Do you dare to believe that in the era of electrification, Changan UNI-T as a compact SUV, it will add a 2.0T power version on top of 1.5T? Believe it or not, it's really coming anyway!
Professor xiamen international circuit this time, the first on the track to experience a Changan UNI-T 2.0T version, then in addition to stronger power, what else does it evolve?
Before talking about the next price, the new car was officially listed on the morning of December 24, with a price range of 137,900-149,900 yuan! The 2.0T and 1.5T are available in both regular and sporty models.
For comparison, the price range of the 2022 Changan UNI-T 1.5T model is 115,900-138,900 yuan. In other words, the new 2.0T model and 1.5T have achieved "seamless connection", and there is even an overlapping range of 1,000 yuan. So in terms of cost performance, I think the 2.0T model is sincere enough.
Power change is a key part of the new car, so of course we have to start with the dynamic part. The new car is equipped with a new generation of Blue Whale 2.0T engine, and the transmission is matched with the Aisin 8AT (8F45) gearbox. According to the data, the maximum horsepower reaches 233Ps, and the maximum torque reaches 390N·m.
In addition to being more powerful, the UNI-T 2.0T model has also been adjusted and upgraded in terms of body and chassis. Compared with the 1.5T model, the new car has a 20mm lower height, a 40mm lower center of mass, and a 4.5% reduction in centrifugal force and cornering roll, which will bring different experiences to the handling and driving texture.
The 2.0T model suspension type continues the front McPherson style + rear multi-link four-wheel independent suspension.
By the way, the UNI-T 2.0T model also comes standard with an ejection start mode! The activation method is not difficult, and it is enough to slam the brakes and throttle at the same time, and the fun is higher than that of the 1.5T model.
Before getting off the track, I briefly felt the acceleration and cornering performance of the new car at the "Jinkana Pile Barrel Circuit", first of all, talking about speeding up. Although the official has not yet announced the acceleration time of 0-100km/h, through actual experience, the overall acceleration is much faster than 1.5T, and I estimate that the performance can run to the level of about 7 seconds.
The tuning style of the 2.0T engine is more forward, and when switching to sport mode and then the floor oil is stepped on, the engine responds quite quickly. Thanks to the cooperation of the AT transmission, the so-called turbo lag is also much better than the DCT transmission, and there will be 1-2 seconds in the front you can clearly feel the engine working hard and push you forward.
The double reduction of the height of the body and the center of mass also increases the roll of the UNI-T 2.0T model a lot, casually stepping on more than 60km/h to go around the S corner, everything will still be under control, you can feel the flexibility of the front of the car is very high, not the lazy and boring personality of most SUVs.
Of course, this also has to praise the grip of the tires, the new car uses the sporty orientation of the horse brand MC6, the tire limit is quite high. By the way, the wheel styles of the 2.0T model will also be available in two sizes, up to 245/45 R20. With 20-inch wheels matching a 45 flat ratio, I believe that driving on city roads will give you a clearer sense of the road and look more handsome at the same time.
Xiamen International Circuit does not look very difficult, but in fact, each corner is very challenging, pay attention to the brake point, out of the corner point, etc., how to run a very Nice route, run a better lap speed, this is the difficult place.
So on the track, steering, grip, speed, braking performance, etc., are also a test of UNI-T.
The UNI-T 2.0T model supports three driving modes, Eco, Normal, sport, selected via the DRIVE MODE knob, while the track must be switched to sport mode.
I was pleasantly surprised by the chassis dynamics of the UNI-T 2.0T model, as the suspension was overall compact and resilient.
Even if the large bend is under control, the suspension support is worth mentioning, and it is easy to cut the vehicle from the outside of the bend to the center of the bend, which plays an important role in route control.
The steering force of the square disc is also adjustable, and the daily driving can be selected to be lighter. But for me personally, the track likes tighter and more textured steering, so I chose a more sporty and heavier force.
As just said, the UNI-T 2.0T model has a more agile nose and a more enjoyable cornering pleasure. Of course, this is still a front-drive 2.0T SUV, and if you want it to be the same as a professional car, every corner is brilliant, then this requirement is too high. It can only be said that within the controllable speed, you can find a good driving experience before the tire breaks the grip limit.
The power reserve and acceleration of the 2.0T engine is obviously better than the 1.5T, which can be felt in the big straight. However, it also needs to be said that the power rear section will be more low-key than the front section, which also includes the reasons for the 8AT gearbox, and the relatively smooth shift action may make you feel a little "bored" on the straight.
In fact, for me personally, I prefer the rhythm of the double-clutch gearbox under the track, like the sonorous sense of shifting, of course, this does not specifically refer to which brand, after all, sports brands such as BMW also widely use AT transmissions, just a personal opinion.
But the tianxia track is certainly not true, and UNI-T itself is a compact family car, the vast majority of use scenarios are urban travel, and then the significance of the 8AT gearbox has, the gear change is smooth, the power is abundant, and the urban car is completely enough.
