Recently, Zhongbao Research C-IASI announced the crash test results of Buick GL8, Tesla Model Y, Citroen Tianyi C5, Buick Envision S, Toyota C-HR, Tank 300, and Xinqijun. There are many hot-selling models in the sub-field. Today, combined with the test results announced this time, assuming that one of them is covered in your car purchase plan, how should you choose?
Buick GL8
Official price: 23.29-53 3,900 yuan
Model Overview: Buick GL8 probably didn’t expect that this unique Chinese model could sit first in the current Chinese MPV market. (Don’t compare it with Wuling and Changan, those are not pure MPV models.) Some people say that it benefits from its fashionable design and accurate grasp of the Chinese market. These points are true, but if Buick GL8 is talking about the generation, its history is far less than that of models like Odyssey and Senna.
Success is not without reason. Friends who have ridden the Buick GL8 know that its loading capacity is still very powerful, and it can be said that it perfectly interprets the space performance of an MPV. In the most worrying third row of space, the GL8 can also easily handle it. When using the trunk space, it can still accommodate three boarding boxes of about 20 inches.
But only space is obviously not enough. In recent years, the Buick GL8 has started to make a big fuss at the luxury level, and the car series is also divided into the ordinary version and the luxury Avenir Evia version. The whole series is equipped with a 2.0T engine. In this way, with complete lining and face, the Buick GL8 has maintained its current good sales. Looking at the competitors, even if the great powers are around, it will not move.
In terms of safety, the Buick GL8 has also participated in the collision test of Zhongbao Research before, but in the earlier test, its performance was not ideal, and there were also cases where the A-pillar was bent. This collision is the mid-term model of the GL8. From the test results, it can be seen that the mid-term model GL8 has a commission in all aspects of safety performance, especially in the 25% offset collision from the previous P (poor) to A (good), and the roof strength has also been improved from the previous A (good) to G (excellent).
The GL8 after the mid-term facelift has slightly deformed the A-pillar in the 25% offset collision, which is much better than the broken situation of the old model. The side collision GL8 has also lost serious points before, and it has also improved in the new model. Overall, although the overall performance of the mid-term facelift GL8 has not reached the optimal state, considering the unfavorable factors of its own MPV structure, the safety progress of the mid-term facelift GL8 is still worthy of recognition. But it can be further strengthened in terms of body materials.
Buick Envision
Official price: 20.99-30 9,900 yuan
If you were to buy an SUV in the price range of 200,000 yuan, would you include the Buick Envision in the list of options? It is estimated that many consumers will not choose it. In this price range, domestic SUVs can be said to be countless, regardless of space, power, and configuration. But the test still needs to be tested. Whether it sells well or not, the car must be fine first.
Also playing back the old Buick Envision model, there was a lot of controversy in the first phase of the test of Zhongbao Research, because the Envision was a model produced in China and then sold back to the US market. The Chinese version of the old Envision and the returned model achieved very different results in the test of Zhongbao Research and the US IIHS crash test, which can be said to be very different. Especially in the performance of roof rigidity, there is a great difference between the two, and the performance of the medium version is very "pulled".
Today, Zhongbao Research has tested the Buick Envision S model again. We see that it has achieved G excellence in the occupant safety index in the car. The driver’s side front 25% offset collision is also G excellent, and the roof strength and side collision are also G excellent. The same pedestrian safety index and pedestrian protection are also G excellent. "Don’t steam steamed buns, fight for breath", this time Buick Envision finally regained a bit of face.
However, in terms of crashworthiness and maintenance economy, the Envision received a poor evaluation of P. In terms of vehicle auxiliary safety, it received a general evaluation of M. In the same sentence, combined with its price, in terms of safety assistance, it seems that the Envision’s performance is far from meeting the standards of domestic cars of the same level.
But no matter what, the tough body and bones still have to come first. This is the foundation, but at the same time, we can’t ignore the balanced performance of some safety auxiliary configurations. I hope Envision will continue to maintain excellent results in future collisions, and at the same time see more progress.
Three, Citroen Tianyi C5 AIRCROSS
Official price: 15.97-22 9,700 yuan
Looking at the price of Citroen Tianyi C5 AIRCROSS, it is undoubtedly more accessible and down-to-earth. It also reflects the current dilemma of Citroen models in the domestic market from the side. In fact, in this test, I would like to see the performance of the Versailles C5X more, but this time, Zhongbao Research chose Citroen Tianyi C5 AIRCROSS as a contestant, which is also worthy of attention.
But unexpectedly, the Citroen C5 AIRCROSS Tianyi did not achieve excellent results as a representative of French cars. Take a look at its test results:
First of all, it is A (good) in 25% offset collisions, and the A pillar has undergone some bending; to be honest, this is a bit inconsistent with the consistent performance of legal cars, which is very surprising. Second, the front side air curtain area of the vehicle is not large enough, and the side collision score is A, the air curtain stuck the dummy’s head between the air curtain and the window. If there is a traffic accident, it will be extremely dangerous. I don’t know if it is a design problem or a sudden case.
