Robot vs cosmonaut: we are studying two Russian-built hybrid SUVs
Easter eggs are lavishly scattered on the bodies of the Esteo V27 and Deepal G318, mostly on an off-road theme. A robot, as square and round—eyed as the car itself, waves at us from the Esteo's running board. An astronaut is hiding in the corner of the rear window of the Deepala, waving against the background of a rocket taking off. Arguing whether an astronaut can defeat a robot or vice versa is akin to a child's argument over whether a whale can defeat an elephant. The solution to this dispute is equally childish — to drive cars into a huge sandbox. What came of it is in the Izvestia article.
What inspired the designers
While the G318 came to Russia as Changan Deepal, the V27 was released under the new Russian brand Esteo. Both cars are assembled in Russia. Izvestia has already tried both, but it was interesting to compare them together.
Dimensions of the Esteo V27: 5045×1976×1894 mm. The wheelbase is 2900 mm. The dimensions of the Deepal G318 are 5010×1985×1960 mm. Wheelbase — 2880 mm
Deepal famously drives cars out of the left lane with high beams — a lightbar sparkles between the headlights, and floodlights on the roof add credibility. The Esteo V27 is also passed without hesitation — the magic is black and the rings in the headlights are burning like a Helik. In green and sand, the V27 no longer looks menacingly imposing, and something cartoonish appears in its appearance. This is a typical representative of the new wave of Chinese brutal retro—style SUVs - almost every Chinese company has one now. A self-moving quotation book in which you can find excerpts from all the more or less well—known "representatives of the genre" - here are the "Landwagen", the "Defender", the first Land Cruiser, and even the BAW 212, which is close to the Chinese heart. Deepal still has less retro stylistics. Changan designers decided not to copy from others, and the result was a bizarre mix of Mitsubishi Pajero IV, Lunokhod and MRAP armored car.
Similarities and differences
Cyber Metal is written on the silver lining on the G318 wheel, but in fact this part is plastic. Both cars look like real "frames", but in fact their bodies are formally load-bearing. At the same time, the powerful body of the traction battery acts as a reinforcing element and is integrated into the body structure. Plus, the widespread use of high-strength steels in the structure itself. The declared torsional rigidity of the Deepal G318 body is impressive — 45 thousand tons. Nm/deg. The Esteo, with an additional power element bisecting the panoramic roof, is noticeably inferior to its competitor in this indicator — 32 thousand. Nm/deg. But still, the V27 surpasses both the Tank 400 frame and the "carrier" Land Rover Defender.
The interior of the Deepal G318 can be not only black, but also brown. The front seats are heated and ventilated, and the driver's seat is also equipped with massage. The steering wheel and windshield are also heated.
The cars, which look so different, are similar in size. The difference in length is 35 mm, the wheelbase is only 20 mm, all in favor of the V27. The Deepal is 9 mm wider and, if you do not take into account the frame with the "chandelier" for the expedition trunk, an imperceptible millimeter higher.
Esteo and Deepal are surprisingly similar. Both are sequential hybrids, where the poltorash turbo engine works as a generator, charging the traction battery. Both machines have similar capacities, lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) produced by CATL. A synchronous electric motor is installed at the back and an asynchronous motor at the front — this solution allows you to save energy at a constant speed. There are no continuous axles on the body — the suspensions are completely independent.
The interior of the Esteo V27 can be black in addition to brown. The front seats are heated and ventilated. There is a heated steering wheel and windshield
The difference is in the essential details. If the Esteo has a McPherson strut in front, then the G318 has a two-lever suspension, and in addition to springs, air defenses are available. In theory, the G318 should not only be more comfortable, but also passable. In addition, he is able to lower the body to facilitate loading and landing.
Tank or hat
There are no problems with the landing itself — both cars are equipped with comfortable footrests and handles on the racks. The locks on the high-tech keys are so small that the owner needs eagle vision to see them. The good thing is that cars unlock the locks themselves when the owner approaches with the key in his pocket.
The door of the Deepala with puffy seals should be slammed shut with force. Inside, it gives the impression of a more cramped car than the V27. To the driver's right is a wide center console with a powerful "aviation" transmission selector, as if borrowed from a cinematic space shuttle, to the left is the convex door upholstery. Narrow side windows, thick body pillars and narrow openings of the rear doors add a sense of security, sitting like in a tank. But they also make the car more cramped inside than it actually is. The ceiling is actually high, and to stop pressing it, it is enough to open the curtain of the huge panoramic roof. There is a solid margin in front of the rear passengers' knees.
