The budget of 150,000-200,000 yuan is limited to pure electric home SUVs, and many of them can’t avoid BYD Song PLUS EV, because its influence can’t be underestimated in terms of market sales, word of mouth and product strength. However, with the intensification of the involution of domestic new energy vehicles, more and more Houlang has also come up with solid product skills and sincere pricing, which constantly attracts consumers’ attention in car selection. The polar fox Alpha T5, which was listed soon, is a good example.
(Extreme Fox Alpha T5)
(BYD Song PLUS EV)
The guide price range of the Extreme Fox Alfa T5 is 155.8-199.8 million yuan. Compared with BYD Song PLUS EV with the guide price range of 169.8-209.8 million yuan, the lower pricing of Houlang is somewhat "unlucky". Now that they are tit for tat, and both cars focus on home use scenes, when will they stay without shining their swords?
Below, let’s compare two specific models, namely, the Extreme Fox Alfa T5 2024 660MAX and BYD Song PLUS EV 2023 Champion Edition 605KM Flagship PLUS, to see who is the household hexagonal warrior. (The comparison models are abbreviated as: Extreme Fox Alpha T5 and Song PLUS EV)
(Extreme Fox Alpha T5)
(Extreme Fox Alpha T5)
In terms of appearance design, the angular lines and flat headlight groups that can be seen everywhere in the front of the Extreme Fox Alpha T5 cater to the front of the car with a lower posture, so there is no need to worry about the visual sense of the front face. The same is true for the side and the rear of the car. The side shape of the polar fox Alpha T5 looks very linear, and the front/rear of the car has a certain push-down design and hidden door handles, which also makes its drag coefficient only 0.245Cd. At the rear of the car, the penetrating light group of the Extreme Fox Alpha T5 is the mainstream design, which can also be seen here in Song PLUS EV.
(BYD Song PLUS EV)
(BYD Song PLUS EV)
The difference is that Song PLUS EV’s latest generation of Longyan aesthetic design, although it has a strong sense of movement and young style, such as the design of a simpler front, a more full sense of side/tail lines and a penetrating taillight group, all indicate that the new Song PLUS EV wants to be recognized by more young people. However, personally, Song PLUS EV is still inclined to the tonality of atmosphere and stability. After all, the outline of the lines, the blackened elements and the light group of the polar fox Alpha T5 are the elements that young consumers prefer.
In terms of size, the length of the Song PLUS EV has certain advantages, and the Extreme Fox Alpha T5 will be more eye-catching in terms of car width, wheelbase and model level. In the external configuration of vehicles, both vehicles are equipped with electric tailgate, front sound insulation glass and keyless entry system. However, Song PLUS EV only provides keyless entry in the front row. When it is used in scenes such as family trips and self-driving trips, it is not as convenient for family members to open the door as Alpha T5.
(Extreme Fox Alpha T5)
Inside the car, for friends who care about the texture and grade of the interior, these two cars will not let everyone down. The polar fox Alpha T5 and Song PLUS EV are covered with materials with good texture in the areas within reach and visible to the naked eye, such as a large number of leather packages in the cockpit and metal plaques.
(BYD Song PLUS EV)
In the interior design, there are almost no physical buttons in the central control of the Extreme Fox Alpha T5, and most functions are integrated in the 15.6-inch central control screen. The technological atmosphere and minimalism are well created, and this style is also liked by many young consumers. The cockpit design of Song PLUS EV is more traditional, such as the layout of air conditioning outlet and central control T-zone, which will be more like an oil truck. This kind of style is also deeply loved by many consumers, especially those who have made the transition from oil cars to trams, and many of them are used to physical buttons. As for which cockpit experience is better, it varies from person to person.
(Extreme Fox Alpha T5)
(BYD Song PLUS EV)
But what is certain is that the polar fox Alpha T5 will have more say than the Song PLUS EV in the intelligent performance of the cockpit. The screens of both cars are 15.6 inches. From the function point of view, both cars have the mainstream apps of car ecology, such as WeChat, karaoke, playing games, audio and video freedom, etc., which are not a problem. The Qualcomm 8155 chip is built into the Extreme Fox Alpha T5, which is synonymous with silky feeling of lathe in the industry, but we haven’t seen it here in Song PLUS EV.
(Extreme Fox Alpha T5)
(Extreme Fox Alpha T5)
In addition, the polar fox Alpha T5 voice assistant has four-tone wake-up recognition, visible speaking, continuous instruction recognition, support for HiCar, original factory interconnection/mapping function, and 3D dynamic navigation brought by 22.8-inch HUD head-up display, etc., and Song PLUS EV did not give it. This series of configurations has greatly improved the car experience. For example, the HUD head-up display allows the driver to check the speed and navigation without diverting his eyes. The four-tone voice wake-up also allows the voice assistant to be the private secretary of every member of the family.
(Extreme Fox Alpha T5)
(BYD Song PLUS EV)
In terms of intelligent driving assistance, the α-Pilot assisted driving system of Extreme Fox Alpha T5 and the DiPilot assisted driving system of Song PLUS EV have reached L2 level. In addition to the basic operations of 360-degree panoramic image /540-degree transparent image, the two cars are also equipped with functions such as full-speed adaptive endurance, lane keeping, parallel assistance and automatic parking.
