The positioning of the iCAR brand is intelligent electric vehicles for various scenarios. Before experiencing the car, this positioning is quite conceptual. However, after test driving the iCAR 03, one truly appreciates Chery’s “nerdy” dedication to extreme scenario-based technology, not limited to the advanced black technology software of the car, but also incorporating the high-level off-road capabilities that A-level pure electric city SUVs dare not touch into the iCAR 03. It is truly unexpected that the seemingly harmless appearance of the iCAR 03 is not just a simple household electric vehicle. It has a significant presence in the all-terrain field, such as effortlessly climbing a 38-degree slope, easily navigating step roads, effortlessly crossing axles, effortlessly passing through pools of ice and water, and so on, making off-roading very easy. This completely subverts people’s understanding of the iCAR brand, as they always thought it was just a commuter car.
After off-road driving, it really feels like the brand’s promotion of iCAR03 is too conservative, it’s not just “electric trendy SUV” that simple. Simple appearance but not simple Last year, it was a year when Chinese brands launched more box-type off-road vehicles, and although iCAR 03 is also a box-type design, it’s hard to directly associate it with off-road, hardcore. However, upon closer inspection, there is a “Defender” element in the side profile, but other than that, iCAR 03’s exterior design is more original and highly creative lines.
The exterior dimensions of iCAR 03 are 4406mm in length, 1910mm in width, and 1715mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2715mm. The overall shape is very angular, with geometric lines outlining a rugged body profile, which is friendly for interior space.
The headlights and taillights have the same “i” shaped design, which corresponds to the iCAR logo. The headlights feature 6 intelligent light patterns and have a simple yet highly recognizable design. However, aesthetics are subjective.
The square box design is simple, but intricate in detail. The iCAR03 features an electrically concealed door handle and a breaking force of 120N in snowy conditions.
The exterior details are also reflected in the four wheel eyebrow lights, all of which are embedded with “i logo lights”. This design is not common in other models, and it can be said that the iCAR brand is very attentive to increasing the vehicle’s recognition.
Additionally, there are two details in the iCAR’s design that are cost-free. One is the use of a 90-degree right-angle side-opening rear door, which is only found in hardcore off-road vehicles, for the purpose of more convenient item retrieval. Furthermore, this side-opening rear door is equipped with an electric suction door, which can be gently closed to automatically suction, achieving the same configuration as mainstream off-road vehicles. Not only is it worry-free and effortless, but from this perspective, the positioning of this model has gradually surpassed the standard.
In addition to the rugged tailgate, a real small backpack is also designed at the rear. Previously, off-road vehicles equipped with spare tires were called “small backpacks”, and iCAR03 really installed a trendy and personalized small backpack, which can achieve dry and wet separation of carried items. Press the dot in the “i” of iCAR to open it, really thoughtful.
In terms of details, iCAR 03 not only has these, but also a 50KG load-bearing luggage rack, 220V 3.3kw external power supply, 1.6T towing qualification, and a 12V power supply in the trunk. iCAR 03 incorporates a series of hardware for off-road, home use, and trendy play, allowing users to be at ease during travel/self-driving. The interior configuration of intelligent equality We see a simple yet extraordinary appearance, and the interior, configuration, and intelligence are even more extraordinary. The interior style of iCAR 03 comes in two colors, deep and light, and it is expected that most users will choose the light interior because it is elegant. Coupled with the rugged and off-road contour design, the interior style of the compact pure electric SUV is unique.
The center console is equipped with two screens, a clear digital instrument panel and a 15.6-inch wide-angle central control screen. The two screens have clear roles and can fully meet the needs of an A-class pure electric SUV.
iCAR 03 is equipped with Tencent’s ecosystem, meeting multiple commands such as driving directions and entertainment in parallel. It has four-zone voice control recognition, accurately recognizing commands from passengers in different positions, and more intelligent control. It also features full-scene voice control, greatly freeing up hands for multi-command operation.
