When I first started with chery Tiggo 8 PLUS Kunpeng e+, I was very anxious. It is equipped with Chery's newly developed plug-in hybrid system "Kunpeng e+", with an engine, two motors, and a three-gear transmission. These things work together to achieve 9 working states and 11 gear combinations, officially called "3 engines, 3 gears, 9 modes and 11 speeds". Because it is so complicated, I want to try my best to feel it clearly, for fear of missing a certain working situation, just like solving the permutation combination problem in high school.
When I finally realized that the system had matured beyond its flaws, and that switching between modes had reached the realm of fine and silent moisturizers, I was relieved. Instead of clinging to clues like a detective, it's better to calmly enjoy the smooth, powerful acceleration experience of the new era of powertrains.
After years of efforts, the level of hybridization of independent brands in 2022 has reached a new height. BYD's DM-i/DM-p was launched first, setting an example for the industry, followed by the Great Wall Lemon Hybrid DHT, and then to the Changan iDD and Geely Thor Hybrid DHT. Chery's response is Kunpeng e+.
If you also want to delve into the working logic of this system, you can refer to a paragraph I copied from a colleague's technical analysis article. In single-motor pure electric mode, motor 1 and engine do not work, motor 2 drives the vehicle in 1 gear; dual motor pure electric mode, the engine does not work, motor 1 is in 1 gear, motor 2 is in 2 gears to drive the vehicle together; in series range extended mode, the engine drives the motor 1 to generate electricity to charge the battery, and the motor 2 drives the vehicle in 3 gears; in parallel drive mode, the engine + motor 1 drives the vehicle in 1 gear, the motor 2 is in neutral gear, or the engine + motor 1 is in 2 gears, and the motor 2 is in 3 gears; in the engine direct drive mode, motor 1, Motor 2 and the power battery are not working, the engine + motor 1 drives the vehicle in 2 gears, the motor 2 is in neutral gear; in parking charging mode, the engine drives the motor 1 to generate electricity to charge the battery, and the motor 2 is in neutral gear; when driving and charging, the engine drives the motor 1 to generate electricity to charge the battery, and drives the vehicle together with the motor 2; in the dual motor manufacturing energy recovery mode, the two motors simultaneously generate reverse torque, as a generator to charge the battery.
The Tiggo 8 PLUS Kunpeng e+ has an engine of 1.5T, a maximum power of 115kW and a peak torque of 230N·m. Both motors are front-mounted, motor 1 has a maximum power of 55 kW and a peak torque of 160 N·m, and a maximum power of 70 kW for motor 2 and a peak torque of 155 N·m. The total maximum power of the whole system is 240 kW, the comprehensive maximum torque is 565 N·m, front-wheel drive, 7 seconds of acceleration from 100 km/h, and the pure electric cruising range is 100 km. The battery is ternary lithium, with a capacity of 19.27 kWh and a charging power between 8-14 kW.
Friends, when the power of 240kW (more than 300 hp) and 565N·m is released to the front wheels, what will happen? The answer is torque steering. This is unavoidable on it, even if the test drive is in a state of power loss throughout. When driving in a straight line at low and medium speeds, as long as the throttle is stepped on a little deeper, the front of the car is bound to be pulled to the side, if you give oil when turning, you can enjoy the "driving pleasure" of the whole car thrown out of the bend. In short, with such strong momentum, the movement of the right foot needs to be restrained.
Once you've figured out its temperament, you can enjoy the on-call power that comes with electric aids. Driving below 80km/h will feel faster than a car with a 7-second acceleration of 100 km/h – a tram that often gives this illusion. However, after 80km/h, the acceleration will gradually weaken, especially 120km/h and then the throttle is accelerated, and it can be clearly felt that the power system needs to change the gear twice, and the acceleration force at this time is similar to the ordinary 1.5T SUV. Of course, this is in the state of power loss, in theory, the battery power is sufficient, high-speed re-acceleration ability will be stronger.
