Bitauto’s original Buick GL8 is a name that I believe all Chinese consumers are familiar with. Before the arrival of the second millennium, Shanghai General Motors relied on the GL8 to open up the MPV market. In the following more than 20 years, this Latecomers in the market can only struggle to follow in the footsteps of GL8. But do you think SAIC-GM Buick is satisfied with this? No, now facing the impact of more competitors, SAIC-GM has decided to enter the high-end MPV market, and Buick Century is their answer.
I believe you may still have some memories of last month’s real-life shooting experience. In order to meet the needs of different consumers, SAIC-GM Buick has prepared two models for the Century, a four-seat version and a six-seat version. The four-seat version has a private version. There are two configurations, high and low, for the Yishi version. The guide price difference between the two cars is 80,000 yuan. The main configuration difference is the 32-inch car TV in the rear row. Today’s test drive is naturally the four-seater private version with the highest configuration. SAIC-GM Buick wants us to experience what it’s like to be a boss. Unfortunately, I don’t have the temperament to be a boss. Plus, my colleague’s video talks about “a day in the life of being a boss.” , then let me first talk about the feeling of being a driver.
●Let’s talk about the driving experience first
This power combination is used in many models of SAIC-GM. However, the Buick Century is probably the model with the heaviest curb weight among the models equipped with this power system, so there is a question of "is this power enough?" It’s normal to have questions. First of all, it is definitely enough. Think about the Lexus LM and Toyota Alphard that need to be increased in price next door. However, both of them have electric motors and will undoubtedly have higher low-speed performance than their internal combustion engines. As for the Buick Century, with its relatively less sensitive throttle setting, it seems to be "seduce" you to step on the accelerator more and increase the speed in exchange for overall acceleration performance.
The power output of the engine is very linear, and there is no sudden intervention of the turbine. After the vehicle speed increases, as a qualified driver, maintaining a stable vehicle speed, neither accelerating nor decelerating abruptly, are necessary qualities. Of course, this It's not that the 2.0T engine has insufficient power reserves. During this test drive, I turned from the ramp onto the main highway and accelerated to 120km/h. The entire speed-up process was easy and smooth. I believe the boss sitting in the back seat will be satisfied with my driving.
Compared with the linear accelerator pedal setting, the brakes of the Buick Century require drivers to get used to it. Maybe it’s just me who feels that the braking force is a bit soft, and I need to apply more brakes to get the braking force I expected. . If this is a personal issue, then let's ignore it. After all, there will be friends who like this kind of brake setting. Furthermore, maybe it is done deliberately to prevent large braking force from affecting the ride comfort?
Since it is a "rear seat first" MPV, the Buick Century has no other drivingThe mode can be switched, there is just a default mode, let’s call it “comfort mode”. As mentioned before, the difference between the four-seater private version and the Escape version is the 32-inch rear screen. When the screen is raised, the front and rear rows can be separated to create a private space in the back row. However, for the driver in the front row, some problems also emerged. For example, when turning, I need to observe the situation of non-motorized vehicles on the side and rear. When I looked back, I could only see a "wall", which made me feel a little flustered for no reason. Fortunately, SAIC-GM Buick has taken this into consideration.
In terms of driving assistance, L2 level driving assistance is now standard on new cars, and the Buick Century is no exception. It comes standard with the eCruise Pro advanced intelligent assisted driving system, including ILC command lane change assistance (all scenarios) , APA automatic parking assist system and SRP remote control parking assist and other 17 advanced intelligent assisted driving functions. In the future, NOP intelligent pilot with automatic lane change assistance based on navigation routes and entry and exit ramp assistance will be upgraded through OTA.
It’s finally my turn to experience what it’s like to be a boss. This 18-way adjustable cloud-sensing seat is really comfortable and has a lot of space. I’m 186cm tall and my feet are still close to the TV wall when I lie down. A little distance. In order to further improve comfort, SAIC-GM Buick has newly designed a rear five-link independent suspension for the Century with a smaller trailing arm angle to reduce the transmission of road bumps.
