What is a station wagon? Is it different from a car?

Every time I go to a new place, I look forward to it. Accustomed to the crowded and busy metropolis, my heart is inevitably blocked. However, coming to the seaside this time can make the waves sweep away the troubles and the sea breeze blow away the impetuousness. What I am most looking forward to this trip is the test drive of Skoda Ming Rui Travel Edition. Compared with many existing crossover models in China, it is definitely a veritable station wagon.

Personality or pragmatism?

Accustomed to the same car and SUV, when you face a station wagon, you will be attracted by its full and harmonious side body shape at first sight. The straight line extending from C-pillar to D-pillar in Ming Rui Travel Edition is very harmonious, without exaggeration and burden. The body length of 4687mm is more slender, and the data is only shorter than that of Kodiak, an autonomous medium-sized SUV11mm. The high-end model of the test drive adopts 17-inch wheels, and the low-end model is equipped with 16-inch wheels. Although this car is not equipped with larger wheels to meet the needs of more sporty and wild styling, the moderate wheel size combined with higher tire flattening rate is actually more in line with the positioning of the station wagon and the actual road conditions in China. At the same time, the roof rack is also the crowning touch. If there is a need for long-distance travel, it is also convenient to install the roof box later.

Coming to the front face in an instant, the biggest change in the appearance of Ming Rui cars mainly focuses on the headlights when it meets the mid-term change. Both the travel version and the sedan version adopt the design of split headlights. Although I had some reservations about the split headlights, when the real car appeared in front of me, the split headlights seemed to be integrated with the air intake grille, which increased the visual width of the whole car. At the same time, the high-profile models also use full LED light sources. It is worth noting that the foreign optional Scout kit has become a standard after coming to China this time, and the wide underpass avoids some bump injuries when driving in many road conditions, which is more in line with the actual car use environment of Chinese people. At the same time, the minimum ground clearance of the travel version is increased by 10mm compared with the sedan version, which brings a stronger passability advantage.

When I got on the bus, the obviously popular style was so satisfying. Apart from the smooth 9-inch central control panel, there is not much new idea, such as the black and white driving computer on the dashboard, the button layout of the center console, the air conditioning position and so on. Although the interior is difficult to attract attention in design, it is still excellent in practicality. Even people who drive this car for the first time on the journey can quickly get familiar with the operation of various functions on the central control. In addition, the panoramic skylight that the sedan version has never seen before also appeared above the head, giving the people in the car a very open and clear feeling.

Before going to the back seat, I found that the opening and closing angle of the back door was the same as that of the car. If the angle can be designed larger, more practical needs can be taken care of. Thanks to the straight design between C-pillar and D-pillar, the head space in the back row has been expanded. The legroom in the back of this travel version is also very abundant. I knock my legs at 173CM, no problem. It can be said that there is no room for passengers to dig on the wheelbase of 2686mm, and the angle and softness of the cushion are not disappointing. At the same time, the hook on the B-pillar in the car and the design of double USB sockets in the back row are very humanized. However, because the overseas version is equipped with a four-wheel drive system, although the domestic version only transmits power to the front wheels, there is still a big bulge in the center of the back row, which will greatly reduce the seating space and feeling of the middle passengers in the back row.

Ming Rui Travel Edition not only leaves a lot of space for passengers, but also meets the luggage requirements of the trunk on the basis of full membership. The combination of hatchback tailgate design and electric tailgate of Mingrui station wagon makes the opening action very easy, and it is different from the characteristics of high opening of trunk of many SUVs. This car is very convenient to carry heavy objects, and thanks to the design of rear torsion beam suspension, the space layout of trunk is very regular. The original trunk volume of 6 10L can be expanded to 1740L after putting down the rear seat. Unfortunately, it cannot form a flat platform with the rear seat, otherwise it would be romantic enough to accidentally buy an inflatable bed to take her to the wild to see the stars. Generally speaking, this Ming Rui Travel Edition benefits from the niche of the station wagon, with a unique and fresh shape, but the passenger space, loading space and practicality in the car really deserve the name of the station wagon.

