A few days ago, I interacted with netizens on social media, asking everyone what car they were interested in, I went to try it for everyone, what I didn't expect was that the model with the highest number of votes was actually the second generation big dog of Haval. To be honest, I really don't have much interest in this car, on the one hand, I am no longer curious about Great Wall's DHT powertrain, on the other hand, in the past two years, Great Wall has continued the "car sea tactics" to develop a variety of "naming and flying self, styling surprise" products that really make me resist. However, in order to satisfy everyone's curiosity, I still went to the nearby 4S shop to test drive and experience this car, and after the actual experience, this car is really different from my expectations, and it is indeed a product worth trying.
The model of this test drive is the Haval second-generation big dog-PHEV version of the 105km tide power version Plus, which is the top-equipped model of the whole series, so all aspects of the experience cannot be replaced by the 50km version of the PHEV model, let alone applied to the fuel version model, as you know.
[Exterior design] I have to say that whether it is Haval, Wei brand, or tank, the products of the Great Wall series in the past two years are basically not with excellent appearance design, almost every new car once exposed, will be madly complained by netizens, and even some time ago actually staged the farce of "co-creation and face change" (but I have to admit that this public relations method is quite successful). Haval second-generation big dog is no exception, the appearance design of this car to my first feeling is "ugly and ugly", although the whole car looks quite ostentatious, high ground clearance, lines everywhere and the front face, wheel eyebrows and other details are full of relatively wild "off-road style", but no matter from which angle, this car and "handsome" are basically not touched, including the wheel rim and all the lines and details of the body are unaesthetic, it seems extremely casual, especially the design of the rear of the car looks quite incongruous, It feels that it is not the same design language as other parts, it seems very disjointed, and I personally feel that the appearance of the whole car looks far less beautiful than the Haval Big Dog.
The exterior design of the Haval II Big Dog PHEV version
【Interior design】Compared with the exterior design, the interior design of the second generation of Haval big dog is much more pleasing to the eye, is my personal favorite type, the overall design style and Haval big dog to maintain a high degree of consistency, on the basis of which more practical physical buttons have been added, the size of the LCD instrument and the central control screen has also increased a lot, the air outlet and other details have also been significantly improved, but also borrowed some tank 300 detail design, so that the interior design of the second generation big dog looks more atmospheric and exquisite than the Haval big dog.
The interior design of the Haval II Big Dog PHEV Edition
【Static experience】Entering the front seat seat, the interior materials of the second generation of the Haval big dog are quite good, the workmanship is relatively good, and the overall texture is considered to be above the middle level in the same class. What impressed me is that compared with the Haval Big Dog, the new interior of the second generation Big Dog has been greatly optimized in details, both in terms of aesthetics, ease of use, and practicality. The central armrest box, the hollowed-out area under the center console, the co-pilot's glove box, and the storage slots above the glove box have been increased, and the center console area not only accommodates more commonly used physical buttons, but also features a cup holder that can be lifted by the main driver for more stable placement of higher height cups.
The central control area of the Haval second-generation big dog PHEV version is equipped with common physical buttons and the main driver's lifting cup holder
The front man-machine model gives praise, the steering wheel and seat adjustment range are large enough, the sitting posture can be adjusted to a fairly low position, the LCD instrument size is large and the position design is reasonable, and the upper edge of the steering wheel under the low sitting position will not block the effective display area of the instrument, which is clearly praised. The shape design of the steering wheel itself is inherited from the Haval big dog, the leather is good, but the shape design of the 3-9 point position is not reasonable enough, and the grip feeling is relatively general.
