Today I tried UNI-K with Changan to Suzhou, and first came to the conclusion that this car is the strongest of all Chinese brands that have recently tried in terms of simple luxury comfort, considering his price of 15.39~184,900, even if you count the brand premium and retention rate and other issues, I think that competition with joint venture brands is not at all behind.
To be honest, I was not familiar with Changan’s products before, but simply tried CS75Plus on the track. The tuning of that car is also biased towards comfort, but the UNI-K is more advanced and more extreme. Previously, I had a mediocre impression of the CS75Plus’s Aisin 8AT gearbox, and although it was reliable, it shifted a bit slowly. After talking to the engineers, I learned that UNI-K has been recalibrated because of the new generation of Blue Whale engines.
Overall, the UNI-K’s power and chassis have improved over the CS75Plus I’ve been exposed to, but it’s still skewed towards comfort at the expense of some handling. Friends who want to know the dynamics of UNI-K can see the detailed part later, and now let’s start with the appearance by convention.
Chang’an’s overall family appearance strategy now is a young and sporty style. UNI-K is the same, aggressive nose, wide body, slippery back silhouette, a little farther away, you tell me more than two hundred myopic that this is a Urus, I may also be bluffed.
The front face shape of UNI-K is quite exaggerated, the middle net is integrated with the body, and the ventilated part in the middle is like a dissolving honeycomb, which is quite like a new energy vehicle.
The details of the tail are also very rich, the high brake lights of the two small vertical bars are integrated into the shark fins at the rear of the roof, and the exhaust holes on both sides below are very sporty, which contrasts with the luxurious and comfortable feeling of driving the vehicle.
Sitting in the interior, UNI-K has more to say. When I sat in the main driver’s seat, the whole cabin gave me a strong sense of freshness. The instrument panel of the flat strip in front is divided into three parts, the left side shows the drive status of the current vehicle, and when the middle propeller shaft lights up, it means that it is in four-wheel drive. General vehicle status information is displayed in the middle, and navigation can also be displayed in full screen.
The right side usually shows the rotational speed, press the streaming mirror button on the steering wheel, it will turn to show the status behind the vehicle, like today’s rain shower, the streaming mirror provides a great help for driving.
The position of the center control screen is relatively rear, and the operation does not require a shoulder probe, which is very easy. Compared with CS75Plus, the internal vehicle system has been upgraded, the UI is much more vivid, and the brightness and smoothness of the screen have also been improved. Although it does not integrate functions such as CarPlay, its own apps such as AutoNavi and QQ Music are sufficient and easy to use. There is a saying, today’s independent brand car machine is not bad.
One thing I was a little dissatisfied with was this touch bar under the center control screen. This issue is also on the CS75Plus, but I don’t think it’s worth coming up with specifically, and UNI-K has reached new heights in my mind, so I just raised it when I nitpicked. There is no problem with the use of this touch Bar, there is feedback when pressed, that is, the texture is a little different, and it is easy to produce scratches, and the plastic feeling is more obvious when there are more scratches. If I were a car owner, I would most likely put a film on this part.
Regarding the seat, it is true that the padding is very soft, there is a feeling of a large sofa, and the shape is also very bluffing, but the support is not as godly as the “zero gravity” it advertises. Sitting on it with my 100KG tonnage, I feel like I’m stuck in it, which depends on personal preference. What I want to say is that on the high-end version of the front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive, there is a “headrest audio” configuration, which is very interesting.
This configuration is to install two additional speakers on both sides of the headrest of the main driver’s seat, and after activating the “headrest assist” on the center control screen, voice prompts such as navigation will be broadcast only through these two speakers, so that only the driver can hear clearly without disturbing other passengers. Second, when playing music, it complements the sound stage of the driver’s seat, making the driver feel that he is in the middle of the entire sound field, rather than the left front.
You may be wondering, isn’t the sound field position available in the system for many cars? I can clearly answer that the two are not the same. The ordinary sound field position shift, just makes you feel that the left or right sound has become louder, but it is unbalanced, and the hearing of passengers sitting in other positions is also cracked. But the system on the UNIK does make the driver feel like he’s really in the middle of the sound stage, and the other passengers don’t feel uncomfortable.