What is the meaning of traveling?

The octavia station wagon will come to the domestic market with three different engines: 1.2T, 1.4T and1.6l. The first two engines will match the familiar DQ2007 speed dry dual clutch gearbox and come to us first. In terms of data, the maximum power of 1.2T and 1.4T engines are 85Kw and 1 10Kw respectively, and the maximum torque is 200n·m and 250n·m respectively. This time, the corresponding models of these two engines were specially tested. The power difference between the two is obvious, and I am deeply impressed by the excellent ride comfort of the gearbox. Although the start is too gentle, at the expense of a certain shift speed, the smooth power output and good power distribution can make it easy for drivers to drive this station wagon on urban roads and highways, whether they are following or overtaking. At the same time, in addition to the power difference between the two powertrains, the gearbox on 1.4T is more active in upshifting than that on 1.2T, and the engine speed is habitually kept in a lower range in exchange for better fuel economy. If you want to arouse your inner passion, then 1.4T engine may be more suitable for S mode.

Although this car has increased the ground clearance due to the passability requirements, unlike most SUV models, the driver's sitting posture and the center of gravity of the vehicle are still kept at a low height. In the corner, the car body does not appear too obvious tilt phenomenon, and because the engine is made of all aluminum, the weight of the front wheel will not cause excessive load on the front wheel that outputs power. It's just that the steering force that is too light and slightly false makes me have to mend the direction many times in the corner, and I can't completely concentrate on switching between the accelerator and the brake pedal. In terms of suspension, this domestic station wagon did not bring the option of foreign rear independent suspension to China, but adopted the setting of the front McPherson rear torsion beam. When passing through the continuous undulating road surface, the good support of the suspension can drag the car body without obvious shaking, but when passing through the gully road surface and the speed bump, the rear suspension will inevitably give the back seat passengers a very stiff feeling, and the comfort is slightly worse. In terms of NVH, the performance of this car is satisfactory. The noise of chassis and tires is mostly isolated, but it will make a lot of interference noise when it starts and stops automatically.

While driving, I was thinking about a problem. For a station wagon, what reason can people give up cars and SUVs at the same time? Do we really need a station wagon, because cars and SUVs can take us far away? I didn't get the news until the test drive ended and I passed a short section of Panshan Road. It turns out that its significance is not limited to being loaded by cars, but also better than being carried by SUVs. It also means that it not only allows you to travel from point A to point B, but also allows you to enjoy the process during this distance. Its trunk can not only be stuffed with more things, but also stimulate your desire to conquer corners when facing Panshan Highway, and at the same time, it will not let the passengers in the back row eat plum to treat dizziness and nausea because of their high center of gravity. Similarly, it is not the combination of shampoo and shower gel in express hotel, which gives you a compromise result on the basis of limited cost. Therefore, the station wagon will not make you concentrate on the journey because of the long distance, but will bring you more fun and more details on the way.

Is the spring of the station wagon coming?

With the domestic SUV becoming the absolute Red Sea, all parties concerned in the automobile market are thinking about when the next automobile circle will come. What wind will blow again? I remember that some colleagues asserted earlier that the window period of domestic station wagons had been missed, but in my opinion, on the contrary, the wind of domestic station wagons and MPVs was already on the way. It may be just the right time for Skoda to launch Ming Rui Travel Edition at this time.

At the same time, compared with C-TREK, which was born by Volkswagen on PQ34 platform, this octavia station wagon with MQB platform not only has better chassis quality and power matching, but also has further improvement in space and practicality. But can these reasons make this Mingrui station wagon a hit or is it in short supply? The answer may not be as optimistic as expected. In addition to the decisive factor that the official price has not been announced, the station wagon market needs time to accumulate and expand in China, because only when more brands of travel cars come to China, can this car be like an SUV in the future. Even if spring comes, we should sow first.