The Esteo V27 accelerates from zero to "hundred" with a peak power plant output (456 hp. 505 Nm) in 5.9 seconds. The maximum speed is 170 km/h.
Esteo tries to appear not like a tank, but like a carriage. Anyway, the height of the roof is such that you can sit inside without taking off your hats. The impressive glazing area and thin pillars make the interior airy. And only in the trunk is the window made narrow, and the rear rack is wide. The center console is unloaded — the transmission selector is small here, the steering wheel, and the physical keys are more elegant. The multimedia display is not integrated into the front panel, but "hangs" separately, which made it possible to make the panel itself narrow. In addition, the doors have recesses for the elbows of passengers, which increased the width of the cabin. The V27's rear door opening is wider, and the margin in front of the knees and above the heads is larger, but the G318 benefits from the convenience of using the rear row — the tilt of the backs can be changed, and you do not need to reach for the seat heating keys and the USB connector, they are located on the armrests of the doors.
The seat behind the wheel is high in both cases, and the spare tire on the door prevents you from looking back, but thanks to the large mirrors and all-round cameras, it's easy to maneuver.
Deepal is ready to turn into a mobile home, illuminate a camping field with a pair of spotlights on the roof, and arrange a disco. At the same time, he does a very good massage, but this function is only built into the driver's seat.
The average consumption is 7.2 liters. On electric power, the car can travel 135 km (WLTP)
The V27, although devoid of massage, has a more diverse functionality — for example, there are special modes that allow you to leave your pet in the car. Built-in flavors are provided next to the air ducts. Special screw fasteners with a standard 1/4-inch thread allow you to install cameras, lighting fixtures, and tablet brackets in the cabin.
However, both cars are suitable for camping trips. With the help of a special adapter, they can power electrical appliances with a total power of up to 6 kW.
The trunks, despite the difference in the declared volumes, are almost the same if measured with a tape measure. They're not very deep, but if you load them under the roof, they'll fit a lot. There are no curtains, there are niches for small items, fasteners for luggage and sockets. The sidewalls are protected by practical hard plastic, and the wide rear rack of the Esteo already has drawer mounts. Heavy doors with hinged spare parts open to the right and are equipped with door closers.
Brain Training
In both machines, in addition to eagle vision, you also need to have remarkable cognitive abilities to understand the rather confusing menus and remember where and what is hidden. In Esteo, one icon in the menu is responsible for driving modes, another for controlling the power plant, and to view the flow parameters, you need to click on the third one. Fortunately, the driving modes can be switched with a washer. The animated scheme of the power plant could not be found. In the G318, the built-in Yandex navigator was activated by accidentally pressing a button — there is no corresponding icon in the application menu.
The claimed acceleration of the Deepal G318 with peak powerplant output (439 hp and 575 Nm) is 6.3 m, with a top speed of 175 km/h.
What I liked about the Deepal menu was the simple and intuitive operation modes of the power plant. In the "City", the SUV drives in electric vehicle mode, and you can still force the charging mode from the gasoline engine. In the "Motorway", the internal combustion engine maintains a high battery charge for driving at high speed. Finally, in the "Mountain" mode, you can set a certain battery charge level.
Esteo offers more traditional power plant modes for modern hybrids — "Electric", "Hybrid", "Fuel Priority", "Electric Priority" and "Forced generation".
Charge and consumption
Batteries in cars of approximately the same capacity provide a power reserve of a hundred and a little km. In reality, it turns out less, because the power plant will not let the battery run out much and will still start the internal combustion engine. However, in the conditions of the fuel crisis, this is enough for daily trips around the city. Interestingly, Changan allows Deepal G318 to be refueled with 92nd gasoline, and the Esteo manufacturer only allows it if absolutely necessary, otherwise the engine failure will not be covered by the warranty.
The stated average consumption of the G318 is 6.7 liters per 100 km On electric power, the car can travel 184 km (CLTC)
Both cars are equipped with 60 l gas tanks. The V27 promises a total range of about 900 km, the G318 — more than 1,000 km, but it all depends on the speed of movement. The Esteo, with its square body, also uses more energy to "cut" the air, plus it is also more powerful. Therefore, at high speed, the fuel consumption required to charge the battery rises to 9.5 liters per 100 km. Deepal is heavier, but its aerodynamics are clearly better, including due to the fact that the air suspension automatically reduces ground clearance at speed. Therefore, the average consumption, even at high speed, is one liter less. If you take your time, the consumption in the forced fuel mode drops to 7 liters, and in the hybrid mode it is even lower.
