With the rise of self-driving travel and camping culture, the concept of "light off-road" has gradually become popular in the car circle. Compared with cars and ordinary urban SUVs, it has a stronger passing ability and allows you to explore more scenery.At the same time, the cost and comfort of the car should be kept at the same level as ordinary family models.Therefore, in my opinion, "light off-road" is not only a brand, but also a way of life.
At the 2023 Shanghai Auto Show that opened in April this year, Chery released a compact SUV internally code-named TJ-1. At present, the new car has been officially named "Explorer 06". Today we will also take a test drive to experience the product performance of this car first.
(Note: Due to time issues, the test drive vehicles are all in the trial assembly state, and there may be some adjustments when they are put into mass production.)
Since it is positioned as light off-road, it must have some elements of hardcore SUVs in design.The Discovery 06 adopts the new design style of the Chery family, and the sharp-edged body looks tougher than other SUVs on sale.
The front face adopts a super-sized air intake grille, and the English expression of "CHERY" is also integrated into the interior, and there are decorations similar to tow hooks on both sides.With the thick bumper shape, the front face looks very domineering and highly recognizable.
The headlight adopts the popular split design, and the upper part is the turn signal and through-type LED daytime running lights, which effectively widens the horizontal visual width.The far and near lights are placed in the square light frame in a vertical manner to further strengthen the outdoor elements.
Viewed from the side, the new car is still decorated with tough lines, and the wheel eyebrows also use black elements, strengthening the tough style.However, compared with the square box design of competing products in the same position, the roof of Chery Discovery 06 adopts a slip-back design, and at the same time, it adopts a two-color body, with a raised waistline and narrowed rear window, making the new car tougher than it still has Nice sporty style.
In terms of details, the new car also adopts the design of hidden door handles.And the exterior rearview mirror also adopts a blackened square design, and the shape is very tough.
In addition, the D-pillar is equipped with golden trim, which increases the sense of layering on the side.The rim adopts a black + silver multi-spoke design, the rim size is 19 inches, and the tire model is 235/50 R19 Cooper EVOLUTION CTT tires, which focus on comfort.
The lines at the rear appear very tough and full, with a rear spoiler on the top, a towering tail and a flatter rectangular chrome-plated exhaust decoration under the bumper, making the rear of the car look quite tough.
The tail light adopts a penetrating light source design. The red light strip is inlaid on the black bottom surface, and the Chery logo is inlaid on the bottom, while the left and right sides have red and white light sources like a checkerboard. The visual effect is very outstanding.
Not surprisingly, the interior adopts a minimalist design style, and as a brand new category of the Chery family, the interior design is completely different from the Chery family models on sale.The vertically placed large-size multimedia screen and the through-type air-conditioning outlet design bring a good sense of technology to the interior.The thick electronic gear lever and the square air-conditioning outlets on both sides provide a certain hard-core style for the interior.
In addition, the door handle is made of silver aluminum and is equipped with exposed screws, which further highlights the hardcore style of the model.
In terms of materials and materials, a large area of the car is wrapped with soft materials, and an aluminum trim with horizontal lines is added under the center console.
The new-style four-spoke steering wheel has a tough shape, and the multi-function buttons on both sides are made of acrylic material, which is good in both visual effect and grip.It's just that compared to the body size, I personally feel that the disc size is slightly larger.
The size of the central control screen is 13.2 inches, and it is placed vertically. The screen display effect is clear and delicate. In terms of hardware, it is equipped with the 8155 chip used by the current mainstream smart cars, and the fluency is no problem.
The upper part of the system UI interface is the app application, which can be arranged freely, and the lower part is equipped with shortcut buttons for the main interface, vehicle settings, air conditioning, music, and panoramic images. The layout is very similar to that of a smartphone, and it is very easy to use.
It is worth mentioning that the new car is also equipped with a 540° panoramic image, the image is cut neatly, and the distortion is not obvious. It is very convenient to observe the road conditions around the vehicle on non-paved roads.
In terms of other configurations, the model we tested is also equipped with panoramic sunroof, SONY brand 8-speaker audio system, dual 50W wireless fast charging for mobile phones, and 64-color ambient lights.
It is worth mentioning that the seat of Discovery 06 is very thick both in appearance and riding experience, and the shoulders are also equipped with suede material, which makes the overall riding experience comfortable.
Chery Discovery 06 is positioned as a compact SUV. In terms of space performance, although the new car is positioned as a compact SUV, the seating space inside the car is satisfactory enough. After adjusting the driving posture of an adult male with a height of 1.8m in the front row, the head of the rear row There is still plenty of leg room, and the central chassis is relatively flat. Coupled with the rear air-conditioning outlets, the comfort of rear passengers can also be guaranteed.
