How to choose the original 7-seat SUV of Yiche has been a clichéd topic, for this type of model, my subjective judgment is that it should be more family-oriented, comfort is in the first place, and the business line or even off-road performance should be put backwards, according to this idea, the first car that appeared in my mind is the Buick Encore Flag, the riding experience is good, the configuration is high is the first impression it left me, and the sister model of the same level of competitor Highlander - Crown Land Release is also a good 7-seat SUV, The Ford Explorer also entered my field of vision with its oversized body size, with excellent interior space and a certain off-road ability, and the Explorer can also break the wrist with mainstream competitors. So, in this issue, we may wish to take a audition to see which of the three models is more convincing.
Putting aside price and talking about product strength is not my habit. From the perspective of the guidance price, the land release is more close to the people than the Encore banner and the explorer, but the Shanghai area has been taken as an example, the current terminal market land release is still about 15,000 yuan, the Encore banner has a preferential margin of about 35,000 yuan, and the explorer has just been listed in 2022, so in fact, the Encore banner is the most cost-effective model in the three vehicles.
Appearance: Exquisite luxury feel foot
As a 7-seat SUV, I personally feel that the Encore Flag is the least bloated one in this sea selection, from the 45 ° angle to see the whole car looks very slender, the middle net, the lower bumper and the chrome trim that can be seen everywhere on the side will pull the sense of luxury, compared to the same American explorers, the Onco Flag is more like a "home SUV".
Encore flag is extremely rich in headlight configuration, the whole series of standard LED headlights and adaptive proximity lights, and from the flagship type, Encore flag began to be equipped with a unique Matrix matrix LED headlights, brightness and illumination distance are more powerful than ordinary LED headlights.
The side of the Encore flag is not depicted with too many waist lines, but through the rich chrome trim to highlight the sense of luxury, while the "Avenir" logo on the front door also indicates its high-end model identity.
In terms of tires, the model other than the Encore Banner Evia version uses 20-inch rims, while the Aivia version will be upgraded to 21 inches, and the tire brand comes from the Michelin Lantu LS3 series, which is a series that focuses on comfort and silence and tires, in line with the positioning of the Onco Flag family model.
At the rear of the car, the design of the Encore flag is very rounded and full, the overall look is very atmospheric, the two sides of the taillights are connected by a chrome trim strip, and the front face forms a tail echo, while the lower bumper also added silver trim and bright black trim, the sense of hierarchy is also very clear.
Interior: Material/workmanship thick with a variety of configurations
I have to say that the ivory white interior of the Encore banner is very high-end, of course, this is also the exclusive version of Aivia, in addition to the use of a large number of high-end leather materials, the roof also added a very comfortable suede, the inside of the door panel is the use of high-grade wood grain material, full of luxury; in addition, the central control area of the Encore banner also adopts a design method of shifting 45 ° towards the main driving, and it is also very convenient to operate the central control when driving.
In addition to the luxurious materials, the Onco Flag is also unambiguous in the configuration, the whole series is equipped with a leather steering wheel, a multi-function steering wheel and a steering wheel shift, and the real-time model also adds a steering wheel heating/memory function.
In terms of details, the encore flag all-car seats use high-grade cowhide leather, and add a perforated design, while the two-row seat adopts a vertical double hardness foaming process with upper and lower layers, the seat can be adjusted backwards by up to 26 degrees, and the front and rear also have an adjustment range of 140mm, which is not only spacious, but also the comfort does not have to be careful. In addition, this set of cushions is soft on the surface, and also has a waist adjustment function, and adds memory headrests, seat heating/ventilation/massage functions, and the sense of honor is directly full.
In addition to being very functionally rich, this set of central control screens and air conditioning control areas also retains certain physical buttons, which are clear and easy to understand to operate, and the learning cost is not high, which is the part that I think Encore flag has done more humane.
Space: 7-seater standard high comfort
In terms of space, the experiencer with a height of 177cm can get about two fists of head space in the front row, which is a decent performance; in addition, in addition, in addition to the seat heating function, the ventilation of the front seat is also the standard of the whole series, which can be described as sincere.
Encore flag has two seat layouts, the normal version adopts a 2+3+2 seat layout, while the Evia version adopts a 2+2+3 layout, the second row is composed of two independent seats, both the sense of space and comfort are higher, the seat massage/ventilation/heating is readily available, and it also has functions such as electric adjustment/recline.
Compared with most of the 7-seat SUVs at the same price, the performance of the third row of the Encore Banner is indeed outstanding, the seat comfort has not shrunk significantly, the space performance is also acceptable, and the actual utilization rate will naturally be greatly improved.
The trunk of the Encore Flag is not very large under normal conditions, but fortunately, the space can be expanded by reclining the seat; the configuration part, the Encore Flag is equipped with electric tailgate and position memory function as standard, and the high-end model will also have a sensor tailgate, which will become more convenient to hold and put luggage.
