In the inherent impression of everyone, hardcore, dynamic, spacious and other words are the most straightforward description of an SUV model, but the emergence of coupe SUVs in recent years has shown everyone a different styling experience, which has also attracted eyes of young consumers. In the past, most of the coupe SUVs appeared on traditional fuel models, and as the process of electrification of automobiles is getting faster and faster, pure electric coupe SUVs have also been extended.
On July 24, at the 2020 Chengdu International Auto Show, NIO officially launched its third mass-produced pure electric mid-sized SUV: NIO EC6. The new car is positioned as a coupe SUV and launched a total of 6 variants, the pre-subsidy price range is 368,800-526,600 yuan (~US$52,701 – 75,251), the first batch will be delivered in late September, and the delivery will officially begin in December. So what are the product highlights of this pure electric coupe SUV? Is it worth buying?
With the same number 6, NIO EC6 can be regarded as the twin brother of NIO ES6. Both have the same front face and the same body size. (The actual vehicle is in the state of the trial car and does not represent the mass production version)
Looking at the front face alone, you can hardly find the difference between NIO EC6 and ES6. Both use NIO’s iconic X-Bar design language, using split headlights, and the upper part is a daytime running light. The low beam is placed below, and the recognition is still relatively strong. The front bumper lines are complex, with black decorative strips embellishment, highlighting a certain sense of movement.
The roofline on the side of the body gradually decreases from the B-pillar, forming the shape of a coupe. Compared with the NIO ES6, the EC6 is more dynamic, the drag coefficient is also reduced to 0.26Cd.
The body size is also basically the same as the NIO ES6. Its length, width and height are 4850/1965/1731mm (sports version), 4850/1965/1714mm (performance version and signature version), and the wheelbase is 2900mm.
Theoretically, the fastback design will have an impact on the rear space, but NIO has also made improvements, changing the panoramic sunroof to the integrated dome glass roof, with a glass roof area of 2.1 square meters, and the ES6’s sunroof area is about 1 square meter, which can provide open space and transparency in the car.
In addition, the energy transmittance of this glass is 15%, which can effectively insulate it, and it can also block 99.5% of ultraviolet rays. NIO EC6 also canceled the roof rack and has a certain reduction in height, which is more in line with its identity as a coupe SUV.
The slight tilting at the rear of the car not only provides a better visual experience, but also expresses its “coupe” identity, and is equipped with super long skyline high-position brake lights, although it does not penetrate the rear of the whole car, but the tail shape also looks delicate enough.
Compared with the improvement in appearance, the interior of NIO EC6 does not seem to have many highlights, it still continues NIO’s family design, and the overall look is still luxurious style, using soft leather material.
The 9.8-inch full LCD digital instrument, the 11.3-inch central control touch screen, and the bar-type air-conditioning vent are all familiar position designs. Of course, there are many different points, such as the new Himalayan brown interior theme, with It gives people a warm home feeling and adds a jumping atmosphere to the black and gray interior.
The NOMI smart assistant is located on the center console. The bottom is a large touch center control screen, which integrates the NIO OS 2.0 car machine system. Therefore, the layout of physical buttons in the car is reduced, and some physical buttons are set below the center control screen, including central control interface control, etc.
The seats are made of Haptex® and fabric inlays for the first time. The roof is equipped with microfiber velvet as standard. The center console uses the fine-touch Microcloud fiber cloud material. It also uses the Nappa leather sports steering wheel.
The one-piece sports seat adopts a two-color combination of pink and brown, with thick internal filling, good leg support and wrapping on both sides. Among them, NIO’s iconic “queen co-driver” has also been retained, including leg rests and feet Pedal, ventilation heating and massage functions are all available.
In terms of configuration, the new car comes standard with the Mobileye EyeQ4 automatic driving chip. Users can use the NIO Pilot through subscription + remote upgrade, and the car is also equipped with 10-color ambient lights, which can freely adjust the color around the entire interior space.
Electric leg rests and extra-long sliding rails can better take care of the rear seats. Due to the fast-back design, the rear seats have larger storage space and the seats can be folded down, so there is still a lot of space for the rear seats. Guaranteed.
The rear seats can be folded down in proportion, so you can still get a relatively large expansion space. According to official data, the volume of the trunk is 510-1405L, and the sliding back shape will affect the internal height in the trunk loading capacity.
Power highlights: the maximum battery life can reach 615km
In terms of power, NIO EC6 provides a total of three versions: signature version, performance version and sports version. The signature version and performance version are equipped with a dual-motor intelligent four-wheel drive system composed of a front 160kW permanent magnet synchronous motor and a rear 240kW asynchronous induction motor. The 0-100km/h acceleration is only 4.5 seconds; the sports version is equipped with a combination of front and rear dual-160kW permanent magnet synchronous motors, and the 0-100km/h acceleration is 5.4 seconds. In terms of range, the new car provides two battery packs of 70kWh and 100kWh, and finally comes with four NEDC ranges, which can reach 430km, 440km, 605km and 615km. The chassis suspension is a combination of a front double-wishbone type rear multi-link independent suspension.
For more specs, check here: 2020 NIO EC6 Technical Specs
Is it worth buying a pure electric coupe SUV?
In addition to the performance of the NIO EC6, which reflects its positioning as a coupe, it also has a certain increase in the battery. It has a maximum battery range of 615km under NEDC, which is still a great improvement compared to ES6’s maximum range of 510km. In addition, one of the characteristics of NIO is the rapid battery exchange. In other words, it is “car-electricity separation”, which separates the battery and the car into two individual units. When the car is out of power but is urgently needed, the battery can be directly removed, replacing it with a fully charged battery, which completely saves the time spent on charging.
NIO has not yet released the price after subsidy this time. For new energy vehicle subsidies, China has made it clear that vehicle price which is up to 300,000 yuan do not enjoy subsidies, except for the “power swapping mode”. we believe that NIO EC6 the after-subsidy-price of NIO EC6 will have a surprise.
It has to be said that NIO EC6 represents the highest level of pure electric SUVs of China’s independent brand. In our opinion, the design of NIO EC6 is still good, both the appearance and the interior are forward-looking and the highest. The battery range can reach 615km, and so on. These configurations have been upgraded to a relatively high level on the market. Coupled with NIO’s good after-sales service system, we think NIO EC6 is still a recommended model if you want to try an EV, but EC6 is a coupe SUV, which is a relatively niche market segment, it will take time whether more Chinese consumers can accept! What do you think?
