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Is this the 100,000 yuan level? First test drive of Xiaopeng M03: dynamics are surprising, but intelligent driving is a bit disappointing

2024-08-19

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He Xiaopeng, founder of Xpeng Motors, has always been optimistic about MONA M03. On the one hand, of course, it is due to the price advantage of "the starting price is expected to be less than 135,900 yuan", and on the other hand, it still retains the smart configuration advantages that Xpeng family products have always had.The combination of the two makes Xiaopeng MONA M03 a unique color in the 100,000-class pure electric sedan market.

Recently, Xiaotong was invited to participate in the test drive experience of Xiaopeng MONA M03 in Ningbo city. Before that, Xiaotong had already experienced the Xiaopeng MONA M03 statically. It has to be said that its overall vehicle design is highly recognizable, and the materials used in the car and the performance of the car system are not bad. Therefore, Xiaotong's test drive this time will focus on experiencing the dynamic performance and intelligent driving of the product.



In other words, if we focus on the audience of 100,000-level pure electric cars, their rigid demand for products is not dynamic performance and intelligent driving, but sufficient endurance to alleviate range anxiety and reduce charging frequency. Therefore, energy consumption performance is also the focus of Xiaotong's test drive this time.

Dynamic performance exceeded expectations, energy consumption performance was surprising

Let's talk about the parameters first. Xiaopeng MONA M03 uses a front single motor power form, providing two different motor powers. The model Xiaotong tested was the low-end version, with a maximum power of 140kW, a peak torque of 225N·m, and a CLTC pure electric range of 515km. It has to be said that Xiaopeng MONA M03 is still competitive, after all, its comprehensive parameters are better thanQin PLUS EVparameterpicture), AION S is even better, even catching upAION S MAX



To be fair, although Xiaopeng MONA M03 is better than its competitors in terms of parameters, Xiaotong did not have too high expectations for its dynamic performance before starting the test drive - after all, at this price, it is difficult to play with it.



Like most pure electric cars, Xiaopeng MONA M03 has a very crisp starting performance, and the power output response speed and smoothness are excellent, making it easy to overtake when driving in the city.It is worth mentioning that the vehicle provides three power modes, three steering modes, three stop modes and four energy recovery levels. After a brief introduction, the difference between the M03 in different modes is indeed quite obvious. I believe everyone can understand the power mode, steering mode and energy recovery level, but what is the "stop mode"?



Generally speaking, after pressing the brake pedal deeply, the wheels suddenly stop moving due to excessive braking, but the car body maintains forward momentum under the action of inertia, thereby maintaining the forward momentum, and the people in the car also show a "nodding" phenomenon due to inertia.The "slow driving" mode in the stop mode has been tested in urban driving, such as passing through traffic lights or other situations that require emergency braking, and there is indeed no obvious nodding phenomenon. This is completely different from the online ride-hailing services we often experience.As for the "gradual stop" mode in the stop mode, it is actually the "single pedal mode" we are familiar with.



The M03 chassis uses a front McPherson independent suspension and a rear longitudinal arm torsion beam non-independent suspension. Overall, the chassis performance of the Xiaopeng MONA M03 meets the mainstream performance of compact cars. Facing the ups and downs of urban roads or the manhole covers with their own depressions, the vibration filtering ability is very strong, there will be no extra bounce, and it can also show enough toughness through large curvature curves. Even when facing high speed bumps, the road feel of the rear row is still relatively clear, but fortunately, the rear seats are relatively soft, and the ride comfort is acceptable.



The visual effect of the car's 3D perception rendering map is excellent. When you turn on the turn signal, the map navigation side will show the real-time picture behind you. There is a useless but special detail: if you play a song while navigating, there will be a sound wave bar below the map, the lyrics will pop up on both sides of the map, and the entire map interface will be covered with unique elements.



It is worth praising that Xiaopeng MONA M03 is very flexible when changing lanes quickly, the steering feels very light, the front of the car also follows actively, and with a minimum turning radius of 5.3m, it is very easy to control.



Let's talk about the energy consumption performance. During this test drive, Xiaotong chose to drive in the city, with the air conditioning and power modes set to automatic, and the seat ventilation turned on. Due to time constraints, Xiaotong only drove for 37 minutes, a total of 29 kilometers, and the entire journey was on Ningbo city roads.The final average energy consumption is 12.3kWh/100km, and it is not much higher than the official 11.5kWh/100km.



In general, the basic experience of Xiaopeng MONA M03 is quite "solid", and it has relatively reliable performance in the projects that the target group pays attention to. If you really regard Xiaopeng MONA M03 as an ordinary family car, then the test drive can basically end here, but after all, this is a product of Xiaopeng, and its intelligent capability level will certainly become the focus of attention from the outside world.

What’s gratifying is that Xiaopeng MONA M03’s performance in its “old business” is also worthy of praise.

