The new Xpeng P7i is coming soon! Is there any strength to wrestle with Tesla Model 3P?

Who is the madman? This group can be large or small, or it can be looming. They may have been smoothed by life, but occasionally they can't hide their inner restlessness. Large screen, large refrigerator, large sofa, lidar, high computing power chip... You can name several advantages, but the madman only recognizes aluminum and carbon, and a good car is like a drop of distilled water in a dry desert, which can be unintelligent but must be pure.

Intelligence for today's new forces can be described as a housekeeping skill, not surprisingly, after the mid-term facelift, the Xiaopeng P7 also has an additional i behind it. The P7 is still the same P7, the exterior and interior of three years ago, which is still not obsolete today. i stands for intelligence, represents the two new lidars, represents dual Orin-X 508Tops computing power chips, represents Qualcomm Snapdragon SA8155P, and represents the hardware capabilities of urban assisted driving... But today, let's not talk about intelligence, let's return to the "P7" as an attribute of the car itself to see if it is worthy of the skin of this coupe.

Today, we came to Guangdong Racing International Circuit, after special treatment of the track, the big straight in the starting area was canceled, 9 corners, we pulled the Xpeng P7i rear-wheel drive, Xpeng P7i four-wheel drive and Tesla Model 3 Performance three cars on the track to see who performed better.

Xpeng P7i rear-drive version

We first drove the rear-wheel drive version of the Xpeng P7i, which was equipped with a rear-mounted permanent magnet synchronous motor with a maximum power of 203kW, a peak torque of 440Nm, and an acceleration of 6.4s per 100km/h.

The acceleration of the rear-drive vehicle is still very fast, and the brake feel is very smooth and linear. I believe that this car will not have much problems in daily driving. But facing various extreme challenges on the track does expose some problems, first of all, ESP can not be turned off, even if switched to sport mode, the calibration is more conservative, the brakes are easy to step on ABS, when the vehicle detects a loss of grip, it will actively limit the power, affecting the speed of cornering, for drivers who pursue faster lap times, it is undoubtedly painful. But this may be an advantage for ordinary users, the car is difficult to flick or lose control, in the fun but also to ensure safety. The author believes that rear-drive cars should retain a certain playability, and a driver mode can be set up like the four-wheel drive version, and ESP can be turned off manually or calibrated less conservatively.

Xpeng P7i four-wheel drive version

Immediately afterwards, we experienced the four-wheel drive version of the Xpeng P7i, the vehicle is equipped with a front induction asynchronous motor and a rear permanent magnet synchronous motor, with a maximum power of 348kW, a maximum torque of 757Nm, and zero hundred acceleration of 3.9s. The configuration here is different from the front and rear dual permanent magnet synchronous motors of the old four-wheel drive version, and the use of asynchronous front motors can make the rear acceleration of the vehicle more powerful, compared with the previous model, the maximum power is increased by 10.1%, and the maximum torque is increased by 15.6%.

Competitor comparison chart

Compared with the old P7, the new P7i four-wheel drive version also has a certain upgrade in performance. The first is the layout of the mid-mounted front and rear motors, which are closer to the center, pressing the weight in the middle, reducing the front pitch and having a lower steering inertia. Secondly, the heat dissipation performance is improved by 88.9% compared with the old model, which enhances the durability of the vehicle, and it is understood that it can run continuously for 30 minutes at a speed of 190km/h, which is more conducive to long-term intense driving.

We put the four-wheel drive version of the P7i on the track, and we can clearly feel that it is not a character car at all with the two-wheel drive version. The 3.9-second boost is even more explosive, and the rider mode is equipped with a set of special tunings for ESP, torque distribution, throttle response, brake feel, energy recovery, and thermal management. Although the four-wheel drive version of ESP can not be completely turned off, but it has a four-wheel drive torque distribution system, in the limit state of the corner will not appear power loss, when the rear wheel loses grip, the torque distribution system will give priority to the front wheel output power, soon can rescue the car back to a controllable state, while also ensuring the cornering speed. The feeling of this car is that it is safe to drive and will not be discouraged.

Finally, we drove the Tesla Model 3 Performance, equipped with a front induction asynchronous motor and a rear permanent magnet synchronous motor, with a maximum power of 357kW, a maximum torque of 659Nm, and a zero hundred acceleration of 3.3s.

We turned on the track mode of M3P, there is no kinetic energy recovery in this mode, and ESP is also completely turned off, the zero hundred acceleration of 3.3 seconds is more explosive, the brake foot feel is much harder than the Xpeng P7i, the braking feeling is more direct, not as silky as the Xpeng P7i. Of course, the biggest feature and difference of M3P is that the steering is more accurate, where to hit, the chassis is more compact and integrated, and the character is more extreme, as if it was born for the track. Despite being a four-wheel drive vehicle, when exiting corners, the throttle will produce a slight tail slip, which is full of driving pleasure. Of course, such a calibration also brings certain dangers.

Finally, let's summarize the conclusion, as far as the matter of going on the track, the author likes the feeling of M3P more, but it does not mean that the Xpeng P7i is inferior to M3P, the author always believes that what suits me is the best. Xpeng P7i and M3P are two cars with completely different personalities, Xpeng P7i whether it is chassis, steering or ESP tuning, is more comfortable and conservative, taking into account family and safety, if most of your car use scenarios are family commuting, occasionally want to play a little, P7i is a very suitable car, is a different starting point collision of products, more comprehensive. If you are a crazy person, have the ultimate pursuit of performance, and usually drive alone, there is no family car needs... Choose M3P! It will definitely not make you regret and disappoint.