Power: The whole series is equipped with 2.0T+48V hybrid system as standard
In terms of power, the variable cylinder engine codenamed LXH must be no stranger to everyone, many of GM's high-end models are equipped with this star engine, while the new Encore banner also added a 48V hybrid system to improve power output, NEDC gave a comprehensive fuel consumption of only 7.3L for 100 kilometers. In terms of gearbox, Encore Banner adopts a button-type 9AT gearbox, in addition to improving the storage space and improving the sense of grade in the car, this 9AT gearbox is also well-known in terms of smoothness and reliability.
The chassis is an advantage of the Encore flag, it adopts a rare five-link independent suspension of the same level, compared to the traditional multi-link suspension, this suspension has greater advantages in lateral support and comfort, and the Encore banner also has a suspension soft and hard adjustment function and a rear axle limited slip differential, in addition to ensuring home comfort, the handling and passability of the whole car has also been improved.
Summary: Overall, Encore Banner is a very homely, comprehensive 7-seat SUV, high riding comfort, high configuration, good degree of intelligence, driving control performance is also in line with the level of this level, low-end model configuration does not pull crotch, is a 7-seat SUV without obvious hard injuries. So for dads, it's an option worth putting in your cart.
Appearance: Sporty and full of crown standard mavericks
Crown Land is generally the same as the fourth generation Highlander in appearance, the polygonal middle net plus the inverted trapezoidal lower grille makes the sense of movement of the whole vehicle improve, of course, the most eye-catching thing about the land is the "crown logo" on the middle net, for users who have passed the "crown" era, to some extent, it is also a status symbol.
The side of Lu Fang is more domineering, there is no redundant design, the black integrated luggage rack plus the black window trim has a visual sense of black samurai, and the simple three-dimensional waist line also highlights the temperament of the whole car.
Crown Land release has 18-inch and 20-inch tires of two different specifications, the real-time model uses tires with specifications of 235/55 R20, the brand is from the Dunlop SP Sport MAXX 050 series, and unlike Encore Banner, this is a main handling, wear-resistant tire, but I personally think that this tire does not match the driving orientation of the Crown Landplay.
The rear of the car is mainly sporty, the entire tail is applied a large number of discount strips, the outside of the taillights is also blackened, coupled with the one-sided double exhaust system, which can be described as sporty.
Interior: The sense of technology has been significantly improved but the sense of grade is insufficient
Crown Lufang's interior in the sense of science and technology compared to the previous Toyota models have significant progress, 12.3-inch full LCD instrument plus 12.3-inch suspension central control screen composed of cockpit to enhance the sense of grade, the entire central control area is also covered with a large number of soft materials, although there is still a gap between the material and the Encore banner, but in such a "cost-deducting" Toyota brand, Crown Lufang's interior is indeed worthy of praise.
It is worth mentioning that the interior material of the land release is not thick, in addition to the top model to provide a red and black interior (leather), the rest of the models of the seat is also composed of fabric, several low-end models are full fabric seats, the lack of luxury is a disadvantage of the crown land.
The panoramic sunroof is not the standard of the whole series, only to the deluxe version with a price of 313,800 yuan, the crown land will begin to be equipped with this large skylight that the Chinese people love.
Space: Comfort configuration is not high enough The third row experience is not friendly
In terms of space, the front row space of the land amplifier performs well, and the experiencer who is also 177cm tall can get more than one punch of head space in the front row, while the front seat is also equipped with a heating function, and the comfort performance is acceptable.
The second row space is the advantage of lufang, whether it is head space or leg space, lufang is in the first echelon of the same level of models, and lufang is also equipped with independent air conditioning in the rear row as standard, and the overall comfort is not as good as the Encore banner, but it can still get the recognition of many users.
Although it is a 7-seat model, the third row of Lu Fang's performance has shrunk too much, and its third row performance in this sea selection is also extremely unopposed, in addition to the feeling of "sitting on a small bench", there are also problems such as sitting posture, insufficient head space and leg space, and the comfort is greatly reduced.
Land release is still an old problem, although the real-time model is equipped with a convenient configuration such as an electric tailgate, but it is still only a high-end model, and the trunk of several volume models is still manually opened, which is worth noting for consumers.
Power: Focus on fuel economy
In terms of power, under the blessing of the TNGA architecture, the new generation of HEV hybrid system equipped by the land amplifier is composed of the TNGA 2.5L Dynamic Force engine and the new generation of three-electric system, the biggest highlight of the system is undoubtedly fuel economy, NEDC 100 km comprehensive fuel consumption is the lowest 5.3L, while the reliability and stability are also well-known in the same type of hybrid system. Of course, this set of powertrains also has its drawbacks, the acceleration ability of the middle and rear sections is relatively lacking, even if a person rides, there will be acceleration efforts, and the performance is even inferior to the powertrain of the previous generation Highlander 2.0T+6AT.
Chassis part, Lu Fang adopts the suspension structure of front McPherson + rear E-type multi-link, the tuning style focuses on comfort, and the medium and high-end models also add an electric four-wheel drive system, under the blessing of the new TNGA architecture, the comfort of the entire driving control has also been significantly improved.
