I wonder if you remember that before the opening of the Shanghai Auto Show in April this year, a model equipped with Huawei's autonomous driving relied on fully autonomous driving to drive in the downtown area.
This operation can be said to have immediately attracted everyone’s attention. In addition to admiring Huawei’s autonomous driving technology, everyone is also interested in the models it is equipped with.
Get to know ARCFOX quickly
In fact, many people learned about this brand through Huawei’s autonomous driving demonstration, and there are really too few people who know it.
The full name of ARCFOX is ARCFOX, which is a high-end new energy brand of BAIC Group.
As for the production and manufacturing of the model, it is jointly built by BAIC New Energy and Magna. Prior to this, the JiFox Alpha T has been launched, and the Alpha S is already the second model of the JiFox brand. , it is positioned as a mid-to-large sedan and was launched in April this year. The starting price of the regular version is 251,900 yuan.
It should be noted that not all Alpha S models are equipped with Huawei’s autonomous driving and Huawei’s Hongmeng car system. The test drive we got this time is a regular version of the top model. With the support of Huawei technology, we have to focus more on the experience of the vehicle itself.
Dynamics: Power is on par with the mainstream, chassis
Electric vehicles will basically not disappoint you in terms of power. Alpha S offers two layouts: single motor in the front and dual motors in the front and rear. The single-motor version has a maximum power of 160kW (218Ps) and a peak torque of 360Nm.
The dual-motor version has two specifications, with maximum power of 320kW and 473kW, and peak torque of 720Nm and 655Nm respectively. The vehicle supports ejection start mode, and the 0-100km/h acceleration time is 4.2 seconds and 3.5 seconds respectively. Second.
In terms of battery life, the battery pack capacity of the two high-end models is 93.6kWh, and the battery capacity of the two low-end models is 67.3kWh. Depending on the version, the battery life is 525 kilometers, 603 kilometers, and 708 kilometers respectively.
The model we tested this time is the top model in the regular version. There is no doubt about the power reserve. It is smooth enough for daily driving but lacks a bit of driving fun.
Taking this into consideration, Alpha S provides three driving modes, namely Sport, Comfort and ECO modes.
The difference in power response between the three modes is relatively obvious. In different modes, acceleration, steering force and kinetic energy recovery intensity will change accordingly.
The difference between comfort and energy-saving modes is not big, but more about the difference in kinetic energy recovery intensity.
Compared with the comfort and energy-saving modes, the sports mode will change the "character" of the vehicle, the power response will be faster, and its energy recovery is also the weakest.
This design is contrary to the sports mode design of other brands. Some brands will use strong recovery to create a dragging feeling unique to fuel vehicles. Obviously, Alpha S is a type that purely pursues speed.
As for the kinetic energy recovery part, Alpha S does not support adjustment. Basically, it can only be automatically matched according to the driving mode. In addition, when the brake is applied, the motor will first recover deceleration kinetic energy.
In terms of kinetic energy recovery intensity, even in energy-saving mode, its recovery is not very strong and is relatively easy to adapt to.
As for the chassis, the Alfa S uses front MacPherson struts and rear multi-link suspension. The suspension has sufficient toughness and can provide good support to the body when passing speed bumps while filtering most of the vibrations.
When passing through uneven roads, the suspension will not transmit too much road conditions into the car, and generally takes care of the comfort of the ride.
The overall steering force is light. Although it has good acceleration capabilities, it basically has nothing to do with movement.
Appearance: Is this a sedan or an SUV?
As a new car, the design of the exterior and interior can reflect its car-making philosophy.
When I first saw the Alfa S, I got the impression that it was a model with original design, and the overall design elements had their own characteristics.
But when you see it live, you will have self-doubt. Is this a car or an SUV? It has the outline of a car, but it is also close to the height of an SUV, which is enough to give you the illusion of being on the scene.
In fact, the size of the Alfa S is indeed large. Its measurements are 4930/1940/1599mm and the wheelbase is 2915mm. It is truly a medium and large car.
Its car width and height are larger than ordinary pure electric cars, and the car height is about 10cm higher than ordinary cars. This is why it is easy for people to distinguish between a car and an SUV. reason.
As the second model launched by Jihu, the Alpha S continues to inherit the design elements of the Alpha T in appearance. The front face is a closed design, and the entire shape is marked by an "X" The lines are created, similar to the shape of its car logo.
This "X" ray radiating from the center is already the family design language of the ARCFOX brand. The front enclosure is penetrated by chrome trim strips, and a diamond-shaped hollow is added to the black guard plate in the middle. decorative design (actual seal).
The headlight group adopts a similar triangular style, the shape is relatively slender, and the layout of the light group is a bit ordinary.
The design of the side of the car body is quite controversial. The C-pillar and the trunk are integrated into one body. Although the shape of the large fastback is unique, it visually makes the vehicle not look too big, causing visual errors.
