Break or draw? Test drive SAIC Volkswagen Wei Ran

Text: Song and his party? Photography: Li Yixin

Background and position

As the second MPV of SAIC Volkswagen, the birth of Wei Ran is very dramatic, because it is pointed out to compete for the market share of mid-to high-end MPVs, and the largest share of this market segment belongs to SAIC-GM Buick GL8. Three years ago, the arrival of GL6 divided up the monthly sales of 2,000 vehicles originally belonging to Touran L. This time, in order to benchmark GL8, SAIC Volkswagen also made great efforts to capture the mid-to high-end MPV market in one fell swoop.

However, over the years, GL8, as the crown of commercial vehicle sales, which is regarded as a thorn in the side by countless car companies, has already squeezed out countless "back waves" that want to replace it, and still ranks first in the sales list of mid-to-high-end MPV as the leader. Can the arrival of Wei Ran really shake the position of GL8?

Appearance and design language

As one of the car companies that know China consumers best, same Volkswagen did not choose to make a car with almost the same appearance and interior as the GL8 as Chuanqi GM8, supplemented by lower pricing to compete for the market originally belonging to GL8. SAIC Volkswagen still strives to make a breakthrough in appearance.

That's why there is a large MPV that looks like a full-size SUV. Unless you are careful enough, you can notice the black electric door slide rail at the waist line of C-pillar. Otherwise, you may be mistaken for an SUV at first sight, just like me.

Back to this new car, Wei Ran is the first model of SAIC Volkswagen to adopt a new LOGO, which gives up the traditional founder body design on Touran L, which is also an MPV. On the contrary, it adopts a streamlined design, which makes the whole front hood of Wei Ran look particularly slender, which is also the most different place from the conventional MPV.

However, everything has advantages and disadvantages. Although this makes Wei Ran's front face look more design-oriented and more like an SUV, it weakens its business attributes. If I get off the plane from the airport and come to the parking garage to look for a pickup truck, Wei Ran and GL8 will stop in front of me, and GL8 will be my first look. ...

Wei Ran's headlights run through the front grille, and the fog lights at the bottom are covered with horizontal grille strips. A large horizontal line supports the whole front face, which also makes the tall Wei Ran look more domineering.

From the side of the car, Wei Ran also looks like an out-and-out SUV. Compared with the traditional MPV, it has a longer front and a higher chassis. The advantage of this is to enhance the sense of design, avoid homogenization and bring better passability. However, a high chassis is not all the advantages. Its main disadvantage is that it will affect passengers getting on and off and lose the convenience that MPV should have.

Wei Ran's tail is not designed with complicated lines, and the taillight is penetrated by a chrome trim, which adds simplicity and atmosphere. The English letter "Viloran" under the logo is the English name of this car. Although Wei Ran is a car specially designed for China, SAIC Volkswagen has given it a rather elegant English name. The official explanation of English names is "villa"-villa, "velvet"-velvet, and "ran" is taken from "grand"-solemn.

In fact, SAIC Volkswagen rarely makes such cross-border attempts. Some netizens said that this was because the MQB platform limited the possibility of making traditional MPVs in Wei Ran. In my opinion, this statement is obviously nonsense, because Touran L is the product of MQB platform, which can also give an MPV a very low ground clearance, a square front face and a short front suspension.

I guess the original intention of SAIC Volkswagen design may be to judge consumers' aesthetic fatigue in the design of GL8 and similar business reception vehicles. At this point, an SUV with MPV attributes will be more exciting. ...

Internal and deployment

When I got into the car, Wei Ran's design looked very MPV. It adopts the symmetrical layout of the Volkswagen family, which is very similar to Touran, with only the details adjusted. The latest air conditioning touch panel is simplified, and the layout of full touch and central LCD screen is very modern.

The huge armrest box in the middle separates the first row from the second row. Wei Ran automobile has 10 multiple charging ports. The front armrest box is equipped with a USB, a Type-c and a 12V power interface. There are two USB ports on two independent seats in the second row and two USB ports in the third row. In addition, there is a 12V power interface in the trunk, which can fully meet the power demand of everyone in the car.

Size and space

In fact, the real golden position in Wei Ran is the two independent seats in the second row. With a long wheelbase of 3 180mm, the front and rear adjustable range of the second row of seats is very large, which supports the functions of leg rest, seat massage, seat ventilation/heating lamp, and can provide a very comfortable riding experience.

When there are no passengers in the third row, we can adjust the seat position in the second row to the back. Then lift the leg rest and put down the back of the chair, and adjust the included angle between the seat cushion and the back of the second row seat to 145. At this time, it feels more like lying on a leather sofa, and the ride comfort is no less than GL8.

Compared with the second row of seats, the third row of seats in Wei Ran is not a decoration. The third row enters from the central passage of two independent seats in the second row. When we adjust the first row to the normal sitting position, the second row has a boxing space of 1 in the legs, and there is more than 2 boxing spaces in the legs after sitting in the third row, which is also quite excellent in competing MPV models at the same level. The hardness of the seat is hard, and even if you ride for a long time, you won't feel backache.

Wei Ran's big space is also reflected in the trunk space. Its overall volume is better than that of GL8, and there are storage slots on both sides for loading some sundries. The third row can also support 4/6 down like most SUVs.

After the birth of Wei Ran, it became the largest model of SAIC Volkswagen. The length, width and height of the new car are 5346 mm, 1976 mm, 178 1 mm, respectively, and the wheelbase is 3180 mm. By transverse comparison, the length is longer than GL8 100 mm, and the wheelbase is equivalent to that of Mercedes-Benz V-class long wheelbase version, while the maximum trunk volume is the same.

Power supply and control

In terms of power, Volkswagen chose the third-generation EA888 engine, that is, the 2.0T high-power version engine, with a maximum power of 220 HP and a peak torque of 350 Nm. With DQ500 wet seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

When I started normally in D gear, Wei Ran gave me the first impression that the feedback from the accelerator pedal was very weak. After all, I was pulling a cart of more than 2 tons on the road, and this heavy feeling was actually felt when I stepped on the first throttle.

After gradually increasing the throttle opening and closing, I carefully considered the timing of turbine intervention. When the speed reaches 1800 rpm, the turbine will step in and work together. The brake pedal of the car only provides sufficient braking performance in the middle and rear section, which is more in line with the characteristics of MPV.

To tell the truth, this 2.0T high-power +7-speed dual-clutch powertrain can be seen everywhere in Volkswagen's high-end models, and the smoothness of the gearbox has already adapted to the environment. But driving on the road, I don't have the calm feeling of driving MPV, because the front of the car is long and the body is big. I prefer the extended version of Prado to the GL8, at least it is not as steady as the GL8.

Wei Ran's suspension adopts the former McPherson-style rear multi-link independent suspension, which filters the subtle vibration thoroughly. When passing through the speed bump at low speed, the vehicle's bounce is also controlled in a small range. In addition, the NVH index of the vehicle is commendable. When we increase the speed above 80 km/h, the noise outside the car is still completely isolated. ?

Editor's comment: Wei Ran's advantages and disadvantages are obvious. The advantage is that the space inside the car is huge, and the two independent seats in the second row have high riding comfort. The disadvantage is the appearance, which is too "business" for people who need a business car.

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