Looking at the current situation, the progress of independent brand cars can be said to be very obvious. One thing that has impressed me deeply in recent years is the mechanical quality. In the past, you may have often heard that a certain domestic car was modeled after a gourd. You may also have been shocked by the prominently exposed logo of a foreign brand when visiting a 4S store when you opened the hood of a certain domestic car. For example, This domestically produced "CR-V".

Nowadays, manufacturers have launched self-developed new platforms, new architectures, and new engines, which are so dazzling that consumers are willing to shout those two words:

" It smells so good.”

Having said that, if you want consumers to find you as a "little red among all the greenery", it will be difficult to attract people with these highlights that are too hardcore for most people. Therefore, “design” has become a detail that more and more manufacturers pay attention to. Indeed, in the past, independent brands have taken many detours in design, either copying, borrowing, or being nondescript... For example, it does have the impact of a leopard, but it is not a car that beauty still needs to consider.

Ahem, in fact, car companies in other countries have also taken these detours. In other words, this is an inevitable process. Fortunately, independent brands have turned around the twists and turns, and the appearance of their products has finally found its own way. Among them, there are also many products that have achieved both internal and external improvements. Today we have found 2 such models, let’s take a look at them with you.

Geely ICON

Official selling price: 115,800-128,800

What are the technical highlights of Geely ICON? It is another model under the BMA modular architecture independently developed and designed by Geely. All models are equipped with 1.5T engines. The 300T model is also equipped with a 48V mild hybrid system with a comprehensive power of up to 190ps. It is matched with a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. The mileage acceleration data is 8.67 seconds. In the same class, this kind of performance can be said to have a very obvious advantage.

You may think that this is actually no different from another Geely SUV model Binyue under the same architecture. However, the appearance design of ICON, which basically maintains the shape of the concept version, naturally has its unique charm. Different from most models of the same level, its body adopts many straight lines, and every detail incorporates the element of the word "Hui", which is very tensile. Especially the front part of the car, the split light group and the simple front face even give you a sense of science fiction that transcends the times.

Coming to the car, its interior echoes the body design, and there are a lot of details that are different from today's models. A "belt" runs through the entire center console, with a "mounted "It has two 10.25-inch screens and practical armrests, which perfectly combines a sense of ruggedness and technology. It is worth mentioning that the UI design of ICON's two screens has been fully improved and optimized compared with other Geely models, allowing you to better immerse yourself in the cabin.

For Geely, the design of ICON is an innovation; for us consumers, it costs an extra 10,000 yuan. Is it worth it? You might as well compare it with the top-of-the-line Binyue model on the same platform. In addition to its brand-new design, ICON also has rear air-conditioning outlets, a car air evolver, OTA upgrades, mobile phone wireless charging, and a Bluetooth key... Yes Now, don’t forget that ICON also has a 48V motor! Generally speaking, the configuration level is still higher than Binyue.

But in the final analysis, the most essential difference between ICON and Binyue lies in ICON’s more futuristic design. Can the price difference of nearly 10,000 yuan make consumers pay for it? No rush, let’s take a look at another model that also has a personalized design.

Changan UNI-T

Launched in June 2020

UNI-T is the first model under the Changan Gravity (UNI) series. It adopts a new Architecture, the power system is equipped with the latest version of Changan's Blue Whale series - the Blue Whale NE? 1.5T high-pressure direct injection engine with a thermal efficiency of up to 40, which uses a twin-scroll electronic wastegate turbocharger and original AGILE combustion System and other technologies, are they too complicated? Anyway, it has faster power response than the previous 1.5T machine and is more fuel-efficient.

Not only that, UNI-T is also very representative in its creation of multimedia systems. It is the first smart car to use domestic AI chips and is equipped with the "smart cockpit" jointly developed by Changan and Horizon NPU computing platform", which can apply technologies such as machine vision and directional speech recognition to achieve scene-based perception in the car. For example, when the center console is turned off and the driver looks at the screen for one second, the vehicle will automatically lights up.

After talking about so many technical innovations, the biggest highlight of UNI-T for consumers is actually reflected in its appearance. It inherits Changan’s usual big mouth, and UNI-T has evolved into Borderless styling. The body lines are also smoother and more layered than other Changan models. Speaking of which, I have had the opportunity to come into contact with Changan CS75PLUS before. Although the design style is similar, its lines are obviously more cumbersome, while UNI-T has made subtractions, and the final effect is quite outstanding. In addition, UNI-T also follows the current trend and provides two different exterior design styles, namely fashion version/sports version. The difference between the two is more reflected in the differences in body color, exhaust pipes and other details. In comparison, the interior of UNI-T adopts a concept similar to that of most Changan PLUS models, but there are still some highlights. This is mainly reflected in its central platform area that looks like an airplane control lever, which looks full of fun. In addition, the button layout also tends to be reasonable. It has to be said that the progress in design of independent brands is still obvious.

Calm down and think about it, can independent brands achieve "both internal and external aspects"?

In addition to ICON and UNI-T, there are actually a large number of independent brands that also have excellent design standards, such as Lynk & Co’s “Urban Opposition Aesthetics”, WEY’s “Pioneer Tension Aesthetics”, and even Xingtu’s "Intelligent and sensory aesthetics" and so on, it is undeniable that these models have made great progress not only in design but also in terms of mechanical quality, but we can still see many limitations here. Taking ICON as an example, it is more like an attempt to demonstrate Geely's design level and the versatility of the BMA platform. As for whether this "stroke" that breaks away from Geely's current design philosophy will be applied to more Geely models? It's still unknown.

Then there’s the price. Are consumers willing to pay more for design? Although the author feels that if you buy the same high-end configuration, it is very worthwhile to spend less than 10,000 more to buy the ICON, which looks more unique and has more complete and targeted configurations instead of the Binyue. But looking at sales in January, which has not been affected by the new crown epidemic, ICON sold 2,029 units and Binyue sold 10,200 units. Although this is also affected by factors such as launch time, it also reflects the sentiment of some consumers. Values.

Finally, there is the issue of mechanical quality. Today's independent brands' modular architecture, high thermal efficiency direct injection engines, etc., can be said to be in line with the world in concept. The question is, are their actual performances in line with the world? In the author's opinion, there seems to be a certain gap. This is more reflected in the adjustment aspect.

Take the Changan CS75PLUS? 2.0T model mentioned earlier as an example. As Changan’s blockbuster model last year, although it looks good, the space is large enough, the power performance is excellent, and the gearbox and The matching of the engine is also satisfactory.

But what worries me more is that its sound insulation level is not as good as expected, and the support of the suspension is also slightly insufficient. There is still room for improvement in filtering vibrations on the road surface. In short, the performance of the entire chassis has not been improved. It can give me the sense of stability that a compact SUV should have. These issues related to adjustment seem to be areas where independent brands still need to work hard while doing a good job in original design.

(This article is only the author's personal opinion and does not represent the position of Heche Club)

This article is from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.