The front row of the Haval II Big Dog PHEV version
The front seats themselves can give 80 points. First of all, the advantages of the overall seat are relatively wide, and the surface material is delicate to the touch, the filling material is relatively soft, the length of the seat cushion is good, and the inclination adjustment function with the adjustment range is very excellent, which can provide excellent leg support for the vast majority of drivers in their favorite driving sitting position. The seat backrest with four-way lumbar support adjustment can also fit the driver's lumbar curve well, providing comfortable and effective support for the driver's waist and back, and the backrest wings do not provide a strong sense of wrapping, but also have a certain lateral support ability. There are two main disadvantages, the first is that although the seat filling is still relatively soft and comfortable, the cushion of the front seat itself is still a little thin, and there is no way to provide enough sagging, it is difficult to detect the difference in material distribution according to ergonomics, and it is not very friendly to the driver with a larger weight; The second is that the upper shape of the seat back is not reasonable enough, resulting in insufficient shoulder support.
The front seats of the Haval II Big Dog PHEV version
After fixing the front seats in my comfortable driving position and entering the rear row, the space performance is clearly praised, both headroom and legroom are quite spacious, and the nearly flat floor also fully takes care of the riding experience of the rear center passengers. The rear seats give clear praise, and the performance is much better than the front seats. First of all, the material is very soft, comfortable and well distributed, providing passengers with an excellent feeling of wrapping and sagging, while ensuring support. The seat model is also excellent, the length of the cushion is excellent, the thickness, height, and base inclination are extremely reasonable, the seat back angle supports two-level adjustment, which can fit the curve of the human body well, and the headrest has also been re-optimized, eliminating the front buckle headrest of the big dog, and the backrest can provide effective support for the waist, back, shoulders, and head of the rear passengers. In short, this rear seat of the second generation of Haval Big Dog can be called the biggest highlight of the static aspect of the whole car, and the ride feeling is really very comfortable, it is no exaggeration to say that the rear center seat of this car is much more comfortable than the main seats on both sides of the rear of many vehicles.
The back row of the Haval second-generation big dog PHEV version (the picture on the right is from the understanding car emperor)
The performance of the trunk is quite average, of course, this is exactly in line with my expectations, like all other Great Wall lemon platform models I have experienced, the trunk of the Haval second-generation big dog still has common problems such as small volume and high floor, and the highest opening height of the tailgate is also relatively low, and there is a risk of kowtowing when the height exceeds 175cm, which has a negative impact on the convenience of loading and unloading items. There are also no additional storage slots under the trunk floor to store some bits and pieces, and the overall loading capacity is relatively average. Another noteworthy detail is that compared with the Haval big dog, the second-generation big dog cancels the soft curtain of the trunk, but reserves the corresponding installation point, and consumers need to buy and install by themselves, which I personally think is a little saving and unnecessary.
The trunk of the Haval II Big Dog PHEV version
In terms of other details, I am more impressed by two points, the first is that the second-generation big dog's car system is obviously much smoother than other models under Great Wall that I have tried before, the interface and operation logic are fully aligned with the Wei brand product line, and the accuracy and response speed of voice recognition are also satisfactory, and it is no longer the car machine on the big dog that looks messy and stuttered, but the trapezoidal area above the instrument is still the same as the Haval big dog can only display the current gear, which is still a bit wasteful. The second is that the seat ventilation function of the second-generation big dog is a little strange, which makes me feel a little crying and laughing, although I have to admit that the seat ventilation of this car is really very powerful, the noise is small and very cool, I drove for half an hour and felt that my butt was ice, but the seat ventilation range of this car is actually only the cushion without a backrest, the butt is cold but sweaty state is really almost interesting.
【Powertrain/brake foot feel】The model of this test drive is the Haval second-generation big dog-PHEV version of the 105km tide version Plus, that is, the top-equipped model of the whole series, the powertrain is composed of a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine + permanent magnet synchronous drive motor + two-speed DHT, and the nominal maximum power of the whole system is 240kW. In actual experience, the absolute power performance is good, whether it is starting, accelerating or short output power is relatively abundant, personally feel that the acceleration time of 0-100km/h should be a little more than 7 seconds.
