The new energy vehicle circle is really bustling, with numbers like 8155, 8295, 192 line, 800V, 1000km, 2000km. When you see these values, you must be able to match them with some brands of vehicles, but if I reduce the price to the 200,000 level, can you still think of who? Jihu, a high-end brand under BAIC New Energy, has been lukewarm in the market performance of its models. Faced with the strong performance of competitors in the market, it has formulated the “2024 Sword Action”, and the Jihu Alpha S5 is its important weapon! Exterior Introduction
My impression of the design of the Arctic Fox’s models is neither good nor bad. Whether it’s the Alpha S or Alpha T, they both seem to emphasize sportiness but still feel lacking. It wasn’t until the appearance of the Alpha T5 that the designer seemed to have a breakthrough, understanding what true sportiness and sharpness are. Today’s Alpha S5, as a midsize car, is the perfect canvas for the designer to unleash dynamism.
At first sight of the Alpha S5, I was drawn to its front end. The sleek and sharp headlights, with nearly 400 LED light sources, also feature intelligent interactive lighting. The color in the picture is called Nebula Pink, a special edition color. According to the manufacturer, this color was expected to be chosen more by female users in pre-orders, but surprisingly, it is also popular among male users.
Its length, width, and height are 4820mm/1930mm/1480mm, with a wheelbase of 2900mm, positioning it as a mid-size car. Looking at the side of the car, you can see its sleek design, which looks absolutely beautiful. It also uses a two-tone body, adding to its stylish appearance. Additionally, its drag coefficient is only 0.1925Cd. For every 0.01 decrease in drag coefficient, the CLTC comprehensive range can increase by 6km and energy consumption can decrease by 1.2%. Applied to the Alpha S5, it can increase the CLTC range by about 66km and reduce energy consumption to 12.8kWh per 100km.
Frameless doors are a must-have for self-proclaimed coupe models. Some may argue that frameless doors lack in sound insulation and waterproofing compared to framed doors, but quality is not a concern, and style is all that matters, right?
In the car circle, I can see many car models, obviously designed to be sporty, but the wheel design is lacking. With the Alpha S5, this is not a concern. It features a 19-inch wheel design that is considered very attractive. It also comes with green front four-piston calipers, adding a touch of flair.
The high-profile design of the front end extends to the rear, thanks to the sloping design, making the tail equally stylish. The integrated tail lights have a sleek design, with the Jihu logo in the center, blending seamlessly with the tail lights that can illuminate.
As a player with both looks and strength, Alpha S5 definitely has more killer designs. Yes, it is equipped with an electric rear wing that has a welcoming effect when unlocked. In addition, it can provide extra downforce to make driving more stable at high speeds. But most importantly, it’s just handsome. Interior introduction.
The interior comes in three colors: Foggy Brown, Light Grey, and Energy Black. I quite like the Foggy Brown in real life, which enhances the sense of hierarchy in the center console. The interior of the Alpha S5 is simple yet sophisticated. It does not simply pursue minimalism, but instead has many designs worth savoring. The dashboard uses a large area of Microcloud fiber velvet leather, the same material as the Mercedes EQ series.
The car door control panel has added Soft+ cloud soft touch material and also has self-healing function, minor scratches can be restored by themselves. The sunroof button is designed quite stylish, the door is opened by electric button. Note the mechanical door handle is in a hidden position below.
The steering wheel design follows current trends, with a BMW-like grip. It is made of water-based antibacterial ultra-fiber leather and has a heated function.
Everyone should notice that this car has no dashboard, yes, the Alpha S5 uses a 68-inch AR-HUD to replace the dashboard, in addition to basic driving information such as speed, gear, range, automatic parking, it also supports displaying navigation, smart driving reminders, Bluetooth calls, supports iQIYI, local video two ways to screen AR-HUD. Maybe the first time you use it, you need to adapt, but personally, I have no problem.
The central control screen adopts a 15.6-inch specification, which is not large in today’s smart cockpit. Equipped with the 8155 chip, there is no problem in smooth operation. In addition to regular software, this car system focuses on gaming experience. The Lingzhi OS system is equipped with the industry-leading cloud gaming platform “MG Quick Play”, with hundreds of games that can be played instantly without downloading. It also provides the function of gaming console screen casting, through the Hibeast game screen casting device, you can cast the screen of game consoles such as Switch at any time.
The voice control of this car only requires you to say “Little Fox”. Functions include navigation, music, windows, air conditioning, etc. You can also ask for information such as weather and range. Through actual experience, occasional inaccuracies in recognition were observed, which still need to be improved.
Below are four air fresheners, unlike the car models placed in hidden locations, Alpha S5 is designed to be a decoration and has a certain level of style. It comes with five different scents for all seasons: drizzle, dawn, summer night, morning mist, morning dew, and a blank air freshener stick for users to DIY.
