When it comes to Hongqi, I believe everyone is familiar with it. From the early "big shot" cars to today’s Guochao representatives, it has always been at the forefront of the times. As an entry-level car of the Hongqi brand, the Hongqi H5 has won the favor of many consumers as soon as it is listed.
From the new red flag H5 price range 159,800 – 225,900 yuan, take the route of the people, with the car market more and more young, the new red flag H5 adopts a short front overhang/long rear overhang design, plus a low center of gravity and a slippery back roof, the overall shape is more fashionable and dynamic, is catering to the preferences of contemporary young people.
The new Hongqi H5 focuses on "smart + luxury". It is said that the appearance, configuration and power are all good. How is the actual performance? I will explore with you.
The appearance design is more fashionable, the oriental aesthetic is new Chinese style, seizing the hearts of young people?
In an era where beauty is justice, let’s take a look at appearance first.
We tested the 2023 2.0T Zhilian Banner Chang version. The color scheme is a very atmospheric "Quantum Silver Grey", which looks full of aura. Although the appearance caters to the young market, it still retains the majestic atmosphere of the red flag. The iconic red logo extends from the middle of the grille to the front hatch cover. The front face adopts a large-size air intake grille design, which is quite domineering. The LED headlight groups on both sides are sharp-eyed and support automatic headlights, LED daytime running lights, adjustable headlight height and delayed shutdown.
From the side, the roof line begins to slide after passing through the B-pillar and extends to the rear of the car, which looks very sporty. The tail is joined with the mainstream through-taillights, and the overall shape is more fashionable and technological.
Desktop is a map, vehicle-level OTA upgrade, smarter configuration
Entering the car, the overall design looks simple and atmospheric, the three multi-function steering wheels feel good, and the "scroll wheel" operation on the left and right sides is also quite silky. The center console is equipped with a 12.6-inch central control screen, as well as an instrument screen and a HUD head-up display. In the era of intelligence, Hongqi is also catching up with the trend of the times, and the intelligent level of the new Hongqi H5 is also quite outstanding. Compared with the network ecology of other models, the ecological integration is good. The new interactive design of "desktop is map" is really quite practical, and other user scenarios such as travel, accommodation, clothing, food, listening, watching, and payment revolve around the map.
As for voice commands, the editor tried precise commands such as "close the main driver’s window" and "open the sunroof", which are completely OK, but what is more surprising is that it can also issue vague commands, such as the editor saying "I’m hot", and the vehicle will automatically reduce the temperature of the air conditioner. The editor checked and found that there are as many as 17 functions of voice control, so you don’t need to do it if you can move the port.
In addition, car owners can also use the "Hongqi Zhilian" APP to remotely find a car, unlock it, warm up the car in advance, turn on the air conditioner and other operations. It can be seen that Hongqi understands young people.
It is worth mentioning that the new Hongqi H5 supports OTA upgrades for the whole vehicle, which means that in addition to OTA upgrades for the five major systems of auxiliary driving, infotainment, power, chassis, body comfort, interconnection, and 40 + controllers, it also supports FOTA firmware upgrades, which means that the update can be completed at home without having to go to the store.
Wheelbase over 2.9 meters, more space, seat upgrades, leapfrog driving experience
As a B-class car, the new Hongqi H5 has a length, width and height of 4988/1875/1470mm, and a wheelbase of 2920mm, which is half a circle larger than the Accord and Camry models of the same level. Therefore, it performs quite well in actual space, and the riding space has reached the level of C-class cars.
Riding comfort has always been an important indicator for consumers to buy a car. In terms of seats, the new Hongqi H5 is wrapped in imitation leather + genuine leather, which feels soft and comfortable to sit on. The wrapping on both sides is also very strong, and the back support is also very good. The front seats can also be electrically adjusted in 8 directions, supporting ventilation, heating, 4-way electric leg supports, and what’s more, there is an 8-point pneumatic massage, which is really comfortable.
High-strength body structure, rich safety auxiliary features, pay attention to respiratory health
The new Hongqi H5 is also quite in place whether it is active safety, passive safety or health safety. It is understood that the new Hongqi H5 uses high-strength steel on a large scale to ensure the strength of the body. At the same time, the 9H4M body structure improves the stability of the body and ensures the living space of the occupants. This standard is higher than the 2021 version of the C-NCAP five-star safety design standard, and the 9H4M body has a 30% improvement in impact resistance compared with the previous generation 9H body.
In addition, the new Red Flag H5 also takes into account the safety of pedestrians outside the car, using a multi-stage energy-absorbing front bumper and a spider web energy-absorbing and dissipating hair cover, which can effectively reduce the damage to pedestrians’ heads and legs. The 2.0T Zhilian Flag Chang version of the test drive comes standard with adaptive cruise, front and rear collision warning system, active braking system, lane departure warning and maintenance assistance, road traffic sign recognition, fatigue monitoring, automatic anti-glare rearview mirrors, etc., which can be said to be very safe.
As for the health and safety of the car, the new Hongqi H5 is equipped with an air quality monitoring system and can automatically adjust the planned air according to the concentration of PM2.5 in the car. In addition, the cockpit uses 8 low-volatile and low-odor materials, combined with environmentally friendly production processes to improve the air quality of the new car.
2.0T + 8AT, abundant power, smooth and fuel-efficient, and outstanding power performance
To say how powerful a car is, of course, you have to drive it to know. The 2.0T Zhilian Banner Chang version of the test drive is equipped with a 2.0T engine and an 8-speed manual transmission, with a maximum power of 224 horsepower and a peak torque of 360 Nm. The data is quite eye-catching.
The small series personally tested that when driving, the steering wheel is relatively light, the control is very silky, providing a good feel, and then the starting throttle response is also more positive, the acceleration explosive force is also very strong, deep stepping on the throttle can bring a certain sense of pushing back, and the power reserve is abundant, the middle and rear overtaking is very confident, the gear shift is also very smooth, and the downshift is also very fast when overtaking, the power performance is enough to meet the daily road conditions.
As a family car, the editor is actually more concerned about whether to meet the daily commuting needs. The new Hongqi H5 is not small, but it is quite flexible when turning, regardless of the narrow area for multiple U-turns or corrected trajectory parking, the steering operation is light and the steering radius is relatively small. The editor is still quite satisfied.
In terms of chassis suspension, the new Hongqi H5 features a McPherson-style independent front overhang. The chassis adjustment is more oriented towards driving comfort, and the acceleration performance is good. The editor still likes this adjustment performance. As a family car, this adjustment is in line with vehicle positioning and meets the needs of most consumers who commute.
Write at the end
Overall, the new Hongqi H5 has an atmospheric appearance, rich configuration, ample space, and satisfactory driving experience. Although it is priced close to the people, it is essentially a luxury brand that rivals the standard. However, some of the configurations of high-end models are further decentralized to entry-level models, in order to improve the overall configuration level of the vehicle.
The upgrade of the new Hongqi H5 this time, whether it is the appearance, interior design, or even the configuration and power, has been further improved, and the cost performance has been further highlighted. Finally, the editor recommends that you must try it yourself to confirm whether it meets your needs.