According to a latest sales data, in the first quarter of 2022 alone, the production and sales of new energy vehicles in the mainland reached 1.07 million units, an increase of 146.6% year-on-year, of which 445,000 new energy products were sold in the Chinese market in March, and the overall trend was very good.
Obviously, the hot new energy market has also "won the popularity" to a certain extent, in addition to the new car-making forces such as "Wei Xiaoli", it has also attracted many traditional car companies to enter the game. Therefore, after GAC Aean and Great Wall Euler, BAIC Polar Fox has also joined the track of the new energy market. So as a latecomer, what is the strength of the Polar Fox? Is it undervalued by the market? Xiaobian also conducted a test drive on its first all-terrain performance pure electric SUV Alpha T this time, revealing the surprise behind this for everyone.
Appearance: The "X" element is quite innovative
Since its birth in 2019, there are only two models on sale under the Polar Fox, Alpha S and Alpha T, and the main price range is 200,000 to 300,000, which shows that the positioning of the Pole Fox is more inclined to the high-end, not just like GAC Aean to take the civilian route. Because of this, the market has also put forward higher requirements for the product strength of Alpha T.
From the appearance, the Alpha T adopts a more sci-fi design, and the low front of the car creates a strong visual impact. And against the backdrop of the ice-gray body, it is like an "alien visitor". At the same time, the body size of the 4788*1940*1683 is comparable to that of the NIO ES6, which is also a "big man" in the same class.
The front of the car features an enclosed grille, while the designer's ingenious rational line structure outlines the "X" radial elements. The headlights and lower deflectors reinforce the shocking effect of this design concept, allowing people's visual focus to focus on the middle of the front of the car.
However, from a distance, this "tightening" styling layout makes the front of the car look a little cramped, unable to highlight its ultra-wide body effect of nearly 2 meters.
Due to the powertrain, the Alpha T did not have storage space under the hood, but was replaced by a plastic trim panel. But for a large pure electric SUV, who cares about this "one acre and three points" space?
The shape of the headlights is extremely simple, inspired by the wings of arctic terns, and two LED headlights are built-in. And the model of the test drive is equipped with the ADB intelligent high beam system, when driving at night, the sensor can detect the object coming to the car, thereby changing the direction of the light source, so that the headlights will not "shake" to the eyes of the other driver, improving the safety of driving at night.
Coming to the side of the body, the suspended roof is the mainstream design language of the moment, while a thick waist line below perfectly creates a downward diving visual effect. In addition, the Alpha T series is equipped with a back privacy glass as standard, which is a manifestation of grade and identity.
The charging ports are arranged on both sides of the fenders, with the fast charging interface on the left and the slow charging interface on the right. Next to the charging ports on both sides, a charging status indicator is also very thoughtfully designed, so that the driver can check the charging situation without entering the car. Compared with the traditional new energy vehicles displayed only by an LED light, Alpha T's approach seems to be more humane.
The shape of the rear of the car is relatively simple, and the through-type taillight lighting effect is more delicate. At the same time, the lower enclosure also follows the design language of the "X" type, which reflects the front of the car.
Interior: Large horizontal screen, breaking the previous design pattern
Speaking of Beiqi Polar Fox, I believe that many people's first reaction is Huawei. Because in the 3 years since the birth of Jihu Automobile, in many product launches, its internal leaders have mentioned Huawei's intelligent ecosystem, which has also made BAIC Jihu change from selling cars to selling life.
Although the Alpha T test drive does not have much to do with Huawei, it was born in the world's first 5G technology platform - IMC intelligent module standard architecture. Therefore, Alpha T adopts a more concise central control design language, directly omitting traditional physical buttons. At the same time, the addition of a large number of Nappa leather materials in the details also makes alpha T's cockpit class feel full.
