Who is Yuanhang Automobile?
In my opinion, it would be a false proposition to test drive an all-electric car on the track, if the car is not a Porsche Taycan Turbo GT and has a Weissach component. Because from my test drive experience, even driving an Audi RS e-tron GT on the track is not as good as driving an R8 V10. This is true for top-of-the-line sports cars, not to mention family cars. The last time I test-drove the BYD Han EV at the Beijing Jingang Circuit, I still remember it vividly, even if it has powerful Brembo four-piston calipers, it can't support the car's weight of more than 2.2 tons, and after a lap, the braking point before entering the corner must be at least 50-100 meters earlier.
This time it is the Jingang track again, the test drive car is Yuanhang Automobile Y6 and H8 two, one is a large sedan, the other is a large SUV, after seeing the weight of these two cars, I was shocked, the weight of Y6 is more than 2.5 tons, the weight of H8 is more than 2.6 tons, such a big and heavy pure electric vehicle, is it necessary to run the track? Will it work?
What is your reaction when you hear the words Yuanhang Motor? Don't know, haven't heard, don't understand? Fortunately, I just finished visiting the Beijing Auto Show, in the E2 hall of the Shunyi New International Exhibition, the "neighbor" of SAIC Maxus and CATL is Yuanhang Automobile, and the booth area is about the same as that of NIO in the same exhibition hall.
But when it comes to the Y6 and H8, it really touches my blind spot. After checking the information, they are all large cars, focusing on performance and luxury. Wait, aren't today's pure electric vehicles all about performance and luxury? And who are in the large pure electric vehicles? BMW i7, Mercedes-Benz EQS, NIO ET9, Rolls-Royce Shining ......; What about SUVs? There are Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, M9, Rolls-Royce Cullinan...... As a new brand that has just been announced for less than two years, it has gone straight to the highest level as soon as it comes up, can these two models of Yuanhang Automobile play any different tricks?
The Y6 measures 5,270 millimetres, which is about the same length as the Mercedes-Benz S400 L, while it also has a width of two metres and a wheelbase of more than 3.1 metres. As for the H8, it's even harder to imagine what it would be like, with a length of more than 5.2 meters, a wheelbase of more than 3.1 meters, and a height of nearly 1.8 meters...... driving two D-segment cars of this size on the track, and still fully electric, it was my first time.
To tell the truth, whether it is Y6 or H8, the appearance of these two cars can not impress me, with the style of "cookie-cutter" pure electric vehicles, in addition to the oversized three-dimensional size to support the aura, there is nothing that can be called a distinctive highlight, if the 21-inch wheel center can always be placed in the right suspension LOGO.
But when I "pressed" the doors, I was a little surprised by the luxurious interiors of both cars: fresh colors, glowing piano lacquer panels and metal buttons, high-quality perforated leather and a 17.38-inch vertical screen in the middle, all in harmony.
For this type of large executive class sedan/SUV, the comfort of the rear row is more important, and the Yuanhang Y6 can provide wide and comfortable rear seats, with electrically adjustable backrests, as well as heating/ventilation/massage functions, and a touch screen integrated in the center armrest to control functions such as opening and closing doors, music playback, air conditioning and seats.
Yuanhang H8 adopts a three-row six-seat layout, the two second-row independent seats are similar to MPV, both can provide "lying flat" mode, and also with heating/ventilation/massage function, the size of the two three-row seats does not look small, and the backrest can support electric folding.
But this time I test-drove these two cars on the track, and I didn't have the opportunity to experience the comfort of the rear seat at all, so let's talk about the driving feeling.
There is nothing to say about the power base, the two cars experienced are dual-motor four-wheel drive versions, with a maximum output of 680 horsepower, a maximum torque of 745 Nm, and a 000 acceleration ability of Y6 in 3.2 seconds and H8 in 3.8 seconds. So when driving on the track, there's no need to question their ability to accelerate. Even with the rear-wheel drive version with a single motor, the acceleration of the Y6 is 5.9 seconds, and the H8 is 6.5 seconds, which is really good for two large cars with such a large weight.
The key is that for every pure electric vehicle, the test of track driving is not the acceleration ability, but the braking performance, the stability of the chassis, the support capacity of the suspension and the accuracy of steering. Before the braking temperature of the two cars came up, the braking force was very sufficient, especially the Y6, which can almost be used as a braking point according to the 100-meter mark before the corner, accompanied by the ABS effect of "oh oh" under the feet, just to eat the center of the bend. But after a lap, the braking point will be at least 50 meters earlier, and even if both cars use the Bosch iBooster intelligent brake-by-wire system, they can't withstand the impact of the weight of the body.
Compared with the effect of braking, I think the suspension setting of Y6 is not very suitable for track driving, soft, of course, if in a small angle of corners, the response of the suspension is still very agile, and there will not be too much compression action, but in the large angle of "turning back", you can clearly feel the large compression of the shock absorber spring, even if there is an air spring, but it will still bring more pressure to the grip of the tire.
When it comes to the tires equipped on the Yuanhang Y6, the size on the test drive is 265/40 R21, the tread is wide enough, the size is large enough, and the brand is good enough. But I don't really understand why a car is equipped with Continental UC6 SUV tires, is it more appropriate to replace it with a SC6 suitable for sedans?
With the H8, the heavier weight and higher center of gravity make it impossible to resist the power of the two, even if the tire width is 10 mm longer and the size is one inch longer. Similar to the Y6, it has no worries about the power performance at all, and the acceleration is absolutely powerful, but the roll control in the corners should not be too demanding, and at the same time, the state of braking must be considered, running a sprint lap is no problem, but the second lap must be Cool Down.
However, both cars have a common advantage, that is, the steering feel and precision are very good, although compared with most high-performance cars, the steering force of the Y6 and H8 is more "light", but it is not false at all, even in the continuous full throttle "false corner" when the direction needs to be adjusted very slightly, it does not feel like a "thief". The hands, the steering wheel, the brain consciousness and the body make the movements, all in a very uniform and timely manner.
It's just that when driving the H8 for a sprint lap, in the second half of the road, after passing some large-angle corners, in order to grab some speed early, you need to accelerate early before reaching the center of the corner, the vehicle will be accompanied by the extreme tearing of the tires and the ground and judge that you need to start the ESC, so the response of the throttle is a little unable to keep up, and the excellent power can only burst out after the body and steering wheel are further corrected.
Considering the level size, workmanship materials, power performance, luxury equipment, and intelligence of Yuanhang Y6 and H8, and then look at the price of the two, Y6 is 269,800-359,800 yuan, H8 is 289,800-389,800 yuan, in comparison with the price of those cars of the same level, it can be seen that the two products of Yuanhang Automobile are still extremely cost-effective. Moreover, the handling ability of the two cars has also been verified in this track driving link, and the performance is quite satisfactory.
I'll admit that I was asking too much of these two cars on the track. After all, they are all large sedans and SUVs that focus on luxury, comfort, intelligence, and long battery life, and it is already very good to have such a performance in such a extreme driving state. The real place where you can play the best of both is the street, not the track. In addition, the two cars also have a 27-speaker audio system, Ali Zebra AliOS intelligent cockpit system, 70-inch AR-HUD, Huawei's high-end intelligent driving system, and 800V super fast charging...... I'm looking forward to it next time I have the opportunity to experience them in depth.
The author of this article is Jia Yuntao, a kicking car gang