Design and analysis, appearance and interior are younger and more fashionable.
In terms of appearance, the new Ford Sharp L car has adopted a brand-new family design language, and its size has also increased in an all-round way. It is much more slender and burly than the current sharp world, and it is directly promoted to the ranks of medium and large SUVs.
The appearance of the new car is divided into two styles: sports version and luxury version. The sports version uses the same blackened 3D proportional grid as Mondeo, but has no breathing active grid function. In addition, there are air inlets with large openings on both sides of the lower grille.
The luxury version uses a chrome-plated grid, and the front lip is also the same color as the body, which emphasizes the luxury texture as a whole.
Headlights all adopt split structure, and the main light source of headlights is integrated in the front grille. There is a slender daytime running light on it, and a light belt runs through it. It looks a bit like a new energy vehicle, which is very avant-garde in technology.
The side of the car body adopts hidden door handles and two-color body design. The right front door of the sports version also has the ST-Line body logo, and the skirt of the door also adopts the rising L-shaped black plaque, which is extremely elegant; Deluxe version has no ST line logo, and the skirt is also straight.
At the same time, the new car is expected to have five different sizes and styles of wheels to meet the individual needs of consumers.
The tail design of the new car is also very recognizable. The unique rear taillights on both sides echo the headlight design, and the lampshade is blackened. The middle of the taillight group is connected by panels inlaid with edge logo, forming a visual through design. It's a pity that the former bilateral exhaust has been replaced by the present hidden exhaust, which has less flavor of the times and more fashion sense.
The lower enclosure of the luxury rear end is also decorated with L-shaped chrome strips, while the sports type adopts the design of all-black diffuser, and the materials echo the front grille. In addition, the 4WD logo is marked on the tailgate of the four-wheel drive model, and the exclusive hybrid logo is added to the hybrid model.
It is worth mentioning that the fuel version has a bottom equipped tire, and the hybrid version has no spare tire, only equipped with tire repair tools.
In terms of dimensions, Ford Sharp L has been completely lengthened, with the length, width and height of 5000mm×1961mm×1773mm respectively, and the wheelbase has reached 2950mm, which is 100mm higher than before. Such a huge body can already rank among the middle and large SUVs, which will obviously help to improve the gas field and interior space of the whole vehicle.
In terms of interior, Sharp L is also in full compliance with fashion design. The integrated through screen composed of full LCD instrument and large-size suspended central control panel, plus the brand-new electronic shift lever and four-spoke flat-bottomed steering wheel, adds more sense of technology and movement to the interior, and is more suitable for the aesthetics of young consumers.
In terms of space, in addition to the regular 5-seat version, Sharp L also provides three rows of 7-seat models, and the second row can be equipped with independent seats with tripod. Lying flat with one button can get a comfortable ride experience comparable to MPV, making long-distance travel easier.
The middle armrest of the second row of seats is folded to form a middle passage, which is convenient for entering the third row. Sharp L's third row of space performance is also good, comparable to the second row of small cars, short-distance squeeze three adults is no problem, very practical.
Hybrid electric technology is similar to Toyota THS.
In terms of power, Ford Sharp L will launch two versions of fuel and oil-electric hybrid for consumers to choose from. The fuel version is equipped with a 2.0T EcoBoost engine with a maximum power of 185kW, matching the 8AT gearbox.
The hybrid version is equipped with a hybrid system consisting of the latest fifth-generation 2.0T EcoBoost twin-turbocharged direct injection engine and a dual-motor gearbox. The maximum power of the engine is 202kW, and the peak torque is 405 N m. The maximum power and torque of the dual motors are 140kW and 320N·m respectively. Strong power makes it only 7. 1s to accelerate the sharp edge of 5m.
In terms of hybrid technology, Ford adopted a power split technology similar to Toyota THS, which coupled the engine and generator through a set of planetary gear mechanisms, thus realizing power split at the power input end.
At first glance, is this system similar to Toyota THS? In fact, it was born before Toyota THS. As early as 1995, the patent of hybrid system jointly developed by Ford and Aisin came into effect, and the core PSD technology of Toyota hybrid didn't apply for patent until 1997, so in fact, Toyota THS bypassed Ford's patent. For example, the drive motor and reduction gear of Ford's hybrid system are coaxially arranged, while the drive motor of Toyota is always different from the reduction gear.
