Should you seriously consider the AION V mid-sized EV crossover? It's Chinese maker certainly has. Jonathan Crouch drives it.

Ten Second Review

The AION V is yet another electric mid-sized crossover offering technology and value with a premium spin. This ambitious Chinese brand has big UK plans and the V is a sign of just how serious the company is about conquering our market.

Background

Every one of the seemingly endless number of new Chinese brands going on sale here tells us that it's serious about the British market. Some really are. And here's one of them - AION. Their first UK model is the full-electric AION V mid-sized crossover. The brand's arrival here is actually pretty significant because it marks the somewhat tardy arrival on our shores of China's fifth biggest car maker, Guangzhou Automobile, better known as GAC, who sell over 2 million cars annually. GAC was established back in 1997 and since then has launched various sub-brands, including the sports car marque Hyptec and Hycan, a joint venture with fellow Chinese manufacturer Nio. The AION brand arrived in 2017 to offer up-market electrified models and it's this nameplate that's been chosen to represent GAC in the UK, the freshly-formed AION Auto UK a joint venture between this Chinese conglomerate and Saudi independent importer Jameel Motors, who already bring the Farizon van band brand here. Once the AION V is established and the dealer network here is beginning to expand, the company's operations will also expand to include another EV, the smaller UT electric hatch. Other cars will then quickly follow, with six models set to go on sale by 2028. All assuming of course that British customers take to this AION V. Is that likely? Let's take a closer look.

Driving Experience

There's no shortage of engineering ambition here. AION says that the V incorporates 'supercar-led electric drive technology'. The truth is that it borrows its AEP 3.0 platform from the Toyota bZ3X as part of one of several joint ventures the Chinese maker has with that Japanese brand. Various versions of this car's 'all-in-one Integrated Electric Drive' system are bolted to that chassis with the V in other markets. Here, we get a front-driven 197bhp single electric motor energised by a 75kWh battery that claims a class-competitive 317 mile drive range. 0-62mph takes 7.7s helped by the relatively light 1,880kg kerb weight, en route to a modest 99mph maximum. In China, there's also a combustion Range Extender engine with a turbocharged 1.5-litre four cylinder petrol unit acting as a generator to power the battery and electric drive motor. There's no news yet on whether we'll get that version here. With this electric V, expect a soft suspension set-up and light steering, so it's clear that this car isn't targeted at enthusiastic drivers. It uses a MacPherson independent set-up at the front with a cheaper trailing arm torsion beam arrangement at the rear. Driving enjoyment here is more about lowering rather than raising the heartbeat and to that end, AION has wisely prioritised refinement, which should complement the supple ride and make the V an accomplished highway cruiser, aided by its very complete portfolio of camera and sensor-driven drive assist features. There's a 3-mode brake regen system with a 'One-Pedal' feature that'll virtually bring the car to a complete stop when you come off the throttle.

Design and Build

The V is styled quite distinctively and clearly targeted as a mid-sized SUV, with 4,605mm of length, a slightly raised ride height and rugged styling features. It's not the most aerodynamic thing mind you, though the lines of the bluff front end soften as they curve up through the bonnet and unusually-shaped LED headlights. The profile perspective is marked by prominent lower side sills, roof rails, flush-fitting door handles, big 19-inch wheels and a kicked-up lower glass line over the C-pillar to emphasise the rear haunches. Perhaps smartest is the rear end, with its distinctive vertical 'Cyber Dragon Claw' LED tail lamps. Things are a bit more Chinese-generic up-front inside, which means the usual things: buttons banished in favour of a huge central touchscreen; a relatively small crowded instrument display; and twin 'phone charging mats on a dual-level centre console. The middle monitor of this so-called 'Smart Cabin' is 14.6-inches in size and operated by an advanced Qualcomm SA8155P High Performance chip, with features primarily activated by four-zone natural voice control. Unusually these days, the two-spoke steering wheel is perfectly round; and the instrument screen you view through it is 8.8-inches in size. Materials quality seems strong and there are some premium touches like the quilted finish on the door cards. And some novel touches too: unusual door release catches; head restraints that detach so that the front seats can recline to make a bed; and an optional temperature control box beneath the central armrest that can be set to between -15-degrees C and +50-degrees C, so you can chill drinks or warm takeaways. The front seats are clad in vegan upholstery that won't feel much like leather but the chairs themselves look comfortable, with wide bases and decent side support; and there's plenty of storage space, notably below the centre console. But large bottles won't fit in the door bins. The selling points continue in the rear, where both head and leg space are generous by class standards, thanks to the relatively lengthy 2,775mm wheelbase. The flat floor makes it possible to properly accommodate a third centre-seated adult, aided by 1,524mm of rear cabin width. An airy feel is helped by the standard glass roof with its powered sunshade. But only one USB-A charging port is provided at the back. As for luggage space, AION promises '3-layer trunk storage' and though there's a large load lip and protruding wheel arches, the compact torsion beam suspension design frees up 510-litres of cargo space. For perspective, that's 33-litres less than a rival Volkswagen ID.4. With the rear bench folded in an AION V, up to 978-litres of space can be freed up.