The two-frame steering wheel design is very novel, the three- and nine-point positions use punching elements, and it is thickened a lot, and it is almost impossible to pick in terms of grip. In terms of driving experience, although the steering feel is very light, due to the size and weight of the body, it is obvious to feel the empty position of the steering wheel, which is somewhat similar to "driving a boat".
The most conspicuous thing in the whole center console is the three LCD screens in front of you. Among them, the 20.3-inch ultra-wide 4K screen above breaks the design pattern of many new car-making forces and extends to the co-pilot. The screen is not only equipped with gesture control functions to achieve operations such as cutting songs and adjusting the volume, but also provides a split-screen display, such as when the driver is viewing navigation, then the co-driver can use the split-screen function to complete the operation of song pointing, online entertainment and so on.
Plus, if you're driving alone, you'll be able to enjoy the pleasure of dominating the entire screen by yourself. Especially in the navigation state, the ultra-wide screen can bring an extremely shocking display effect, just like a living room. However, some of the fly in the ointment is that because the screen is too wide, some operations require the driver's hand to reach the co-pilot's position to complete, which is slightly inconvenient when driving.
The test drive type is equipped with a Yanfeilis audio system, which is not surprising for a domestic new energy vehicle priced at nearly 300,000. At the same time, the vehicle has carried out noise reduction treatment in the windshield, the inside of the wheel eyebrow and other parts, making the environment in the car more quiet, and with the assistance of 12 speakers in the whole car, it creates an auditory feeling comparable to the concert hall.
The HUD head-up display also appeared on the Alpha T, but compared to the competitors of the same level, its display content is relatively simple, only conventional data such as speed and lane keeping.
In terms of ride comfort, the performance of the Alpha T is quite excellent, the seat is wide enough, and the seat ventilation and heating functions are also prepared for the front passengers, which can be said to be indispensable. At the same time, the suede material has also been added to the details, which has a good experience in terms of texture and wrapping.
Power: Four-wheel drive blessing, bringing more stable handling
At the beginning of the listing of Alpha T, in addition to the main intelligence, the power performance is also a major selling point of this car. In the official product positioning, the Polar Fox Alpha T is called "all-terrain performance pure electric SUV", highlighting that this car can conquer the challenges of non-paved roads and high-speed corners.
Therefore, in the power system, the entire Alpha T series is equipped with a four-wheel drive chassis architecture, and the high-end model directly equipped with an electric four-wheel drive system can be converted between two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive under the control of the computer. In addition, the car is powered by two permanent magnet synchronous motors, with a maximum power of 174 kW and a total torque of 391 Nm.
In terms of driving experience, the overall tuning of the Alpha T is more inclined to the comfort class, and the torque control is very linear. Even if the speed reaches more than 80 kilometers, just lightly step on the acceleration pedal, you can still feel the continuous power response, there will be no "torque attenuation" at high speed, and the driver can be given absolute confidence when overtaking.
At the same time, four-wheel drive also provides good grip and support for the vehicle, and when the vehicle is accelerating sharply or cornering at high speed, the body posture will not have obvious roll. However, due to the light steering feel, this also makes the Polar Fox Alpha T not suitable for intense driving, and it is more than enough to deal with the viaducts or outdoor mountain roads in the city occasionally.
Auto network review: Although the product is good, it lacks core selling points
For today's automotive market, Huawei seems to have become an identity endorsement. From the earlier Ciris to the current BEIC Polar Fox, they are all using Huawei's intelligent ecosystem as a selling point, and the same is true for the Alpha T of this test drive.
Therefore, when we put aside the two major factors of Huawei and BAIC, Alpha T is indeed a very competitive product, whether it is workmanship or power, and even comparable to many new car-making forces. However, the excessive emphasis on the intelligent system has also made BAIC start to take a bit of a sword, which raises people's expectations while also making Alpha T lack core selling points. In addition, for BAIC, building a high-end brand is obviously a big challenge, as to whether this attempt is successful? Feel free to leave a message in the comments section below.