Can a long and wide Wei Ran pull GL8 off the altar? User: Try the third row.

What should a business MPV look like in your mind? It seems that GL8 running all over the street is the answer that blurts out in our mind. On the way to meet the guests at the airport, to see them off at the hotel and to meet the distinguished guests, we always seem to see GL8. So that in the monthly MPV sales rankings, we can always see that GL8 has formed a tripartite confrontation with Odyssey and Alice, who are biased towards home.

Is there really no car that can pose a substantial threat to Honda and Buick? This time the public finally couldn't sit still. It is not imported from Xia Lang with 2+3+2 layout, but an MPV version of Touran of SAIC Volkswagen.

I still remember that someone photographed the spy photos of Verolan in China last September. At that time, there were rumors that Verolan's Chinese name was "Weiang". This time, we can form the flagship three brothers of SAIC Volkswagen Ang family with Tu Ang and Hui Ang. But in the end, the transliteration name became "Wei Ran". Although slightly inferior to "Wei Ang" in imposing manner, the slightly weakened name can give people full affinity like Wei Ran's appearance.

The large-size air intake grille composed of six chrome-plated decorative strips stretches the visual width, and at the same time, with Danxia red metal car paint, the whole front face is elegantly filled. All-LED headlamps with lenses for far and near beams are still full of "German flavor", and all systems are still standard, including LED daytime running lights, automatic headlights and steering auxiliary lights! Adaptive low beam and follow-up steering are only available in two 380TSI versions.

The front windshield and front standard of Wei Ran 380TSI adopt monocular camera+millimeter wave radar, which has active safety configurations such as ACC adaptive cruise, lane departure, lane keeping, active braking, and parallel assistance, and has L2-level automatic driving assistance function.

The body size is 5346×1976×1781mm, and the wheelbase is 3 180mm. From the data point of view, except for the height of the car body, the other three data advantages are very obvious. Especially, the body width of 1976mm is very rare in domestic medium and large commercial MPVs.

Except for the 330TSI Business Edition (entry-level model) which is bilateral manual, the other three versions are bilateral electric sliding doors. Moreover, SAIC- Volkswagen also provided the rear two rows of Wei Ran with dark privacy laminated glass with a thickness of 4.96mm, which can not only block the light, but also give consideration to the sound insulation function.

The gap between the spokes of the 20-inch multi-spoke two-color wheel hub is tightly controlled and beautiful, also for mute. And its matching tire model is 235/50 R20, and its brand is UC6, which is quiet and comfortable.

There was a joke before that the Volkswagen logo with letters was a sign of being rich or expensive. However, because Volkswagen changed the brand Logo as a whole, even Polo and golf have letters in the future. Penetrating chrome-plated strips and taillights are integrated, which further broadens the visual area of the rear of the car. The strip taillights are all LED light sources, and the turn signal is still a flowing design, which further highlights the sense of grade.

Except for the minimum configuration, the other three configurations have electric tailgate function. The luggage compartment has a standard volume of 436L, which is enough to accommodate a golf bag laterally. The volume can be further expanded to 2 100L by putting the third row of seats down by 4/6. There is a spare tire under the luggage compartment cover, which is much more convenient than the spare tire GL8 hanging under the chassis.

Wei Ran was born in MQB platform of Volkswagen, so the design style of the whole interior control is very similar to Touran. The color scheme of brown on the top and rice on the bottom, and the instrument panel in the middle is decorated with wood grain decorative board, and the simple style conforms to the aesthetics of business elites.

Due to the replacement of the brand-new Volkswagen logo, Wei Ran's steering wheel shape is also different from the previous Volkswagen. The periphery of the multi-function key is wrapped with misty silver decorative strips, but the position and damping feeling of the key remain unchanged and the grip feeling is strong.

Standard 10.3 inch full LCD instrument panel, UI screen and function display switch rely on the buttons on the right side of the multi-function steering wheel. The View button is used to switch whether the dashboard is hidden. See the full-screen picture above? Navigation destination can be set by voice, so that route guidance can be presented in the dashboard, which can reduce the distance of visual movement while driving and improve the safety of driving.

Except for the (8-inch) entry-level version, the 9.2-inch central control screen is standard on all systems. Like the 2020 Passat, Wei Ran is also equipped with SAIC Volkswagen's Zhilian system. Built-in high-tech maps with road display, cool music, Himalayan FM and other entertainment apps can be activated through voice recognition to achieve the purpose of replacing mobile phones. Moreover, this car also supports the function of mobile phone interconnection projection, which can be used by CarPlay and CarLife. Because it is an unlicensed car show, this function is not enabled in the background, so it is impossible to demonstrate it on the spot.