Not long ago, we also conducted a static analysis of the new Xpeng P7i, and there were not many surprises in the "appearance" after the change, mainly to strengthen the "core", in order to make it have higher computing power and detection capabilities to adapt to future versions of intelligent driving systems. The following is a brief review, I hope it can be of some help to users who want to buy a car.

The new P7i has hardly changed in terms of exterior design, with a through-type star ring headlamp paired with split matrix headlights. The difference is that two lidar are integrated next to the light groups on both sides, making the headlight profile more slender.

In terms of body color, two new paint colors have been added, Interstellar Green and Crescent Silver, and the test drive model is Interstellar Green. At the functional level, the high beam irradiation range of Xpeng P7i is increased by 20% compared with the original P7, the blind zone of the lidar viewing angle is reduced, and the detection angle of dual radars can reach 182°.

The length, width and height of the Xpeng P7i are 4888x1896x1450mm, and the wheelbase is 2998mm, which is completely consistent with the old P7. The side design of the body has also remained unchanged, with sleek curves and coupe stances continued, and classic designs such as frameless doors and hidden door handles have been retained.

The drag coefficient of the new car is 0.236, which is unchanged from the old model. The difference is that the four doors of the Xpeng P7i are equipped with an electric suction function as standard, and the sense of quality has been improved.

The wheels feature a 19-inch dual-five-spoke contrast design that matches Michelin PS4 245/45 R19 tires and focuses on sporty performance. The front brake system adopts Brembo four-piston calipers and has a braking distance of 33.3 meters per 100 km.

The rear design has also hardly changed compared to the old P7, and the contours of the light clusters on both sides echo the headlights, becoming more slender. There is a small opening in the middle of the through-type star ring taillight, but it is not here to open the trunk, the open button is located directly below, it is a circular button that looks a lot like a reversing radar, and friends who are in contact for the first time will be confused.

The interior design as a whole still follows the layout of the old P7, but it also incorporates Xpeng's latest family language, such as the design of the steering wheel and the central floor, which can be found in the prototype from Xpeng G9. The classic dual-screen design continues, with a simple and very layered countertop style, with a through-through mood light strip, and a strong technological atmosphere.

The whole car has almost no physical buttons, vehicle control, air conditioning control, entertainment, navigation and other functions are all integrated in the 14.96-inch floating touch screen, equipped with Snapdragon SA8155P chip, built-in Xmart OS 4.0 intelligent vehicle system.

The steering wheel still adopts a dual-width design, and the steering wheel layout is consistent with the steering wheel of Xpeng G9, continuing the pocket gear, and the upper part is matched with a 10.25-inch full LCD instrument cluster, which can display the remaining power, power consumption, navigation and other driving information.

The biggest change in the car is the renovation of the central floor, two new longitudinal wireless charging pads in the middle, with a liftable cup holder, the armrest box is also the same as G9, which can be flipped left and right, the main and co-drivers can open from their own direction, and the box has a built-in fragrance system.

The hollow design is adopted under the central floor, and the storage compartment is equipped with 60W Type-C wired fast charging, which can charge mobile phones and computers at multiple ends.

In terms of seats, the Xpeng P7i has optimized the height of the front shoulders, longer rear seat cushions, optimized rear inclination angle of 28°, ventilation/heating in the main and passenger seats, heated rear seats, and hidden exclusive speakers in the main driver's seat.

In terms of space, we have adjusted the front seats to the minimum, and there is still 1 fist and 4 fingers of headroom. The front seats are wide and comfortable, with long cushions to provide good support for the legs, and the seat height can be adjusted widely, so you can find a driving position that suits you. (Editor's height: 183cm)

With the front seat not moving, enter the rear row, 2 fingers remaining in headroom and 2 punches remaining in legroom. Although the seat cushion length and backrest inclination have been optimized, the seat height is still on the low side, and users with long legs still feel like sitting on a "small bench". In addition, there is no extra space under the front seats, so the feet of second-row passengers cannot reach in. (Editor's height: 183cm)

The trunk space performance is relatively average, the opening is not liftback, and there is no extra space when the lower partition is opened. The depth of the cabin is good, and the rear seats support proportional reclining, but do not form a flat state. The rear door opens and closes electrically and supports kick sensing.

In terms of intelligent driving, the Xpeng P7i MAX version is equipped with dual Orin-X chips, providing 508TOPS computing power, which is 16.9 times higher than the old Xavier chip. A total of 31 sensing elements are equipped inside and outside the vehicle, including 2 lidars, 5 millimeter-wave radars, 12 ultrasonic sensors, and 12 cameras. Based on the second-generation intelligent assisted driving system XNGP, it can realize intelligent assisted driving capabilities in all scenarios, including high-speed NGP, urban NGP, LCC enhanced version, intelligent assisted parking, and other intelligent assisted driving.

In terms of power and range, the vehicle is still available in single-motor rear-drive and dual-motor four-wheel drive versions. The two-wheel drive version has a maximum power of 203kW, a peak torque of 440Nm, a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 6.4 seconds, and two battery packs are available, with a CLTC range of 702km/670km. The four-wheel drive version is equipped with a front induction asynchronous motor and a rear permanent magnet synchronous motor, with a maximum power of 348kW, a peak torque of 757Nm ∙m, a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 3.9 seconds, and a CLTC range of 610km. Under fast charging conditions, the maximum energy replenishment of two-wheel drive is 240km in 10 minutes, and the maximum replenishment of four-wheel drive is 210km, and 10%~80% is less than 30 minutes.

In terms of chassis, Xpeng P7i adopts a front virtual kingpin double wishbone + rear five-link suspension structure, with a front steering machine and SACHS shock absorber, which takes into account both control and comfort.

Does the new Xpeng P7i still meet your expectations? Welcome to leave a message in the comment area!

(Photo/Text/Video Bo Xiao)