Mainstream apps can also be expanded, with simple and easy-to-understand menu directories and functional cards. Intuitive quick access functions and air conditioning control are also available.
It is worth mentioning that the intelligent cockpit of the four-wheel drive model uses the 8155 chip, which can support smooth and non-stuttering playback of 8 channels of 4K video. With the computing power of the 8155 chip, the 360-degree image and voice interaction functions achieve first-class performance in the same class. iCAR 03 also supports more than 20 intelligent modes such as pet mode, nap mode, karaoke mode, and child lock mode.
In terms of audio and video configuration, this model is also one of the “top” configurations in the same level. The four-wheel drive long-endurance advanced version is equipped with the Infinity Yanfei Lishi sound system with 12 high-performance speakers, and its sound effect has been professionally tuned by Harman Kardon.
In terms of technology configuration, this car is well equipped with everything it can offer. For a car model priced at 120,000 to 180,000 yuan (25360$), its configuration is rich and reasonable. In this respect, we have to admire Chery’s cost control and technological pursuit. Efficient power and reasonable configuration The power part of the iCAR 03 is quite mainstream, but within the mainstream, there is unexpected potential to be tapped. The test drive model is the four-wheel drive version, equipped with dual-motor power, with a peak power of 205Kw and 4100N·m of wheel torque, and a 0-100km/h acceleration of 6.5s. The electric drive is a six-in-one flat wire motor with a maximum efficiency of 96.96%, characterized by high energy, high efficiency, and low consumption.
The power battery uses Ningde Times’ exclusive customized battery cells, which have high energy density. The energy density of the battery cells is as follows: 2WD version is 401:180.9Wh/kg; 2WD 501 version is 182.19Wh/kg; 4WD 501 version is 182.19Wh/kg, and the 501 endurance pack energy density reaches 139wh/kg.
iCAR 03 adopts a “sandwich” structure bottom armor for battery protection, with 10mm battery armor. The upper and lower plates of the battery pack are made of aerospace-grade materials, with the upper cover reinforced with 1000°C super high temperature mica material, and the lower cover made of aluminum alloy plate, capable of withstanding up to 20kPa pressure.
iCAR 03 inherits Chery’s deep technical innovation capabilities in the three aspects of power, safety, and sustainable use. It has a long-term vision, for example, in the body structure and chassis, there are unique innovations to improve strength and reduce spring weight. iCAR has created the unique hybrid super chassis, using a 3500-ton integrated die-cast tower top structure, full aluminum honeycomb structure, forming a super rigid foundation. The H-arm multi-link + hydraulic sleeve chassis structure uses hollow cast aluminum H-arms, reducing weight by 30% and reducing spring impact.
In terms of the car body frame, it’s worth mentioning that its unladen weight is only 230kg, which is lighter than a fully-grown pig, and the use of the original all-aluminum multi-chamber cage body makes the iCAR03’s unladen weight start at only 1.68 tons. This is a pure electric car, and such innovation lays a deep foundation for its off-road capabilities. Comfortable city driving The boxy iCAR 03 has advantages in terms of passenger comfort, with ample headspace and legroom thanks to its 2715mm wheelbase, enough to accommodate a family of three. The effective space utilization rate of the iCAR 03 reaches 66%, and the interior space achieves a release rate of 64.3%.
The car has class-leading rear headroom space, with official data showing a rear headroom space of 991mm, allowing passengers to move freely inside the car.
The vehicle has multiple expandable storage spaces, including a 24L storage compartment under the rear seats and a rear storage space that can expand to 1238L.
During normal driving on paved roads, the iCAR 03 accelerates rapidly and offers a choice of driving modes. The iCAR 03 has 8+x driving modes for all road conditions, including energy-saving, comfort, sport, and personalized modes on paved surfaces. For all-wheel drive models, the system automatically switches between four-wheel drive and two-wheel drive during normal driving, resulting in improved energy efficiency.
