GAC Aion LX80 review: In the era of software-defined cars, how do electric motors crush internal combustion engines?

Domestic electric vehicles were once widely questioned by the public, and were said to be unable to survive without subsidies. However, new energy vehicle companies represented by GAC have proved with practical actions that manufacturers who make products with heart will never be abandoned by consumers and the market.

GAC Aion series is also the first domestic electric vehicle symbol to refresh consumers' cognition. The Aion series has attracted widespread attention for its more than 500km range, mature control adjustment, intelligent process close to the usage scenario, and industry-leading assisted driving system.

The Aion LX series of models are particularly popular for their range of over 600km, strong performance, and luxurious atmosphere. With OTA upgrades, the GAC Aion LX in the era of software-defined cars has achieved a frequently updated upgrade experience, and it continues to refresh the industry's intelligent records long after its release.

Nowadays, when you buy a GAC ​​Aion LX, you can not only buy the car at a lower price, but also get many optional configurations when it is first launched, and you can also directly enjoy the ADiGO 3.0 automatic driving system, which makes this model not only not appear backward, but its cost-effectiveness continues to improve.

Therefore, today we will review the GAC Aion LX 80 model to see how it actually performs.

Both inside and outside are refined, reflecting the quality of luxury cars

In terms of appearance, GAC Aion LX adopts the "Sky Mirror" design style. While the overall shape of the vehicle is plump and rounded, it uses a large number of lines to divide it, which further highlights the three-dimensional sense under light and shadow.

Specifically on the front, the Aion LX uses a lot of family design elements. The most prominent one is undoubtedly the "arrow through the clouds" headlights. On both sides of the T-shaped headlights are banner-style LED light strips, which look like the tail feathers of an arrow. At the same time, they are connected to the silver trim panel that runs through the middle to form a complete arrow through the clouds.

The front lip uses a matte silver trim, surrounding the black and silver contrasting grid-shaped air intake. The shape is not deliberately avant-garde. While it is stable and atmospheric, it is also closer to traditional fuel vehicles and is not ostentatious.

On the side, the Aion LX has smooth body lines and a floating roof that makes it more dynamic. The aircraft engine-style wheels and hidden handles are deliberately designed to reduce wind resistance when driving at high speeds, from which we can see its identity as an electric car.

This model uses Michelin 245/50/R20 tires, which is a configuration often used in mid-size SUV flagship models. It has excellent performance in comfort, sportiness and passability. Combined with its 2920mm wheelbase, it looks quite imposing.

The tail design is more rounded, the through-type taillights are very eye-catching, the vertical light strip in the middle of the bottom is highly recognizable, the top spoiler and the large-angle rear glass visually lower the proportion of the body, making the car look lower and more dynamic. The silver matte trim at the bottom and the galaxy contrast grille are consistent with the front face style.

In terms of interior, Aion LX also continues GAC New Energy's family design language as a whole. The curved LCD instrument panel and central control screen connected together, as well as the large area of ​​leather and suede materials, perfectly highlight the luxury and technological sense of the entire vehicle.

The instrument panel and central control screen are bent at an angle toward the driver's seat. On the one hand, it makes it easier for the driver to observe and operate, and on the other hand, it also prevents sunlight from reflecting on the screen to a certain extent.

The two screens have a delicate display, and the operation is sensitive and lag-free. The car computer adopts an open system and supports the installation of third-party software from the store, such as online video, music, navigation, etc., which can be freely selected.

Aion LX retains the physical buttons for dual-zone air conditioning control. Although its voice assistant can control almost all physical mechanical devices in the car, this commonly used setting is still more convenient with blind operation of physical keys.

The front storage space of this model is also very sufficient. Under the T-zone, there is a huge storage compartment that can easily hold a men's backpack or a women's shoulder bag. The armrest box is deep enough to accommodate the entire forearm, and there is a wireless charging station using the open Qi protocol in front of the cup holder.

The Aion LX retains the more traditional "engine" start button. After power is turned on, its rotary gear lever will slowly rise, full of a sense of ritual.

