Hongqi E-HS9 review: Time to trade in your S-Class?

[SINGAPORE] The Hongqi E-HS9 is all about refinement, luxury and prestige, which is something I never thought I would ever say about a Chinese car.

Still, this pure electric, three-row SUV does have a degree of pedigree – it’s made by China’s oldest passenger car brand, created so that Beijing would have something of its own for the party elite and visiting heads of state to glide around in.

It also has presence oozing from the slats of its enormous front grille. The upright prow makes it seem as formidable as the Great Wall of China, and the first time I sat behind the wheel, the bonnet seemed to stretch out ahead of me forever. It parted traffic as if it came with its own motorcycle outriders.

At more than 5.2 metres long, the E-HS9 has enough sheer size to cut an imposing figure on the road, but much of its grandeur is courtesy of one Giles Taylor, whose last job was design chief at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. That’s precisely the sort of chap you want sketching your cars for you, if you’re trying to win buyers over.

Despite Taylor’s hand in the E-HS9, reviewers who compare this with the Rolls-Royce Cullinan are barking up the wrong bamboo pole (or have simply never sat in a real Rolls-Royce). Yes, Hongqi does make the Guoli, which is harder to get and more expensive than a Rolls, but that car is from the brand’s ultra-exclusive Golden Sunflower series, which is strictly for the uppermost crust of Chinese society. In contrast, any proletariat with half a million Singapore dollars to spare can buy an E-HS9.

At least the money buys a magnificent driving experience. The view over that lengthy bonnet is majestic, and the car itself moves like a cloud. Despite its bulk, it’s far from sluggish and anything but clumsy, hitting 100 kmh in a brisk 5.5 seconds and entering corners the way a chairperson enters a boardroom.

Most of the time, it goes about its business in a hushed and effortless way, leaving you to let your head sink into an impossibly soft cushion while you take in the wood veneer and metal cabin trim around you, as well as the oriental artwork that adorns the two touchscreens.

The Hongqi’s size does mean it could really use rear-axle steering, a common feature to large luxury cars that lets them pull off tighter turns. That would make U-turns and car parks less of an ordeal, or maybe the typical owner simply outsources the driving to hired hands anyway.

That wouldn’t be a bad idea. The second row, which has plush individual chairs, leaves you with a sense of opulence and pampered isolation from the outside world. Row Three is where you would stick your least favoured passengers, mostly because the space is tight and lacks air-con vents.

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Even if you use all six seats, the boot holds 255 litres, but if you knock two down you’re left with 1,747 litres, which is more than enough for a serious shopping spree. It’s also much more than what you could carry in, say, a Mercedes S-Class or BMW 7 Series.

Would anyone seriously consider this over either of those German luxury flagships? I would argue that the E-HS9 is as opulent as either of them, and has just as much stateliness to offer. And if comfort and luxury are to your taste, the Hongqi will offer you a feast of them, for nearly a quarter of a million dollars less than the Germans want.

Besides, people prefer SUVs to sedans these days, so it’s not inconceivable that someone would trade an S-Class in for this Hongqi. I bet that is something no one in Germany would ever have said about a Chinese car. But given the size of the E-HS9 and its grille, they really should have seen it coming.

Hongqi E-HS9 Motor power/Torque 499 hp/606 Nm Battery type/Net capacity Lithium-nickel manganese cobalt/120 kWh Charging time/Type 13 hours, estimated (11 kW AC), 48 minutes 10 to 80 per cent (140 kW DC) Range 570 km 0-100 kmh 5.5 seconds Top speed 200 kmh Efficiency 21.7 kWh/100 km Agent Eurokars Elite Price S$498,888 with COE Available Now