Why do I say it's two gear changes? Because this process is not done at once, not one drop two blocks, but once down, found insufficient, down again. In fact, this process is not really the transmission has changed gears twice, I am not entirely sure, because the whole system has other connection mechanisms, but what is certain is that the body can feel two slight bumps.
In addition, this system can be called smooth, whether it is a single motor direct drive, a dual motor direct drive, a combination of oil and electricity drive or an engine direct drive, it is difficult to judge from the body feeling, and can only be known by the readings of the engine and motor on the instrument. In addition, the NVH control when the engine intervenes is also very good, and the vibration is not felt on the accelerator pedal or steering wheel.
Its kinetic energy recovery has three levels of adjustment, and the gear lever can be switched to B gear. But the difference is not much, and the adjustment to the strongest is far from the level of single pedal mode. However, after receiving the oil, the system will automatically switch gears to adjust the kinetic energy recovery intensity, which is included in the 9-mode 11 speed mentioned at the beginning. This phenomenon can be seen by observing the kinetic energy recovery power displayed by the instrument, which is difficult for the body to detect.
It also has an interesting function - brake pitch suppression. In the central control screen, it can be adjusted, and even has three levels of closure and high and low sensitivity. But I tried to step on the brakes with different forces at various speeds, tried these three levels, and did not feel a particularly obvious difference, and the brake nodding action was relatively large. Moreover, in the absence of obvious differences, the adjectives of high and low sensitivity become a problem in themselves. High sensitivity, does it mean that the brake sensitivity is high at this time, and the nod is nodded when touched, or the sensitivity of the pitch suppression function is high, and the inhibition is triggered when touched? On this point, I suggest that Chery either make another unambiguous statement or add a line of instructions next to the switch.
Other parts of driving can also be lapping. The steering feel is good, obviously better than Chang'an and Jili, the middle position is not vain, and the proportion of the direction of the large angle is also relatively gradual. Chassis filter is not stiff, there is a sense of flexibility and high-grade, but it is not soft enough to be uncomfortable, and the overall comfort is not lost to Haoying, Veranda and so on. The silence performance is equally excellent, and the double-glazed acoustic glass in the front row contributes to this.
About fuel consumption, according to the official data, it can do 5L/100km of fuel consumption, according to the results of our fuel consumption test, even better than the official data, if you are interested, you can view the fuel consumption test details on the new car evaluation network.
In addition to opening satisfactorily, its front seats are very comfortable. The cushion is wide and long enough, the back of the chair fits and supports well, and there are adjustable clamped headrests, and it is not easy to fall off the pillow when parking and putting down the seat to sleep. This function is currently relatively rare in the car, Chery is very intimate, and the front and rear four seats have this headrest, praise.
However, the seats in the mid-row (this is a 7-seater model) support angle adjustment, but the cushions are a bit short. As for the rear row, it can barely be used, and the angle of the cushion is appropriate, which can weaken the "bench feeling", but the back of the chair is too close to the tail window, and it is easy to top the head.
It can be said that at the level of opening and sitting, this Tiggo 8 PLUS Kunpeng e+ has been relatively perfect, but in some small details in the carriage, there is still room for optimization. For example, the lower part of the block is hollowed out, and a large storage space is made, which is very good, but there is no light inside, and it can only be dark at night, which is very inconvenient, resulting in my test drive these days are not willing to put my belongings there.
In addition, there are too few storage compartments for small items, which can only be stacked in the cup holder of the center console. If Chery does a good job of mechanical quality at the same time, and then do these details related to daily use, then there is really nothing wrong with it.
One night, when I was driving it home, listening to the melodious music from the 8-speaker SONY speaker, I suddenly felt very emotional. This car is only more than 160,000! At this price, you can't even buy the minimum kit of the Toyota RAV4, but its experience is already very good. It no longer has the rough power texture of the domestic car at this price point before, the chassis is no longer loose and cheap, and there are many characteristics that joint venture cars cannot do. Domestic brand cars, really on a big step.