Summary: The Chinese market is so big, there are always those users who need fast charging, need a certain amount of space, and need a sense of sophistication, then, the existence of Panda MINI is just right.
(Text/Pan Yuchen Editor/Zhang Guangkai) "Old Man Le" "This is also a car? ""Moving the coffin", "cheating the mending" ... For some self-proclaimed car enthusiasts, the micro-electric cars strolling the streets of the city often make them scoff, and the above noise is also common on the Internet.
However, the situation is stronger than people, Wuling, Geely, Chang'an, Chery, Dongfeng... Domestic mainstream brands basically have a small car that is known for its cuteness, and it often has good market acceptance.
Since its launch in February this year, the market performance of Geely Panda MINI has been as "as strong" as that of a real panda: customer orders exceeded 25,000 in the first month, 6,661 units were delivered in February, 10,050 units in March, and 10,615 units in April... According to the China Automobile Dealers Association, the cumulative delivery of the Panda MINI has exceeded 27,000 units as of April, and among Geely new energy vehicles, the sales of the Panda MINI account for more than one-third.
Yes, you are not mistaken, Geely New Energy's real fist product is not polar krypton, let alone Polestar, but this car with an average price of no more than 50,000 yuan.
Panda is a national treasure and is loved by people all over the world; Geely Panda was once a masterpiece of Geely Automobile, and it was also loved by thousands of car owners; Now as a replacement for the fuel version of the panda, Geely Panda Mini seems to have once again gained the potential of national heated discussion. Where is its secret?
sculpt
"It's all square boxes, it's all aesthetic fatigue."
Needless to say, under the influence of Wuling Hongguang MINI EV, the overall shape of the current hybrid market is almost the same. However, latecomers such as Panda Mini have achieved certain differentiation.
The front face line does not follow the horizontal and vertical square box design, and there is the foundation of the auspicious panda, the round and embarrassing big eyes are still telling you, I am so cute, do you want to take a closer look?
In fact, this "big eye" is not as simple as imagined. In addition to the headlights in the center, the large arc on the outside is the daytime running light, and the small arc on the inside is the turn signal, and the division of labor is quite clear.
The side of the body continues the same boxy shape, the A, B and C pillars and roof are completely blackened, and the pentagonal doors are very large, which need to be adapted when opened. There are obvious straight grooves at the front, rear and under the doors, and the lower tire size is 155/65 R14; The hub style converges with the paw of the panda, which is more humble and cute.
At the rear, there are four flat parallel lines, and the two taillights have a split C-shaped design.
Consumers have a thousand Hamlets in their hearts, but one thing is almost certain: the car is driving on the road or parked on the side of the road, and the rate of turning back must be not low.
space
"It's all bought old man happy, who cares about space."
But the reality is that users who really intend to choose a mini scooter have a lot of space pursuit, even if it is a punch more distance than the top of the head of competitors in the same class, an extra bag in the back, or an extra storage compartment, it may become a decisive factor for consumers to buy a car.
The Panda mini is 3065/1522/1610 (1600) mm in length, width and height respectively, and has a wheelbase of 2015mm, which is larger than the lower-priced Hongguang MINI EV and Chery QQ ice cream, but slightly smaller than the slightly more expensive Changan Lumin waxy corn.
It's really what you pay for.
In addition, the no-load ground clearance of the Panda MINI is 170mm, the highest in its class.
Like the competition, due to the large area of the doors, the front seat belt of the Panda Mini is positioned further back, and it is slightly unchanged to use. Fortunately, the default seat position is lower than that of the Hongguang MINI EV, and it will not be too hard, providing a sense of space and comfort that is already remarkable in mini cars.
As a two-door, four-seater minicar, the Panda Mini has a better than nothing rear seat, but still holds two adults. Specifically, passengers sitting in the rear can still insert a punch or so from the default position of the front seat, and the top of the head can also maintain a punch from the roof, and the space has a certain advantage over competing products.
However, there is still a certain bulge in the center of the rear row of the Panda Mini, and it has been measured that every time a person is installed, the clearance between the wheels and the body will be sharply reduced until it is completely in close contact with the tires, and the passengers feel as if they are sitting on a box-spring bed.
Undoubtedly, a fully loaded panda mini naturally has a higher driving risk, and the front seat of two people is still its most common use scenario.
In terms of storage, compared with competitors such as the Hongguang MINI EV, the rear row is not too tight on the tailgate, and it can fit three school bags, even enough to put a spare tire. In addition, the rear seats can be folded vertically for more luggage, at least the spare wheel or both trunks are completely lying flat without a problem.
Spatial performance of Panda Mini after discharge and pull-up
There is a reason why you are expensive.
Interior & Equipment
For a small car with a price of no more than one Shanghai brand, consumers do not have to expect its configuration level. After all, Geely Chairman Li Shufu has long said that the essence of a car is four wheels and two sofas - replaced by a micro electric vehicle, there may be "four wheels plus bench and battery".
Helplessly, China's auto market is still too rolled, and cars with tens of thousands of yuan must also play a flower. Panda is a national treasure, "Panda" was once Geely's representative model, as the successor of the Panda Mini, naturally "bear also has a bear-like".
