This year can be said to be a great year for SAIC Roewe’s products. It not only ushered in the replacement of the Roewe RX5, but also launched a new product series named after animals. There may be friends who are not familiar with the “Whale” model. Let’s briefly introduce it fi

text: Xu Bo

[Understanding Chedi original products] This year can be said to be a product year for SAIC Roewe. It not only ushered in the replacement of Roewe RX5, but also opened a new product series named after animals; and the new compact The Whale, a large SUV, is the flagship product in the new series. So what performance can this new car bring us in terms of driving and riding? With this question in mind, let’s start today’s test drive.

There may be some friends who are not familiar with the "Whale" model. Let's briefly introduce it first: The Whale is a brand new compact coupe SUV under Roewe . It was officially unveiled at the Shanghai Auto Show in April last year. It is currently in In pre-sale status, a total of three configuration versions have been launched, with prices ranging from 166,800 to 192,800 yuan. The test drive we got this time is the top version of the Roewe Whale - the Blue Whale Edition, with a pre-sale price of 192,800 yuan. Currently, models of the same level on the market include Changan UNI-T (official guide price: 115,900-149,900 yuan), Lynk & Co 05 (175,800-261,800 yuan), etc.

Dynamic experience: in line with household positioning

All Roewe Whale series are equipped with a 2.0T engine as standard

The transmission system adopts Aisin 8AT gearbox

Whale In terms of power system, the entire series is equipped with a 2.0T engine model 20L4E as standard, with a maximum power of It has 231 horsepower (170 kilowatts) and a peak torque of 370 Nm; the transmission system is matched with an Aisin 8AT gearbox. Judging from the power parameters and engine model, the car follows the powertrain of the current Roewe RX5 MAX 2.0T version. In terms of book parameters, the car is very close to the Changan UNI-T 2.0T powered version. The UNI-T model equipped with a 2.0T engine has a maximum power of 233 horsepower (171 kilowatts) and a peak torque of 390 Nm.

The power output is smooth and abundant

In terms of acceleration, the Whale has good speed-up performance whether at low speed or high speed. The accelerator pedal is considered "robust". Although it cannot give you a very sensitive response speed like a sports car, when driving at medium and high speeds, as long as you press the pedal deeply, you will feel sufficient power reserve. For daily driving, It can meet the driving needs of most people.

The gearbox shifts with emphasis on comfort, but downshifting is not aggressive enough.

The gearbox is very gentle when shifting gears. If you don't deliberately experience it, you can hardly feel its existence. The comfort and smoothness are well grasped. However, while focusing on comfort, there must be some sacrifices, so this gearbox is not decisive enough when downshifting, which makes people feel that there are some flaws. Currently, this gearbox is equipped on the Roewe iMAX8 and Roewe RX5 MAX 2.0T versions.

The car adopts front MacPherson independent suspension and rear multi-link independent suspension.

Suspension adjustment is also focused on comfort.

In terms of suspension, Whale adopts front MacPherson independent suspension and rear multi-link independent suspension. The combination of multi-link independent suspension is in line with the mainstream configuration of this level. The overall suspension adjustment takes comfort as the primary goal, so when facing big and small bumps on the road, the whole vehicle will behave very calmly, without unnecessary bounce, and the heaviness and overall performance are very good, and it will even make you feel Get some sense of sophistication.

However, good comfort will be "exchanged" for some controllability. Therefore, because the overall performance of the suspension is soft, when the vehicle's center of gravity changes rapidly, the body roll will be larger and the suspension response is not enough. In time, there will be some feeling of cheating. However, many users report that they sometimes like the feeling of driving a big boat like this. What about you?

There are still flaws in the connection between the automatic start-stop and automatic parking functions.

Every time the Whale's automatic parking function is activated, the driver basically does not have any perception, so that when waiting for the traffic light at the intersection, the driver will still Keep the brake pedal depressed. However, when the two functions of automatic start and stop and automatic parking are turned on at the same time, the connection between the two functions is not perfect when starting. The braking system is released a little later, and the suspension is biased towards comfort. It is determined that the front of the car will rise slightly before it can start smoothly.

The car is equipped with ACC adaptive cruise, lane centering and other functions

In terms of assisted driving systems, the Whale's body is equipped with a total of 11 cameras, 3 millimeter wave radars and 12 ultrasonic sensors , which together provide This system serves. When the ACC adaptive cruise function is turned on, the vehicle's acceleration and braking processes are natural and will not feel abrupt; the lane keeping function can also stabilize the vehicle in the center of the road, and will first be reminded through sounds and icons if there is a deviation. , and then correct the direction relatively gently, returning to the original position.