Third, in the roof strength test, the Citroen Tianyi’s peak load was only 53,954 cattle, which did not meet the excellent standard of four times the weight of the vehicle.
After reading the performance of Tianyi, the author is also very surprised. It is necessary to know that Tianyi C5 AIRCROSS is a global model of Citroen, and it has received a 5-star review in the previous Euro NCAP test collision. In the official publicity, it is clearly pointed out that Tianyi’s A-pillar and B-pillar areas are made of ultra-high-strength steel, but why is there such a big "polarization" in the domestic version? Could it be that there are two standards for the Citroen? I am very curious, but I can’t draw conclusions on this. In fact, everyone still likes French cars, but the sales volume has been worrying recently. If you want to turn around, you still need to show sincerity and hard power.
However, there is also good news. Recently, I have a group of real car pictures of Dongfeng Citroen’s new Tianyi C5 AIRCROSS circulating on the Internet. Originally, the new car will be released as an annual model at the Beijing Auto Show in April, but now due to the impact of the pandemic, the release may be delayed.
It is not difficult to see from the actual car picture that as a mid-term model, the appearance of the new car still maintains the design of the overseas version, including the new headlights, the lower surround, and the shape of the fog lamp area. In addition, the through-type light strip design connected to the logo on the middle net has also been retained. The style of the taillights is completely different from the current model, and it shows a more personalized style after lighting, which has a high degree of recognition.
In the interior, the new car will be replaced with a new style of flat-bottomed steering wheel, instrument and floating central control screen have been redesigned. In terms of power, the new car is expected to still be equipped with 1.6T and 1.8T engines, matched with an 8-speed automatic transmission. In addition, plug-in hybrid models will also appear simultaneously, and the new car is expected to be officially launched on the market in the second half of the year.
Tesla Model Y
Official price: 31.69-41 7,900 yuan
Tesla, which has its own Internet celebrity physique, will attract super high attention and traffic no matter which platform it appears on. The crash test has also attracted widespread attention. Although Tesla has had frequent problems before, such as spontaneous combustion, brake failure, assisted driving failure, car show rights protection, etc., this does not seem to hinder its sales. In the sales ranking of new energy SUVs in March, the Tesla Model Y
Ranked first with 39,730 vehicles.
Going back to this Zhongbao Research test, it is obvious from the results that Tesla’s crash performance is good, and they are all excellent results. In the 25% offset collision of Model Y, its A-pillar performance is extremely strong, there is almost no deformation in the passenger compartment, and the dummy is not seriously injured under the protection of seat belts, airbags, and air curtains.
But to make a point, it has received a P (poor) rating in terms of maintenance economy. In other words, the zero-to-zero ratio of the Model Y car is not low, and the cost of repair is quite high. There was an unconfirmed news circulating on the Internet before that a Model Y needs to be repaired after hitting a wall 200,000! Here I would like to remind Tesla owners to drive carefully. But think again, life is more important than money, and naturally life is more important.
The remaining three models are GAC Toyota C-HR, Xinqijun, and Tank 300, which are also the three models that performed well in this crash test.
Toyota has almost all used the TNGA architecture at present, and it has almost never failed in crash tests. This time, the performance is equally solid, and the C-HR has achieved high scores in multiple tests. But at the same time, we also noticed some other sounds. Toyota is used to strengthening the driver’s side in crash tests to achieve higher crash results, but in other structural components, it is still cheap materials and not advanced enough design.
Next up is the Tank 300, which is a hard-core SUV with girders. It has been quite popular in the domestic market in recent years, and now it is hard to find a car in the market. Its collisions naturally attract attention. And in actual performance, the Tank 300 is also very satisfactory. The occupant safety index, 25% offset collision, side collision, roof strength, pedestrian protection outside the vehicle, auxiliary safety and other items have all received G excellent. It also received A good in terms of maintenance economy.
The last contestant is the new Qijun. Looking at the sales of the old Qijun before, it can be seen that its sales are very good. But after the change, the three-cylinder Qijun has long encountered serious "acclimatization" in the domestic market. Coupled with the excessive exaggeration of some media, it has led to a very embarrassing situation for Qijun now. As a last resort, the old Qijun has re-emerged from the rivers and lakes again, and the new and old are sold together. This seems to be the situation that Nissan is least willing to see. "Zixiao does not need the father to move forward", but the performance of the three-cylinder Qijun is really a bit "pulling over".
Summary: Collision is only to prove the structural safety and body design of a vehicle from an angle, and safety is no small matter. Any brand or model should put vehicle safety first. There should be no so-called "double standard". The popularity of the Chinese market is becoming more and more important at the moment of the epidemic. This should be a truth that every manufacturer understands, no need to say more.