The storage space is also very useful. For example, the conventional storage compartments and cup holders are all equipped, and it is very easy to take items.There is also a hook in front of the co-pilot. If you buy takeaway and hang it here, you don't have to worry about leaking.In addition, the door is also equipped with an umbrella slot, and rainwater can be discharged out of the car along the drain port. This configuration is very considerate.
The trunk space is also relatively regular, and a relatively flat space can be formed after the rear seats are folded down. The volume can be expanded to 1335L, and it is more convenient to place large items.
The model we tested is a fuel version. The left side of the trunk is also equipped with a 220V power supply and a 1-degree electric outdoor power supply. External devices are very convenient.
In terms of power, Chery Discovery 06 will be equipped with 1.6T Kunpeng power in the early stage. The maximum power of the engine is 145kW, and the maximum torque is 290 Nm. In terms of transmission, it is matched with a 7DCT gearbox.The official said that the acceleration time from 100 kilometers can reach the level of 8s, and the fuel consumption of the two-wheel drive model under WLTC working condition is 6.98L.
In addition, Chery Discovery 06 will also be equipped with Chery Kunpeng super-performance electric hybrid C-DM system, which is composed of a 1.5T hybrid special engine + dual motors + 3-speed DHT" electric drive system. The maximum power of the engine can reach 115kW. The maximum torque is 225 N m, and the comprehensive thermal efficiency of the system is as high as 44.5%. The acceleration time from 100 kilometers can reach 4.26s, the fuel consumption of feed is only 4.2L/100km, and the comprehensive battery life can reach 1400km. This power system is more worth looking forward to.
Speaking of the models we tested today, this set of 1.6T Kunpeng power has been installed on many Chery models, both in terms of power performance and stability.Today's test drive route is the mountain road in Mentougou, covering uphill and downhill sections, and there are 4 adult males in the car. When it is close to full load, the power of this engine is satisfactory enough, even in economical mode. The power to follow the car uphill is also calm enough.
Switch to sport mode, the gearbox will actively downshift to keep the engine speed above 2000rpm, and the throttle response will be more sensitive. At this time, step on the accelerator with the same opening, the response of the engine and gearbox will be more positive.It's just that at high speeds, the noise of the rear exhaust is relatively obvious.However, since the vehicles for this test drive are all in a trial state, further adjustments will be made before the new car goes on the market, so this experience will be different from the final mass-produced version.
The steering force is moderate, and it is easy to adapt when getting started. On mountain roads with many curves, the front of the car responds more sensitively to the steering, which can provide a certain degree of driving pleasure.
The performance of the chassis is satisfactory, and the overall feeling is heavy and solid. On continuous multi-bending road sections, the suspension support is in place, and the roll of the body is well controlled, which can give the driver enough confidence when driving.
During the test drive, we also briefly experienced the non-paved road section composed of gravel roads. The chassis of Chery Exploration 06 gave me a lot of surprises on this road section. On the high-frequency continuous vibration, the chassis feels very tight inside the car. There is no unnecessary shaking, and after the vibration is resolved by the suspension and the seat, it is not blunt when it is transmitted into the car, and it can have a good sense of luxury.In addition, during high-frequency bumps, there are no abnormal noises from any decorative parts in the car, and the overall performance is satisfactory.
In addition, as a light off-road model, Chery Discovery 06 has a minimum ground clearance of 200mm and a wading depth of 600mm, and the four-wheel drive version is equipped with a full-scene Yueye four-wheel drive system, equipped with an IPB intelligent brake-by-wire system, which can simulate Differential lock, four-wheel drive response is faster, and the rear axle can provide a maximum torque of 3000 N m, with seven driving modes of economy, standard, sport, snow, mud, sand, and off-road, it can provide better driving experience. ability to get out of trouble.
However, due to the short test drive time, we did not experience the off-road section this time. In the future, we will also find opportunities to experience its four-wheel drive passing ability.Full text summary
Judging from the test drive experience, Chery Discovery 06, as a new Chery category, has indeed created the hard-core elements that "light off-road" should have in terms of design style.Compared with ordinary urban SUVs, it is more personalized and tough.In terms of driving and space comfort, it also maintains the same level as ordinary urban SUVs, and the overall product performance is still satisfactory.For the auto market that is becoming more and more introverted and homogeneous, the new category of "light off-road" may become a new trend in the future.