Static experience: The exterior design is very innovative

Officially, the appearance of the new car adopts the bionic design concept

The front face design of the new car is inspired by the lines on the body of the fin whale

The split headlight set

The Roewe Whale is positioned as a compact SUV, and its appearance adopts The design language is significantly different from Roewe’s existing models. The front grille of the new car adopts a radial shape dense strip design, and its design is inspired by the lines on the body of fin whales. The headlight group adopts a split design. This is Roewe's second model equipped with split headlights after the 2022 Roewe RX5 MAX, and in its shape and layout, the Whale is exactly the same as the RX5 MAX.

The body shape adopts a coupe-style design.

The rim shape incorporates elements that resemble the tail of a whale.

The side lines of the body are relatively straight, and the decorative strips above the windows and side skirts are all in rose gold color, making the car look better when viewed from the side. It looks more classy when going up. The two-color five-spoke rims are stylish in shape, and the spokes also incorporate elements that resemble the tail of a whale, echoing the design concept of the entire vehicle. In terms of body size, the length, width and height of the new car are 4702/1903/1691 mm respectively, and the wheelbase is 2765 mm; except for the height, other data are larger than the RX5 MAX (length, width and height: 4676/1875/1725 mm, wheelbase: 2760 mm) has increased; its overall body size is a circle larger than Changan UIN-T (length, width, height: 4515/1870/1565 mm, wheelbase: 2710 mm).

The taillight design makes it more recognizable

A segmented spoiler is designed above the rear windshield

The rear part of the car, the Roewe Whale through-type taillight group is matched with the segmented rear spoiler, and there are two outlets on both sides of the bottom of the rear enclosure. The unique exhaust layout gives the rear a stronger sporty feel. In terms of body painting, Roewe Whale currently offers five color schemes, namely deep diving black, storm gray, wave white, mirror blue and wave reef gray.

The interior color scheme of the Whale adopts white and blue contrast processing

2022 Roewe RX5 MAX

The design inspiration for the interior color scheme of the Roewe Whale adopts blue and white that are similar to the combination of sea water and waves. The brand hopes that it can make drivers and passengers Visually, it feels like being in the sea, but my feeling is not that strong. The overall layout of the car is similar to the 2022 Roewe RX5 MAX, except that some design details have been adjusted.

The three-spoke multi-function steering wheel is equipped with the word "Whale" in the center LOGO

The size of the instrument panel and central control screen are both 12.3 inches

The design of the shift handle is inspired by the tail of a whale

High-end models are equipped with BOSE audio

The new car is equipped with a three-spoke The center of the flat-bottomed steering wheel is designed with an exclusive LOGO with the word "Whale"; the design of the electronic gear lever may be inspired by the tail of a whale, and the shape is very personalized. These details echo the name of the car. In addition, in the dual-screen display above the center console, the instrument panel and central control screen both reach 12.3 inches in size, which further enhances the sense of technology in the car.

AR real-scene navigation mode can project the image of the front of the vehicle onto the instrument panel

Fatigue monitoring system camera

Mobile phone wireless charging area

In terms of configuration, the Whale is equipped with an AR real-scene navigation system. When the function is turned on, the image of the front of the vehicle can be projected on the dashboard for easy viewing. Check with the driver.The camera of the fatigue monitoring system is designed on the decorative cover behind the steering wheel. It can determine the degree of fatigue based on the driver's face and provide prompts through sounds and icons when necessary.

The left side of the steering wheel is the assisted driving system area

The Whale is Roewe's first model equipped with the Luoshen intelligent cockpit system. It integrates basic technologies such as Damo Academy , Tmall Elf and Zebra Zhixing. Officially, the system can Provide precipitated AI interaction, AI perception, and AI scenario-based service capabilities. In addition, with the help of multiple millimeter wave radars and high-definition cameras, Roewe Whale also improves users’ experience in assisted driving.

The height of the experiencer is 175cm

The head space in the front row is a circle of four fingers

In terms of driving space, the height of the experiencer is 175cm. Adjust the main driving seat to the lowest position and adjust the front and rear to a more comfortable driving position. At this time, the head space is about one punch and four fingers, which is very abundant.

The length of the rear seat cushion is relatively sufficient

There is more than two punches of leg room

There is more than one punch of head room

The front seats remain stationary, and the experiencer can directly enter the rear row. The seat back has a certain degree of wrapping, and the seat cushion The length performance is also good, so long-term rides are not likely to cause fatigue to passengers. At this time, the legroom is more than two punches, which can make the rear passengers feel very spacious; the headroom is about one punch, which is average. This is mainly due to the influence of the coupe SUV shape.

summary:

, as a brand new model of Roewe, does bring a certain freshness to consumers in terms of appearance design, but in some details and interiors, the shadow of RX5 MAX is still seen; while the power and suspension In terms of frame adjustment, it can meet the needs for home use, but if you want to do some intense driving, the suspension is soft and the downshifting is not very active, which will make your driving rhythm not so clean and neat. But from the perspective of driving space, the rear legroom is very generous, and there are no flaws in comfort. Overall, if you want an SUV with a unique design and suitable for home use, the Roewe Whale is worth considering.