2022 is definitely the year of the outbreak of domestic middleweight imitation competitions, and the impression of a number of new cars is quite subversive. As a car enthusiast, of course, I am happy to see that local car manufacturers can make significant progress in the environment of intensified competition; more importantly, these cars are not rolled to the same place in a rush, but are given different personalities and orientations.
In the mass production world, the pursuit of extreme performance is a genre, such as Ducati; likewise, the pursuit of good riding is also a genre, such as Honda. Different orientations have different emphases, and naturally there are different clusters. The development concept of the depot directly determines the final finalization and also determines the fundamental character of the car.
Back to the real world, the first stick of this year's domestic middleweight imitation competition belongs to Sectron, and the new RC401 opened the prelude to the annual competition with an official price of 28800 yuan.
The first impression of it came from the media tasting meeting organized by Sectron at the end of February, RC401 gave people a refreshing feeling, showing the muscle feeling that a sports car should have, but also not bloated, it can be said that the appearance of this piece is just right.
After a simple test drive, I gave it a good evaluation at the time, one was the smooth feedback of the power, and the other was that the control was more neutral and better to ride than the previous model.
With the launch of the new car, we subsequently received a new series production test drive. Compared with the test car, the puller is more refined, and the coordination of the whole vehicle design is further improved. In addition, the first time you get started, you can clearly feel that the sliding clutch has been fine-tuned, and the gear shift feeling has been improved.
The riding triangle still maintains the setting of daily riding, the integrated top board design brings a relatively high handle position; our measured seat height is 790mm, the width of the cushion is suitable, and riders with a height of more than 165cm do not need to worry too much about the threshold problem.
The relatively outstretched foot position is also left for sports driving with some comfort and encouragement, and moderate rear movement of the hips can also get a good sense of fighting.
Overall, the RC401 maintains a high enough tolerance for everyday driving and allows riders to have more usage scenarios.
As a newly tuned power platform, it is equipped with a 401cc displacement 180° phase water-cooled side-by-side twin-cylinder engine with a gas distribution structure of SOHC single overhead camshafts with 4 valves per cylinder, and its maximum power is increased to 33kW/9500rpm, and its maximum torque is 37N.m/8000rpm.
It is worth mentioning that the RC401 is equipped with the Bosch BOSCH EFI system and adds a power mode option, which allows users to switch freely in Economy (ECO) and Sport (SPORT) modes.
In actual tests, the difference in power output between the two modes is not particularly abrupt, but it can be felt that the speed climb in the sport mode is slightly more positive.
In the sport mode, the measured zero hundred acceleration score is 5.9s, which is more in line with the objective facts, one is that the engine limit is set within a relatively stable 10000rpm, and the rear sprocket is also selected to be relatively small specifications, so the speed is achieved in the 3rd gear.
Obviously, the engine tuning of the RC401 is more focused on the mid-speed area, and does not deliberately enhance the low-turn performance to create a very vivid acceleration impression. In terms of overall dynamic performance, it is more inclined to a smoother, more malleable setting, which is similar to Honda's tonality.
In terms of extreme speed, the highest measured value is 158.8km/h, and the corresponding meter speed is 167km/h.
The RC401 has a curb weight of 178kg, which is not like other cars that one-sidedly emphasize lightweight data, but achieves a more optimized balance in terms of handling, driving texture and lightweight. Such a practice is also determined by the target group of this car, that is, the novice driver is easy to ride and safe, and the veteran driver is full of fun.
The whole driving experience feedback is more friendly, and the output is more delicate and linear than the previous power platform. It's easier to ride for novices and not too paranoid, and it provides good dynamic feedback for experienced riders.
For the current market, even the imitation racing model has not been given more advanced sports and extract performance, but the pursuit of sporty attributes is still an absolutely "politically correct" thing. So, naturally, we took the RC401 to a small track and had a "hand-to-hand fight" with it.
The first thing I didn't expect was that it entered the state so quickly. The surging output of the mid-section power is particularly suitable for this small track, with 3rd or 2nd gear enough to cope with the entire "schedule", and the speed climb after the corner is very obvious. The positive MIGRA S1 sport tires, which are sized at the front 110/70 R17 and the rear 150/60 R17, provide good grip and maintain excellent dynamic feedback on relatively narrow corners with continuously changing inclinations, while also maintaining the bending limit at a high level.
The second thing I didn't expect was that in addition to the solid stability of the frame, there was also appropriate and delicate dynamic feedback. More than two years ago I tested the RZ3S, which also uses this frame structure, as a sports street car it gives me the feeling of being more than fierce but not sharp enough, and the RC401, which began with this woven frame, has done a good job of track tasks, and I have to say that this time the adjustment of the frame has improved significantly. Under the premise that the main frame is basically unchanged, the dynamic performance of the vehicle has been improved through the adjustment of the subframe structure, as well as the revision of the forward inclination angle and towing distance, which is both light and controllable, and relaxed.
The third thing I didn't expect was that its suspension system also brought super level play. I didn't change the original setting before going to the track, so the 41mm inverted front suspension remained in the middle of the 11th level (22-level damping adjustable), and if it was down to a high-speed curve, it could also be adjusted appropriately. The rear suspension with the reverse multi-link structure is almost parallel to the swingarm, and this design does allow me to have a relatively clear feedback of the swingarm movement before cornering, which has never been provided by other models (probably more than a dozen models) running this track before.
I was very surprised by the clear and unambiguous tracking performance, and I did not expect that a car such as the RC401, which is positioned to be more comfortable to ride, can also show praiseworthy strength on the track. The tuning of the whole vehicle, I think, is very successful.
Write at the end
After a few years of silence, Sectron restarted the imitation program, and the first to promote this RC401. Combined with the earlier research and development experience, as well as the accumulation of race data by the Zongshen team over the years, coupled with the first-class industrial production line of the Sectron factory, the RC series definitely has its own advantages.
Now, the Seclon RC401 has kept up with the mainstream level in product design, and the configuration is almost the best in the same level; and in terms of price, it has also changed the previous high profile, which can be called a conscience presentation. A comprehensive quality is good, all aspects are relatively online, and it is a member of the popular car, so it should get a good harvest, right?