Dongfeng Nissan officially opened pre-orders for its new NX7 hybrid yesterday, promising up to 320 km (~198 miles) of all-electric range with a 40 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery and a price tag of $20,000.
When the first-generation Nissan LEAF was tipped with a range of about 70 miles thanks to its 24 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, it struggled to achieve widespread adoption, especially in an SUV-obsessed U.S. market that demands unforeseen trips to Home Depot and blistering range. The company’s latest 2027 Rogue Hybrid is a step in the right direction, using a gasoline engine to generate electricity for a pair of electric motors that provide a driving experience remarkably similar to that of a “pure” electric car, but without a plug-in, it’s still completely reliant on fossil fuels. But the new Dongfeng Nissan NX7? That’s a different story.
The Dongfeng Nissan NX7 plug-in hybrid could be called a “long-range hybrid” in the same sense that Volvo’s And if you’re one of those people who thinks stopping on road trips is a character flaw, a fully loaded and loaded NX7 will take you an astonishing 1,666 km (~1,035 miles) from where you started.
Covering all angles
The new NX7 could be an ideal vehicle for North American drivers who are too afraid of being caught without a charger or too invested in the outcome of one or more silly oil wars to confidently make the switch to EVs, and even at double the starting price of 129,900 yuan ($~19,400), I think it would be a hit.
For that money, NX7 buyers get a fully loaded Model Y-sized crossover (they’re 1/4″ long from each other), with a 17.3″ center touchscreen, a fully digital instrument cluster, and (on higher-spec models) a massive 55″ augmented reality head-up display powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8295P automotive processor and running Nissan OS 3.0 with an AI-powered voice assistant developed with iFlytek which Nissan claims can recognize natural language commands, remember user preferences and even recognize occupants, adjusting vehicle settings accordingly.
On top-of-the-line models, NX7 cabins feature “AI Zero-Pressure Cloud Blanket” seats that use sensors and air cushion assemblies to dynamically adjust for maximum comfort, and include heating, ventilation and a 12-point SPA-level massage function. The front seats can be fully reclined to create a bed-like configuration that will be familiar to Cube owners. The NX7 even offers an onboard refrigerator and a motion sickness prevention system that Nissan claims can reduce motion sickness by up to 83% (which I wouldn’t want to be the one to try, but it looks cool).
Power comes from a 1.5-liter naturally aspirated internal combustion engine generating 98 hp, combined with a 228 hp electric motor and the aforementioned 40.9 kWh LFP battery. It’s not immediately clear whether the NX7 uses a conventional parallel hybrid system like a Prius or a series-plus-plug-in hybrid setup, but Dongfeng’s hybrid technology patents describe a fairly versatile arrangement with four possible operating modes: series hybrid, parallel hybrid, direct engine drive and electricity generation, meaning the vehicle can theoretically use the ICE engine as a generator, drive the wheels mechanically or work in conjunction with the electric motor, depending on what the operating conditions require. It remains to be seen whether any or all four modes will make it to production in the NX7, but it’s an intriguing piece of engineering for a vehicle that promises nearly 200 miles of electric driving range.
The final production version will be shown to the public for the first time at the Guangzhou Motor Show later this month, but today you can let us know what you think of the new NX7 in the comments.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Dongfeng Nissan, via CarNewsChina.
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