Who is the strongest new energy MPV? Don't judge before trying Buick GL8 PHEV
Ten years ago, we assessed a qualified MPV based on its ability to "deliver a seal over a thousand miles": it had to be fast, stable, and have a long driving range.
However, as more family consumers have become MPV users, MPVs in the new energy era have been given more responsibilities of "needing, needing, and still needing," such as low energy consumption, high performance, strong intelligence, and extreme comfort.
As the Buick GL8, which has dominated the domestic MPV market for many years, naturally has to follow the trend. The Buick GL8 Land Honor PHEV, which can hang a green license plate, has been launched. Its appearance is close to the flagship MPV Buick Century, and the interior is based on the quality foundation of Avenir. The price of 359,900 to 419,900 yuan not only includes a "cabin upgrade gift" of 30,000 yuan but also can enjoy a maximum of 30,000 yuan in purchase tax exemption. Therefore, compared with the fuel version of the Buick GL8 ES Land Honor or Avenir, the cost-performance ratio is actually very high, which is also the reason why Buick has received tens of thousands of orders within three days after its launch.
Jia Shi has previously statically tasted the Buick GL8 Land Honor PHEV, and it can indeed give people a more comfortable and intelligent experience from the senses. However, driving this plug-in hybrid MPV, which is more than 200 kg heavier and uses a 1.5T+2DHT powertrain, can the electrified GL8 still make progress compared to the past? This time, I came to the Pan Asia test field in Guangde, Anhui, to push this MPV to the limit on the high-speed circuit.
01Accelerating from 0 to 180 km/h with no pressure
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The recommended vehicle model catalog also includes an accompanying "Main Vehicle Parameters," which mainly contains technical information about new energy vehicles. One of the items is "the sustained maximum speed that the vehicle can achieve under 30-minute conditions"—this is different from the "top speed" we usually understand.
Nowadays, the top speeds offered by many vehicle models are somewhat like a computer motherboard that has been overclocked for a moment, or a turbo engine in a supercharged mode, which can use the high speed of the electric motor to briefly achieve an impressive speed performance—but it is not sustainable.
Of course, road conditions do not require the need to drive continuously at top speed, but this indicator can at least verify the vehicle's three-electrical technology strength and durability. Therefore, General Motors' new PHEV power can easily meet the standard of continuous driving at 180 km/h for 30 minutes in a power-depleted state—according to the engineers, the main reason is that the test duration is only half an hour; otherwise,
It would be no problem to keep going.
Unfortunately, when I drove the car onto the high-speed ring for a test drive, it happened to be raining heavily. Due to the slippery track, there were no conditions for top speed testing. However, since there was an opportunity to fully utilize the vehicle's capabilities, I also wanted to try to push the limits of the Buick GL8 Avenir PHEV.In wetland conditions, I measured the full-electric and depleted 0-100km/h acceleration performance of the GL8 Land尊 PHEV to be essentially the same, which is slightly more than half a second faster than the official data. It is expected that on dry land, it can easily break into 7 seconds. Moreover, the power consistency of the Buick plug-in hybrid system is stable, and the acceleration at the beginning of the depleted state still has a strong pushback feeling, and the pure electric start will not be weak.
After 20km/h, the power connection turns into a parallel mode, and the continuous acceleration ability in the middle and later stages is very full. The acceleration from 80-120km/h can be within 5 seconds, and the process of increasing the vehicle speed to 140km/h is not prolonged.
If there is a problem, one is that the 2DHT of the GL8 Land尊 PHEV has no sense of presence during normal acceleration and deceleration, but when the full throttle is raised to about 120km/h and enters the high-speed gear, a slight impact can be felt. In addition, the displayed vehicle speed of the test drive is about 3-4% lower than the GPS vehicle speed.
However, it is commendable that the SoC battery level is extremely accurate, and the official claim is that the error is within 2%.Afterwards, I also tried to continue accelerating to a speedometer reading of 185 km/h on a section of road without water accumulation. The Buick GL8 Avenir PHEV's acceleration in the latter stages is not much different from the middle stages, and the vehicle's sense of stability is very good. The chassis has a solid grip on the road surface, and even when driving at top speed against the wind and rain, the cabin's quietness remains excellent.
