Dongfeng presented the mid-size crossover Aeolus Haohan in mid-2023. At that time, only the gasoline version entered the market, but in addition, hybrid and purely electric versions were announced. In the early stages, they were given different names (Haohan PHEV, Sky 01 EV), but a year ago, production-ready electrified crossovers were shown under the general index Aeolus L7. The start of sales was blurred, and now Dongfeng has carried out a small modernization of these cars and restarted their sales.
On the outside, the Aeolus L7 differs from the petrol Haohan model only in the design of the front end with a different bumper and a blind panel instead of a radiator grille. The length of the crossover is 4685 mm, the width is 1900 mm, the height is from 1610 to 1625 mm depending on the version. The wheelbase is 2775 mm, the wheels can have a diameter of 18 or 19 inches.
A small instrument display is installed in front of the driver, but in the center of the front panel there is a large (14.6 inches) tablet of the media system, which is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 processor. Initially, such multimedia was reserved only for electric versions, but since the beginning of this year it has also been installed on the gasoline Haohan (initially it had a vertical screen). The list of options includes 128-color contour lighting, an air freshener, 50 W wireless charging, a voice assistant with artificial intelligence, a key application in the smartphone and textured leather seat trim. The trunk volume is 413 liters, but purely electric versions have an additional underhood compartment with a volume of 55 liters.
The Haohan/L7 family is based on the universal DSMA 2.0 platform, which allows the production of electric vehicles or hybrids. Battery versions have a single electric motor on the front axle, its output is 163 hp and 240 Nm or 218 hp and 310 Nm. Cars with a basic engine can have a traction battery with a capacity of 50.8 or 61.2 kW h, and powerful versions rely on a 62.3 kW h battery. The range of the junior modification is 430 km, and the rest – 518 km according to the CLTC cycle. The curb weight is 1618 kg, 1720 kg or 1740 kg, respectively. The maximum speed of all versions is limited to 160 km / h.
Plug-in hybrids have a parallel-series power plant Mach DH-i, developed by the Dongfeng concern. It includes a 1.5 turbo engine (154 hp, 240 Nm), which can be connected to the front wheels via a four-speed DHT transmission. Among Chinese hybrids of this type, this is a record for the number of gears (previously there were a maximum of three). The traction electric motor (136 hp, 260 Nm) is also installed on the front axle. The total output of the system is 360 hp and 615 Nm. Hybrid cars are equipped with batteries with a capacity of 17 kW h or 30.3 kW h. In the first case, the purely electric range is 110 km, and the total is 1,400 km. The older battery provides 205 km and 1,500 km. However, the company stated that the testers managed to drive such a hybrid for as much as 2,239.6 km without refueling or recharging, winding circles around the resort island of Hainan! The weight of the gasoline-electric SUVs varies from 1,725 kg to 1,800 kg, but the acceleration time to “hundreds” (6.9 s) and maximum speed (170 km / h) remain unchanged.
The Dongfeng Aeolus L7 is offered at very reasonable prices, even by Chinese standards. Electric versions in China cost from 95,000 to 130,000 yuan (13,000 to 18,000 dollars), and plug-in hybrids cost from 100,000 to 140,000 yuan (14,000 to 19,000 dollars).
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