Xiaopeng G3 520i Smart Edition Review: The "Nokia" of the Automotive Industry Shake Up

Compared with century-old car companies, Xpeng Motors is still very young, but on the contrary, the 7-year-old Xpeng Motors is relaxed and has no historical baggage. This gives Xpeng the first-mover advantage. Take the Xpeng G3 as an example. After only one year on the market, its sales reached 16,608 units, and it has been the top seller in the new energy market for many consecutive months.

Although the product has won the approval and popularity of the consumer market, Xiaopeng Motors did not stop there. Seven months later, Xiaopeng launched the 2020 Xiaopeng G3 with "increased quantity without increasing price". This move directly led to a 112% year-on-year increase in sales of Xiaopeng Motors that year.

So, in the context of the highly mature traditional automobile industry, how did Xiaopeng become the darling of the market step by step? Today, we will explore this question through the 2020 Xiaopeng G3 520i Smart Edition.

Eye-catching sporty look

I believe that many people will have a "fresh" feeling when they see Xiaopeng G3 for the first time. This does not mean that the appearance of Xiaopeng G3 is deliberately unconventional, but that Xiaopeng has explored an appearance design concept that is extremely suitable for new energy products.

Since the internal combustion engine has been cancelled, the front face no longer needs to take into account the radiator grille. Therefore, the front of the Xiaopeng G3 adopts a streamlined design with a large curvature, coupled with the "light sword" style LED running lights, giving the front face of the Xiaopeng G3 a strong sense of sportiness.

The side of the Xiaopeng G3 adopts a simple design language similar to the front face. Although there are not many elements, the design of the rear and front of the Xiaopeng G3 echo each other. Therefore, the simple side of the Xiaopeng G3 actually enhances the integrity of the car.

Coming to the back of the car, the taillights of the Xiaopeng G3 adopt the current mainstream through-type design in the industry, and have complex diamond textures inside, which can bring dazzling visual effects even in the daytime when the taillights are not turned on.

In addition, Xiaopeng also installed a wavy tail wing design above and below the G3's taillights. This sporty feel, combined with the streamlined front face, allows the Xiaopeng G3 to completely break away from the single aesthetic orientation of traditional SUVs of "high, thick, and hard".

Although it is priced at 100,000 yuan, the Xiaopeng G3 is equipped with an electric tailgate that was previously only available on flagship products. When in use, we can open and close the tailgate through the physical buttons on the body or the car key. Considering that the height of the Xiaopeng G3 is 1610mm, the design of the electric tailgate is not only very high-end, but also very practical.

Since the length of the Xiaopeng G3 is only 4450mm, we thought its trunk space would not be ideal, but after opening the tailgate, Xiaopeng still gave us a surprise - not only do the rear seats support 4/6 ratio folding, the Xiaopeng G3 also designed the spare tire position into a huge storage slot. When picking up or dropping off passengers at the airport, it is definitely no problem to put a 28-inch suitcase in this storage slot.

Traditional and trendy interiors

As a new car manufacturer, many people may think that Xiaopeng will take the same radical route in interior design as exterior design, but in fact, Xiaopeng did not mindlessly abandon the good aspects of traditional car design or rudely place various central control screens. On the contrary, Xiaopeng's interior design has found a very clever balance between tradition and fashion.

Walking into the car, the most shocking design element of the Xpeng G3 is undoubtedly the 1.889㎡ panoramic windshield that extends all the way to the top of the driver's head. If you are used to driving traditional fuel vehicles, the moment you enter the Xpeng G3, you will feel a sense of shock as you transition from the small screen of the iPhone 4 to the iPhone 12.

Although it is only an entry-level SUV, the interior of the Xiaopeng G3 does not feel "simple". For example, the G3 control panel and door handles are designed with double stitching, which looks very classy both in terms of touch and vision.

Similar to the interior of the control panel, the seats of Xiaopeng G3 also use a large area of ​​stitching design, which not only brings a high sense of visual coordination, but also provides good support and protection for passengers.

As a compact SUV, the height of the Xiaopeng G3 is only 1610mm, but from the test drive pictures, whether it is the front seat or the back seat, the Xiaopeng G3 has enough headroom and legroom. From this, it can be seen that the Xiaopeng G3 has indeed made efforts in comfort.

Smart interaction is not just a big screen

In addition to the panoramic windshield, most people may pay attention to the 15.6-inch floating full-touch screen in the center of the Xiaopeng G3 control panel.