Officially known as the integrated sports cloud velvet seat, the front seats have three-speed seat heating/ventilation/memory functions. The actual seating experience is very comfortable, even after driving nearly a hundred kilometers alone today, I did not feel tired from sitting for a long time.
The dome sky is equipped with the most advanced combination technology of LOWE film + PVB, achieving 99% UV and heat insulation, comparable to SPF100 sunscreen level. For families afraid of sun exposure, it’s like applying two layers of sunscreen. The original factory also offers ultra-thin sky sunshade accessories, which can be purchased separately by users with demand. Introduction of space.
The tester is 166cm tall, hopes to provide a reference by actually sitting in the space map. In addition, I, a 190cm tall person, do not feel cramped whether sitting in the first row or the second row, especially the sloping rear space, which performs well. The trunk volume reaches 430L, also supports folding down in proportion, with the ability to expand cargo space. Introducing intelligent driving.
First of all, I want to say that the pre-sale prices of the two models of the Alpha S5 are 19.98 million yuan and 21.98 million yuan. At the 200,000 yuan (27650$) level, there won’t be too many smart driving configurations. So on the Alpha S5, it only supports L2 level assisted driving, and can also achieve intelligent yielding and intelligent crawling. It also provides a wealth of intelligent parking functions, such as APA automatic parking, RPA remote parking, corner parking, trackback parking/memory parking, custom parking, etc. Charging experience
Next, let’s focus on one of its highlights – the Alpha S5 is equipped with an 800V high-voltage platform, with a charging rate of up to 2.6C. Officially, it can replenish 280 kilometers in just 10 minutes, 380 kilometers in 15 minutes, and go from 30% to 80% in less than 15 minutes. The NCM battery pack of Alpha S5 has an energy density of 180Wh/kg, and the longest range under CLTC comprehensive conditions can reach up to 708 kilometers.
Today we experienced the charging speed of it, which can increase 1 kilometer in 1 to 2 seconds, very powerful. I also learned from the manufacturer that there are about 38 charging stations for Polestar in Beijing, hoping for more supercharging piles in the future. Test drive experience.
The Alpha S5 708 MAX has a maximum power of 200kW, maximum torque of 360N·m, and accelerates 0-100km/h in 6.8 seconds. The Alpha S5 650 ULTRA version is equipped with a synchronous + asynchronous dual motor combination, total power of 390kW, maximum torque of 690N·m, maximum horsepower of 530Ps, and accelerates 0-100km/h in just 3.7 seconds. The Alpha S5 708 MAX version has 7 driving modes: sport, comfort, one-pedal, personalized, wet surface, AI adaptive, and extreme energy-saving mode. In addition, the Alpha S5 650 ULTRA version also has exclusive rampage and track modes.
Today I test drove the 708 MAX. Despite its 6.8s acceleration, many gas cars can easily achieve, its electric characteristics make it agile and sharp from the moment it starts. The power is smooth and responsive, allowing for easy acceleration on the highway.
Suspension is also worth mentioning, as it was jointly developed with Magna to create the Lingyun chassis platform and underwent comprehensive tuning. Based on today’s actual driving experience, I can describe the suspension of this 200,000-level model as “premium.” When encountering various bumpy roads, the suspension is extremely resilient, like two positive magnets slowly approaching, never experiencing a hard collision.
Finally, let’s talk about the noise performance of this car. As an electric vehicle, it has the inherent advantage of no engine, so there will be no noise in the cabin during acceleration. However, this can also be a double-edged sword. If the overall quietness of the vehicle is not done well, the noise of tire and wind noise will be amplified.
In today’s highway section, I deliberately experienced the wind noise of this car. Even at a speed of 120km/h, the noise inside the car is well controlled and completely acceptable in my opinion. Official information shows that when driving at 120km/h on the highway, the noise inside the car is only 65dBA, not to mention the drag coefficient of 0.1925Cd. In addition, its acoustic insulation design is applied in 64 areas, and the interior quietness performance is indeed good. Summary: Using “Sword Action” as the title of this article is not excessive, because through today’s test drive of the Alpha S5, you can feel that Jihoo is starting to exert its strength. Still, the price must be placed at the forefront. The most expensive pre-sale price is currently 219,800 yuan (30380$). At this level, who else has features like frameless doors, electric rear wing, front four-piston calipers, AR-HUD, and CLTC with a range of 708 kilometers? So, who else has an 800V high-voltage platform? In addition, another highlight of Jihoo is its cooperation with the Magna factory. All Jihoo models are born on the Blue Valley Magna production line, which also guarantees the high quality of its brand products. This is the latest introduction of this “weapon.” What do you all think?