Automotive engineers commented on Dongfeng Yipai eπ008: Advanced configuration a

tech | 2024-08-29

The Dongfeng Yipai eπ008 can be considered a benchmark product under Dongfeng's independent brand (excluding Lan Tu). With a body length of over five meters and a wheelbase of over three meters, it is the flagship model under Dongfeng's independent brand. The price is also on the higher end among Dongfeng's independent models, with full configuration, making it worth a look. Coincidentally, the Zero Run C16 was also recently released, and we can make a simple comparison on a few areas where the differences are quite apparent.

In terms of exterior design, the front face not only adopts a matrix-through daytime running lights but also features hollowed-out dot-like light source decorations on the front bumper, simulating the traditional mesh grille effect, which appears more streamlined. Combined with the new dual-swallow glowing logo of Yipai, it looks more high-tech.

Advertisement

From the side posture, combined with the position of the D-pillar, the shape of the tailgate has a hint of the larger Peugeot 5008.The cabin interior features a rather minimalist design, with a thin golden decorative strip running through the dashboard air vents and the outline of the large screen, and embracing the door panels. The upper layer of the co-pilot dashboard is almost a completely flat large plane from front to back, with a wide butterfly-shaped armrest that is comfortable for elbow support and ensures the flatness of the entire plane. The visual perception of the storage space seen from the side when entering the vehicle will not be too cluttered.

The co-pilot dashboard is adorned with a gold and black striped film, a texture that is similarly applied in the same position on the Baojun Cloud.

Upon opening the front armrest compartment of the eπ008, one can see that it is not a very deep structure, but there is a subtle feature involved, which relates to a relatively advanced configuration currently in China—a tiered, sliding refrigerator. Its lower layer is a refrigerator that can be electrically slid to the second row through a central long rail, serving both as a refrigerator and as a storage platform.

Currently in China, the new GL8 PHEV uses a sliding refrigerator, but the GL8 slides the entire console away, making it less convenient for the front row to use after sliding. The eπ008 considers both the rear and front rows, but it also has a regret—that is, the refrigerator cannot be directly opened from the top in the front row.Beneath the roll-up curtain is another layer of storage compartments.

Why can't the refrigerator be opened directly from the top of the front row? From this, it can also be inferred that the designer intends for the refrigerator to slide to the second row, where the upper layer can serve as a storage shelf for the second row.Unlike the Buick GL8 PHEV, the eπ008 features a long, exposed slide rail for the refrigerator, which is not visible in the GL8. The advantage is that the eπ008 has a longer travel distance for the refrigerator, allowing it to be moved between the two middle-row seats. The significance of the GL8 PHEV's center console movement is to make it more convenient for you to use the cup holders in the front row.

The refrigerator has a manual push-pull door, and the design of the handle could be more refined. It looks a bit out of place here. The leather pattern on the refrigerator door could also be reconsidered to make it finer, as it slightly clashes with the overall CMF (Color, Material, and Finish) of the vehicle's cabin.

The second piece of evidence of the eπ008's high configuration is that the second row is equipped with a ceiling-mounted screen, which can be operated to open or close from the rear screen of the center instrument panel or the ceiling-mounted screen. Compared to the gesture and voice controls of the Ideal, the eπ008 is more convenient and suitable for all ages.

However, in terms of viewing angle, when the third row needs to be occupied and the second row cannot be pushed too far back, the distance from the screen is relatively close, which may cause discomfort after looking at it for a long time.The third piece of evidence suggesting a high configuration for the eπ008 is the use of zero-gravity seats on the right side of the middle row, which feature a horizontal slide to avoid the rear wheel housing and can be unfolded to lie down with a single touch.

It is slightly regrettable that the eπ008's middle row independent seats do not have the safety belt integrated into the seat, meaning the zero-gravity mode cannot be used while driving. So, what is the space like when the leg rest is opened during driving? From the picture below, it can be seen that when I do not use the horizontal slide, and the second-row seat is not pushed back to the maximum, and the front row seat is moved to the frontmost position, with my height of 172cm, my feet just touch the back of the front row seat, leaving a footprint, which is just usable.

What is the situation in the front row under these circumstances? Moving to the front row, this position can "accommodate" a person because the eπ008 lacks a glove box, which allows for some knee space. It can also be seen from here that the eπ008 has considered this usage scenario. Therefore, people shorter than 172cm, although they cannot enjoy the zero-gravity mode during the driving process, can use the leg rest.When both the first and second rows can guarantee normal seating, what is the situation with the third row? Because the bottom of the second row is relatively high, passengers in the third row can place their feet under the second row, so you won't feel too cramped in the third row. You can also adjust your sitting posture after sitting for a while, and there is more than enough space for this adjustment. The height of the third-row cushion is also reasonable; at least compared to the third row in vehicles like the Toyota Highlander and Lynk & Co 09, the sitting posture is much better, and the comfort is much improved.

