Do new energy vehicles have to be pure electricity?
No, you also have hybrid, plug-in and range-extended power options!
Today, the test drive experience model is a high-end brand model from Dongfeng Group - Lantu FREE.
Landu FREE has been officially listed at a price range of 313,600-363,600 yuan. The models on sale include range extender and pure electric version, and the range extender version is 2 models, priced at 313,600 yuan and 333,600 yuan. The pure electric version has 3 models, including 2 two-wheel drive versions, priced at 333,600 and 348,600. The top model is a four-wheel drive model, priced at 363,600 yuan.
(Note that on March 31, 2022, the official price of the Pure Electric Version of Lantu will be raised by 10,000 yuan, and the price of the Extended Range Edition will remain unchanged, and the adjusted price will officially take effect at 0:00 on May 1, 2022!) ）
The protagonist of our test drive is the top version of the extended range version priced at 333,600 yuan and with the only air suspension in the same level. As someone who has test-driven the Cyris SF5 for a long time before, I still have a lot of feelings to talk about after the test drive experience of Landu FREE.
#静态: Yacht design is luxurious and chic
As a product positioned as a medium-sized SUV, LandoFREE is very wise to use the yacht as the main design language. After all, the main purpose of Chinese consumers' car purchases has always been to buy enough atmospheric and noodle products at a lower price, and the same is true for cars.
The overall body size of the Landu FREE is 4905/1950/1660mm, and the wheelbase is 2960mm. The nearly 5-meter length and 3-meter wheelbase give the vehicle a strong sense of visual luxury. Even so, you can still feel that this model has a full sense of sport, because the height of the car is properly controlled, only 1660mm, and there will be no more bulky visual perception.
In addition to the overall visual perception is good, in the design details of Lantu FREE also has a good degree of recognition, the overall originality is very high. The interior of the front shield mesh is outlined with vertical decoration, the brand LOGO and light strip at the top can be lit, and after opening, it can form a penetrating style with the LED daily running lights on both sides of the light group, and the overall inspiration comes from the "Kunpeng Spread Wings" in "Getaway", whether it is visual tension or recognition is very in place.
The lamp group part is an LED light source, but the use of far and near light for the split design, coupled with the internal light source also uses chrome plating for modification, the visual effect is good. Visually moving down, the design of the conventional fog light area on both sides is relatively simple, but the vents on both sides can be used to comb the turbulence of the rim part, which has a certain practical effect. Overall, the entire front part of the face does not rely too much on chrome decoration, or relatively convergent.
Coming to the side of the vehicle, the overall use of yacht elements began to appear, the waistline design was full of power, the overall transition was smooth, and the swing design of the D-pillar part and the blessing of the VOYAH logo were very special, which enhanced the temperament of Landu FREE. At the same time, the rear door glass and rear windshield of the vehicle are privacy glass, which is in line with the performance of this level.
In the hub part, the test drive type uses a multi-spoke low drag design with a size of 255/45 R20, so that the wind resistance coefficient of the whole vehicle is as low as 0.28cd. It should be noted that the ideal ONE wind resistance coefficient of the large SUV in the same extender is as high as 0.32cd, and the shape design plays a crucial role.
The tail is flat overall, and the through-type rear tail light group is in line with the current mainstream design, but it is good to create a good three-dimensional feeling through the combination of curved surfaces and lines. The details of the light group, the LED running lights have a certain degree of recognition after being lit, and the brake lights on both sides are designed in the style of arrow feathers, and the visual effect is good. Although the model we test-drove was a range-extended version, the rear of the car remained the same as the all-electric version, with a hidden exhaust layout.
The interior is also designed for the yacht's wrap-around cockpit, and the entire central control can be lifted and lowered according to the driving mode or manually, which is full of ceremony overall, but it does have some elements of showmanship. The color matching part of the test drive type is blue and white color, which is also the most beautiful matching of the interior color of Lantu FREE, but the white is not resistant to dirt, and the later maintenance needs to be more diligent.
The feeling that the entire interior of Landu FREE gives me is that it is the most accessible in the field of smart cars, and it is more intelligent in the field of traditional cars, and there is this friendly experience, mainly because Landu FREE is a rare model that still has more physical buttons in the car. In particular, the steering wheel, air conditioning control, mode adjustment, etc. are all physical buttons, whether it is parking adjustment, or blind exercises during driving are very convenient. In this regard, I would like to give Lantu FREE praise, some brands should learn hard, what is really easy to use, easy to use ergonomics design. Although the lifting screen of Lantu FREE also has a showmanship component, but the overall is not cumbersome, it will not give people a nasty feeling, compared with the functional design of those who show off their skills for the sake of showmanship, Landu FREE is a useful category.
In the sense of science and technology, the 3 connected screen designs used in the Landu FREE car are 12.3 inches in size, and the overall display clarity and touch response are the mainstream level. Whether it is the instrument, or the entertainment screen of the middle or co-pilot, the overall UI design is fresh and elegant, and the functional area is also very convenient to tap. The entire multimedia system is highly integrated with Huawei's HiCar system, which can realize more convenient mobile phone interconnection, and it is better if it can support Apple CarPlay. Needless to say, the front seat heating, ventilation, massage, 12-way electric adjustment, comfortable headrest, etc. are all available, which can be described as truly reaching the "first class" level.
In addition, Lantu FREE also has a rare NVS intelligent active system of the same level, with a monitoring distance of 150m, and a high recognition rate of more than 95%, and the Chinese brand has never let us down in the configuration.