The power output in normal mode is relatively soft, and more power can burst out in sports mode, no matter which mode, the proportion of power output and accelerator pedal is relatively good, and the process is more delicate and linear. Smoothness can also be praised, in ordinary urban roads, fast loop roads and other driving conditions, whether in pure electric priority mode or hybrid mode, there is no perceptible setback, breakdown. The power response performance is not bad, but there is still room for improvement, relatively smoothly when pressing the accelerator, regardless of the size of the power request vehicle will execute smoothly and quickly, but the response of Tip-in will still be significantly slower by half a beat, and the power output will have a delay of about one second, and on this basis, it is necessary to pay special attention to the fact that this delay will not be canceled as the driver abandons the command, that is, even if the driver gives a Tip-in command and finds that the situation has changed immediately release the accelerator pedal, The car will still briefly release the power request after that delay, hoping that Great Wall can optimize the above situation in future OTAs.
The brake foot feels praised, the front section of the brake pedal is not empty, the total stroke is relatively short, and the feedback is slightly greater. The absolute braking force strength of the output can give the driver enough confidence, the ratio between the braking force output and the pedal is very good, the CRBS calibration is also quite good, the mechanical braking and kinetic energy recovery are smoothly connected, and the overall performance is quite good.
[Steering feel/daily control] Haval second-generation big dog's steering feel performance is also quite good, steering wheel assist has light, comfortable, sports three gears adjustable, because I personally find it more difficult to accept a very light return torque, so I prefer comfort and sport mode. Of course, like other Wei models I have experienced, when driving the second-generation big dog, I also recommend turning off the DST Dynamic Directional Stabilization Assist function in the system, and the steering feel will become much more natural. The steering wheel gives just right feedback to the road feel, the gain of the righting torque with the speed of the vehicle and the gain with the steering angle are relatively large, and the gain process is relatively linear, but the damping in sport mode and comfort mode is slightly lacking.
The daily control performance cannot be praised, which can also be said to be the main shortcoming of the second-generation big dog's product strength. Although the car's body follow-up performance is still quite good, after the driver gives the steering command, the front of the car responds quite quickly, and the rear of the car does not drag at all, and the speed of the center of gravity offset with the steering command is absolutely satisfactory. However, the body attitude of this car is too embarrassing, whether it is the roll when steering, or the pitch amplitude when accelerating and decelerating, but fortunately, the convergence performance of the attitude is not bad, and there is no redundant, unstoppable swing after the steering is back to right or the speed is stable. In short, this car is not suitable for even a little intense driving.
【NVH/chassis filter】NVH performance gives praise, quietness, whether it is external environmental sound, tire noise, or internal combustion engine start, working noise are very well controlled, limited by the more square shape, the wind noise under the urban fast loop working conditions is relatively obvious, but overall the sound insulation level of this car is far beyond my expectations. When the engine is started and working, there is no vibration that affects the experience into the car, and the performance is quite eye-catching.
The chassis shock filter performance also exceeded my expectations, especially in the texture of the shock filter has been significantly improved, and I expected the same "stiff but crisp" style as the big dog and H6, the Haval second-generation big dog gives people the most intuitive feeling when crossing the hurdle is "Q bomb", the size of the shock are processed very softly, even through the higher speed bump There is no stiff impact at all, this performance is likely to have a lot to do with tires with a flat ratio of 60 and better chassis rubber parts. In short, it can create a fairly strong sense of isolation and a certain sense of premium. However, the working process of this car's suspension system is not conducive to cables, and there will be a lot of fine chatters and vibrations into the car when crossing the barrier, although the texture of these vibrations is quite good, but elimination is actually the best solution. In short, the shock filtering performance of this Haval second-generation big dog PHEV is exactly the opposite of the two characteristics I expected based on the big dog, which once again proves that the performance of a certain model of the same brand in certain aspects cannot be directly replaced to other models, and the difference in vehicles must be perceived after a test drive.