Although with the rise of new forces, most cars are now beginning to adopt large screens, but because Xiaopeng has an "intelligent" mindset, the degree of integration between its large screen and the entire car is far beyond the reach of other car companies.

For example, since the engine is no longer needed after the car is electrified, Xiaopeng has absorbed the experience of smartphones, removed the start button of traditional fuel vehicles, and put the gear button in the position of the windshield wiper of traditional fuel vehicles. This not only simplifies the operation logic of Xiaopeng G3, but also makes the central control screen more like a large "iPad" integrated into the car body.

Since the redundant physical buttons are integrated into the large central control screen, when the owner wants to control the car, he only needs to shout "Hello, Xiao P" and then give the corresponding instructions, such as "What's the weather like today", and the Xiaopeng G3's central control will immediately give corresponding feedback.

In addition, since the Xpeng G3's central control is arranged vertically and the screen area is larger, this large screen can also present more navigation information when navigating. For example, when driving on the highway, we can use the Xpeng G3's large screen to obtain the exit information ahead in advance, so as to change lanes early. This can not only enhance our driving pleasure, but also enhance our sense of security, killing two birds with one stone.

Interestingly, the large central control screen of Xiaopeng G3 can not only complete "travel" tasks, but also meet the entertainment needs of car owners. Through the application store of Xiaopeng G3, car owners can download entertainment software such as Douyin, Bilibili, and iQiyi.

Combined with the car launch strategy mentioned above, Xiaopeng did not strictly follow the car idea to create products, but integrated many successful experiences in mobile Internet into Xiaopeng G3. This is undoubtedly very attractive to young people who pursue modernization.

After driving the Xiaopeng G3 for a long time, I am tired of fuel vehicles.

No matter how Xiaopeng pursues intelligence, it is still a car in the final analysis, and the driving experience is the embodiment of its fundamental strength.

In terms of hardware, the Xpeng G3 weighs 1,657kg and is equipped with a front permanent magnet synchronous motor with an output power of 145kW/300N·m. Xpeng claims that the Xpeng G3 can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.6 seconds and has a maximum speed of 170km/h.

Perhaps due to the excellent control of the body weight, after 91che's actual test, the acceleration performance of Xiaopeng G3 is very good. When the red light turns green, you only need to step on the "electric switch" lightly, and it can "rush" out, leaving a distant "back" for the fuel vehicle behind.

It is worth noting that because the acceleration of the Xiaopeng G3 is very linear and the suspension support is also very in place, the body of the Xiaopeng G3 is very stable when driving, and there is no acceleration dizziness common in traditional electric cars.

Complementing the acceleration is the fact that the steering wheel of the Xiaopeng G3 also has a "light" tuning. This does not mean that the steering wheel of the Xiaopeng G3 will float, but that when we push the steering wheel of the Xiaopeng G3 to turn, we can basically push it with one finger.

What’s interesting is that while testing the Xiaopeng G3, 91che also tested a fuel car at the same time. After getting familiar with the steering wheel and acceleration of the Xiaopeng G3, it was really "tired of" going back to the fuel car. I always felt that the two cars were not products of the same era.

In general, although the Xpeng G3 is strictly speaking the first product of Xpeng, when combined with the actual driving experience, it does not have the common sense of awkwardness of most new power products, but instead brings a driving pleasure that exceeds that of fuel vehicles. From this dimension, it can also be seen that Xpeng Motors has gathered a considerable number of industry talents in the automotive industry, and has created an extraordinary technical heritage with a short brand history.

Autonomous driving is more than just ACC

Although it is not a top-of-the-line model, the Xiaopeng G3 is still equipped with 20 sensors. When these sensors are combined with Xiaopeng's algorithm, they are sufficient to realize the autonomous driving assistance function of XPILOT 2.5.

Taking into account that both new forces and traditional fuel vehicle companies now claim to have achieved L2.5 level of autonomous driving, we still need to combine actual tests to look at the autonomous driving technology of Xiaopeng G3.

According to Xiaopeng, Xiaopeng G3 supports super automatic parking assistance - whether it is a wired frame, wireless frame, vertical parking space or a diagonal parking space with a wired frame, automatic parking can be achieved.

According to 91che's actual test, when the owner needs to park automatically, the Xiaopeng G3 can not only identify the parking space immediately, but also park the vehicle in the parking space completely automatically after starting parking.

