Bitauto Original There is no doubt that the new Lingdu L launched by SAIC Volkswagen this time is a brand new model, using a new platform and changing its shape. At the market level, can Lingdu L be as spicy and fragrant as SAIC Volkswagen expects? Judging from the new car itself, I think it is quite good and has great features. As for whether it will become popular in the market, no one can say for sure.
What are the two major upgrades in the title? Let me first reveal the mystery to you. First of all, the new model has been changed from the old "sedan" to a more practical "hatchback". In terms of practicality, the new car is much better than the old model. Secondly, it is a major upgrade in terms of appearance. The new model uses "frameless doors". Although this does not improve anything in essence, in an era where appearance is paramount, it is very important. Regardless of whether it is good or not, it is useful or not. Good-looking and sexy. For most consumers, this is far more attractive than the 2.0T engine. Whether the netizens in front of the screen admit it or not, this is a fact. On March 1, Lingdu L started pre-sale, but the specific pre-sale price has not been announced yet. Interested friends may wish to pay attention.
Appearance: The best among joint venture cars of the same class
The Lingdu L in front of me is for me The feeling of amazement at first sight is comparable to when I bought the first generation CC. The first is the color of the paint. It just so happens that under the bright sun, the red paint looks very textured, moist and gorgeous. The new-style front of the car changes from Volkswagen's previous nesting-doll-style operation, and instead adopts a new "tiger shark" design, which makes people feel novel and a little familiar. This sense of familiarity comes from the ID of SAIC Volkswagen. .Series electric vehicles.
What’s interesting is that this time SAIC Volkswagen provided five color modification services for Lingdu L, including mustard green, young ginger powder, ice blue, cardamom powder and Several personalized car colors including Juniper Green are available. Friends who are tired of the same thing can choose the color of the car body according to their own needs.
The front part of the car has two special features. The first is that it adopts the current SAIC Volkswagen mainstream front-through LED light strip + luminous logo design. The outline shape is also similar to that of the ID. series models. Among them, the top model also uses IQ.LIGHT headlight technology. The second is that the grille on the grille is positioned lower than most current fuel vehicles, located on the front bumper, and is decorated with baby's breath, which makes it look more refined.
Lingdu L is built on the Volkswagen Group’s MQB EVO platform and is positioned as a compact car, competing with Same as the current model. Its length, width and height are 4784/1831/1469mm, the length is 169mm longer than the current model, and the wheelbase is 273mm.1mm, which is more than 75mm longer than the current model. Since the new Lingdu L adopts a clam-type engine cover design, this also reduces the area of its front fender. We can also see this design on the current Volkswagen CC and Porsche Macan.
Lingdu L has a fastback-style side line design and frameless doors, which also makes it more like a coupe in terms of styling attributes. It is worth mentioning that when the door handle is pulled up a short distance, it can trigger the reaction of the door and window glass, which is more sensitive than most frameless windows. According to the manufacturer, Lingdu L's frameless doors have been verified through many tests and are almost at the same level as framed doors in terms of durability and quietness. In terms of wheel design, Lingdu L has stylish high-gloss paint, rotor-type design, and the tires use Dunlop tires with specifications of 225/45R18.
Compared with the front design, the rear design is more angular and has a Volkswagen family style. The taillights adopt a through-type design that is very popular at present, and match the brand logo that can also illuminate, echoing well with the front of the car. The interior of both sides of the taillight adopts a more three-dimensional design structure, so the lighting of the taillight can be seen from directly behind or from the side. The tailgate adopts a hatchback opening method, and the loading capacity is greatly improved compared with the traditional trunk.
Interior: The new design is more driver-friendly
What’s interesting is that Lingdu L is obviously a brand new model, but the manufacturer didn’t mention it at all during the communication meeting. The interior of Lingdu L is somewhat similar to the eighth-generation Golf, and the latter is also based on the MQB EVO platform. However, in some areas, Lingdu L still has some unique designs. It has a horizontally integrated air-conditioning outlet, and the design of suspended dual screens also makes the interior more technological. At the same time, the left and right asymmetric design also allows the driver to get more care.
The steering wheel adopts SAIC Volkswagen’s latest three-spoke design, and the “Volkswagen” logo in the center has been flattened. The steering wheel of the model photographed this time is wrapped in leather and has a heating function. The multi-function buttons on both sides have a touch vibration feedback effect, which is also the current mainstream design style of SAIC Volkswagen.
