AVATR 12-Hybrid REEV

Ordered in December, picked up the car on March 2nd
[Car Buying Experience] The first car I've bought in my life. I started looking at cars in June 2023. Since I needed a Shanghai A license plate, I had to buy a pure electric vehicle. I almost checked out all electric models priced between 200,000 and 300,000 yuan. Buying a car is really tiring ¨C every day I was online reading various owners' reviews, trying to tell the real from the fake, and also battling with salespeople, using both wits and courage.
All the models I looked at include: BYD Han, BYD Seal, MODEL 3, Xpeng P7I, Xpeng G6, Feifan F7, IM LS7, IM L7, IM LS6, Jiyue 001, Zeekr 001, Avatr 11, AITO S7, BMW i3, Star Era, Zeekr 007, Avatr 12.
I ranked and chose based on looks first, intelligent driving second, and interior space third. In the end, I chose the Avatr 12.
[Usage Needs]
Exterior: There are no ugly electric cars these days; I've become immune to them. I wanted something different with unique recognition. Everyone's car is undoubtedly the best reflection of their personality and taste, just like the life IÏòÍù in my heart ¨C I like being different and hate being ordinary.
Range: I often travel on business trips within Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai, and the company has good subsidies. A single trip range of over 350KM is sufficient. My daily commute is 70km round trip, 50km on elevated roads and 20km on city roads. Charging once a week is acceptable.
Intelligent Driving: Huawei's standard intelligent driving hardware should have no issues with OTA updates for at least 5 years. After test-driving so many cars, I have to admit that Huawei's intelligent driving is indeed the most stable. Although there are still many minor issues, it's better than just PPT promises; I can wait for gradual OTA updates.
I personally don't need city intelligent driving, but highway intelligent driving must be absolutely stable!!! After all, life is only once; it's no joke.
Interior Space: I like road trips. The zero-gravity seat and panoramic sunroof of the LS7 are what I consider standard for road trips. The Avatr 12 has both, and the interior is luxurious enough with ample rear space.
After looking for so long, the Avatr 12 meets all my needs in terms of appearance, interior space, and intelligent driving.
I finally locked in the order for the Avatr 12 in December.
I picked up the car in March, and even the release of the new Zeekr 001 didn't shake my decision. I like riding in cars, not driving them. The only hesitation was the long delivery delay, but Avatr´òÏû that concern with responsible compensation.
Real Feelings
[Range and Energy Consumption]
For my daily commute, I take the Middle Ring Road and Hongmei Elevated Road, with shorter city road sections. As a new driver, I generally drive around 65 km/h on elevated roads in Comfort mode. The average daily energy consumption fluctuates around 15 kWh/100km, and the overall range is between 80%-90% of the advertised range. It might be due to the warmer weather; Shanghai's temperature in March is basically above 10 degrees Celsius. Looking at the energy consumption of other electric cars, the Avatr's energy consumption is average. I'm basically quite satisfied.
IÌØÒâ tried Xiaoju Charging near my home. The maximum power of the charging pile was 120KW. It took 25 minutes to charge 40 kWh, with the power around 100kW. It should charge faster if the battery is preheated in advance. Around 80% of the fast-charging piles near my home are basically 120kW, and there are very few super-fast charging piles nearby. Calculating this way, charging from 20% to 90% can definitely be done in 40 minutes.
[New Car Comfort]
There was no overall odor after picking up the car, so IÌØÒâ bought a formaldehyde test kit. I set the air conditioning to around 20 degrees Celsius and tested it; there was no formaldehyde.
The new car has no abnormal noises. The only abnormal noise was a strange sound at low speeds around 30 km/h, which disappeared after turning off a setting. I've driven it up to 80 km/h, and the sound insulation is good. I haven't been on the highway yet, so I don't know if there will be wind noise when driving at 120 km/h.
The stone blue interior is more beautiful than I imagined; blue exterior with blue interior is a perfect choice. The overall interior is¼òԼ style, but the materials are really solid, with a large area covered in Nappa leather, creating a luxurious atmosphere inside the car.
At noon, I unfold the zero-gravity seat and turn on the massage function for a comfortable nap ¨C comfort is full marks.
The rear space is surprisingly large. My dad is 180cm tall, and sitting in the rear seat doesn't feel like a small bench at all. This is very well done for aÁﱳ sedan.