Many people may be concerned about the safety of the Xiaopeng G3 super automatic parking assistance. According to 91che's actual test, when the Xiaopeng G3 detects pedestrians or obstacles, it will immediately stop parking and prompt the owner to take over the vehicle. From this perspective, safety obviously has the highest priority in Xiaopeng's overall algorithm.

Of course, super automatic parking assistance can only be used at home, and it is far from being "autonomous driving". The most important application scenarios of XPILOT 2.5 of Xiaopeng G3 are actually mainly reflected in the ACC adaptive cruise control system and LCC lane centering assistance system.

When driving on the highway, we only need to quickly hook back the automatic driving lever of Xiaopeng G3 twice, and it will turn on ACC+LCC, taking over the vehicle to achieve automatic driving to the greatest extent. This function can greatly relieve the driver's driving fatigue.

It is worth noting that since current laws and regulations have not yet caught up and the road conditions are relatively complicated, Xiaopeng G3 still prohibits "taking your hands and feet off the wheel" - when Xiaopeng G3 detects that the driver's attention is not on driving, it will give the driver a serious warning to ensure our driving safety.

Battery life: one charge per week

When talking about a new energy vehicle, one topic that cannot be avoided is battery life. After all, no matter how powerful a new energy vehicle is or how intelligent its interaction is, if its battery life is not ideal, it will always make the owner feel anxious.

In terms of configuration, the 2020 Xiaopeng G3 520i Smart Edition is equipped with a ternary lithium battery with a capacity of 66.5 kWh, and the official claims that the cruising range is 520km.

During the test, although it was the beginning of spring in Beijing, the temperature was still hovering around 0℃. Therefore, the harsh external environment itself posed a severe test for the Xiaopeng G3.

The actual test results are shown in the figure above. In urban conditions, with the air conditioner on, the power consumption of the Xpeng G3 is about 19.9kWh/100km. When the air conditioner is turned off, the energy consumption drops to 15.7kWh/100km. From this point of view, in summer and autumn, when the temperature is higher, the power consumption of the Xpeng G3 may drop to about 13kWh per 100 kilometers, which can undoubtedly meet the commuting needs of most car owners for a week.

The reason why Xiaopeng G3 has such excellent endurance performance is inseparable from its 66.5 kWh battery. So how efficient is this battery in terms of charging?

In response to this, 91che conducted a charging test on the Xiaopeng G3 at the DC charging pile of the Xiaopeng official charging station. As shown in the figure above, when the ambient temperature is 2°C, it only takes 30 minutes for the Xiaopeng G3 to be charged from 31% to 80%, and the average charging power is about 53 kw.

On the one hand, the power consumption is maintained at the "cross head", and on the other hand, fast charging can quickly replenish energy. Xiaopeng G3's product strategy of grasping both hands very well has helped car owners get rid of mileage anxiety to a great extent.

Summary: After the iPhone came out, Nokia panicked

From the perspective of the entire automobile market, smart cars have not yet occupied an absolute advantage in the market. However, considering the trend, the current automobile market has actually reproduced the peak confrontation similar to that of smartphones 14 years ago.

One faction is the persistence of traditional forces, such as Toyota's head Akio Toyoda, who publicly criticized electric vehicles, saying that they are over-hyped and cause more pollution than fuel vehicles; the other faction is the radical change of new forces, such as today's protagonist Xiaopeng G3.

Admittedly, the current traditional automobile market is still large, but the trend of the times is irreversible. According to the "2020 China Intelligent Connected Vehicle Market Development Trend Report" released by IHS Markit, the current global market penetration rate of smart cars is 45%, and it is expected that by 2025, this figure will be close to 60%.

In addition to the urgency of energy reform, this trend is also related to the product orientation of new forces. Take Xiaopeng G3 as an example. Although it is also a car product focusing on travel, it does not follow the path of traditional cars to optimize the "wheels" and "drives" in isolation. Instead, it starts from the needs of consumers and uses an overall humanized solution to give the car an "intelligent" soul.

As for daily experience, compared with traditional fuel vehicles, the Xpeng G3 has inherent revolutionary advantages in both hardware-level driving and software-level interaction, similar to the smartphones that came out. In fact, the Xpeng G3 is very much like the iPhone that completely changed user habits in the electric vehicle industry, especially when we look at the sales data of Xpeng, Nokia and others may be so panicked that they can't sleep at night.

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.