As far as the entire center console is concerned, the Panda Mini has a good way of erasing the consistent plastic feeling of the mini car interior, and the uniform cherry blossom pink color scheme of the exterior reveals the warmth of a girl's bedroom. In addition, there are also white suitable for panda hair or green suitable for bamboo, which shows that Panda Mini is not addicted to the so-called "she economy" and completely blocks its audience.
The seat is made of fabric (the custom yellow duck version uses imitation leather), but the sewing and color matching still show the sense of sophistication as much as possible, and it will not look too simple.
In addition, there are cosmetic mirrors in front of the main and passenger seats in the car, which is unique to its class, catering to the needs of female users who still occupy a considerable proportion of this model.
The gear handle adopts the knob type common to competitors in the same class, and there are only three D\N\R gears in total, and drivers who initially contact mini vehicles need a certain amount of time to adapt. In addition, the window switch is placed in front of the knob knob rather than on the door side, which is slightly inconvenient for drivers who need to open the window while driving.
The Panda Mini has a lot of straight storage compartments in the car, including a large storage slot under the front windshield, which is convenient for users to place mobile phones and small objects, but it is inconvenient for users who are accustomed to using mobile phone holders to navigate, and most storage compartments have limited width, which will be cramped for placing slightly larger objects such as bottled water.
In addition, the high-end panda mini roof has a 64-inch panoramic canopy, the official introduction of the panoramic sky screen light transmittance of 82%, energy isolation rate of 66%, can filter 99.9% of ultraviolet rays, but the actual effect is better than nothing, even in cloudy days, the car just started the roof will quickly heat up.
Considering that the panoramic canopy is actually the configuration gap between the two versions of the Spirit Bear and the Endurance Bear, it can be regarded as an option, and the number of users who have actual demand for it will not be too large.
"This car is at this price, why do you need the central control screen?" However, the panda mini really has, although it is not much different from nothing.
Back to the center console, a rectangular LCD instrument panel is equipped in front of the Panda Mini steering wheel, which can display basic vehicle information such as vehicle status, speed, driving mode, and kinetic energy recovery; The 8-inch center display in the center enables the display of basic information and the operation of vehicle functions. The model can also realize intelligent functions such as voice wake-up, but the response speed is limited due to hardware limitations.
In addition, as far as the author's personal experience is concerned, the convenience of navigation of the mobile phone itself is far better than the experience of the connected car machine: if the panoramic sky screen is the most chicken configuration of this car, then the central control screen and the car machine interconnection may be second.
However, this does not mean that the interconnection of the Panda MINI is useless, after all, through mobile phone APP operation, the model can even achieve remote opening and closing of doors, trunk and remote operation of air conditioning and other functions. As for whether its practicality is worth the higher price, presumably different consumers will have different answers.
Power and driving control
"It's just a ride, you talk to me about performance?" But for the Panda Mini, acceleration performance is a highlight of its comparison with peers.
The Panda Mini is equipped with two rear motors with different parameters, with a maximum power of 20kW and a peak torque of 85Nm; The high-end version has a maximum output of 30kW and a peak torque of 110Nm. The overall parameters are better than Hongguang MINI EV and QQ ice cream, and the same as LUMIN waxy corn.
The model for this test drive is a high-end version and is available in both standard and sport driving modes. To be sure, this panda is still quite lively and active when walking the road.
Due to the limitations of the car's own performance, the Panda Mini accelerator pedal response often has a delay of 1-2 seconds in standard mode, but in the same class of models, the Panda Mini's response speed in the front of acceleration is still more than expected; Once switched to sport mode, the speed of the Panda MINI is also improved, and the front push back feeling is relatively obvious, but it is still slightly weak after reaching 70km/h.
The only thing that makes the driver feel inconvenient is probably the switching of the driving mode: the Panda mini can only be switched through the secondary menu of the central control screen, considering that the position of the central control is a certain distance from the driver's seat, switching modes during driving has certain inconveniences and safety risks.
Panda, because of their large size, are not suitable for long-term exercise; Although "Panda" is dexterous and cute, it has also been set a "tight curse" due to congenital deficiencies: the maximum speed of standard mode can only reach 80km/h, and although the maximum speed of sports mode can be increased to 100km/h, it cannot be maintained for a long time.
Compared with class-leading acceleration, the braking performance of the Panda Mini is slightly insufficient, and the brakes are not heels. In order to fully control this cute animal, the driver needs a certain amount of time to establish a tacit understanding with it.
In addition, the Panda Mini itself carries three-speed energy recovery, of which the difference between the experience of the first and second gears is not obvious, but the three-speed energy feedback reflection with the greatest strength is quite radical, and there is a certain adaptation process for new users.
Similarly, as a mini car, the Panda MINI has better chassis performance than nothing. Due to the high ground clearance, if the static experience feels like a normal box-spring bed, then the dynamic ride is more like a trampoline: at 40km/h, the body amplitude of the Panda MINI is already large. Speeds above 60km/h have significant vibration transmission even if they are too small pits, let alone speed bumps and large pits.