In addition, the iconic FaceID function of Aion LX will also be activated. After scanning and identifying the driver through the camera on the steering wheel, the vehicle will load the corresponding seat position, driving mode and other personalized settings, fully interpreting the saying "good technology means you can't feel the technology."

During driving, the FaceID camera will also be activated to monitor fatigue driving. If the driver dozes off or plays with his mobile phone, the vehicle will issue a reminder. This is a very meaningful active safety feature.

The front seats of Aion LX are made of a mixture of leather + Alcantara. They are soft to ride on, with excellent wrapping and support. There are many adjustable options, from the push-up length to the seat angle, so everyone can find a sitting posture that suits them.

The rear seats are even better, not only with adjustable backrest angles, but also equipped with electric leg rests and a boss button that can adjust the front and rear and backrest angles of the passenger seat, which is luxurious. Of course, with the blessing of a large wheelbase, there is more space, the ground is flat and there are no protrusions, and there is still more than three fists of space left in the back row in a regular sitting position, so the rear seat experience can be said to be enjoyable.

The battery electric drive has basically no impact on the trunk space of the Aion LX, and the rear seats can be folded down in proportion to meet different loading needs.

Both soft and hard, autonomous driving empowers powerful configuration

Compared with traditional fuel vehicles, the advantages of electric vehicles in driving experience are no longer news. Often, an electric vehicle can easily outperform fuel vehicles that are several times more expensive in terms of dynamic performance, making many owners who have driven electric vehicles exclaim "I can never go back."

Of course, due to the fast power response and centralized control modules of electric vehicles, their level of intelligence and automation is more advanced than that of fuel vehicles, which also makes many consumers tilt the scales towards electric vehicles when making purchasing decisions.

These advantages are reflected in the Aion LX model.

The Aion LX 80 is a front-wheel drive car equipped with a permanent magnet synchronous motor with a maximum power of 150kW and a maximum torque of 350N·m, which is roughly equivalent to a 2.0T turbocharged engine. As an electric car, its power output is very smooth, and the feeling of receiving a corresponding power response with a little effort is very comfortable.

Although it doesn't have the 3.9-second 0-100 acceleration of the four-wheel drive version, you can still feel the obvious push from the seat. The sufficient power and the wide view of the cockpit can give the driver enough confidence.

In terms of driving style adjustment, GAC Aion LX has found a good balance between business comfort and sportiness. The sensitive power response and precise steering control make Aion LX particularly fun to drive.

It is worth mentioning that due to the use of an electronic control system, the Aion LX has achieved great differentiation between several driving styles. Our test was mainly in sports mode, but the car's economic mode can bring a completely different driving experience - the maximum speed and acceleration are both limited, and the higher kinetic energy recovery also brings a huge drag feeling to the car when it slides. Although the battery life can be greatly improved, it takes some time to adapt and learn.

The braking feel of the Aion LX is also adjusted to be very linear, which is quite rare. After a little adaptation, you can master it. The 100-0 km braking distance is about 38 meters, which is also an excellent performance.

In general, the driving experience of the Aion LX is very consistent with the driving habits of Chinese people. It is not deliberately set to be aggressive for the sake of showing off. It provides a safer and easier-to-use driving experience.

Of course, this is also due to the fact that GAC New Energy spared no expense in the materials used for the Aion LX. Although the car is equipped with a 92kWh large battery weighing thousands of pounds, the chassis and suspension arms are made of a large amount of aluminum alloy, and the motor, reducer, and inverter are arranged in a three-in-one manner, which greatly reduces the weight of the car, keeping the curb weight of the car under two tons, ensuring the car's maneuverability while also allowing the car to have a range of 650km.

In terms of suspension, the Aion LX adopts a front McPherson and rear five-link configuration. The use of lightweight aluminum alloy materials improves the chassis response. The overall structure shows strong integration, revealing a heavy sense of luxury in its solidity and stability.

When passing a smooth road at high speed, the suspension support of the Aion LX is steady and powerful. When passing a bumpy road, the suspension can effectively filter out the fine vibrations of the road. In addition, without the vibration and roar of the internal combustion engine, the NVH performance of the Aion LX is also outstanding, presenting extremely high driving quality.