Comparing this position to the Zero Run C16, while maintaining a similar sitting posture, the distance between the knees of the third row and the backrest of the second row in the C16 is only the thickness of a palm.Of course, zero-gravity seats have some downsides. For instance, due to the single-sided armrest and the absence of an armrest on the outer side, when the seat slides horizontally, the outer side is quite far from the door panel, leaving the outer hand with nowhere to rest.

Additionally, the reading lights for the second and third rows are quite distant. When the zero-gravity mode is activated, the lighting for the second and third rows actually does not shine on the people. While this is not glaring, it may result in insufficient light when one wants to read something in a dimly lit environment.The charging ports for the second row of mobile phones are located at the foot level, but there is no separate compartment for the phones. The left rear seat features a USB port, while the right rear seat is equipped with a Type-C port.

Additionally, there is a Type-C port on the left B-pillar, which is intended for connecting the game controller for the overhead screen. Considering that there is no small table on the left rear, an additional hook has been added to hang corresponding objects.

There are two grab handles on the second-row pillars, which is a common practice in MPVs. In fact, the chassis of the eπ008 is not very high, so it is easy to get in and out of the vehicle without these handles.Of course, some friends have also mentioned that the front seats of the eπ008 cannot be laid flat to connect with the second row to form a large bed mode. Here, we need to mention a higher configuration feature of the eπ008 - the front headrest audio mode. From the back of the headrest, it can be seen that the main driver and co-driver headrests of the eπ008 have different shapes, which is because the main driver's headrest contains a speaker, meaning there are wires inside the headrest, and it cannot be removed. If the main driver's headrest cannot be removed, then it's impossible to lay it flat to connect.

And if the main driver's seat cannot be laid flat, the significance of just the co-driver's seat being laid flat is actually not very great, so they should have thought through this logic when defining the product.

Obviously, they believe that the use of headrest audio will be more frequent compared to the occasional use of a large bed.

From our actual experience of laying the front seats flat, it's not due to interference with the second row that the front seats cannot be laid flat, but rather because the adjustment mechanism's design does not allow the backrest to lay completely flat. Since the second row already has leg rests that can achieve zero-gravity comfort, the significance of connecting smoothly with the front row is minimal. Moreover, to lay flat, the front row's music headrest would need to be designed as detachable, and the front row's sliding rail travel would need to be extended, so Yipai has made some trade-offs between cost and usage scenarios.The actual use of the flat front row is more suitable for seat arrangements like 2+3+2, where the second row can be completely laid flat. However, the zero-gravity seats themselves cannot be fully reclined; they have an angle, so it is not realistic to achieve a completely flat front two rows on the eπ008.

The front row cannot be laid flat, so can the third row and the trunk be completely flat? The answer is also no, with a slight curvature. This is because the backrests and cushions of the third-row seats have taken comfort into consideration and have not been made completely flat. Additionally, the length of the third row folded down plus the trunk is not enough to accommodate a person lying down, so this vehicle cannot meet scenarios like travel mode or camping mode where one would spend the night inside the vehicle.

But don't jump to conclusions, thinking that's all there is to this car. In fact, there are some surprises in the trunk, although not many, but they reveal some of the product design thinking and can also be considered as evidence of its high configuration— the trunk floor is made in a segmented style, not the conventional one-piece style, which is a concept that even the Ideal L8 does not have.

The outermost section can be taken out separately and placed on top to serve as a storage platform for camping or picnicking. The fact that the trunk floor is divided into two sections and is still so large also indicates that the trunk area of the eπ008 is larger than that of the Zero Run C16, as the vehicle length is 87mm longer.Additionally, the outermost panel can be detached and lowered to the very bottom, increasing the three-dimensional space of the trunk. At this time, the innermost panel can be placed diagonally to be flush with the outermost panel, serving as a "cover".

The cover of the C16 is a conventional layout, with a small storage box underneath.

The backrest of the third-row seat has an angle adjustment feature, which can enhance some comfort. There is a pull strap to unlock in the trunk, and there is also a pull strap to unlock on the side of the seat, making it more convenient to use. The Zero Run C16 can also adjust its angle, with unlocking only at a single position on the shoulder.The fifth piece of evidence for the high configuration of the eπ008 is the presence of sunshades for the second-row side windows, a feature that is also not implemented on the Ideal L8.

