In our previous article, we gave a static real-life introduction to Geely’s recently launched small SUV, Colorful, which has received extensive attention. Many netizens have asked questions about the driving feeling, such as whether the three-cylinder engine is shaking? Is the power enough? How is the handling feeling? etc. Recently, coinciding with a test drive event held by Geely South District for this vehicle, we filled in the dynamic driving part of this car and answered the above questions by the way.
Colorful is Geely’s first SUV based on the BMA architecture, and it has a new upgrade in terms of shape and functional configuration. The new car has launched five models with two displacements: G-Power 260T (1.5T) and G-Power 200T (1.0T). The official guide price is 7.88-118,800 yuan.
The exterior design — a lot of sporty design details, the feeling of a small steel cannon
In terms of styling, Binyue uses a lot of sporty elements to emphasize the feeling of youth, and strives to create the taste of "small steel cannon". Geely ripple-style family grille uses two-color matching, black piano paint as the base color, and with the red border, the sporty temperament immediately emerges. With the new black car logo, the six black gems look a lot more textured.
The fog lamps on both sides of the bumper are integrated with the erected air diversion channel, coupled with the very prominent shovel-shaped bottom skirt, which is very performance car style. A millimeter wave radar generator is installed on the lower grille.
Although positioning a small SUV, Binyue tried to make the body as large as possible, with length, width and height of 4330/1800/1609mm respectively, and the wheelbase reached the compact entry standard of 2600mm. In this way, the front and rear overhangs need to be shortened as much as possible, and the overall body looks very compact.
The suspended roof features an obvious push-down design to create a coupe feel. The D-pillar design is very colorful. The same-colored base is matched with black, and the C-pillar creates a small window, which is more ingenious. The body is designed with a double waist line, which is more obvious through the door handle, while the lower one is designed to be lighter, giving a more three-dimensional sense of the side. The black bottom skirt echoes the front of the car.
The outer rearview mirror cover is available in carbon fiber material, which is very flavorful.
Doorknob for keyless entry.
Unlike the previous real model using Linglong tires, this test drive model uses Continental tires. Although the size is 215/55 R18, the latter’s grip will be better. The internal red brake calipers have a good visual effect.
The tail shape is also super sporty, with a large-sized rear wing at the top giving a stunning visual impression. Additionally, there are 5 diversion holes inside, which have an aerodynamic effect and can increase the rear downforce.
The shape of the taillight is slightly flat, but it can be seen that the inner light guide strip is annular. Chrome strips running through the left and right are inserted into the inside of the taillight.
The design of the bottom skirt is also very dynamic, with two-sided exhaust pipes, and the lower guard plate is designed with a large-size diversion groove, which gives a very deep impression.
The carriage layout – simple style but rich in functions, with enough space in the back row
The interior of the carriage is simple and has a very Volvo taste. But at the same time, the materials used inside are more particular, using a large area of soft plastic materials and brushed panels, which looks very textured. And in terms of color matching, the benefits of signing in, the combination of red wine and silver panels does not have any sense of incompatibility.
The buttons and knobs on the door handle have a good texture and are relatively crisp to use.
The steering wheel size is not large, the flat bottom design is very sporty, the grip is good, and the paddle shift at the back can stimulate driving desire.
The high-end model features a full LCD instrument panel, but the UI interface is a bit crude.
The central control adopts a floating horizontal 10.2-inch touch screen, equipped with Geely’s latest generation of GKUI "Geek Intelligent Ecosystem", which has the characteristics of listening, walking, talking, intelligent control, etc. It can realize three kinds of personalized wake-up, online listening, multimedia, voice interaction, Autonavi navigation, APP app store and other intelligent functions. The first copyrighted music online has reached more than 14 million songs; Autonavi navigation realizes real-time updates, real-time road condition navigation can receive the address of WeChat friends at the same time, making it more convenient to travel together; voice interaction can control sunroof, car window, air conditioner, cloud voice control, life assistance, global interruption and other commands, and supports the recognition of 6 major dialects such as Cantonese, Sichuan, and Taiwanese. In addition, the system also supports 4G communication + on-board wifi to achieve long-term online connection of multiple devices in one car. Overall, the functions are relatively complete, and various operations are relatively smooth.
A special mobile phone compartment and friction pad are arranged in front of the stop lever. However, wireless charging is not configured, which is a pity.
The design of the seat is very flattering, the red embellishment enhances the sporty atmosphere again, the side support of the seat cushion and backrest is in place, the leather fabric is soft and hard, and the shoulder position is made of fabric with stronger friction. The ergonomics of the seat is in place, and the ride comfort is great.
