Hongqi E-HS9 in the test: Rolls

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The 5.21 meter long Hongqi E-HS9 electric SUV is an imposing sight.

But despite the full format, the space in the interior is rather average.

Photo:

Hongqi

The first impression:

Look!

Me!

On!

The Hongqi E-HS9 demands attention.

The massive radiator grille rounds off the massive appearance - even if it is no longer needed for the electric version of the SUV.

Local luxury SUVs, on the other hand, look almost delicate.

That's what the manufacturer says:

It doesn't always have to be a Maybach, nor does it have to be a Rolls-Royce or Bentley.

With the luxury brand Hongqi, the Chinese car company FAW is appealing to the patriotism of the domestic elite.

"Chinese New Noble & Exquisite" is what the managers call the concept with which they want to keep the money of the rich in the country.

However, the design comes from Giles Taylor, formerly in charge of Rolls-Royce styling.

His studio is in Munich and not at the headquarters in Changchun.

Nevertheless, patriotism is apparently well received by the much better off in China.

Last December alone, Hongqi sold almost 40,000 cars there and achieved an increase of 50 percent with 300,000 vehicles in the whole of 2021.

"That was the best year in our history," reports the company.

Even better numbers are expected for 2022.

The electric version of the HS9 has also been available in Norway for a few months and is selling well there.

Rolf Rørvik, sales manager at multi-brand dealer Motor Forum in Stavanger, delivered two dozen Hongqi in January and February alone.

Demand is similarly high at the other locations.

The E-HS9 gets up to 200 registrations a month and has already made it into the top 20 in Norway.

However, the retailer attributes the success less to the eye-catching design and more to the ample space at a moderate price.

»There is no other electric SUV with such a large interior.«

We noticed this:

Hello Echo?

The cabin is so big that one is inclined to test whether a call echoes back.

At the same time it seems appropriate to whisper - the interior looks so elegant.

Leather surfaces are elaborately quilted, the veneer is decorated with pinstripes, the carpets look as thick as in a grand hotel.

And everything is done in bright colors.

Even if wood and leather don't always feel as good as they look - the E-HS9 caresses the occupants with a plush interior right down to the large seats, with a choice of 2-3-2 or 2-2-2 seating.

They are soft as cotton, air-conditioned and equipped with a massage function.

There are even pillows strapped to the headrests.

Specifications Hongqi E-HS9

China's penchant for the connected and digital shines through in the Hongqi's instruments.

Three 16-inch (approx. 41 cm) screens flicker across the dashboard, taking up almost the entire width of the vehicle.

For all its opulence, the E-HS9 is less spacious than it could be.

Because the car is also available in China with a combustion engine, it does not use a skateboard platform with a battery in the floor, a wide wheelbase and even more space in the interior and for additional cargo.

The driving behavior itself, however, is hardly inferior to that of European electric cars: the steering would probably be more direct with BMW and the air-suspended chassis would be firmer.

But that fits somehow with Norway, where you can only drive 80 kilometers per hour on country roads and no faster than 100 kilometers per hour on the motorway.

The drive is beyond all doubt – especially in the top model.

This accelerates the kick-down with squeaky tires to 100 km/h in well under five seconds, with an unladen weight of almost three tons.

The big car even masters pass roads between fjords without sacrificing much fun.

At best, it gets tricky because of the large turning circle, which competitors are now reducing with rear-axle steering.

In addition, the HS9 recuperates so much that you can drive it almost without mechanical brakes.

The charging power of a maximum of 100 kW at the direct current column and 11 kW at the wall box is a bit difficult to refuel at times.

You have to know that:

Hongqi is the luxury brand of the large corporation FAW and means »Red Flag« in English.

This explains the red LED strip in the center of the cooler.

Hongqi was the first Chinese car brand and, starting in 1958, initially produced parade and representative limousines for the cadres of the party and Politburo based on American Chrysler models.

Hongqi later switched to Audi offshoots before the brand discovered public business with independent models in recent decades.

more on the subject

China's luxury brand Hongqi: Red flag on the riseBy Tom Grünweg

The change was accompanied by sensational studies.

Sometimes they looked like copies and sometimes like caricatures of European luxury models.

It is true that the production cars are also heavily oversubscribed for the European taste.

But they seem more down-to-earth and more serious - also due to the work of the design and development center in Munich.

Opened in 2018, it is a testament to the Chinese people's global ambitions.

Norway should therefore only be the beginning for Hongqi in Europe.

The 5.21 meter long E-HS9 is available there either with two 160 kW machines and 84 kWh battery (gross) for a standard range of 380 kilometers or with 160 and 245 kW and 99 kWh battery, with which the range climbs to up to 450 kilometers.

Prices in Norway start at the equivalent of around 61,500 euros.

That's a lot of money for a China import.

Measured against the European competition, the E-HS9 is a bargain: the smaller BMW iX costs the equivalent of 68,000 euros there, and anyone looking for a counterpart in the combustion engine world will end up with the BMW X7 for at least 147,000 euros.

We won't forget that

, despite all the striving for European luxury, in the end a lot of Chinese influence crept into the details.

This applies to the characters in the door sills and on the lid of the storage compartment under the bonnet.

And even more for the brilliant graphics behind the wheel.

The zodiac sign is also displayed there for the date.