In the process of steering, even if the steering wheel is operated slightly, the offset of the body roll from the rear of the car is quite obvious, and in sport mode, the steering wheel will not provide enough resistance to create a "sporty feeling".
In a word, regardless of the positioning of the model or its own mechanical quality, the Panda Mini does not support vigorous driving on the highway, but it is still unsatisfactory for short-term emergencies.
In addition, NVH is also a major shortcoming of the Panda mini. During the starting or decelerating process, the low-speed prompt sound of the model is particularly obvious, and under normal driving conditions, the noise composed of motor running sound, tire noise and wind noise will also cause considerable trouble to the passengers in the car.
However, it is worth affirming that in terms of vehicle auxiliary configuration, the Panda Mini comes standard with battery pre-heating, remote start function, and is equipped with a reversing image except for the entry-level version. In addition to the entry-level version, they all support Bluetooth key and keyless start/entry, basically so that no one has me, and everyone has me excellent.
As for the current popular assisted driving function of electric vehicles, Panda Mini said that it is too difficult for people to be strong...
Unsurprisingly, the Panda mini series is not equipped with ESP, and of course, none of the mini car peers are there; Airbags are only standard in the main driver's seat, and of course other competitors are also the same... Again: the price is there, and the configuration is there.
As for whether such products should be relegated to "mobile coffins", it is still a matter of opinion in the current Chinese market. After all, pure electric vehicles are a money-losing business for most car companies, let alone mini cars with an average of less than 50,000 yuan.
However, at an extremely limited cost, the Panda MINI still integrates cage body, laser welding, child safety seat interface, tire pressure alarm and other security guarantees, compared with the real "old man's happiness" in fourth- and fifth-tier cities and rural areas that ignore traffic rules, Panda MINI, as a certified legally licensed car, can at least add more psychological comfort to drivers and passengers.
Battery life and charging
For consumers at this level, battery life is obviously one of the most important considerations. The Panda Mini is available in 120km and 200km endurance versions (CLTC). The Spirit Bear version of this test drive has a range of 200km, equipped with a lithium iron phosphate battery with a power of 17.03kWh, and an energy density of about 120Wh/kg.
As far as the actual experience of the observer network is concerned, on a rainy day with a temperature of 15-20 degrees Celsius, when fully charged, whether driving in standard mode or sport mode, the displayed cruising range is basically the same as the actual mileage, and there is no obvious false mark. The official power consumption of this model is 9.8kWh/100km, but the measured instrument panel shows that it is lower than the official power consumption, 9.6kWh/100km.
For urban scooters, how to maintain daily use is the biggest pain point. It is worth mentioning that the Panda mini is currently the only micro scooter that supports DC fast charging, with a fast charging power of 22kW.
In the actual experience of the observer network, using the fast charging pile of the Xiaoju brand, the charging can be completed from 30% to 80% in about 30 minutes at 20°C, and the maximum charging power is 18-19kW, but once it exceeds 80%, it will quickly drop to about 14kW, after exceeding 90%, it will further drop to about 4kW, and it takes 68 minutes to fully charge.
In addition, the high-end version also comes with a 7kW home charging pile and a 220V portable charging gun to meet the charging needs of the family.
Obviously, the charging efficiency of the Panda Mini cannot be compared with electric vehicles in the mainstream market. However, as the only model in its class that supports fast charging, compared with most peers who can only rely on home charging piles to rub electricity at night, the use of Panda Mini in outdoor scenes is naturally more flexible, and it also gives the owner more peace of mind and comfort.
Review
In general, urban road conditions are undoubtedly the most important use scenarios for cars such as Panda Mini, but if it is not frequent and vigorous driving when fully charged, then Panda Mini can still be competent for the round-trip of suburban highways.
In the end, competitive comparison is still indispensable. As mentioned above, there are many categories of mini electric vehicles in the current Chinese car market, and the Panda mini is obviously not the cheapest one: why don't consumers choose the Wuling Hongguang MINI EV with an average price of 30,000-40,000 yuan, and you have to choose close to 50,000 yuan?
From top to bottom, from left to right: Geely Panda mini, Chery QQ Ice Cream, Wuling Hongguang MINI EV, Changan LUMIN Waxy Corn
However, the Chinese market is so big, there are always those users who need fast charging, need a certain space, need a sense of refinement, need vehicle-machine interconnection, and even need a panoramic canopy, and have a soft spot for the appearance of the panda. For them, spending 10,000-20,000 yuan more to purchase these configurations is completely worth the money, so the existence of Panda MINI is just right.
As British explorer George Mallory said when asked why he climbed Mount Everest: "Because it's there." ”
The market performance of exceeding 10,000 consecutive monthly sales is the best and most direct proof of this panda. Otherwise, in 2023, why have many micro electric vehicles launched in previous years launched limited-time promotions?
Of course, as the defender of this market segment, opponents such as Wuling obviously will not sit idly by and watch their traditional sphere of influence be overly encroached upon. With the launch of higher-positioned scooters such as Wuling Binguo and Baojunyue (starting at about 60,000 yuan), the panda mini in the gap will naturally have greater survival pressure. The fierce competition in China's micro electric vehicle market will not stop abruptly with the decline of policy support.