Aion V Review

It all seems ridiculous at first - that for the evening, I've decided to give up arguably one of the sweetest two-door roadsters known to today's roads, and returned instead to what's standing before me now in the carpark: A boxy, not-so-powerful electric SUV. The script expected of a petrolhead has been torn up. No self-loving car enthusiast would have allowed himself to descend into this madness.  

But some work days do stretch out longer than others, and when the hunger for euphoria inevitably fades and what's left behind is dull fatigue, the mind involuntarily craves other simple comforts: Acres of headroom, ventilated and massage seats, a supple ride, and of course, impenetrable silence. All of which are to be found in Aion's latest electric SUV, which deftly demonstrates that straightforward sensibility can be quietly winsome.

Not just another electric crossover 

The Aion V marks not just the newest member of China-born GAC Aion's fully electric lineup in Singapore, but also the latest name (or letter) aiming for a slice of the local electric SUV pie. A pie that nearly every carmaker wants in on, by the way; competition in this arena is arguably the most heated.

It's a good thing, then, that it has the looks to set itself apart.

The V may have been built to resemble a 'Cyber T-Rex', but its sense of brawn is mostly due to its boxy styling 

Aion states that it's given the V the face of a 'cyber T-Rex' - with the two large daytime-running light strips strapped across its headlamps and closed snout ostensibly meant to evoke the head of the dino king. And while snarling, vicious aggression isn't the impression one gets from the V, it still feels rugged - in an almost off road-ready manner - as a result of its styling.

Despite its electric powertrain, there is no overt deference to aerodynamics in the form of swooping curves. The car prefers strong, straight lines instead, with its grid-like tail lights, roof rails, and large 19-inch wheels helping to complete its sense of muscularity.  

All of this coheres with the V's size too. At more than 4.6 metres long, and more than 1.65 metres tall, this feels like a proper grown-up SUV, standing slightly above (and apart from) the entry-level electric compact crossovers that are a dime a dozen on our roads. 

Not an entry-level cabin either 

Styling and size aside, the build quality of the V's cabin also makes it clear that this is not an entry-level electric SUV.

Soft touch materials are to be found aplenty no matter where you're seated in the car, with a highlight being the quilted leather-like material used for the door cards (even at the rear). In fact, the one material you'll struggle to find in your immediate line of vision is dark, hard plastic. Elsewhere, the ambient lighting across the dashboard is extra intriguing with its unique double-helix-esque pattern.

Soft-touch materials abound in the cabin, the car's nine-speaker sound system cranks your playlists out with commendable quality, and the V even gets cushy front seats with ventilation, heating and massage functions to boot

Things start to look up even more as you explore the list of equipment on board.

As mentioned, the V offers both of its front occupants heated and ventilated eight-point massage seats, which themselves toe the line between supportiveness and cushiness quite well already.

But that's not where the party tricks end. In place of a central cubby area also stands a storage box that can be dialled down to either -15 degrees Celsius to preserve your box of Magnum Minis on the ride home, or up to 50 degrees Celsius to ensure whatever takeaway you've ordered stays warm to the point of consumption.

Probably a first for a Cat A car: The central cubby doubles up as either a fridge (or freezer) that can go down to -15 degrees Celsius, or a heater to store your takeaway 

Best of all, this dual-purpose fridge/heater doesn't affect ambient temperature within the cabin when in use, thanks to a smart heat dissipation system.

Interestingly, it's the premium-skewing Hyptec HT's user experience (technically a different sub-brand) that the V takes more reference from, rather than that of the Y Plus. The way information and settings are laid out on the 14.6-inch infotainment touchscreen actually makes operation fairly intuitive, while the modern graphics of the 8.88-inch driver's display are likewise pleasing to the eye.