I conducted a test at 140 km/h, and the noise level in the second row was between 66-67 decibels, which is comparable to the level of a similar class vehicle at 120 km/h. Good sound insulation is naturally a tradition of the GL8, and this time, the plug-in hybrid version not only uses double-layer soundproof glass for both the front and rear rows but also has an upgrade for the front triangular windows.
To have an impressive performance in the plug-in hybrid powertrain, it must achieve a 1+1>2 effect. The 1.5T engine of the Buick GL8 Avenir PHEV not only has a deep Miller cycle, a large turbocharger, and a water-cooled intercooler, but its power output is also 30 kW and 19 Nm more than the engine of the Denza D9.
The high energy density of the drive unit at 3.35 kW/kg allows the GL8 Avenir PHEV to achieve the acceleration capability of the Denza D9's dual-motor system.
In terms of energy consumption, the GL8 Avenir PHEV is also built to industry-leading standards. The plug-in hybrid-specific lithium iron phosphate battery cells provided by Zhengli are manufactured to the Ultium standards. With a battery capacity of 24.4 kWh, it achieves a pure electric range of 108 km under WLTC conditions, translating to an electricity consumption of 17.7 kWh/100 km. For reference, the official electricity consumption for the Denza D9 single-motor model with a 20.39 kWh battery pack is 18.9 kWh per 100 km.In this test, I also drove at a high battery level, primarily at speeds of 60-120kph for a distance of 50km, and the displayed fuel consumption was only 5.5L/100km. This makes me look forward to actually measuring the comprehensive fuel consumption per 100km of the GL8 Land尊 PHEV when the battery is depleted, to see if it can be under 8L.
02
More Comfortable than a Fuel-powered MPV
Although "speed" is a standard feature of today's new energy vehicles, the Buick GL8 Land尊 PHEV has indeed achieved a leading position in terms of power consistency among plug-in hybrid and range-extender models. However, for an MPV, comfort is undoubtedly the trait that consumers value more.
A significant feature of the GL8 Land尊 PHEV is the placement of the battery in the middle of the chassis, which not only isolates it from the fuel tank located towards the rear—making it relatively safer—but also optimizes the load distribution between the front and rear axles. There is no situation where the front of the vehicle is heavier as in the fuel version, which is an advantage that Buick gains by using a dedicated plug-in hybrid MPV architecture.
During the drive, the first thing I noticed was that the GL8 Land尊 PHEV has a lower and more solid center of gravity, especially during acceleration and braking. The vehicle's dynamics are noticeably more gentle, with well-controlled body roll. The movements of nodding and dipping during full acceleration and braking are not exaggerated, which can provide better stability in daily driving.I also need to drive the GL8 Land尊 PHEV to the Guangde Proving Ground's handling road to test its chassis comfort on roads with different characteristics. Although the plug-in hybrid version has increased the curb weight by less than 300kg, the Buick engineering team has made targeted optimizations to the suspension, and its adaptability under most road conditions is quite good.
On some step roads and rapid hard impacts of speed bumps, the GL8 Land尊 PHEV dissipates the energy of road excitation more gently, without sharp forces being transmitted to the cabin, and the overall sense of the front and rear axles is also strong, without the split of jumping forward like a frog.
In more continuous bumps, the GL8 Land尊 PHEV's movement under the springs is also relatively clean, with a certain sense of thickness when rolling over, which feels more like the inherent impression given by mid-to-high-end German sedans. The vertical decoupling feeling will enhance the sense of luxury, especially when a tire rolls over a manhole, with little interference between the left and right axles, making straight-line driving particularly stable.
On some roads with large radii of undulation, the GL8 Land尊 PHEV also has a sticky sense of adhesion, with the rhythm of suspension stretching and compression well controlled, without the floating feeling of being thrown off the seat. However, this is also within a reasonable speed limit. If the speed threshold is exceeded, such as rushing over a bump at a speed of 90-100km/h, the recompression after stretching may not keep up with the landing speed. Although it does not reach the limit, the significant bouncing sensation can easily cause discomfort.
