I believe that many people, like me, think that commercial pickup trucks are a rough means of transportation. Because most of the commercial pickup trucks in the impression are not comfortable and intelligent at all. Of course, this has a lot to do with the previous domestic automobile environment and pickup culture.
But today's commercial pickup trucks are getting closer and closer to our family cars. For example, the Great Wall King Kong Cannon that was test-driven some time ago completely subverted my understanding of commercial pickup trucks.
Comfort comparable to a family car?
Although the test drive was relatively tight, the car still impressed me very much, and even some of it was "planted".
The first impression I had on the Diamond Cannon was that it was far more comfortable than expected. Before the test drive, my expectations for it were not high, because before the test drive, I deliberately observed the rear suspension of the Great Wall Gun, which was also the design of leaf springs.
Most of the typical commercial pickup chassis structure of this integral bridge + leaf spring is not very comfortable, and it is very jumpy and hard to open. But when I turned the Diamond Gun on, I found that its suspension, although it also has the characteristics of most commercial pickups, it is not simply hard, but with a certain toughness.
For example, when crossing the pothole section, the whole body is very crisp. When passing the speed bump, although you can still clearly feel the "click" sound from the leaf spring, the Diamond Gun will not "bounce" you out of the entire seat like some commercial pickup trucks.
After careful consideration, it was found that the reason why the Diamond Cannon was more comfortable to sit on was mainly from the following aspects.
On the one hand, its seat is relatively thick, and the padding is very soft, which can ensure the comfort of the ride.
In addition, although it is also the chassis structure of the integral bridge + leaf spring, the front suspension of the diamond gun uses a double cross-arm independent suspension, and the thread spring is used.
The seat is soft and thick, and the front suspension is a double cross-arm independent suspension, which guarantees the comfort of its front seat.
However, it should be noted that the rear seat of the Diamond Gun will be shorter than that of a family car, because it must ensure the knee space in the rear row. But fortunately, the backrests of the rear seats have a certain angle, so the ride is not too tiring.
On the other hand, the overall body of the Great Wall Gun is relatively rigid and the body is relatively neat, so when it passes the pothole, it will give a clean and sharp chassis feeling.
When it comes to body rigidity, King Kong Gun is also the first Chinese brand to receive a five-star safety rating under the latest standards of NaCAP in Australia, so its safety is also very good.
With the joint blessing of seats, suspension + body rigidity, the feeling of making the diamond gun open as a whole is very close to a home SUV.
Although the Diamond Cannon is comfortable to fire, it does not sacrifice the carrier properties of commercial pickup trucks because of comfort.
It does not use a complex rear suspension like the Great Wall Cannon, but still uses leaf springs. This can not only ensure the load capacity of the cargo compartment, but also avoid the cargo compartment, which is encroached upon by the complex suspension structure.
Therefore, from the perspective of chassis structure, the Diamond Gun is a very comfortable, but at the same time very practical commercial pickup truck.
Equipped to crush a family car at the same price?
Judging from the equipment of all aspects of the diamond gun configuration, the diamond gun is far more than just wanting to create a comfortable commercial pickup truck.
Front power seats, 360 ° panoramic images, LED headlights, four-wheel disc brakes, central control large screens, AutoNavi maps, intelligent voice, tire pressure monitoring, cargo compartment lighting, these configurations are available (LED headlights + 360 ° panoramic images are optional, the price is 2000 yuan).
The top model of the King Kong Gun is priced at less than 130,000 yuan, but the richness of the configuration is no less than that of many joint venture brand family cars at the same price.
And these configurations are not "look goods", such as its 360 ° panoramic image, not only the clarity is very good, but also there is almost no delay, and the image is basically consistent with the external environment.
On the day of the test drive, the activists also set up a challenge to cover all the glass of the vehicle with a black cloth, and then only rely on 360 ° panoramic images to blindly operate the vehicle. It's a very difficult challenge, but the King Kong Cannon can be easily completed.
It has to be said that With many years of deep cultivation in the field of pickup trucks and SUVs, Great Wall Motors can delegate passenger car experience to pickup trucks, which is a major advantage of Great Wall passenger pickup trucks. Nowadays, Great Wall Motors has also delegated these concepts to the body of commercial pickup truck King Kong Cannon, once again leading the new trend of commercial pickup trucks.
Fun enough to buy?
In addition to the good comfort and high configuration, the Diamond Gun is also a more fun commercial pickup. And its fun mainly comes from the power level, the whole series of 2.0T+ manual transmission, as well as gasoline and diesel two versions, and is available in four-wheel drive.
Similar power combinations rarely appear on family cars, so for small partners who like manual transmission, the King Kong cannon is actually very fun to open.
Although the Diamond Cannon is a manual gear, it is not heavy from the merger, and the basic foot lift enters the semi-linkage state, and the gear position is relatively clear, and it is very good to enter the block.
The low torque of the diesel engine is sufficient, even if the steep slope is still easy to start. During the test drive, it can be clearly felt that this 2.0T diesel engine is at about 1600 rpm and begins to explode with maximum torque. The torque burst in an instant, the vehicle is very aggressive, even if it is full of 4 people, the climb is still easy.
However, it is worth noting that the diesel engine is indeed noisy, and once the speed is pulled to 3500 rpm, the sound of the engine can be clearly heard. However, it can be felt that the sound insulation of the whole vehicle of the King Kong gun has been treated accordingly, and compared with many commercial pickup trucks, the noise suppression has been very good.
In addition, although the body length of the Diamond Gun is relatively long, it has exceeded 5.6 meters, but its turning diameter is less than 12 meters, which is equivalent to the turning diameter of an ordinary B-class car, so in fact, it is still relatively flexible.
As a pickup enthusiast, I personally like the King Kong cannon very much, it is more comfortable to drive, and the configuration is good, and it is very interesting to drive, but helpless in a city like Guangzhou, it is indeed limited conditions and difficult to achieve.
But for cities with unlimited traffic, the Diamond Cannon can indeed be bought as a family car. It has both the passability of an SUV, the ability to carry goods, comfort and configuration is not worse than most passenger cars of the same price, and it is indeed recommended.
If you want to start with a small partner, I personally recommend its medium and high matching, because the three models with lower matching do not have a reversing image. After all, there is a cargo compartment behind the King Kong gun, and the body is relatively long, so for inexperienced drivers, it is difficult to grasp the rear distance of the reverse car.
Finally, to say that at present, 70% of cities in China are no longer restricted to pickup trucks, and a large part of this credit is due to Great Wall Motors. It is believed that in the near future, pickup trucks will gradually become a new choice for some families.