Text & Photos: Clifford Chow

SINGAPORE

I first stumbled upon the Aion Y Plus last year, when I visited the Auto Guangzhou motor show. Right away, I found its oddball styling intriguing-yet-polarising. But what is a Y Plus? I see it as more of a compact hatchback, rather than a crossover. 

But while Aion’s first car here might look rather odd, just remember that Hyundai brought us the highly popular Matrix at the turn of the century… I bet you’ve almost forgotten about that car by now. I would also go on to say that it takes some real guts for a brand to produce a car as left-of-field as the Y Plus, as you would know by now that EVs by large have become increasingly indistinct. I mean, Clarkson is right, that cars are beginning to look the same, and this applies even more for EVs, which is the reason for that same look, different badge. This stems from the cars needing to be aerodynamic, to attain their claimed maximum range… because for EVs, range is an important selling point.

As for the Y Plus, it is visually inoffensive, boasting angular lines which would make Pablo Picasso smile, while at the same time, being softened with a few round edges, and for a good laugh, topped-off with “cat whisker” like headlights.

I like that the Y Plus feels unpretentious on the outside, as it is on the inside. For the latter, material quality may not be the best, but overall, the Chinese compact does feel well screwed together. I am actually quite impressed by the infotainment system, which is fronted by a 14.6-inch screen, as it responds very quickly to your inputs. Graphics are decently good, and to my pleasant surprise, Aion had also thrown in a voice-activated virtual assistant, with the activation phrase “Hello Baby”... I kid you not! 

While most things are seemingly good with the infotainment’s functionality, for now, the Y Plus only comes equipped with wired Apple CarPlay mobile device connectivity, hence VINCAR EV, the brand’s local distributor, threw in an aftermarket Carlinkit box, to enable wireless connectivity for both Apple and Android operating systems. I do have one other complaint, that would be that audio quality from the factory sound system is rather disappointing.

Since this is the Y Plus Premium variant, it comes equipped with a driver’s side ventilated seat, and also, you gain access to the Aion app. The latter provides access to many of the car’s functions, which is useful, especially when you are away from the vehicle. The app’s most important ones are conveniently made available, the moment you’re logged in. These include window operation, vehicle preconditioning, and also battery preheating.

The rear offers occupants with generous amounts of legroom, and that tall-flat roof helps keep hairdos in-check. For young families, the Y Plus is also quite child (and parent) friendly, since its wide rear entryway means that you will have little trouble buckling their young ones into their child seats.

While there is no denying that the Y Plus is an econobox, it does drive pleasantly well; and even given its height, it holds its own around the bends. The suspension soaks most things our roads throw at it with ease, although when crossing a hump, you can tell that the rear-end could use more rebound damping.

Perhaps, the two main negatives while driving, are that the 215/50R18 Chao Yangs do produce noticeable tyre roar at speeds, and they squeal protest when you load them around a bend. The brakes are also too sensitive.

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Like all EVs, this one is quick off-the-line, Its front-mounted motor produces 100kW (134hp), and 225Nm, gets it going to 100km/h in a humble 9.8 seconds. Power comes from the group’s Magazine Battery, which GAC boldly claims, are safe in the event of a perforation. On average, I managed around 17kWh/100km, which is very close to their claim of 16.6kWh/100km. The battery takes 9.5 hours to trickle charge, when using a 7.4kW AC charger, while a 20 to 80 percent charge via a 100kW DC charger will take 40 minutes. 

While it is far from perfect, the Aion Y Plus has plenty to offer by way of equipment, and it is as entertaining to drive, as it is to look at.

Aion Y Plus Premium 63.2kWh