【Model Summary】This test drive experience of Haval second-generation big dog PHEV really made me feel the technological progress of independent brands such as Great Wall and the continuous drastic changes in the domestic automobile market, two years ago I could not imagine that a car with such product strength and a series and parallel efficient plug-in hybrid system could only be sold for more than 100,000 yuan.
Returning to the second-generation big dog PHEV itself, it is not difficult to see from all aspects that this is a car full of pragmatism, whether it is static design or dynamic driving feeling is an obvious "family, comfortable, practical" orientation. I can say very responsibly that from the product power, this car is worth more than the 110KM two-wheel drive version of the BYD Song Plus DM-i, the two cars at a similar price, the second generation of the big dog has an absolutely better static driving experience, better interior, car machine, better brake foot feeling, better daily handling performance, larger trunk space and a series of advantages.
But it is not easy to obtain market recognition, after all, the reputation of the Great Wall car series is experiencing a decline, and the second-generation big dog itself also has many characteristics that can be rejected by ordinary consumers, such as insufficient moderation, vague product positioning, unpleasant model naming, etc., combined with the various performances of Great Wall in the past one or two years, I am actually difficult to be very optimistic about the future market performance of this car.
Two years ago, I thought that Great Wall would abandon the previous old road, refine the product line and enter a very rapid growth iteration period with the five milestones of "Wei brand SUV product line comprehensive update", "tank 300 success", "third-generation H6 launch", "Haval big dog marketing success", "lemon hybrid DHT debut".
However, the various mysterious operations of the Great Wall are shocking, one is that the symbol of the Wei brand SUV product line update is actually equipped with a 48V mild hybrid instead of a lemon DHT system Mocha, the car's product power and product positioning can be said to be doomed to failure from the beginning, this is not over, followed by the lemon DHT system listed is actually not a latte but a lower positioning, more ugly macchiato, which further pulls down the brand premium, plus the independence of the tank, Let WEY, an "independent high-end brand" that made a good start in the previous generation, completely fell to the bottom.
Second, after the success of Haval Big Dog marketing, the entire Great Wall Group completely released itself, what first love, mythical beast, red rabbit, cool dog, dream, coffee series, etc. and so on for the sake of eyeballs and eyeballs named "Pink Ink Debut", along with the jaw-dropping car sea tactics and like the previous generation, a bunch of extremely vague product positioning, people can not scratch their heads whether looking at the name or the car (such as "Wei 80" that abandoned the naming method of the coffee series). Take the Haval second-generation big dog I test-drove this time as an example, this car has always used the code name of H-DOG at the beginning of its announcement, and has nothing to do with the Haval big dog, but before the final listing, Great Wall actually directly named the car the second-generation big dog (I guess I really can't think of another name so it is directly rotten), so that many old owners of big dogs directly felt a wave of backstabs, feeling that the new car they just bought for two years was about to be eliminated like some models of Ora, and offended a wave of new owners at the moment when their reputation declined.
Third, the exterior design level of most of the models listed by Great Wall in recent years is really difficult to compliment, Wei brand coffee series still failed to escape the shackles of the magic modification VV7, and the more it was changed, the uglier the appearance design of the tank series follow-up models and various DOG models was constantly complained about, and even the Wei 80 was so ugly that it was necessary to "co-create" with netizens before pre-sale for a "face change", which was simply jaw-dropping.
In short, in the current drastic changes in the entire industry and market, although the Great Wall has strong technical strength, and there are still products such as tank 300 that can support the façade, but under the influence of the bad product reputation of the previous generation, I don't think the Great Wall has many opportunities to continue to "release itself" like this. In my opinion, the most important thing Great Wall should do now is to quickly abandon the tactics of the car sea, reorganize and refine all its product lines, establish a new naming system that is conducive to product positioning and communication, and focus on improving the exterior design level of the model, after all, in the matter of buying a car, the name and beautiful appearance that can be said account for a very large proportion in the hearts of every consumer.