This feeling is especially obvious when passing a speed bump. The suspension compresses and rebounds very quickly, and the car body will only shake slightly. After passing the speed bump, there will be no unnecessary shaking, giving you the feeling of riding on a boat. , I think the chassis and suspension performance of the Buick Century are worthy of its guide price of about 600,000 yuan. Of course, from the perspective of consumers, they definitely want it to be cheaper. Coupled with the all-round noise reduction technology, the impact caused by the speed bump will only make two slight "dong, dong" sounds in the cabin except for a few light shakes.
Perhaps the Buick Century controls wind noise very well, and the noise from the tires is a bit obvious in comparison. When I lie down in the back row, my head is just above the rear wheel, and I can feel some noise from the rear wheel. If I were a boss who wanted to rest in the back row, I would not be too happy to hear this sound. Of course, this cannot be ruled out because of the image of rain on the day of the test drive. I will try it again when I have the opportunity in the future (it seems that the boss has not done enough).
●Let’s review static content
Okay, that’s enough content for the test drive. Let’s briefly review the static content of the Buick Century Four-Seater Private Edition. As the new flagship MPV of SAIC-GM Buick, the Buick Century is built based on the new large-scale luxury MPV architecture. Its appearance continues the Pure Design design concept of the Buick MPV flagship concept car, which is intended to simplify the appearance design. At the same time, some of the Buick brand's specialized featuresThe genus element is not absent either. In addition, as a new car under the Buick brand, Buick Century naturally also adopts a new three-color shield logo.
The interior of the Buick Century is still a relatively traditional MPV interior style, ensuring ample front row space. There are some shadows of the GL8 in the design. At the same time, the interior has been fully "touch-controlled" in compliance with the current trend. The air conditioning control and steering wheel multi-function buttons are all touch buttons. Of course, the most eye-catching thing on Century's dashboard is the 30-inch integrated curved screen with a resolution of 6K. This screen is also the core of the VCS smart cockpit.
All three Buick Century models are equipped with Fine Nappa semi-aniline leather seats, which are very comfortable. In terms of seat configuration, even if you are the driver (no disrespect intended), you can also enjoy seat heating and ventilation functions, which are standard for all series, but there is no massage function, but I think it is enough. Of course, due to the image of the screen wall between the front and rear cockpits, the reclining angle of the front seat backrests is limited.
Use one word to describe the rear cockpit, that is: luxury. The liftable 32-inch smart TV is an exclusive configuration of the four-seater private version. It can provide online audio and video entertainment, and also supports mobile phone screencasting to watch the content you want to watch. In addition, the Buick Century four-seater model has a specially customized Bose Executive Edition sound system. The private version has 21 speakers, and the rear cockpit is surrounded by 16 speakers, including the headrest positions of the rear seats; the four-seater Escape version There are also as many as 18 speakers.
The rear seats can be adjusted in 18-way zones, and the maximum tilt angle of the backrest can reach 160°. This is why Buick calls it a "160-degree cloud-sensing seat." I won't go into details about the configuration. , because this four-seater private version has all the configurations you can think of or you can’t think of. The functional control of the entire rear cockpit is basically realized by the 8-inch screen between the two seats. One of the two Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chips in the four-seat private version is in this screen.
For more detailed experience content, you can go to: "Carry out luxury to the end, real shot of Buick Century Four-Seat Private Edition"
Editor’s comments:
The launch of the Buick Century has undoubtedly brought the domestic MPV to a new height. Jokingly speaking, the Buick Century should be the "most expensive domestic 2.0T" at present. Many friends are familiar with the combination of 2.0T+9AT, so in terms of driving, Buick Century does not bring us many surprises. Of course, its focus is on the riding experience in the rear row. The rear row configuration is almost full, and the suspension adjustment The car is comfortable and the NVH performance is also very good (leaving aside that little problem), I believe most owners will be satisfied with the rear of the Buick Century.I am satisfied with it, so don't worry about the Toyota MPV next door that has a higher price. The Buick Century is also very good.
The Bitauto popularity list shows that Buick Century has an average daily attention of 15,400, ranking 18th on the MPV popularity list. For more data, please view the Bitauto App.