Finally, there is one more point closely related to comfort, which is the seats of the GL8 Land尊 PHEV. They are still very technologically advanced. In addition to the exquisite filling material, the high-strength steel seat frame is equipped with shock absorbers and dampers, making the seat comfort rank among the top tier in its class. Moreover, Buick has installed ventilation and heating for all six seats of the car. It is worth noting that even the third row of the Ideal MEGA does not have this treatment. However, the GL8 Land尊 PHEV does not have electric suction doors for the front row, indicating that there is still room for configuration in MPVs.03
Steady Handling with a High Lower Limit
While other media colleagues were filming, I took the GL8 Land尊PHEV to the dynamic square by myself, testing the handling limits that most MPV users might not experience in a relatively safe environment.
In fact, Buick has not given the GL8 Land尊PHEV a too complex chassis setup. The combination of MacPherson and multi-link suspensions has been designed to maximize interior space as much as possible. The dimensions, with a length of over 5.2 meters and a wheelbase of 3 meters, coupled with a curb weight of nearly 2.4 tons, also limit its upper performance. However, it has a broad safety margin while being stable, which might also be commendable.
I first performed a constant-radius turn around a circle with a radius of 20 meters. The GL8 Land尊PHEV maintained a steady speed of around 60 kph during both left and right turns. It's not that the limit is just this much, but the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) intervenes strongly, almost holding back the torque and limiting the speed from increasing further. I also tried to turn off the electronic traction control system, but at most, it only allowed for an additional 5 km/h, and the ESC would forcibly activate after a hard acceleration.In fact, previously on a long slope bridge with a 30% gradient, the GL8 Land尊 PHEV experienced a similar situation. On a slippery road surface, I started with a small torque request at 20% throttle opening. While climbing, the ESC would intermittently intervene significantly based on torque changes, interrupting the speed increase, indicating that Buick values safety over exploration.
The good news is that when cornering at high speeds, the GL8 Land尊 PHEV's body roll is not exaggerated, and the center of gravity transfer is progressive and controllable. Overall, it maintains a neutral state, not prone to understeer like the fuel version, which is easier to handle for most drivers. It only starts to push slightly at higher speeds.
In an informal moose test, I attempted to enter at a displayed vehicle speed of 70 km/h, and the exit speed could still be maintained above 60 km/h, with good continuity in power sliding. During consecutive steering maneuvers, the GL8 Land尊 PHEV's rear end follows actively, without significant sliding on wet surfaces, and the ESC is quite restrained at this time. Its steering feedback force also has some elasticity, with a moderate strength. Although the steering wheel size is on the larger side, the directional accuracy is still clear, making it not difficult to control the direction.
If we consider the needs of an MPV, the handling level of the Buick GL8 Land尊 PHEV has exceeded expectations, at least significantly better than the previous model of the Tengshi D9 that I tested before.
04
Driving SummaryMPVs are ultimately not the mainstream market, and many car manufacturers have always approached them with a "if no one else has it, I do" mentality. As a result, many European MPVs available for purchase are upgraded from vans, while Japanese brands prefer to create second-generation models based on sedan platforms.
However, a truly native MPV architecture allows the chassis to not be as heavy as an SUV. With greater spatial redundancy, the seating position can be more comfortable, and even flexibility, safety, and comfort can be developed and manufactured based on the needs that conform to the definition of an MPV.
The Buick GL8, which has gone through five generations of products and accumulated 1.8 million owners, has always done so. Although early car enthusiasts questioned it, looking back after more than 20 years, the Buick GL8's ability to dominate the MPV market for many years is also supported by its product strength.
Take the GL8 Avenir PHEV, for example, it has undergone durability testing for a full two years, and it does not engage in exam-oriented education. All the starting points are to polish the glory of the GL8 brand in the new energy MPV market.
From this dynamic experience, the Buick GL8 Avenir PHEV indeed has the capital to challenge. Whether it's comfort, handling, or the comprehensive performance of the plug-in hybrid powertrain, it can be among the first tier in the MPV field.Moreover, based on the feedback from the early-stage terminals, the GL8 has already become the top choice for official vehicles. The new energy attributes of the GL8 Land尊PHEV, coupled with its more intelligent and comfortable configuration levels, have also made it a target for family users.
It appears that the next step for Buick should be to focus on ensuring production capacity.
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