The suspended dual screen adopts a design of splicing two screens on the left and right. Among them, the full LCD instrument panel on the left is 10.25 inches in size and can switch between different display interfaces. The size of the central touch LCD screen is 12 inches.It uses the MOS 3.2 smart car system, which includes conventional navigation, online music, voice control functions, etc., and the UI display effect is also relatively delicate. In addition, Apple CarPlay/Baidu CarLife mobile interconnection is also available on Lingdu L.
Both the top and sub-top models have wireless charging functions for mobile phones in the front row, and the front and rear rows are each equipped with a set of USB/Type-C power interfaces. Practicality is good. The Lingdu L top model is equipped with Beats audio, and the actual effect is good.
The seats equipped on Lingdu L are officially called "shell-type sports package seats" by SAIC Volkswagen, which adopts a double-jointed The color treatment, leather covering and stitching embellishment give the seat a good texture. The front seats of the top model have electric adjustment and ventilation/heating functions. As for the space performance, the space is quite enough for me who is 184cm tall.
The second row of seats adopts the same design style and color combination, and is equipped with three headrests. The length of the seat cushion and the angle of the backrest are relatively comfortable. However, the floor has a higher bulge at the center aisle, which may have a certain impact on the middle passenger's ride.
In some conventional areas, Lingdu L can have a more mainstream storage space. And we also noticed that engineers also designed some unconventional storage areas above the backs of the front seats to facilitate the placement of small items.
The rear seats of Lingdu L can be folded down proportionally, and the trunk space of Lingdu L is also relatively regular. Many friends may not have seen how obvious the advantages of hatchbacks and ordinary cars are when loading large items. Let’s put it this way, you have always seen old-fashioned picture tube TVs before, and 29-inch color TVs can be installed in them. , not to mention items like trolley cases.
Powertrain and chassis: The power level is average
In terms of engine, Lingdu L uses the EA211 engine. This turbocharged engine with a displacement of 1.4L is also used throughout the vehicle. It is widely used in the Volkswagen Group. The engine has a maximum power of 110kW and a peak torque of 250N·m. This test drive we only conducted in an open field and did not have the opportunity to drive the car on the road. I feel that the power level can only be said to be so-so.
As for the gearbox, SAIC Volkswagen has equipped this Lingdu L with a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox. This gearbox is already very familiar to everyone. The shifting logic is clear and upshifting is more aggressive. It is basically a fuel-saving adjustment method. As for performance, there is no need to have any illusions. However, SAIC Volkswagen has provided a new shifting mechanism for the new car, using an electronic shift lever.
In terms of chassis, Lingdu L adopts a front MacPherson and rear multi-link suspension structure. On a highly flat test drive site,I wasn't able to experience how this chassis felt when facing bumps, because the surface was really flat. But when faced with weight shifting actions such as acceleration and sudden braking, the ability of this suspension combination is worthy of recognition. However, the lateral support capability is relatively average. The support ability in corners is not strong, but I think cars with less than 200,000 yuan will basically not have very good performance. The performance of Lingdu L is considered normal.
At present, SAIC Volkswagen has not announced the official price of the new Lingdu L. I think the top model should not exceed 180,000 yuan. In fact, 180,000 yuan is for a compact car. If you just look at this car as a compact car, obviously after it exceeds 150,000 yuan, the price advantage no longer exists. But if it is a hatchback + frameless door, at least it looks sporty to the eye, it will be a little different.
From the perspective of sportiness, the direction of the Lingdu L is not sporty enough, and its directivity is not as sporty as its appearance. When exiting a corner with a large throttle, the steering wheel's ability to return to the center is inconsistent with There's not much difference between regular sedans. But this setting also has the advantage that anyone will not find it difficult to drive this car. In other words, it is suitable for most people.
When power is needed on the straight, Lingdu L's gearbox can "lock" for a short time, waiting in a lower gear for the speed to rise before outputting greater power. Torque and power, but the gearbox cannot stay in one gear for a long time. Secondly, because the power level of Lingdu L is relatively ordinary, it is difficult to perform well on the "track".
However, it is very suitable to use Lingdu L as a mobility scooter. Although I haven't done a fuel consumption test yet, the fuel consumption of models also using this powertrain is very low. The logic of the gearbox is very clear. It upshifts whenever there is an opportunity. The benefit is excellent fuel economy. Of course, the disadvantage is that there is no so-called "driving pleasure". Strictly speaking, this is not a disadvantage.
Editor’s comment: The price of the new Lingdu L has not yet been announced, but the frameless doors and hatchback shape are already quite rare among models of the same level. . The manufacturer stated that there are currently no plans to equip a larger displacement engine. I think the current state can basically satisfy most consumers. Therefore, we have reason to believe that the new Lingdu L will be more powerful than all previous Lingdu models. It is more competitive. As for whether consumers will buy it, we will wait and see.