As for why in the era of electrification, Changan will add 2.0T power to a compact SUV? Such "large displacements" are very rare in their class, and the answer is simple: because the data shows that there is a lot of demand from users.
According to Changan's introduction, UNI-T 1.5T owners' calls for higher displacement are much higher than other Changan SUVs, and I think this should be related to the design and positioning of UNI-T, so I am also looking forward to the future sales performance of 2.0T models.
After talking about the dynamic experience, let's look at the static part. Although the new car is equipped with 2.0T power, I think the appearance of this version is still relatively low-key, after all, it is only based on detail upgrades, and the rest is close to the 1.5T version.
The first and most prominent change is the addition of the "Ion Blue" body color, which will be exclusive to the 2.0T version.
The event also saw mecha green, star diamond black, interstellar gray three colors, UNI-T 2.0T version will have a total of 7 colors to choose from.
The front face is still a highly recognizable design, and the sports kit equipped with the whole vehicle is actually consistent with the current UNI-T 1.5T Sport model, even so, the sporty feeling is still in place.
Including the side skirt on the side of the car and the diffuser motion kit at the bottom of the rear, fluorescent elements have also been added, which is very eye-catching in the real car.
There is no major change in size, but the 2.0T version has added a blackened suspension roof option, officially named "Two-color Body Option Bag".
The front and rear doors are also opened in a consistent manner, and the concealed design not only looks advanced, but also reduces the drag coefficient.
The body is still in the smooth line of the coupe style, personally feel that the rear design is more outstanding than the front face, sexy and sporty coexist!
The roof tail is exaggerated, with fluorescent and carbon-fibre textured elements.
And as the 2.0T version of the power advanced, the new car also has its own red "T" tail mark to highlight its power identity, I seem to have guessed a lot of 1.5T owners' ideas...
By the way, the four exhausts on both sides are real guys, which is much more sincere than those cars that talk about sports but use hidden exhaust.
The interior of the UNI-T 2.0T version has not changed much, and it is a good combination of technology and sportiness.
The air conditioner outlet frame, barrier table and seam part are heavily used fluorescent color elements, which complement the appearance style.
The same is true of the seat belt and the one-piece seat holes, and even the style of the rear seats remains the same.
I also like the materials and collocations in the car, there are similar to the material of turning fur, as well as the trim with pattern texture, etc., whether it looks or feels very good.
This test drive should be the top model, after all, its steering wheel at 3 and 9 o'clock are made of sporty-oriented materials, which have a better feel.
The sense of technology is also the highlight of the UNI-T interior, such as this electronic gear handle that resembles a yacht joystick, and there are shortcuts for functions such as panoramic imagery and taking pictures.
The dual 12.3-inch screen is naturally not absent, basically all the information and functions are concentrated here, and the instrument area also provides a variety of theme options.
This car machine system has a very powerful function, with Tencent/AutoNavi map, driving recorder, Himalaya and other software, enough for daily use.
It also supports gesture control, covering functions such as song switching, navigation, and taking pictures.
The more special function of the car machine must be WeChat! This is specially developed by Tencent for Chang'an, and even set up an exclusive WeChat one-click opening button on the left side of the steering wheel, which is simply the gospel of the mobile phone party.
The wheelbase and space performance of the UNI-T 2.0T model are the same as those of the 1.5T, so it is briefly introduced here.
The comfort of the rear seats is in place, while the overall wrapping of the seats on both sides is also very good due to the advantages of styling.
Whether it is a 1.5T or 2.0T model, the rear exhaust air outlet has achieved the standard of the whole series.
UNI-T 2.0T models are also equipped with non-open panoramic sunroofs as standard, but perhaps because of the roof slip-back shape, the overall area of the sunroof is not large. But in other words, for a small compact SUV, having a panoramic sunroof is already a highlight.
The trunk is decent, the overall is relatively flat and square, and there is a deep storage compartment hidden under the bottom plate.
What is rare is that after the rear seats are receded, it can obtain a fully flat trunk space, which is very important for a compact SUV, and it can also be seen that UNI-T does not forget the identity of the family car.
The top price of the Changan UNI-T 2.0T model is only 11,000 yuan more expensive than the 1.5T top model, and the 2.0T low-end model does not exceed 142,900.
And the difference in price, although the design has not changed much, but the power combination of Blue Whale 2.0T + Aisin 8AT is the biggest temptation.
Coupled with the improvement of body height, chassis tuning and even NVH, if I had to choose, I would definitely choose the 2.0T model! So, what do you think of the price of the new model? If you want to choose, how will you choose?
Pros: 1. The power performance has improved significantly
2. The sporty atmosphere is very in place
3. The interior of the car is rich enough
Cons: 1. The 2.0T model is not highly recognizable enough