Mention the words “Chinese EV” and the first brand that comes to mind is BYD. The carmaker has been proliferating its models for several years now, putting its cars on the road and its brand name on the tip of EV buyers’ minds.
However, if you’re in the market for an EV and want an affordable one at that, the Aion Y Plus is a contender that deserves your consideration. Although Aion was only founded in 2017, the brand belongs to Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC), which has joint ventures to produce cars with Honda and Toyota in China.
Honda and Toyota are known for their quality, reliability, and engineering prowess, and it seems GAC has learnt a thing or two about building cars from them and has applied these lessons to its products.
A DESIGN STORY
Time to tackle the most obvious question first, which is: What is a Y Plus? Most consumers will think it’s an MPV, but Aion actually bills it as a crossover. It’s a quirky-looking one at that, with unique “angel wing” daytime running lights and plastic cladding to add ruggedness.
Interestingly, the rear is neater in comparison. Instead of fancy shapes, there’s just a single tail-light to emphasise the car’s width. Overall, the car’s design isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it is distinctive. If the “Lucky Gold” paintwork seen here doesn’t appeal to you, “Youthful Green” might be a better hue.
Interiors arguably matter more than exteriors and it is here that the Y Plus begins to impress. The door handles are just grab bars, but they’re reassuringly solid. The same is true for the cabin – it’s well-constructed and feels a lot better built than that of a BYD Atto 3.
The cockpit design is cohesive, and instead of going all minimalist, the Y Plus retains buttons on the steering wheel (haptic, but buttons nonetheless). There’s a relatively large 10.25-inch instrument panel, along with a bigger 14.6-inch infotainment touchscreen.
You never have to wait for the latter to load and for users who just want their Apple CarPlay, it’s instantly accessed when you plug in your phone. Unfortunately, wireless functionality for both CarPlay and Android Auto require the use of a third-party dongle. That said, the menu layout itself is a cinch to use, even if it’s your first time.
The Y Plus also has a voice-activated virtual assistant, which you wake up by saying, “Hello Baby”. It is rather smart and knows what you want it to do, but functionality is limited for now.
Though I don’t need this feature, it can do things like open/close your window (or the passenger window if your passenger asks it to) or open/close the sunshade for the sunroof. I tried asking it to activate the rear defogger and the system understood the command, but it didn’t work because the function is not supported.
SPACE IN ABUNDANCE
Thanks to the 2,750mm wheelbase and superb packaging, the rear seats are excellent, offering both headroom and legroom in spades. For those who enjoy (or envision being able to) go camping with the Y Plus, the full reclining front seats can help you create a flat “bed”.
With the help of blankets and pillows, this is possible. And if the weather is too muggy, don’t worry, the Y Plus’ air-con has the potential to recreate arctic conditions. The lowest I dared set the temperature to was 25 degrees, with the fan speed at “1”. And that was only because it was a sunny morning. The rest of the time, the system was set to 26 degrees.
Maybe it’s this test unit, but whatever it was, this overpowered system is just what we need in a tropical country. It could give both Toyota and Mitsubishi – both also known for having wintry air-cons – a run for their money.
Backseat accommodations are fantastic. Legroom and headroom are plentiful, and the roominess puts some luxury cars to shame. Perhaps more space should have been allocated to the boot, whose volume with the seats up stands at 405 litres. Folding the backseats increases this to a more useful 1200 litres, allowing you to stow bulky items.
BRIGHT AND SPRIGHTLY
Fed by a 63.2kWh battery, the Y Plus’ electric motor produces 100kW (134bhp) and 225Nm of torque, putting the crossover in the Cat A COE segment. The WLTP range is 430km, which, for the average motorist clocking 50km a day, should be enough for a week’s worth of driving.
While the output figures look modest, one needs to remember that unlike an internal combustion engine, electric motors deliver power instantly. The Y Plus demonstrates this, quietly providing adequate oomph and enabling the crossover to keep pace with traffic.
It will be a surprise for most drivers to learn that the car takes 9.8 seconds to finish the century sprint, especially if they’ve been driving ICE cars. That’s because an EV, even a slower one, won’t sound like it’s struggling to accelerate.
In Premium guise, the Y Plus gets 18-inch wheels (one size larger than the standard model), which may explain the firm-ish ride. But it’s never jarring or noisy. And this unit, prior my drive, had been a test-drive/demo car for at least three months. I expected squeaks at rattles. There were none.
The latter point is impressive for Aion is GAC’s mass-market brand. Yet, there doesn’t seem to be anything in the Y Plus (apart from some hard plastics) that makes it feel cheap or worse, that it was built to a cost.
PONDER THESE
The Aion Y Plus isn’t a perfect car. The exterior design is not my cup of tea, the interior has hard plastics, and the performance could be perkier. But seen in the context of its price – it’s one of the most affordable new EVs today – and its brand positioning, it is hard to complain.
The Y Plus Premium is tightly assembled, the infotainment is user-friendly, and the passenger space is commodious. Driving range is relatively decent, while the air-con also packs a punch. Oh, and there’s ADAS, too.
If it’s a Cat A electric crossover you seek, the ever-popular BYD Atto 3 is probably the first brand you’re thinking of. But as they say, try before you buy. You might leave the Aion showroom and find the Y Plus suddenly springing to mind.
Aion Y Plus Premium (A)
MOTOR Permanent magnet synchronous
MAX POWER 134hp
MAX TORQUE 225Nm
GEARBOX Single-speed
POWER TO WEIGHT 79.1hp per tonne
0-100KM/H 9.8 seconds
TOP SPEED 150km/h
BATTERY 63.2kWh
RANGE 430km (WLTP)
CONSUMPTION 6km/kWh
PRICE INCL. COE From $152,988
AGENT Vincar EV
