuit of performance, then it may be difficult to satisfy you. But if you're a family car and care more about comfort, this OMODA 5 is definitely a good choice.
Editor's Comments:
Chery, as the top export sales of Chinese automobile brands, is fully capable of turning the first model developed for the global market into a high-end product with four stunning seats. But apparently, Chery did not do this, but chose to fight steadily. Chery OMODA 5 as an entry-level small SUV, although it is impossible to be impeccable in all aspects, but whether it is design, configuration or assembly process, it has shown full sincerity. It is reported that OMODA 5 will open pre-sale at the 2022 Beijing Auto Show, which opens in April, and is scheduled to be officially listed in June-July. If you're also interested in this OMODA 5, start by giving it a catchy Chinese name!
Highlights review:
Chery OMODA 5 price exposure is expected to sell 11-15 million yuan
Chery OMODA 5 officially rolled off the production line is expected to be listed in the second quarter
Who says I'm medium? Chery OMODA 5 declaration figure exposed
Experience chery OMODA 5: Power silky smooth