The space in the back row is relatively spacious, with enough legroom and slightly less overhead space. However, the seats on both sides of the back row are equipped with lateral supports to increase ride comfort, which is worthy of praise.
The trunk space is not large enough for daily life, and long-distance travel may be tight.
A smaller size spare tire was used.
Power and handling – sufficient power reserve, sufficient cornering support, quite a foundation in control
In terms of power, Binyue has two three-cylinder engines of 1.5T and 1.0T to choose from, of which the 1.5T engine has a maximum power of 130kw (177PS) and a maximum torque of 255Nm. The 1.0T engine has a maximum power of 100kw (136PS) and a maximum torque of 205Nm. The main models of Binyue are equipped with 1.5T engines, which are matched with a 7-speed wet dual-clutch transmission. The 100-kilometer acceleration reaches 7.9S, and the comprehensive fuel consumption is as low as 6.1L. It has to be said that this power system looks good in terms of data.
So, how is the actual performance? First of all, in the idle state, the transfer of this engine appears smooth and quiet, and there is almost no noise and vibration in the car. The quietness in the car is relatively high, and there is a certain sense of advanced. Since we are driving on a simulated track, we do not experience the daily driving state, and directly use full throttle driving. Surprisingly, during the linear acceleration process, we can constantly hear the tire noise, indicating that the torque output of this engine is quite impressive, and the grip of the Continental tires is not worthy of its torque, so that a considerable part of the power is lost. Afterwards, Kan looked at the ground and found that there was a lot of gravel on the concrete floor, which was one of the reasons for the slippery tires. If it was on an asphalt road, he believed that the acceleration performance would be better. But even so, its speed-up ability was commendable.
During the emergency braking process, the stability of the car body is also good, the frame feels very rigid, and the suspension support is also very sufficient. During the braking process, there is no obvious nodding imagination, nor does the tail shake. When passing through the speed bump, you can feel that the suspension setting is hard, and the transmission of road feeling is still relatively rich. Of course, the car body will inevitably have some shaking.
In the S corner, the steering wheel of Colorful is pointed accurately, the correction force is appropriate, and the handling feel is quite pleasing to the driver. The support force of the suspension is brought into play here. When cornering, the support force is sufficient, and the tilt range of the body is small. During the process of switching between left and right corners, the body’s alignment ability is higher. It should be said that Colorful does have a good control foundation, with power reserves, a solid chassis, and a high accuracy of the steering wheel. For friends who love to control, this is a car with considerable potential for modification. If the center of gravity is slightly reduced, its cornering ability and handling feel will be greatly improved.
As Geely’s new upgrade, Binyue has not only greatly upgraded the control level, but also made considerable achievements in the intelligent driving. In terms of intelligent driving assistance, Binyue has reached the L2 level. The whole series is equipped with a new generation of ESC body electronic stability system as standard, and the unique AEB-P urban pre-collision safety system with pedestrian identification can identify vehicles and pedestrians over 80cm in height, sense the collision risk more than 2s in advance, and realize automatic braking within 40km/h of relative speed; BSD blind spot monitoring, TPMS intelligent tire temperature and tire pressure monitoring system, 360 ° million high definition panoramic images, intelligent high definition vehicle driving recorder and other safety configurations provide all-round safety protection for intelligent driving.
At the test drive meeting, we experienced the ICC intelligent adaptive cruise system, which can automatically follow the car in front within the speed range of 0-150km/h, and control the acceleration, deceleration and even braking within the set speed range. In addition, Colorful is also equipped with an automatic parking system, which supports side and vertical warehousing, and does not need to control the accelerator, brake and steering wheel during the entire warehousing process, or even switch gears. You only need to press and hold the automatic parking button of the lever pad. This function is much more advanced than ordinary automatic parking.
Kan Ge concluded:
Geely launched the BMA platform in the hope that the product will be upgraded again on the existing basis, from a good-looking and stable quality family car to a small steel cannon with control sports and driving pleasure. It is a big step forward for the overall car-making skills. We are pleasantly surprised to see that Binyue does have a quite good control foundation. Among all the self-owned brand models, there are only a few that can make breakthroughs in driving pleasure. On the other hand, the fully armed intelligent driving assistance makes this unit a leading level in terms of safety and comfort. Considering the price of Binyue, Kan Ge believes that its cost performance is very high, and it can compete with the small SUV of the joint venture.