Summary: The core advantage of the crown land release is undoubtedly space and fuel economy, of course, there is this long-standing crown mark, but its shortcomings are also equally obvious, one is that it is still necessary to increase the price, the second is the lack of interior grade, the configuration level of the volume model is not high, and the third row of seats is only the level of occasional emergency. So, if you're a multifamily family, I don't recommend Crown Lufang.
Appearance: Hardcore styling one word: large
The first impression of the explorer is undoubtedly large, and the body size of the explorer is definitely one of the best in the medium and large SUV, and the actual ST-Line Sport edition is also equipped with a large size of blackened net, coupled with the blackened wheels, the sporty sense of the whole car is also directly full.
The Explorer was the largest in this selection and the only model with a wheelbase of more than 3 meters among the three vehicles. From the side of this point of view, the explorer has a taste of the American hardcore SUV, the design lines of the whole car are very tough, which is undoubtedly a great plus for male users.
The Explorer offers two different rims of 20 inches and 21 inches, the real-time model uses tires with a specification of 275/45 R21, and the brand comes from the Pirelli Scorpion Zero series, which is a high-performance four-season tire developed for SUV, focusing on the handling of dry surfaces, and the market price is about 1600 yuan.
The explorer's tail design is also not complicated, a few simple and tough lines make the unique taste of the American car highlighted, and the most pleasing is the design of the tail lights, although the area is small but also tough.
Interior: Workmanship needs to be improved
The same as the American model, the explorer's interior materials are also very luxurious, large area of leather and soft material feel is very outstanding, 12.8-inch upright central control screen is a maverick, with a 12.3-inch full LCD instrument, the sense of science and technology is very strong.
Although the materials are not bad, there is still room for improvement in the interior workmanship of the explorers, and there is a certain gap in seat comfort compared with the Onco flag.
The SYNC?+ Zhixing interconnection system equipped by the explorer is indeed very rich in functional entertainment, and the recognition rate of the intelligent voice system for the dialect is also very high, but this set of car machines does not have Apple CarPlay and Baidu CarLife interconnection functions, which is indeed not very convenient for users who rely more on mobile phone ecology.
It is worth mentioning that although the Explorer is equipped with three-zone automatic air conditioning as standard, its rear independent air conditioner is not equipped with a temperature display, and the design style is very simple and rugged, and this lack of details is really not for this price point model.
Space: 6/7 seats optional
As the largest model in the three vehicles, the explorer naturally reflects its due advantages in terms of space, and the experiencer with a height of 178cm can get more than one punch in the front row, while the front seats are also equipped with seat heating/ventilation/massage and other functions, which are very rich in configuration.
The Explorer is the only model of the three vehicles to offer a 6-seater version for each model, unlike the Encore Flag that can only go up to the Evia version to have a 6-seat version, although the overall space performance of the second row does not reflect the advantages of its large size, but the comfort of the 6 version is undoubtedly more colorful than the 7-seat version.
The explorer's third row and land release have the same problem, the seat is hard, the space is small, etc. are hard injuries, although it is a 7-seat SUV, but the use rate of the third row should not be too high.
In terms of storage capacity, explorers can also expand their space by reclining the seat, and the configuration is also equipped with a standard electric tailgate and position memory function, and the loading capacity is reflected under the advantage of large size.
Power: The whole series is equipped with 2.3T+10AT as standard
Explorer is equipped with a longitudinal layout of the 2.3T engine, this engine is also widely used in Ford models, the advantage is that the parameters are extremely eye-catching, the official 100 km acceleration performance of 7.8 seconds, and the 10AT transmission composed of the power system is also commendable in terms of smoothness, of course, high fuel consumption is also a disadvantage of this power system.
In terms of chassis, the Explorer adopts a more biased double ball spring shock absorbing pillar suspension in the front suspension, and the entire chassis is not only thick and heavy, but also very supportive, and the driving sense of control is quite american models.
Summary: Although it is a 7-seat SUV, the explorer and the crown Land Fang are the same as a "partial student", the size is large but the riding space does not reflect the advantages of large size, although there are 6/7 seats optional, but the space performance of the second and third rows is not balanced, especially the third row and the land ban are really "sitting on a small bench". So, the Explorer is actually more like its name, a "less homely" SUV.
Editor's comments: In general, the three cars have their own characteristics. Luxurious and comfortable Encore flag, fuel-efficient crown land release and good at off-road explorers, is my simple parity for three cars, and in the case of combined price, I recommend an Onco flag, for family users, The encore flag starts with a high configuration, even if the purchase of the minimum can also ensure that the family can sit comfortably, the performance of the third row is also the best of the three cars, for the dad and multi-fetal families, this is undoubtedly very suitable for their car needs, and the crown land release and explorers in addition to the price is more expensive, The models that are really recommended for purchase are often medium and high, and they are not friendly to low-end models, so combined with these points, Buick Encore Banner will be a more suitable choice among the three vehicles.