The iWD intelligent electronic control four-wheel drive system carried by iCAR 03 performs very cleverly on paved roads. It mostly stays in two-wheel drive mode, only switching to four-wheel drive at the moment of starting and accelerating. Once the vehicle maintains stable power output, it will stay in two-wheel drive.
The iCAR 03 features a convenient design for shifting gears, going forward and backward, and turning left and right. The central control screen opens the camera on the side when turning, to cover blind spots and enhance safety.
The iCAR 03 feels light and easy to accelerate, despite its weight being similar to a fuel-powered car. The chassis provides strong support and agile handling, especially during high-speed turns. The steering is responsive and aligned with the direction of the car’s movement, with minimal inertia from the power momentum.
iCAR 03 can convey road conditions with the finesse of a golf game, especially in feeling the road between lanes, bumps and potholes, and gravel surfaces. The suspension provides excellent support and the shock absorption rebound is resilient, with the ability to withstand larger impacts.
Overall, the tuning of iCAR 03 on paved roads is conservative, prioritizing the comfort of a family car, indicating its positioning as a family-oriented and trendy model rather than a high-performance vehicle. However, its performance that is not evident on paved roads is fully unleashed on off-road terrain. Numerous off-road challenges are a breeze for iCAR 03. Who would have thought that despite its “harmless” appearance, iCAR 03 would not be underestimated on off-road terrain, even by many hardcore off-road vehicles that cost over 300,000 yuan (42270$). The off-road test drive was conducted on a 38-degree slope, and it was quite nerve-wracking to see a model not marketed for off-road capabilities take on challenging off-road test routes, indicating a lack of confidence in iCAR 03.
The display is very cruel, iCAR 03 completely hit the face, not only easily climbed the 38-degree slope, but also faced with the cross-axis, water crossing, it is even easier, and the wheels will not slip, just need to adjust the corresponding driving mode in the car.
The iCAR 03 is a truly software-defined car, unlike some SUVs with dual motors that only compete in acceleration time. The iCAR 03 makes hardcore off-roading look too easy. When climbing, you just need to maintain speed, watch the transparent body displayed on the screen, and steer. There’s no need to adjust to any off-road mode.
After reaching the top of the slope, adjust the mode to soft downhill, release the throttle and brakes, the vehicle will firmly grip the ground, very stable down to the ground, making off-road novices very calm, and the difference between soft downhill and steep downhill is the use of software to calculate the adhesion force of each wheel, slope data and vehicle speed combined, more subtle control of the torque release of each wheel, use the motor to control the vehicle speed, rather than simply control the downhill speed to a set value.
With a foundation of tackling difficult uphill climbs, it becomes easier to face the challenges of climbing stairs, small bumps, and narrow bridges.
The iCAR 03 easily passed the 30cm cross-axis challenge. When a wheel is suspended without traction on the cross-axis, the IWD’s intelligent electric control four-wheel drive system dynamically distributes torque to the front and rear motors, providing millisecond-level response to start electronic limited slip, instantly increasing the torque on the wheels with traction, allowing for normal passage without requiring high driving skills, just by selecting the concave-convex mode in the driving mode.
Surprisingly, many competitors have been promoting various features for making U-turns, and iCAR 03 also has the ability to make extreme turns. This means that when the steering wheel is turned to one side, the rear wheels will lock in the same direction, forming a mode similar to using a compass to drag the vehicle to make an extreme turn, thus reducing the turning radius. To achieve this turning method, you only need to select the extreme turning mode on the screen.
In summary, the off-road capability of iCAR 03 is unexpectedly strong, overshadowing its trendy attributes. As the first model of the iCAR brand, iCAR 03 can definitely be considered a new height of pure electric compact SUV. If you are an off-road enthusiast and just want to have some fun off-road, iCAR 03 is a great choice, especially with its price under 190,000. If you are a user who enjoys self-driving and has daily commuting needs, iCAR 03’s intelligence, comfort, space, and expandability can fully meet your leisure needs, making it a great choice for low-cost driving. If you are interested in iCAR 03, you might as well visit its experience store.