UNI-K’s audio system is from SONY, with a low 7-speaker and a high 12-speaker + independent amplifier. What is the sound quality? Consistent Sony flavor, rich digital flavor, good quality, good sound, some people will like this digital flavor, some people will dislike it. It is a pity that the low frequency of the whole system is too much! Few! Finish! It’s not bad to listen to pop, but I don’t feel anything when listening to electronic hi songs. But for the sake of “headrest assistance”, I still recommend that you have the opportunity to feel it, it is really fresh.
And then there’s the back-row experience. I don’t know if you recognize the rear experience overlord of the mid-size 5-seat SUV: Honda Crown Road. The rear seat of this UNI-K feels very similar to the crown road: huge space, ultra-wide seat cushions, ultra-soft padding, and leather cover that almost extends to the floor.
Although it is a four-wheel drive model, UNI-K’s rear floor center is also flat, and the backrest angle is adjustable, and there is a boss button in the high configuration, and the rear passengers are very well cared for. However, the disadvantage of the crown road, UNI-K, is also substituted, that is, the seat cushion is low. It’s good to be short, like my leg-long sitting is a bit sluggish. Nevertheless, overall, UNI-K’s rear seat experience is also considered to be the top and honorable among its own brands.
It is not only the seats and space that make passengers feel prestigious, but also the performance of the UNI-K chassis on the road. The UNI-K’s chassis has a strong sense of heaviness, which can suppress many joint venture brands. Driving on the road around the lake in Yangcheng Lake, UNI-K’s body is very stable, whether it is a small bump or a big jump, UNI-K relies on a “heavy” force to forcibly crush it. It’s no exaggeration to say that I’m opening a moving castle. In terms of chassis comfort and premium, UNI-K has reached a level that I have never seen in my own brand.
“But” came. Changan’s ability to do handling is not in the first echelon in my mind, although the UNI-K’s chassis has improved significantly, but it is more than two tons of body on its back, and it is basically hopeless to find a hearty driving pleasure.
First of all, the suspension is good, you can feel that you are working hard to support the body, but when you encounter a two-ton body, the roll is still large; Secondly, with speed cornering, you can feel that the bulky body is not very willing to move. The front MacPherson, the configuration of the rear multi-link, and the horse brand MC6 tires on the high-end model slightly make up for the lack of handling, plus the sense of communication of the whole car is not bad, at least I can’t fault the daily Buddhist driving, but I want to drive fiercely, I advise you to think twice.
In terms of power, UNI-K is equipped with Blue Whale’s next-generation D-series 2.0T engine, which has a power reserve of 233 horsepower and a peak torque of 390 Nm. When coasting, the engine speed is around 1300~1800 rpm, tap the throttle, the power response is very sensitive, and the daily driving is very comfortable. The floor oil goes down, probably because of the weight of the car, there is no passionate push back feeling, but the torque fills the entire rev range, and there will be no feeling of weakness.
As mentioned earlier, I have a general impression of the CS75Plus’s 8AT gearbox, but on the UNI-K the gearbox reacts a little faster, although it is still not fast enough dual-clutch, but it has a high reliability, low-speed smoothness and other foundations, for friends who do not like dual-clutch, UNI-K’s progress in drivability is undoubtedly good news.
Finally, two more details.
The first is the throttle. UNI-K adopts a floor-standing throttle that is rare among its own brands. I prefer this landing organ throttle to the suspended throttle, and my feet will be more relaxed when cruising long distances. And this kind of floor-standing throttle is also commonly found in luxury brands such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
This is followed by the UNI-K’s flat-top steering wheel. With this design, it should be to take care of the flat and elongated dashboard, and the ordinary domed steering wheel will block the driver’s view of the dashboard. This kind of steering wheel looks quite new, but I personally find it less comfortable to use than a traditional dome steering wheel, especially when operating it with one hand. However, these two points are opinions, welcome to leave a message in the comment area and tell me your point of view.
Come to the summary part. I’m sure you can feel that in some ways, my praise for UNI-K is unstinting, but in some respects, the requirements are equally strict. You know, I’m a person who has no interest in SUVs and pursues smooth handling, but when it comes to cars, I’m happy with UNI-K’s achievements in comprehensive luxury texture.
In the past, my requirements for domestic cars were often that there were no hard injuries, but when most domestic cars can have a long time in more advanced aspects such as driving pleasure and comprehensive texture, my standards will definitely become stricter. UNI-K has touched this standard with a sense of luxury. If you are looking for an own-brand model that is good in all aspects and has a high level of luxury, UNI-K deserves your attention.
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