In 2022, GAC Toyota ushered in its own "18-year-old coming-of-age ceremony".
Text | Vernier calipers
Looking at GAC Toyota's SUV product matrix, there is Highlander leading the high-value growth of the brand, there is a Fenglanda guaranteed customer basic disk, and although the waist market is supported by Velanda, it is always almost interesting in the creation of a sense of luxury, whether from the interior or appearance.
In 2022, GAC Toyota ushered in its own "18-year-old coming-of-age ceremony", so Weisa, which positioned the new luxury, is gaga Toyota's first "adult gift", helping it to impact the scale of production and sales of 1 million units.
Originated from the American version of VENZA, Weisa is built on the toyota TNGA-K high-end platform. The AMERICAN VERSION OF VENZA IS THE GLOBAL VERSION OF THE FOURTH GENERATION OF HARRIER, AFTER FOUR GENERATIONS OF 25 YEARS OF EVOLUTION, THE HISTORICAL HARRIER HAS ALSO COPIED THE LEXUS RX, IT CAN BE SAID THAT WEISA IS BORN WITH LUXURY GENES, BUT THE EVALUATION OF A MODEL CAN NOT ONLY TALK ABOUT ITS PAST FEELINGS AND HISTORY, WHETHER THE PRODUCT FORCE CAN STAND IN THE ROLLED MARKET ENVIRONMENT IS THE KEY.
Looking at the front styling style of Wei Sa, the hood that slightly protrudes forward, the three-dimensional front face of the X shape with a large area of grille, you can see the shadow of many Toyota SUPRA "Bull Devil King". The smooth body lines on the sides outline an elegant slipback shape, and the cockpit is gradually tightened from front to back, so that the overall visual center of gravity of Weisa is reduced. The taillights that run through the logo at the rear improve the sense of technology and increase the recognition of Wei Sa, which is the finishing touch. If its fellow brothers are a replica of Harrier, Wei Sa has made many radical and mature adjustments based on Harrier.
The model of this test drive is 2.5L HEV 4WD Extreme Edition, and the horsepower of 178 horses on paper will inevitably give people the first impression of "meat car", but after the actual driving, this stereotype will not be broken. The TNGA 2.5L Dynamic Force engine equipped with Wesa has a maximum power of 131/5700kW/rpm and a maximum torque of 221/3600~5200Nm/rpm, and is on call in daily driving, full of sportiness, and can avoid the drag and frustration caused by acceleration even if it is fiercely driven under the new generation of E-CVT transmission, ensuring a comfortable driving experience, worthy of the positioning of its new luxury SUV. However, the "luxury" power performance does not mean the high cost of the car, thanks to the fourth generation of THS II. Toyota hybrid system, THE 2.5L dual-engine four-wheel drive version of the comprehensive working condition (NEDC) 100 km fuel consumption is as low as 5.0L, the cruising range can reach more than 1000 km.
Different from Toyota's previous "enough is enough" style, sitting inside the Weisa cockpit, every detail highlights GAC Toyota's unique view of luxury. The steering wheel, gear lever, and inner door handle are all covered with leather, and leather fabrics are also covered with leather fabrics within reach of the dashboard, glove box, armrest box, etc., and the saddle-shaped center console is covered with thick leather, forming a three-dimensional curved surface with a heavy feeling, making the texture of the center console more full. Combined with the decoration of different processes such as piano paint and chrome plating, the interior of Weisa is delicate and layered.
In terms of safety configuration, Wesa almost lights up all kinds of active and passive safety "technology trees", and its ToyotaSafety Sense Safety (Toyota Collision Avoidance Assistance Kit), including PCS pre-collision safety system, DRCC dynamic radar cruise control system, LTA lane tracking assistance system and AHB automatic adjustment high beam system, experience a lap down in the old town of Xiamen where the test drive is located, with narrow roads and complex conditions. It can be said that it is a strong insurance for driving safety.
As for other aspects of the configuration, the most impressive thing to me is Toyota's world-first dimmable canopy, the Xiamen sunshine in March has been a bit poisonous, the dimming mode can reduce direct sunlight while ensuring the light in the car, the light transmission mode can bring a strong visual experience, the switching between the two can be completed in one second, like magic. The 9-speaker, 12-channel JBL surround sound system that comes standard in the Premium Edition is paired with excellent NVH performance, and wesa does not lose the luxury of the driving experience.
But I have to mention that as a medium-sized SUV, the wheelbase is consistent with the compact Veranda, only 2690mm, followed by the problem that the rear space is not ideal, after the front row is adjusted to a comfortable position, the feeling of 180cm I sit in the back row is that the space is only enough. In addition, Weisa's car engine system still needs to be improved, although equipped with a voice assistant "Xiao Yue", but "Xiao Yue" can do something that is really not enough to see, such as "Xiao Yue" can tell cold jokes but can not open the window halfway, looking forward to the later stage through OTA to get further upgrades.
As a pioneer in GAC Toyota's exploration of the market segment of medium-sized luxury SUVs, Weisa uses its own product strength to implement the seemingly nihilistic new luxury doctrine one by one. Weisa, which enters the market with luxury positioning, inherits Harrier's past luxury genes and also undertakes the great responsibility of raising the brand value of GAC Toyota in the future, and its sales volume represents the output capacity of GAC Toyota's flagship model and whether GAC Toyota has a higher brand premium capability.