(Extreme Fox Alpha T5)
(BYD Song PLUS EV)
In terms of hardware, the number of millimeter-wave radars and ultrasonic radars will reach 6 and 12 respectively under the blessing of the intellectual driving rights package presented with the car, but the two millimeter-wave radars and 12 ultrasonic radars equipped with Song PLUS EV have no advantage. Song PLUS EV is not equipped with intelligent driving functions, such as automatic lane-changing assistance, tracking and reversing, and starting reminder of the preceding vehicle.
(Extreme Fox Alpha T5)
(BYD Song PLUS EV)
In terms of ride experience, the front row of Polar Fox Alpha T5 provides electric adjustment of main and auxiliary drivers/seat memory/heating, and the main driver’s seat has lumbar support adjustment. Song PLUS EV provides electric adjustment/heating/ventilation for the main and auxiliary drivers in the front row, but neither of them has seat memory or lumbar support adjustment. In contrast, the front seat configuration of the two cars has its own advantages. In terms of riding experience, the seat texture, side support and head space of the two cars are all good. The test passengers with a height of 177cm sit in the front rows of the two cars respectively, and after the sitting posture is adjusted to the lowest, they all get over 1 fist space.
(Extreme Fox Alpha T5)
(BYD Song PLUS EV)
In the back row, the legroom of both cars can give more than two punches, and the cushion support is not bad, and the sedentary experience as a whole can be well received. However, the seat heating is also provided in the rear row of the Extreme Fox Alpha T5. If the whole family is traveling by car, especially in the Northeast where the fire broke out recently, this configuration is undoubtedly very popular.
Knowing the appearance and cockpit, let’s take a look at the performance of the two cars in terms of battery life and performance. In the battery life, the polar fox Alpha T5 is equipped with a ternary lithium battery with a capacity of 79.2kWh, with a pure battery life range of 660km and a power consumption of 13.9kWh per 100 km. Song PLUS EV is equipped with a lithium iron phosphate battery with a capacity of 87.04kWh. The pure electric mileage of CLTC is 605km, and the power consumption per 100 km is 14.1kWh. It can be seen that the battery capacity of the Extreme Fox Alpha T5 is smaller, but the pure electric cruising range is longer. According to the analysis, apart from the wind resistance coefficient of 0.245Cd, the efficiency of the polar front power system developed by the polar fox Alpha T5 is 95%, and the energy management of the pre-test is also helpful for the polar fox Alpha T5 to achieve excellent energy consumption.
(Extreme Fox Alpha T5)
In addition, regarding the charging efficiency that everyone cares about, the Arctic Fox Alpha T5 with 800V high-voltage overcharge platform has a fast charging peak power of 260kW, which can increase the pure battery life by 260km in 10 minutes, and it only takes 17 minutes to charge to 80% of the battery. The peak power of fast charging of Song PLUS EV is 140kW, and it takes 0.47 hours to fast charge to 80% of the power. This charging efficiency was a year or two ago, which was still the first level in the industry. However, with the advent of the era of high-voltage overcharge, such as facing the 800V fast charging of Extreme Fox Alpha T5, the charging efficiency of Song PLUS EV is inevitably slightly inferior.
(BYD Song PLUS EV)
With regard to battery safety, neither the Extreme Fox Alpha T5 nor the Song PLUS EV need to worry. The former Aurora battery has three durable scenarios of "extremely cold and extremely hot alternation", "high temperature and high humidity aging" and "salt spray accelerated corrosion" for continuous serial verification. The latter blade battery also passed the rigorous acupuncture test, and there was no violent combustion and high temperature.
(Extreme Fox Alpha T5)
(BYD Song PLUS EV)
In terms of power, both cars are equipped with front single motor. The maximum power of the polar fox Alpha T5 motor is 200kW, the peak torque is 360N·m, and the acceleration time from 0 to 100 km/h is 7.5 seconds. The Song PLUS EV motor has a maximum power of 160kW and a peak torque of 330 N m. The official acceleration time of 0-100km/h has not been announced, but it is understood that the 8.02-second 0-100km/h acceleration performance measured by Che Di will be slightly slower than that of the Extreme Fox Alpha T5.
(Extreme Fox Alpha T5)
(BYD Song PLUS EV)
In the chassis part, both cars are mainly for home use, and the suspension is also a four-wheel single suspension with conventional McPherson front suspension and rear multi-link structure. However, the Lingyun chassis of Extreme Fox Alfa T5 has won the "Top Ten Pure Electric Chassis in China", and the aluminum alloy materials and driving of the chassis are optimized and adjusted. Taking the elk test as an example, the measured result of the polar fox Alpha T5 is 76km/h, and that of the Song PLUS EV is 70.2km/h, so it can be seen intuitively that there will be some differences in chassis performance or driving control between the two vehicles.
(Extreme Fox Alpha T5)
(BYD Song PLUS EV)
Editor’s comment:
From the comparison, if you want to say who is the "hexagonal warrior" of the pure electric home SUV, the Extreme Fox Alpha T5 and BYD Song PLUS EV will definitely count. On the face value and interior texture, both cars are three good students; In terms of space, seat configuration and pure electric cruising range, both of them can also play in competing products at the same price. But in terms of my post-95 aesthetic, I personally prefer the design style of Extreme Fox Alpha T5. Including pure electric cruising range, 0-100km/h acceleration and chassis texture, the Extreme Fox Alpha T5 also has an advantage. On the balance, in the "Hexagon Warrior" score of the two cars, the post-wave player Extreme Fox Alpha T5 scored naturally higher.