[Intelligent Assistance]
As a new driver, the Avatr 12's Huawei intelligent assisted driving system is very user-friendly.
New drivers tend to have trouble driving straight. I kept drifting to the right while driving, and as soon as I crossed the line, there would be a steering wheel vibration alert.
The first time I got on the elevated road, there were many cars and the speed was fast, so I was very nervous. I was staring at the road and didn't hear the navigation prompt clearly, so I changed lanes late. I didn't check the distance to the car on the right rear clearly and tried to change lanesǿÐÐ. Suddenly, there was aÉñÆæ force that grabbed the steering wheel from me and turned it back. Two seconds later, a car zoomed out from behind ¨C just thinking about it makes me shudder. Although I took the wrong road, it avoided an accident. According to statistics, the steering wheel has been grabbed twice in total while driving on the elevated road so far. If the Avatr 12 dares to grab your steering wheel, it must already be very dangerous.
Active intelligent driving requires driving 50KM, completing video learning, and passing an exam to activate. I'm still in the stage of honing my driving skills and haven't used highway navigation or LCC yet.
I tried automatic parking, which was very smooth and parked perfectly in the center. I actually learned how to reverse park by following the way the intelligent driving system turns the steering wheel.
New drivers are highly recommended to get Huawei's intelligent driving; it's all about stability.

[Driving Experience]
I like riding in cars and don't have much interest in driving. The roads in Shanghai feel very smooth to drive on, the driving visibility is very open, and the overall driving feeling is good.
The turning radius is a bit large. Making U-turns on the road is troublesome for my poor driving skills. The car is too big, and turning in the parking garage is quite difficult. But on narrow roads, I basically turn on the 360-degree camera and drive slowly, which also allows for smooth driving.
[Complaints]
1. A good panoramic sunroof is divided by the sunshade, and the sunshade can't be folded to the side; it's very obtrusive.
2. As a car with a perfect appearance, the Avatr 12's coolest feature is the illuminated logo at night, but the logo can't be set to always be on. I hope this can be fixed in a future OTA update.
3. Can the navigation route not be displayed on the central control screen? It's a bit tiring to look at. I hope it can be displayed on the front long screen for a clear view. I hope this can be fixed in a future OTA update.

¡¾Highlight Features¡¿

The first things that stand out are the three lidars (one front and two sides), the slim swastika-shaped daytime running lights, the thin electronic rearview mirrors, the dynamic small rear spoiler, the large glass panel extending from the front of the car to the roof, and the 21-inch large wheels paired with red calipers. The vehicle perfectly integrates these highlights, giving it a strong futuristic sci-fi feel! Opening the door, a long "fish screen" spanning the dashboard comes into view, connected with the electronic rearview mirror displays on both sides. The central large screen echoes the streaming media rearview mirror above, complemented by a polygonal flat steering wheel. There are two wireless charging areas on the center console; when you place your phone on it, it automatically sinks and secures, with hidden air vents to cool the phone. The interior features a layered contrasting color scheme of purple and smoky white, and unique wide integrated seats that give a strong sense of ceremony when seated. The car audio system has a 1200W 27-speaker configuration, a suede headliner, power doors, Huawei HarmonyOS 4.0 cockpit, and ADS 2.0 intelligent driving¡ªthese combined make it a top-tier configuration.

¡¾Riding Experience¡¿

Despite its low-slung appearance, it miraculously allows someone like me (178cm, 80kg) to sit in with a high seating position similar to an SUV, yet still has a fist and a half of headroom, without any sense of oppression. The car is over five meters long with a wheelbase of over three meters, providing extremely ample space. Generally, electric vehicles have higher rear seating positions and raised feet due to batteries under the chassis, creating a "squatting on a small bench" feeling, but the 12 doesn't have this issue. The salesperson explained that the 12 has optimized the battery by moving the battery from under the rear footwell and using a special-shaped battery pack. The benefit is a sunken space carved out for the rear footwell, making the ride more comfortable without the squatting feeling. The downside is that the custom battery significantly increases costs, but since CATL is a shareholder, it must enjoy special treatment. The overall riding space feels larger than my current 530Li. Holding the polygonal flat steering wheel at the 2 and 10 o'clock positions isn't awkward at all, much more reasonable than thoseÒìÐη½ÏòÅÌ with the upper half missing. The actual experience doesn't give the fear of missing the grip when turning! The doors are even more distinctive, eliminating traditional door handles. The door opening/closing, door lock, and window control buttons are combined into a strip of touch-sensitive buttons with ambient lights decorated on the door. Below is an integrated armrest that can be cleverly opened as a hidden storage compartment. It feels like the car's designer has a lot of say, laying out both interior and exterior based on design aesthetics¡ªjust wondering how they persuaded the cost department ??.