Automatic air conditioning is standard for all departments, with built-in PM2.5 air purification function, and all systems are touch sliding air conditioning operation panels. Piano paint looks very classy, but it will inevitably leave scratches after a long time. Due to the design of MQB platform, the center console in Wei Ran is integrated with the central armrest. If there is no problem in Touran, but as a commercial MPV model, it would be more perfect if an aisle could be left between the first row and the second row.

Guess how many USB charging ports Wei Ran has in his car? Four? Six? Or eight? None of them are right. The correct answer is 10. There are two under the center console, one USB+ one Type-C in the central armrest box. There are four seats in the second row near aisle 2+2 * *. One in the third row or so. The location design of these 10 USB charging ports is still very elegant, which shows that the public's research on the usage habits of Chinese people is true.

Wei Ran is equipped with three independent air-conditioning zones, and the rear of the central armrest box is equipped with an independent air-conditioning control panel. Passengers in the second row can adjust the cabin temperature and air volume by themselves, plus three-stage seat heating or seat ventilation.

2+2+3 cockpit layout, two independent seat fabrics in the second row of Wei Ran, wrapped in Alpine calfskin. The dark gold handrail with double seams, diamond texture and color matching shows Wei Ran's sense of luxury and quality. In addition to the storage compartment inside the door, the front ends of the two handrails inside the second row are also designed with hidden cup holders, which can slide out by pressing inward. Generally, it is no problem to fix the 550-600ml beverage bottle, and it can't be put any more.

The three electric buttons on the side control the angle of seat massage, lumbar support and backrest respectively, and the forward and backward movement of the second row of seats is operated by the front physical wrench. The two black buttons above are also used to adjust the rhythm and intensity of seat massage. The left and right seats in the second row of Wei Ran have the function of electric leg dragging, and the seats can basically recline to a nearly straight state.

The wheelbase of Wei Ran is 3 180mm, and my height is 18 1cm. Control the position of the second row until there are two fingers in the first row. Sitting in the third row, you can still have about three fingers in your legs and a punch in your head space. The third row of seats is still soft, and there is a headrest in the middle of the back row (the new GL8 does not).

Wei Ran is equipped with a 2.0T turbocharged engine with 330TSI and 380TSI versions. Match a 7-speed power shift, with maximum power 162kW/4500-6200rpm and peak torque of 350Nm/ 1500-4400rpm. The curb weight of Wei Ran is 2 160kg. This powertrain can give this big guy an acceleration of 9.3s seconds, and the comprehensive fuel consumption per 100 kilometers is 8.1L.

From the moment the right foot presses the accelerator pedal, the initial reaction of the accelerator is very sensitive and the foot feels very light. The turbine can work at 1500rpm, with linear power output in the middle section, and with the soft upshift of 7-speed wet dual clutch, it brings a smooth and stable driving experience to the occupants in the car. Although it is a bit huge, you can feel the calmness of this powertrain when you are driving on the road with a curb weight of more than 2 tons and five members in the car.

Not fast, but steady! This is the quality that a business MPV should have. In the S gear, the gearbox will keep the engine speed above 2000 rpm, and the positive dynamic response will be on standby at any time. When accelerating sharply, the transmission will drop 3-4 gears in a row to help you finish overtaking skillfully.

Wei Ran adopted the suspension combination of front McPherson and rear multi-links, and the adjustment was obviously prepared to please passengers. In the face of small potholes, Wei Ran still shows the public's tight and elastic road feedback. When impacted by speed bumps or uneven roads, the vibration isolator can also be gently resolved. This feeling is very similar to that when I drove Angkor, except that the suspension stroke is shorter and the center of gravity of the chassis is lower.

Speaking of the center of gravity, this is also the point that Wei Ran takes care of drivers more than MPVs like GL8 and Odyssey. The traditional MPV is more like a box, with a high center of gravity and leisurely driving. However, the car width and track are larger than GL8, and the roll when cornering is slightly smaller than the competing GL8 model on the day of our test drive. Due to the use of electronic power, Wei Ran's steering wheel will feel extremely light, even if it turns in situ, it is effortless to turn with one hand.

It can be seen from the pricing of 286,900-399,800 yuan listed in Wei Ran on May 28th that it is obviously aimed at the newly redesigned Buick GL8 ES. The longer wheelbase and wider body bring a more ideal cockpit for the members of the car. However, due to the MQB platform, the chassis is higher than GL8, and the third row of cushions is slightly shorter. However, the lower center of gravity improves the driving stability of the whole vehicle, and the USB+Type-C charging sockets of the whole vehicle 10 seem to be tailor-made for China people. Although Volkswagen started late in the medium and large commercial MPV market, as a global model, Wei Ran can still win the favor of more consumers with its good comprehensive quality.

(Author/Photo: Chen)

This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.