In terms of assisted driving, Aion LX has supported the L3-level ADiGO system through OTA. Through the world's first high-precision map, high-precision radar, and intelligent camera, it can achieve full-speed hands-free autonomous driving assistance from 0 to 120 km.

If automatic parking is good news for novices, then L3 level assisted driving can be said to be a weapon for all drivers to get rid of driving fatigue.

After testing, the ADiGO system of Aion LX is already in the top tier in China. It is even as smooth and natural as an experienced driver in scenes such as turning, changing lanes, and braking, without the problems of sudden acceleration and deceleration, bouncing between lanes, etc. of other assisted driving.

And in terms of system safety, the Aion LX is equipped with a touch-sensitive steering wheel, which does not require the driver to shake to express concern about road conditions, making it safer.

And when the system asks to take over and the driver does not respond, ADiGO will automatically slow down and pull over, rather than directly cutting off the system and allowing the car to crash on the road, which is more in line with common sense.

Electric cars have many advantages, but they are often rejected by consumers because of one thing: battery life.

However, nowadays there are more and more electric vehicles with a range of more than 500km, which is more than enough for city commuting and range anxiety can be greatly alleviated.

The official NEDC range of the Aion LX 80 is 650km, which is also the first tier among electric vehicles. Many professionals in the industry also believe that under the current energy density bottleneck, a battery of less than 100kWh and a range of more than 600km is the best sweet point.

No matter how large the battery capacity is, compromises will have to be made in terms of weight and handling; no matter how short the battery life is, users will inevitably suffer from battery life anxiety, especially under high-speed conditions with higher power consumption.

Due to limited time, we only conducted one day of testing. In the case of insufficient sample size, the reference value of the data may be reduced due to objective factors such as driving habits, battery power, road conditions, temperature, etc.

As the weather in Beijing warms up, in normal mode, with the air conditioner turned off, two adults in the car, the outside temperature around 15°C, and the car speed at 50km/h, the Aion LX's average power consumption per 100 kilometers is around 15kWh, and it can achieve a range performance almost identical to NEDC.

When the vehicle speed reaches 120km/h, the power consumption per 100km immediately soars to about 20kWh, and a full charge can travel about 460km. According to the official data of 30-80% charging in half an hour, even if you drive on the highway and charge at a rest area after 4 hours, you will basically not have any range anxiety when driving long distances between cities.

When commuting in the city, even if there is no charging station at home, it is very convenient to charge at a public charging station once a week to half a month.

We often see people saying that the electricity of electric vehicles also comes from fossil fuels, and that electric vehicles are not environmentally friendly. In fact, the country wastes more than 170 million kWh of electricity every year. Electric vehicles can be charged at night when the power is off-peak, which not only saves electricity costs by only 0.25 yuan/kWh, but also makes use of the idle electricity that would otherwise be wasted, which is very economical and environmentally friendly.

Software defines cars, GAC embarks on a new path for car companies

As a new thing, it is understandable that electric cars are resisted by fuel car fundamentalists. Some fuel car advocates even say that electric cars are like smartphones, which are disposable electronic consumer products.

However, it is not difficult to find from the Aion LX that, with battery energy density about to reach its peak today, excellent electric vehicles can already provide extremely excellent driving and car-using experience, find a balance between battery life, cost, and handling, and even surpass fuel luxury cars at a fraction of the cost.

Moreover, in the era of software-defined cars, automakers can continuously improve the intelligence of electric vehicles through OTA. In comparison, fuel vehicles that are outdated as soon as they are launched on the market may be closer to the so-called "disposable" definition.

GAC New Energy's Aion LX 80 is such an electric car. With a price of less than 300,000 yuan, it offers an option with interior, exterior, driving experience, and driving quality that is not inferior to luxury fuel cars worth millions. Moreover, this electric car has the potential to continuously improve its product strength through upgrades, and the L3-level ADiGO assisted driving system has proved this.

It can be seen that in the era of electric vehicles, Chinese automakers have finally gained the ability to compete with international brands, and have even begun to gain a partial lead. At a time when traditional foreign brands are slow to act and new car-making forces are constantly encountering problems, it is the best time for auto brands like GAC, which have both traditional brand car-making experience and new era innovation genes, to overtake.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.