In the ride experience section, the front and rear seats are moderately padded and are not particularly soft types. The front row has 12-way adjustment, which can meet the adjustment of most body shapes. The rear seats are also of moderate type, the charging interface, the relatively flat central passage can maintain a better riding experience, the only place that needs to be improved is that the rear seat cushions are shorter, can not play enough support for the thighs, long rides may be "lazy" posture will be better.
The trunk space part naturally does not have to worry, the rear seat supports proportional reclining, which can form a relatively flat space, whether it is daily use or occasional handling of large items, it is enough to cope.
#动态: Air suspension improves driving quality
Although our test drive experience was the extended range version, the power parameters were consistent with the pure electric version, with a combined maximum power of 510kW and a peak torque of 1040N·m. The range extender is a 1.5T four-cylinder engine, with a battery capacity of 33kWh, a pure electric NEDC endurance of 140km, and a fuel consumption of 53L, with an overall comprehensive cruising range of more than 860km.
In the suspension section, it is a front double wishbone rear multi-link independent suspension, and the suspension system is made of a large number of aluminum alloy materials, and we test-drive the air spring version.
Although according to past experience, the performance acceleration of pure electric models will be better. However, due to the heavier battery of the pure electric version of Landu FREE, the acceleration time of 100 kilometers is only 4.7s. On the contrary, the extended-range version of the test drive experience is lighter in quality, and the acceleration time of 100 kilometers is faster, reaching 4.5 seconds. In the actual experience, in the high-energy mode, whether it is driving in the daily city or the re-acceleration ability of the highway 100/h, the performance of the Landu FREE is very powerful. Moreover, compared with the previous Range Extender models of Dongfeng Group, Lantu FREE is very thorough in isolating the noise of the engine compartment range extender, and the noise from the range extender is basically not heard when driving at medium and low speeds or accelerating on high-speed roads.
(The following dynamic pictures are taken in the enclosed area, please drive legally on normal roads!) ）
Of course, as a range extender, the acceleration performance of the vehicle is closely related to the remaining percentage of the battery pack. When the power is more than 80%, the acceleration performance of the vehicle is guaranteed, and the torque of more than 1,000 can be fully released, and the push back feeling is full. When the battery pack is after 70% and 50%, the acceleration performance of the vehicle will decrease, and even so, the acceleration performance of Lantu FREE is still commendable. If the power is as low as 20-22%, the range extender will automatically start to ensure that the vehicle has sufficient driving characteristics.
In the brake performance section, the official braking distance of 100 kilometers is 35.95m, which is commendable for a medium-sized SUV with a range extender. However, the damping of the brake pedal is not linear enough, the initial section is too Q-bullet, and the damping force is lighter, and it takes a while to adapt to the first start. Overall, there is still some room for optimization in the foot feel of the brake pedal. The rest of the acceleration pedals and steering system are relatively linear, and the steering is precise, and the steering characteristics are relatively fast types, which can give the driver a smart and responsive feeling.
Suspension driving part, because Lantu FREE is currently the only model with air suspension in the domestic 300,000 class, which also makes me have certain expectations for the dynamic driving part of the vehicle.
Landu FREE has a total of 5 driving modes to choose from, divided into economy, comfort, high energy, outing and personalization, economy and comfort mode is well understood, high energy is the sport mode, outing is what we commonly call off-road mode. In high-energy mode, the center console and suspension are lowered, and the suspension is the tightest at this time. In outing mode, the center console rises and the suspension rises to the highest to ensure good passability. In the personalized mode, you can set the power, suspension, chassis, etc. according to your own preferences.
In actual daily driving, I prefer to choose the comfort mode, at this time, whether it is the power response or the suspension characteristics, it is mainly comfort. Whether it is a smooth asphalt road or a rough road with constant potholes, the vehicle can maintain a high level of comfort, although it cannot achieve the level of "isolation", but it basically does not disturb the people in the car.
If you want to experience the sports fun of the vehicle, then choose the high-energy mode, at this time the power response is faster, the range extender will remain online, and the power response is fast. The air suspension is reduced to a minimum and in the tightest state, and the vehicle still has good support even when cornering at a faster speed. At the same time, in this state, the chassis suspension will also convey a certain sense of the road to the driver, not complete isolation, which is commended.
Of course, for now, the places where Lantu FREE has passed to me are better. But if there's anything that needs to be improved, it's the NVH part. As someone who has experienced other range extender cars of Dongfeng Group for a long time, there is still some room for improvement in the sound insulation and noise reduction of Lantu FREE in high-speed conditions. Although mentioned earlier, Landu FREE is very thorough in isolating the noise of the range extender. However, when the speed exceeds 100km/h, the chassis road noise and wind noise are slightly more pronounced. Overall, compared with the 300,000-level joint venture SUV model, it belongs to the normal performance of the same level, but in terms of personal experience, as well as previous products, Landu FREE can actually do better.
summary:
Although the overall test drive time is relatively short and the actual experience is not comprehensive enough, in terms of personal feelings, the overall comprehensive performance of Landu FREE is still very outstanding. As a smart car, Landu FREE is "traditional" enough, smart enough to use and easy to drive. In the field of traditional automobiles, Landu FREE has achieved super high quality and configuration, and compared with the same level of joint venture SUV models, it is not inferior.
At the same time, as a range extender car, Landu FREE gives the driver and occupants a good sense of luxury in the performance parameters and driving characteristics. Although there is still some room for optimization in some details, the advantages are also obvious enough for the current state. So, would you buy the Lando FREE because it's the only model in the 300,000 class that has air suspension?