Market and Model

The launch price for this AION V was £36,450. And that's pretty competitive for the kind of mid-sized aspiration electric SUV this is. AION Auto UK will be growing its UK dealer network gradually over the next few years towards to targeted total of around 100 outlets, concentrating on working with major groups. The brand has developed a modular showroom display to allow AION spaces to be quickly set up in existing showrooms. It'll help the AION V's cause that standard equipment is generous, including big 19-inch diamond-turned alloy wheels, a glass panoramic glass roof with electric sunshade, a powered tailgate and an integrated heat pump. Inside, you can tick off heated and cooled front seats, a 360-degree surround view camera system, 64-colour ambient lighting, polyurethane 'vegan' upholstery and an 8-8-inch digital instrument cluster. Media features are taken care of by a 14.6-inch central touchscreen incorporating four-zone voice control, Online navigation, wireless 'Apple CarPlay', Online Music and a 9-speaker audio set-up. You can have a bright orange interior colour scheme if you want it. A £1,495 'Premium Pack' upgrade is available, adding genuine leather upholstery, massaging front seats, a fold-out rear table and a temperature-controlled cool and hot box. Safety's well taken care of too, which is why the AION V has a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating. The car gained strong adult and child protection scores in that organisation's crash testing programme.

Cost of Ownership

The range and charging package on offer here is similar to that of other Chinese EVs in this class like the smart #5 and the Xpeng G6. We gave you this AION V's EV mileage figure in our 'Driving' section - around 317 miles from the 75kWh battery on the WLTP cycle - which is pretty class-competitive. The standard heat pump should ensure that the claimed mileage is retained during colder months. Like quite a few other Chinese electric cars, the V doesn't charge especially quickly - at up to 180kW; to give you some class perspective, a rival Hyundai IONIQ will charge at up to 350kW. Still, this V model can DC-charge from 10-80% in 24 minutes. If you're AC charging from home using a typical 7.4kW wallbox, you need up to around 12 hours for a full charge, with about 25-30 miles of driving range added each hour. If you've a three-phase supply and can charge using an 11kW wallbox, then full battery replenishment can be completed in about 8 hours 30 minutes. To ease potential customer fears about buying into an unknown brand, there's a very comprehensive eight year / 100,000 mile warranty. And an eight year / 125,000 mile warranty for the battery. Plus there's next-day parts delivery from a UK warehouse backed by a European parts hub in Rotterdam. You shouldn't have too many worries about quality; AION has topped the JD Power quality charts for years in China. Insurance is group 32.

Summary

Not every unfamiliar new brand gains traction in the UK market these days, but some look more likely to succeed than others. AION seems to be going about establishing itself in the UK the right way and the AION V seems like a decent first stab at the current sales sweet spot in the EV market, that for aspirational mid-sized electric crossovers. Thanks to the fundamental Toyota influence in this design, the engineering here is largely a known quantity. And all the key boxes seem to have been ticked in terms of drive range, cabin space, equipment, safety and warranty. But isn't AION arriving somewhat late to the party here? The brand thinks not, claiming to have watched and waited until the time was right. But is the product right too? It'll be interesting to see if you think so.