The angles of the entrance and exit of the Esteo V27 are 25 degrees
At the same time, the G318 feels less efficient at replenishing the battery on the go. At the same time, the difference in official figures is quite small: the V27 consumes one liter of fuel to generate 3.71 kWh, the G318 — for 3.63 kWh. The Esteo with a CCS connector charges again a little faster from a stationary EHS: from 20 to 80% in about half an hour, in reality, the charging session was constantly interrupted — tested at several fast stations. The G318 with a GB/T connector, on the contrary, was pleased with a slightly slower, but stable charging.
Cubic strength
The notorious torsional stiffness is not only about safety and endurance, but also a plus to handling. Alas, none of the test cars shows outstanding performance on the asphalt. The steering wheel of the V27 does not seem to be connected to the wheels, although in general a large car is driven on asphalt "like a passenger car" and accelerates very willingly while the battery is charged. However, already at 110 km/h, the side windows cannot be fully raised due to the fact that they bend under wind pressure. The windows themselves are double, they delay traffic noise well, but, apparently, they are too thin for their size. If you drive even faster, the large mirrors start to shake and the hood doesn't shake well — the oncoming airflow inflates its bulge like a sail. Moreover, judging by the weight under 2.5 tons, the V27 is not made of foil, it is only 40 kg lighter than the Deepal.
Ground clearance V27 — 220 mm
The G318 is more imposing, it needs to be literally dragged into sharp turns, but the long steering wheel gives normal feedback. It picks up speed a little bit, even with a charged battery, but if you switch it to sport mode, lowering the body, it flies in a straight line like an iron released from a catapult. Nothing shakes, and there is noticeably less noise coming through the double panes. In theory, Deepal should have a gain in handling and comfort due to the air suspension, called the Magic Carpet, but in all modes except for sports, it sways, nods when braking and marks hard joints and bumps. When the adaptive suspension mode is turned on, Deepal bounces like a child's ball after a speed bump, making three or four swings, and when turned off, it nods heavily.
The V27, with its simpler spring suspension, is much better balanced — it rolls moderately and smooths out road bumps.
King of the Mountain in the sandbox
Finally, the cars reached the sandbox, but the tests were short. Deepal showed a cheerful "arrogant" character off the asphalt. Off-road, it remains comfortable even in the highest body position, which allows it to increase ground clearance from 207 to 240 mm. It seems to float above the terrain, and the pebbles clatter loudly on the metal armor of the bottom. The Esteo rides steadily, and the suspension's energy consumption is enough to "digest" large pits, although the wheels are 21 inches in diameter, an inch larger than the Deepal's, and heavy. It's protected by 220 mm, but the protection itself is plastic, and the glossy fangs on the bumper are easy to scratch. Despite the presence of several off-road modes, it copes with diagonal hanging worse than the Deepala, which has more suspension moves and, in addition, has a rear inter-wheel lock. The G318, if it doesn't flatten the hill with its weight, then it climbs higher than the competitor, but then the road tires give up. Unsuitable off-road "shoes" equalize the capabilities of cars. However, if desired, "toothy" tires can be squeezed into impressive arches.
The angle of the entrance of Deepal G318 is 27 degrees, the exit is 31 degrees.
The manufacturers themselves are leading the off—road confrontation - the Esteo V27 promises to be equipped with a "tank" turn, like the Deepala, and a line of off-road accessories, while Changan plans to bring to Russia an extreme off-road version of the G318 called Worry-Free.
The price issue
It is unlikely that the cars presented at the test will often leave the asphalt and realize their off-road potential. These are "toys for big boys" and it's even strange to demand practicality from them. But manufacturers still have something to do. For example, handling on asphalt and improving quality. At least all the windows of the doors should rise, and the hood should not shake. And the equipment has a lot to improve. Both offer all kinds of heating and even Internet on board, but Deepal only has single-zone climate control and does not yet have Android Auto.
The air suspension can change the ground clearance in the range of 177-240 mm. The ground clearance of the basic version with a spring suspension is 210 mm.
In addition, from cars of this class, you expect that the driver's seat cushion will be adjustable in tilt, not to mention the upholstery of the chair with natural leather.
Of course, if these two SUVs were not even as expensive as in China, but as in Belarus, then there would be fewer questions about them. However, in Russia, even with a discount of 925 thousand rubles for Russian-made hybrids and electric vehicles, the top-end Esteo V27 costs almost 5 million rubles. The G318 with a spring suspension will cost 4.8 million, and with air—resistant - 5.1 million.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