Screens galore: The setup here - modern graphics included - is more similar to the one found on the premium-positioned Hyptec HT, rather than the one on the Y Plus

All this is not to say that more traditional-minded drivers won't miss the presence of physical buttons for simple functions, like operating the sunshade of that massive 2.14 square-metre glass roof, or changing the fan speed. As we're growing accustomed to, however, the Chinese way is instruction by voice, and on this front, the V shouldn't disappoint.

The V is also a superb family car with the amount of space on offer. Its flat floor and good width allow for three to sit abreast very comfortably - and with all the headroom that they'll desire too, given the flat roofline.

Apart from offering rear passengers loads of space, the second row of the V comes with seats that recline quite far back, as well as a sturdy tray table behind the front passenger

The V also carries on the HT's practical quirks: Rear seats that can recline further than those on competitors, and a sturdy foldout tray table that provided reassuring support for our not-so-light 15-inch MacBook Pro - with some rather frantic and heavy typing - when out at a shoot location mid-day. 

Given the car's size, its 427-litre may seem smaller than expected on first glance - but don't let raw numbers fool you into thinking it's still not of a perfectly usable shape and size. 

And finally, not your typical Cat A driving experience

As teased at the start, the largest surprise managed by the V is its ability to offer a non-entry-level experience with the promise of (relative) accessibility. A Category A COE-friendly single motor here sends 134bhp and 240Nm of torque to the car's front wheels, enabling the V to hit 100km/h from rest in 9.8 seconds.  

A nearly-10 second century sprint timing may not sound too impressive at first, but with the instancy and smoothness of electric power once again coming into play, the V doesn't feel in the slightest bit sluggish. It's almost perky even, easily leaving other combustion-powered cars behind when the lights go green, and managing overtakes with cheerful ease.

As we're coming to appreciate more and more from Aion, however, where the V really shines is in nailing the basics down that make the driving experience just that bit more pleasant than the competition.

Even in 'Comfort' mode, the V feels perky enough for Singapore's roads thanks to the instancy and smoothness of its electric drivetrain

For starters, the car's steering weight and brakes are well calibrated for predictability and responsiveness, giving you the confidence to push the limits of its (admittedly lean) performance. Meanwhile, the suspension is nicely-damped: Skewing more towards soft comfort, without ever making the car feel like it's ambling about restlessly when faced with undulations whether in carparks or at higher speeds. 

Other essential qualities accentuate the sense of ease behind the wheel: Fantastic all-round visibility from the large windows, and its elevated driving position, with the low dashboard making it easy to place on the road.

With our driving patterns, the V's 75.3kWh LFP battery would have returned an impressive real-world range of around 480km

All this already builds towards quite a stress-free driving experience, but the presence of a generous dollop of safety assistance features makes things even better. (Blind Spot Monitoring and a fairly amenable Lane Keep Assistance system stand out as the functions coming into play the most.)

In typical Aion-fashion, too, expect the V to be quite the honest marathoner. 

A full charge of its 75.3kWh LFP battery is claimed to return an official range of 485km, and with our driving patterns, we were on track to hit a figure exactly in this 480-ish km ballpark. This excellent efficiency also meant, however, that we were unable to run the V's battery down to even 50% on our four-day drive - but hook it up to an 180kW DC charger, and you should be able to bring it from 30 to 80% in a speedy 16 minutes. 

Continuing to punch above its own weight

In the same way that the Y Plus stands out as one of the most bang-for-buck entry level EVs today, the V continues Aion's delightful penchant for building cars that punch well above their own weight. 

Whether combustion-powered or electric, few rivals at this price point of under $180,000 including COE (correct at time of writing) offer the levels of refinement, generosity in equipment, and rugged presence that the V manages to bring together with finesse.

Sure, this electric SUV may not boast show-stopping power, head-turning good looks, or even the degree of brand recognition that relatively new electric players like Tesla and BYD have managed to accrue over the last few years. But look to it, and you'll find that its essence - as a sensible family car with the ability to soothe and satisfy deeply - is singularly and uniquely formidable too. 

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