FFIRIRSSTT D DRRIVIVEESS
7 AUGUST 2019 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 31
Potent, China-only electric crossover targets Model X and I-Pace
Price £56,000
Engine Twin electric motors,
permanent magnet (front),
induction magnet (rear)
Power 215bhp (f), 322bhp (r)
Torque 535lb-ft
Gearbox Single-spd, all-wheel drive
Kerb weight tbc
0-62mph 4.7sec
Top speed 124mph
Economy na
CO 2 /tax band na
RIVALS Tesla Model X, Audi e-tron,
Jaguar I-Pace
NIO ES6 PREMIER EDITION
D
espite only selling cars in China,
Nio is already the world’s second
most successful premium EV
maker, having delivered nearly
19, 0 0 0 c a r s i n ju s t 1 3 mont h s of s a le s.
Most of those have been the ES8 thatthe company launched with, but the
cheaper and more dynamic ES6 is the
model the brand hopes will propel
it towards its target of producing
100,000 cars a year.
The ES6 sits on the same platform
as the ES8 and plays crossover to its
big sister’s SUV. All-wheel drive is
standard, with the regular version
of the car using a pair of 215bhp
permanent magnet motors, one
turning each axle. The Premier
Edition, driven here, and the
forthcoming Performance model,
up g r a de s t he r e a r u n it t o a b e e f ie r
322bhp induction motor.
There are two lithium ion battery
packs, a 70kWh one as standard and
a bigger 84kWh unit as an option.
Uniquely, Nio offers the chance to
change these in automated swap
stations to facilitate longer journeys.
On the usually optimistic NEDC
testing protocol range varies between
260 miles for the regular car with
the 70kWh unit and 315 miles for a
Performance with the 84kWh pack.
Autocar got to experience the car
on the newly opened V1 Auto World
racetrack near Tianjin – not an
especially likely environment – but
we were able to drive the car hard andwithout restrictions. Performance is
impressively brisk: Nio’s engineers
are proud that their car’s 0-62mph
t i me i s i n t he ‘ fou r-s e c ond c lub’
with the Tesla Model X and Jaguar
I-Pace, and like both those cars it can
generate organ-sloshing longitudinal
g-forces. Auto World didn’t offer
enough space to confirm the limited
124mph top speed, but at the end of
the longest straight the speedometer
was indicating 130kph – 80mph –
and the car was still pulling hard.
While the chassis generates decent
grip, and the ES6’s extremely strong
aluminium structure helps give it
accurate responses, the handling
balance was predictably front-led,
and making faster progress meant
managing the front axle’s tendency
to run wide. The stability control
doesn’t allow any rear-end slip, so
there’s little scope for adjusting your
cornering line on the throttle. Under
serious abuse the battery pack’s
temperatures rise quickly, and after
a couple of laps the car cut its output
to cool the overworked cells. Brakes
a l s o fe lt s t r a n ge , t he Br e mb o d i s c s
coping well but the electrical booster
a dd i n g w e i g ht w he n it t h i n k s a n
emergency stop is required, causing
the pedal to move downwards andm a k i n g it h a rd t o s t ay smo ot h.
Of course, the Nio hasn’t really
b e e n de si g ne d for l i fe on a t r a c k ,
and slowing down to simulate
road paces makes it immediately
better. The cabin is quiet and well-
insulated, ride quality is good and
the effortless torque of the electric
p ow e r t r a i n m a k e s it e a s y t o d r i v e at
an unobtrusively rapid pace, with
regenerative braking far smoother
than the friction system.
Other parts impress, too. The ES6’s
e x t e r ior de si g n i s mor e d i s t i nc t i v e
than handsome, but the cabin is
spacious and well finished. Despite
some lower-rent materials build
quality feels at least on a par with the
Tesla Model 3, and the 11.3in central
display is crisply rendered. The ES6
a l s o ge t s Nio’s NOM I (a s i n ‘ k now-
me’) voice recognition system, which
doesn’t understand English yet but
seemed adept at working out Chinese
instruction delivered from both front
a nd r e a r s e at s. It a l s o c ome s w it h
t he op t ion of a c ut e c i r c u l a r d i s pl ay
s c r e e n w it h a n a n i m at e d f a c e t h at
sits on top of the dashboard and turns
towards whoever is speaking. It’s like
a l i v e e moji; k id s w i l l lov e it.
Prices in China start at theequivalent of £40,000 at current
exchange rates. While there are
no immediate plans to expand
sales beyond its home country,
the company is planning eventual
Eu r op e a n s a le s. I f it c ou ld ge t t he E S6
to Britain at anything close to that
pr ic e , it c ou ld b e on t o a w i n ne r.
MIKE DUFF
NIO ES6
Proof that Chinese car makers are
at the EV vanguard, with Tesla-level
performance for a big saving
AAAAC
It rides well and the cabin is well insulated from noise, but some of the trim materials feel a bit cheap
TESTED 29.7.19 TIANJIN, CHINA ON SALE NOW
TESTER’S NOTE
The ES6 has been
designed to support
partial autonomy, with
the company planning
to upgrade cars
through over-the-air
updates from next
year. MD