What is not done well is that due to the overly large size of the middle-row windows, the sunshades are too long, and the distance between the two mounting points is too far apart. The material of the sunshade's crossbar is also on the softer side, making it a bit difficult to hang or remove both mounting points simultaneously in one go.

The door panel opening does not adopt the currently popular electronic buttons, nor does it use the traditional inner handle. Instead, it is mechanically operated through a hidden handle in the door panel's pull cup, ensuring a clean layout of the door panel. This structure has also been used on the Yipai 007.But this position is level with the door panel armrest, so when you are accustomed to resting your hand on the door panel armrest or blindly reaching for items inside the cup holder, you should be mindful to avoid accidentally touching it.

In terms of headroom, the eπ008 also has some advantages. The Zero Run C16 will bump heads when entering and exiting the front and middle rows, while the eπ008 still has some space from the car roof.In terms of the convenience of entering and exiting the second row, it can be observed that when the seats are adjusted to their normal state, the eπ008 has some advantages. The front edge of the second-row seats is still some distance from the lower part of the B-pillar, while the front edge of the seats in the Zero Run C16 is relatively closer to the B-pillar, so one needs to be a bit more cautious when entering and exiting.

Some may argue, look at the Ideal, which costs over 300,000, while the E-Pai can produce the same thing for 200,000. Does that mean all the extra cost for the Ideal is pure profit? In fact, from some details of the E-Pai, it can be seen that there is a cost-saving approach, and the level of workmanship is also a reflection of cost.

For example, the eπ008 still uses halogen vanity lights.

The sun visor does not have a structure designed for fingers to enter, and the edge is a straight line, which is not convenient to open.The sound insulation cotton at the pedal area is too conspicuous when the blue water overflows and is exposed after being soaked.

The eyeglass case on the driver's side is well-received, but it cannot naturally stop when opened, making one-handed operation less convenient.

In pursuit of a minimalist style, the seat uses fewer tension lines, and both the synthetic leather and the foam are relatively soft. There is a serious floating phenomenon when the seat skin is wrapped and subjected to force, and its wrinkle performance in the market still needs to withstand the test of durability.The rear row has overhead air vents, but the sealing is poor; after being fully closed, there is a noticeable draft.

The button to open the small tray table is too small. Once the button is unlocked, the tray table opens without any damping and falls down abruptly.

After the middle row seat armrest is rotated to the position, the ratchet does not lock securely, leaving a gap for play, which makes it seem a bit loose and wobbly.The front of the armrest has a hidden cup holder, with a noticeable gap between the outer cover plate, and a clear looseness when pressed, which lacks a sense of quality.

There is only a phone charging port and a separate slot for the phone on the left side in the third row.

The design of the side window in the third row has a significant mismatch with the surrounding components, and there is still a considerable room for improvement in terms of design refinement.The texture of the leather pattern on the hood release button is significantly different from the surrounding area for some unknown reason. Although I am aware that this part is made of POM, a material different from the adjacent parts, it would be possible to reduce the difference to avoid such a noticeable contrast when opening the car door. Could it be that this part was directly borrowed from another car model?

---

Conclusion by Jia Shi:

Although it is said that raising quality standards does not increase costs, we also understand that meticulous craftsmanship, the selection of high-quality suppliers, and additional checkpoints for inspection and prevention of defects from leaving the factory, while not directly increasing the cost of raw materials, will increase implicit management costs.

For example, looking at the seat supplier for the eπ008 (the same supplier was used for the 007 as well), a non-mainstream supplier in the industry was chosen. I estimate that at least a thousand yuan could be saved on the seats alone, which is also due to the overall cost-reduction target for the vehicle.Overall, the eπ008 is already very impressive, especially considering its six-seater configuration in the price range of 180,000 to 210,000 yuan. Compared to Chery's Exeed Star Way, JAC's Jetour X90, and Roewe RX9, the eπ008 offers significantly higher specifications.

Stepping back to consider, even the slightly more expensive BYD Tang and GAC's Trumpchi ES9 cannot match the eπ008 in terms of features. The only real competitor that can stand toe-to-toe with the eπ008 is the Zero Run C16. However, the C16 tops out at less than 190,000 yuan, which is cheaper. Compared to the Yipai, it has a smaller size and space, and its configuration is also relatively lower.

Therefore, the eπ008 is positioned in a niche competitive segment, where it truly has the potential to make a strong impact.