¡¾Range¡¿

My daily commute mainly consists of urban roads and urban expressways. The temperature here in Zhuhai is relatively high, and I usually use the standard mode. The dual-motor version shows a range of 650 kilometers when fully charged. I commute over 40 kilometers daily: about 15 kilometers in the urban area (stop-and-go, speed around 60 km/h) and about 30 kilometers on the expressway (100¨C110 km/h). The air conditioning is set to 23¡ãC, and I listen to music as soon as I get in the car. The energy consumption is a bit over 17 kWh/100km, almost 18. I once drove over 900 kilometers round trip on the highway, fully loaded with five people and luggage, with air conditioning on and intelligent driving used throughout. I drove 10% above the speed limit on the highway, and the energy consumption was around 18¨C19 kWh/100km. There was over 100 kilometers of mountainous road with many uphill sections, where the energy consumption reached a maximum of 24 kWh/100km. On the return trip, there were two people with no luggage, the weather turned cold so I used the heater, along with music and intelligent driving. The energy consumption increased by less than 1¨C2 units, probably because the heater and night lights consume more power. I set up one charging stop each way: on the way there, I used a bus group fast-charging station, and on the way back, an Li Auto fast-charging station. Both could reach over 120 kW, and charging for about ten minutes was enough¡ªvery fast and satisfying. As long as there's no queue during holidays, electric cars can handle highway trips.

¡¾Driving Experience¡¿

My usual car is a 2021 530Li with the 5AU package on the Premium Edition, which is BMW's top-level L2 driver assistance system, featuring adaptive cruise control, lane change assist with turn signal activation, fully automatic parking (both in and out), automatic braking for obstacles at low speeds, and warnings for approaching people or cars when reversing. It was really impressive on a gasoline car three years ago, but now it seems a bit outdated compared to domestic new energy vehicles, especially when compared to Huawei's intelligent driving¡ªthey're simply not on the same level. To experience Huawei's intelligent driving, I bought the high-level intelligent driving package at half price for 18,000 yuan, but it hasn't been activated yet, which is a pity. I basically use LCC for daily driving, which automatically follows the car ahead, evades vehicles and obstacles intelligently and smoothly, making it very reassuring to use. Compared to BMW's 5AU, which requires pressing the accelerator or a button to start moving again after stopping in urban traffic jams and doesn't make significant evasive moves for cut-in vehicles, making it²»¸Ò to use in urban areas (only on highways). Strangely, during highway congestion, it can fully×Զ¯¼Ýʻ and follow the car ahead but won't change lanes automatically¡ªyou need to use the turn signal, which is still too conservative in logic. After enabling intelligent driving on the highway, there's basically no need for manual driving. I set it to 10% above the speed limit, autonomous lane changing, and aggressive lane change mode, which works best. The 12 should already be in mapless mode and will get smarter the more you drive it, continuously learning on its own. Looking forward to Avatr accessing Huawei's Pangu big data later; after activation, I hope toʵÏÖ fully automatic driving from the garage to the workplace and automatic parking, then just walk away.

In terms of comfort, the actual driving feels very comfortable. Thanks to the double-glazed windows and low wind resistance, the sound insulation is also very good. The overall driving experience isÌرðÏñ a 5 Series with run-flat tires replaced by regular tires. There's no need to blindly emphasize handling, which often comes with stiffer suspension. It's like saying a 5 Series doesn't handle as well as a 4 Series¡ªthere's no point because the positioning of these two cars is inherently different.

The appearance is full of unique design sense; those who like it will really love it, and I am one of those who particularly like it. The space is great, the interior design is full of sense, and the whole car does not give a old-fashioned or business-like feeling.

¡¾Charging Time¡¿
The range extender can reach 120kW of power, which is already very satisfactory, and it can basically be fully charged in just over ten minutes.

¡¾Assisted Driving¡¿
Huawei's assisted driving is still trustworthy. Although there are some minor issues, the fact that it can be used is the biggest progress.

¡¾Space Performance¡¿
The space can be regarded as one of the larger ones in the same class, and the rear row is still very comfortable.

¡¾Least Satisfactory¡¿
The wiper leaves serious streaks. The wiper performance of a car at this price is indeed a bit embarrassing. Although replacing the wiper is not expensive, this aspect of the original factory really shows that the details are not handled properly.

¡¾Smart Cockpit¡¿
The smart performance can only be said to be moderate. The vehicle infotainment system lag is still obvious. It can only be said to be usable, and there is still a gap from being excellent.

¡¾Range and Energy Consumption¡¿
The range difference is not big, which is enough for my usual short trips. Anyway, there is a charging pile at home.