Even if the intelligence is not “full”, it is still enough to stand out

After talking about dynamic performance, let's take a look at the intelligent driving of Xiaopeng MONA M03. Intelligent performance has always been the "treasure of the town" of Xiaopeng Motors, but how smart can Xiaopeng be on a 100,000-level car? In terms of hardware, Xiaopeng MONA M03 is equipped with 12 ultrasonic radars, 2 millimeter-wave radars, 1 monocular camera, 4 surround cameras and two side rear cameras. These perception hardware are standard for the whole series, so functions such as L2 intelligent driving capability and intelligent parking are standard for the whole series.



With the support of these hardware, Xiaopeng MONA M03's intelligent parking performance is very good. In addition to traditional reverse parking, diagonal parking, and side parking, it can also realize reverse parking at edge parking spaces. One detail is that the automatic parking function will display the parking steps, which can give the driver a sense of peace of mind to a certain extent.



It is worth mentioning that if you encounter a parallel parking space with a limit bar, even if the direction of the vehicle is opposite to the parking space, the vehicle can automatically adjust the direction of the front of the vehicle and park in. This capability is difficult to achieve in other models of the same level.



Finally, let's talk about intelligent driving. Like most models with advanced intelligent driving systems, the way to turn on the intelligent cruise function of Xiaopeng MONA M03 is to push the shift lever down twice. After turning it on, there will be two blue guide lines next to the vehicle on the map. Since it is not equipped with laser radar, Xiaopeng MONA M03 can only identify surrounding vehicles, so when waiting for traffic lights, the navigation will only show the models of the next few cars.



In terms of performance, the intelligent driving capability of Xiaopeng MONA M03 is not bad. There is no problem with L2 assisted driving functions such as LCC. The vehicle can adjust its own speed in real time according to the speed of the vehicle in front, and the braking and acceleration processes are very linear. However, it is not yet possible to realize functions such as overtaking by itself. It can be said that it can alleviate the fatigue of the driver when driving frequently in urban areas.



The currently known information is that Xiaopeng MONA M03 will provide two intelligent driving solutions: basic version and Max version. As for more detailed information, it still needs to wait until the launch conference of Xiaopeng MONA M03.

It should be pointed out that from Xiaotong's experience, the visual effect of 3D map rendering is very good, but the intelligent driving cruise assist function may be based on high-precision map solutions, and the rendered map will not match the actual road during navigation. For this reason, Xiaopeng MONA M03 will immediately remind the inspector once it detects that his hands have left the steering wheel.



In Xiaotong's opinion, such reminder logic is reasonable even for any advanced intelligent driving. Other models will also remind the driver once they find that the driver's hands are off the steering wheel when using advanced intelligent driving, but the problem is that the time when the hands are off the steering wheel and the time when the system reminds are relatively long. Only a quick reminder can ensure that the driver is always in control of the vehicle.

To sum up briefly, the intelligent performance of the Xiaopeng MONA M03 we tested is definitely far behind the leading models, and the intelligent functions currently available are severely "castrated", which is far from "opening the door to a new world" for new users. However, it is undeniable that the Xiaopeng MONA M03 can at least provide automatic parking and L2 assisted driving functions that far exceed those of models of the same price. Considering that we experienced the basic version and the price is not too high, the current performance is acceptable.

What we are really looking forward to is the "Max". Xiaotong estimates that the Max version of the M03 will not make too many upgrades in terms of perception hardware, but will mainly use more advanced algorithms, and the underlying computing hardware should also be improved to a certain extent. As for whether the Xiaopeng MONA M03 can become a popularizer of intelligent driving, we still have to wait for market sales and word of mouth to confirm it.

Xiaotong has test-driven three products, namely Xiaopeng P7i, Xiaopeng X9 and Xiaopeng G6. These models all retain their advantages in terms of intelligence. Now, after test-driving the Xiaopeng MONA M03, there is indeed a certain degree of gap in the experience.



However, if we look at the price of "starting price is expected to be less than 135,900 yuan" for Xiaopeng MONA M03, Xiaotong believes that its comprehensive strength does exceed this price level. After all, the AION S and VolkswagenID.3Pure electric cars such as the Xpeng MONA M03 are unable to take into account multiple aspects such as comfort configuration, intelligent configuration, chassis texture, drag coefficient, and battery life. Therefore, the impact of the Xpeng MONA M03 on the 100,000-class pure electric car market is real.



In addition, Xiaotong has one thing to say after test driving the Xiaopeng MONA M03, that is the panoramic skylight used by the Xiaopeng MONA M03. In the eyes of many consumers, a panoramic skylight without a sunshade is not good for sun exposure. However, after a half-hour fuel consumption and endurance test and two hours of shooting, Xiaotong found that the thermal insulation and sun protection capabilities of the panoramic skylight are acceptable. The following is the sun protection effect of the vehicle under direct sunlight for your reference.



Nowadays, the only remaining secret of Xiaopeng MONA M03 is the suggested price. According to the plan, the new car will be officially launched on August 27. It has already arrived in the store. Friends who want to know more may wish to go to the store to experience it.