2024 is the most challenging year for the domestic passenger car market, this year car companies not only have to cater to the price war, but also to provide consumers with higher quality models, for which Lynk & Co 08 EM-P launched a 120 long-range Plus version, with a limited price of 179,800 yuan, setting off a two-way rush of price reduction and value upgrading.
When the entry price of Lynk & Co 08 car series came to 179,800, in fact, the spearhead was directly aimed at the old brother BYD Tang DM-i at the same level, at the beginning of this year, the BYD Tang series also completed the update of the model, and launched the BYD Tang DM-i Glory Edition. The price is from 179,800 ~ 219,800, friends who are familiar with BYD know that the Glory Edition is the special term for BYD's 2024 annual facelift model, and the new car is adjusted for price and configuration, and it is also the initiator of this year's price war.
So, when the newly launched Lynk & Co 08 meets the timeless BYD Tang DM-i Glory Edition, in the case of-for-tat positioning and price, who is the best SUV that 180,000 can buy?
What is the difference between the two hybrid systems?
As two plug-in hybrid models, let's naturally compare the hybrid technical strength of the two cars first. The current mainstream technical route of domestic plug-in hybrid is P1+P3 form, two motors, an engine, and a battery, this structure is simple, and it also bypasses Toyota's patent, BYD Tang's DM-i is simply understood to make the motor in this architecture stronger.
The EM-P super extended range electric solution of the Lynk & Co 08 adds a 3DHT Evo electric transmission, which has many advantages over the single-speed structure of the Tang DM-i.
With the support of intelligent algorithms, the Lynk & Co 08 EM-P can always ensure a more reasonable and economical power output of the electric hybrid engine + motor under various working conditions, and make more use of the direct drive mode to directly transmit energy to the wheels. In the 2023 Hybrid Vehicle Extreme Challenge, co-hosted by the China Automotive Center and the Kunming Inspection Center, the Lynk & Co 08 EM-P won the first place in the mid-size plug-in hybrid SUV category in the plateau feed energy consumption, plateau high-speed energy consumption, and mountain road extreme energy consumption tests. To put it simply, it means more power and lower energy consumption.
Not only that, the Lynk & Co 08 EM-P is equipped with a CATL 21.2kW·h battery pack as standard, with a pure electric range of 120km and a comprehensive range of 1200km.
Who feels better about driving?
After talking about the hybrid system, let's talk about the driving experience of the two cars, after all, this will directly affect the future experience of using the car.
In fact, as mid-size SUVs, the main task of both cars is to make driving easy and comfortable enough for the family to ride. For Lynk & Co, there is no need to worry about its driving experience, after all, Lynk & Co's driving quality is well-known.
From the hardware point of view, Lynk & Co 08 EM-P and Tang DM-i both use front and rear independent suspension combinations, Lynk & Co 08 EM-P in order to be more extreme comfort, the whole system is also equipped with IPB intelligent integrated braking system as standard, the brake booster and ESP are integrated, the braking response time is shorter, and at the same time, after the ABS starts, the pedal will not feel the rebound, making the brake both stable and comfortable.
In addition, when driving new energy models, everyone is most worried about the fact that the motor torque is large, and it is easy to look up at the start, and the brakes are too heavy and easy to nod, resulting in the ride leaning forward and backwards, for which Lynk & Co 08 The EM-P is also equipped with the only shock absorber return spring in its class, which provides additional support and cushioning when the vehicle encounters bumps or uneven roads, reduces the shaking and bumpiness of the body, increases the rigidity of the suspension system, improves the handling and stability of the vehicle, and greatly reduces the feeling of riding dizziness, which is more advantageous than the Tang DM-i in terms of detail processing.
Intelligent experience, who is better?
It is said that in the competition of the automobile market, electrification is only the first half, and intelligence is the main theme of the second half. Therefore, at this stage, when we choose a car, we also need to choose products that are intelligent and prominent, and the hardware is advanced enough, otherwise it is likely to be "outdated" in two years.
It is worth mentioning here that whether it is the Lynk & Co 08 EM-P 120 Long Range Plus Edition or the Tang DM-i Premium Edition, the two entry-level models do not have simple configurations in terms of intelligent cockpits, and the experience is the same as that of high-end models.
However, in contrast, the intelligent experience of the Lynk & Co 08 EM-P is more advantageous in terms of hardware and software ecology. First of all, Lynk & Co 08 EM-P uses two first domestic 7nm automotive-grade 5G chips, which are equivalent to two 8155 chips, NPU and GPU computing power are the top in the industry, and the storage configuration is 16GB+12GB RAM (running memory) and 128GB+64GB ROM (storage memory), which provides storage redundancy for subsequent continuous upgrades, and will not be stuck after a long time.
In terms of software ecology, the in-car system created by Lynk & Co and Meizu is not only comparable to Xiaomi and Hongmeng in terms of hand-car interconnection experience, but also can seamlessly connect with mobile phone applications on the large screen of the car machine without consuming traffic. Moreover, the Flyme Auto software system itself is smooth enough, beautiful and easy to use, supporting four-tone voice recognition, realizing visible and speaking, the original small window mode takes into account both aesthetics and interactive intelligence, and can also be customized and with gesture control, and you can use your mobile phone to play with the car machine, which is easier to use than the vast majority of car machines on the market.
Although the optional Pad equipped on the Tang DM-i was indeed a very eye-catching design a few years ago, but in today's market, whether it is the computing power of the processor or the perfection of the software ecology, it is indeed slightly inferior to Lynk & Co 08, so if you pay attention to the intelligent experience, then there is no doubt that Lynk & Co 08 will be a better choice.
Safety is an absolute priority
For a mid-size SUV that serves family users, safety is naturally the cornerstone. China's high-end SUVs, represented by the Lynk & Co 08 and Tang DM-i, have actually made great efforts in terms of safety.
For example, Lynk & Co 08 has won the first domestic "new energy passenger car 60km/h side impact superimposed side pillar impact protection A" certification, vehicle safety planning and Volvo homology, based on the five-star safety collision standard design, far beyond the national standard of "four prevention" battery safety, 50ms collision high-voltage power-off mechanism, whether it is the body or the battery, you can completely say goodbye to safety anxiety.
In terms of the health and safety of the cockpit, Lynk & Co 08 uses a large number of environmentally friendly material technology, the first batch of "zero formaldehyde" car awards in the industry of China Automotive Center, zero harmful solvents, zero miscellaneous cotton, zero asphalt, safer, more environmentally friendly, and more assured.
Finally, we summarize that as the mainstay of BYD and Lynk & Co at the price of 180,000, the two models have shown good comprehensive strength in the comparison. On the whole, if you value the BYD brand and want a stable and conservative model, then the Tang DM-i will be a good choice in this price range, but if you value the strength of the product itself, then the Lynk & Co 08 EM-P is better in terms of configuration, power, intelligence, etc., and it is better in creating a sense of luxury, which is more suitable for young consumer groups who pursue personality and fashion.