Figure: Structure diagram of Toyota E-CVT transmission (1st generation)
Toyota's practice for many years has also proved that replacing clutch with planetary gear set can eliminate the impact and noise of clutch combination, achieve the effect of smooth power and improved NVH, and the system has simple structure and high reliability.
Of course, the use of planetary gears also has disadvantages, because the whole system can not be decoupled, so in the process of pure electric drive, the planetary gear set will also rotate with it, dragging the generator to generate electricity; After the power is exhausted, the driving motor will also be driven by the engine under the condition of pure gasoline, and there is a certain power loss in both cases.
Even so, Ford Sharp L's 2.0T hybrid system can achieve the comprehensive fuel consumption of WLTC as low as 6.3 1L/ 100km, which is the same level as Highlander's twin engines and at least 1-2 less than the fuel vehicles of the same level. The comprehensive endurance of the hybrid Sharp L with a full tank of oil also exceeds 1000km.
It is worth mentioning that Sharp L four-wheel drive also matches the intelligent electronic control mechanical four-wheel drive system, instead of the hybrid four-wheel drive system composed of many hybrid models "engine front drive+motor rear drive". In terms of performance and reliability, pure mechanical four-wheel drive is more trustworthy.
Can the product strength compete with Japanese and German?
In recent years, in the medium-sized SUV market, the market structure with German Tiguan L as the benchmark model has gradually formed. Ford Sharp and Toyota Highlander are both "He is My Brother" which once sold well and gradually declined in the later period. The situation of Highlander is slightly better, but the sharp world is really not what it used to be, and the sales volume almost fell to the bottom.
Photo: 2022 Ford Sharp
This is not the case of a Ford car, but the status quo of the entire Ford brand. If Ford wants to re-emerge in the China market, it needs to seek a more accurate positioning, just as Peugeot Citroen positioned itself as an "elegant legal system" and Lincoln positioned itself as a "luxury American system". At present, Ford's positioning seems to be "fashion icon".
Photo: Ford Mondeo
For example, several products launched by Changan Ford in recent years, such as EVOS, brand-new Mondeo and brand-new Explorer, have several * * * same labels while integrating technology and intelligence into brand characteristics, namely, fashion value, high configuration, strong power and low price.
Photo: Ford EVOS
The sharp L, which has come back again, is not only younger in design, larger in size, but also very powerful in power. Many car companies will use small and medium displacement engines to match motors on the hybrid technology route, and 1.5T, 1.5L and 2.0L are more common, which also makes people's first impression of Toyota THS hybrid is fuel-saving, but the power is always not so interesting. Ford insists on matching 2.0T engine and high-power motor for Sharp L. From various parameters, Sharp L may be able to do both.
Figure: Sharp L gearbox
In addition, referring to the current Ford Sharp Guide Price and the price of the new Mondeo model, the price range of the new generation Ford Sharp L should not be too high. According to the information we obtained inside Changan Ford, the new car is expected to be launched in April 2023, probably during the 2023 Shanghai Auto Show.
Therefore, on the whole, the product strength of the new generation of Sharp L will be significantly improved compared with the cash, and the hybrid technology is also mature and reliable. Compared with the standard Tiguan L, Highlander and other models, it has its unique advantages in design and configuration. But it may still be difficult to return to the original position. After all, today's domestic automobile market is rich in product classes, and consumers at this level have many choices. There is no denying that Sharp L is really good, but the competitors are not bad either. In the case of similar product strength, Chinese people have herd mentality when buying a car, and naturally give priority to high sales. Therefore, if Sharp L wants to get out of the circle successfully, it may have to show sincerity in soft power such as price and service in the early stage.
Editor's comment: Actually, regardless of the market environment, Sharp L is really a good car only from the product level. In the past, we will tell you from the perspective of American feelings that Sharp L can buy it. But now I want to say that if you have a crush on the technical flow of Toyota THS, want to experience the strong fuel economy of hybrid vehicles, and have requirements for the youth, fashion and sense of technology of vehicles, then Sharp L is the next good choice and worth looking forward to.
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