Hidden door handles have now become a standard feature of new energy vehicles, but as a sedan, the wheel arch edges of the Alpha S are equipped with black anti-scratch strips. This design adds a bit of SUV The "flavor".
At the rear of the car, its taillights have nothing to do with the design of the headlights. The through-type taillights and the upturned rear winglets are cleverly integrated. The black decoration and chrome trim strips running through the lower enclosure are regarded as There are few echoes of the front face.
Interior: 12.3-20.3-inch triple screen
The interior design of Alpha S is relatively simple, and not much effort is spent on materials and color matching.
The 20.3-inch central control screen, the passenger screen and the 12.3-inch instrument panel are brought together. The 4K resolution supports the playback of high-definition videos, and this screen is also anti-glare and reflective. It has been processed, but its screen-to-body ratio is low and the black border is thick, which greatly reduces the sense of technology.
The car chipset of the regular version of JiFox Alpha S uses Intel’s solution and runs the Android system.
The main page supports up to 12 APPs arranged horizontally (up to 6 can be displayed at the same time), which can be set freely, without paging, and the overall design is circular sliding.
When you open the APP, it occupies half of the screen by default. If you click it from the left, it will be displayed on the left first by default. The same applies to the right. You can achieve the "flying screen" effect by sliding with two fingers, or you can click the expand button on the edge of the APP page to switch to full-screen display.
The system has built-in KuWo Music, Ximalaya, LeTing Toutiao and Tencent Video, which can meet basic entertainment needs without any problem. The app store is supported, but there are not many apps yet.
Under the central control screen, it continues to provide a touch-controlled air-conditioning control area to facilitate blind operation while driving.
The central armrest is designed as a suspended armrest. This design is quite special. The armrest provides driving-related buttons, and the right side is the wireless charging for mobile phones, which is reasonably laid out.
However, as an electric vehicle, there are slightly more physical buttons, such as the one-button start button, which can be removed.
Configuration: The basic version has few highlights
Except for the Huawei version, the basic configuration of the entire Alfa S series is quite rich. The entry-level model is already equipped with full LED headlights, an electric trunk, Panoramic sunroof, front and rear head curtain airbags, lane departure warning, active braking, front seat heating and other configurations, the basic configuration can still meet daily household needs.
More advanced versions provide openable panoramic sunroof, leather steering wheel, steering wheel heating, HUD head-up display, seat ventilation, 360° panoramic image, Infinity audio, etc.
The top two models have improvements in battery capacity and power motors, but the overall configuration does not have many highlights.
The most anticipated Huawei autonomous driving and Hongmeng car-machine systems are only available in the Huawei HI version. Of course, the price is more than 380,000 yuan, which is very touching.
Space: The seating space is sufficient
As mentioned earlier, the height of the Alpha S is higher. In fact, this has a lot to do with its battery layout. The largest bottom of its body is A 93.6kWh battery is packed in, so the battery pack can only change in height due to the limited length.
When the battery pack is raised, the riding height in the car is relatively high, and the getting in and out of the car is similar to that of an SUV, making it inconvenient to get in and out of the car.
In terms of seating space, an experiencer with a height of 171cm sits in the front row and adjusts the seat to the lowest position, leaving two punches of headroom.
Keeping the front row position unchanged, and sitting in the back row, there is still enough headroom for four fingers and two fists for legroom. The legroom is quite sufficient.
Because it is a pure electric platform, there is no bulge in the center floor of the rear row, so rear passengers will not be affected when riding.
Alfa S’s trunk adopts a hatchback type, with a relatively large opening and good depth. At the same time, the rear seats also support 4/6 ratio folding, which can have good expansion capabilities.
There are many competing models: Han EV/Xpeng P7/Jikrypton 001
Judging from the pricing of the Alpha S, there are also BYD Han EV, Xiaopeng P7 and Ji Krypton at the same price range. Kr001. It can be said that each of these cars has its own advantages. Han EV has more advantages in price and good battery technology reserves.
Xpeng P7 was launched relatively early, and it has attracted many young users with its good appearance and configuration. Jikrypton 001 is a new car that has just been launched. Its appearance and configuration are even more outstanding, and it has received a lot of praise since its launch.
In contrast, apart from the blessing of Huawei’s autonomous driving, the Alpha S is not particularly attractive in other aspects. Moreover, Huawei’s autonomous driving is only equipped in the top two versions, and the price is also quite high. is high, the advantage is not big.
Another important part is that ARCFOX’s brand awareness is not high, which is also the problem it needs to solve most.
Would you buy it without Huawei's blessing?
After the entire test drive, the ordinary Alpha S is not very impressive in terms of power, battery life, driving level and configuration. They are all at a mid-to-high level, but they just lack something that makes you excited.
Perhaps everyone is looking forward to Huawei's Hongmeng car system and autonomous driving, but its threshold is really a bit high. (Pictures/texts/photographs: Jidian Zhou Jianqiang)
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