For almost two decades I have been reviewing most aspects of consumer technology, but I have never been a car buff. For many years, this meant getting
For almost two decades I have been reviewing most aspects of consumer technology, but I have never been a car buff. For many years, this meant getting from point A to point B; now, thanks to electric cars, there is actually a medium of relaxation. Some of the best electric vehicles manage to address some of my biggest grievances with cars, while many of these best cars I would have never expected to be made by the respective manufacturers. I loved the immersive entertainment when sitting in the Sony car AFEELA, but my greatest concern is a serious lack of killer use cases for many of its features.
The car I have long wished to be in? The Xiaomi SU7 SUV, and I just had my first opportunity to do so. I find it one of the most thoughtful car interiors ever made, with features that I know I could use every day. Listed here are five features of the Xiaomi SU7 that all carmakers need to provide.
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Screen mirroring and apps
Therein lies the added advantage of being a phone manufacturer at heart; The Xiaomi SU7 aligns with your existing technology in a far more natural way than Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, or the Tesla infotainment.
Natural screen mirroring takes place by default; a window floats above the infotainment system displaying your phone screen, but you can pin any app of your choosing on your infotainment home screen. The phone-mirroring window is resizable, draggable, and interactable just like on a folding phone, letting you enjoy the full functionality of any app and all this at an input rate of 60 frames per second.
Sitting inside the Xiaomi SU7 and seeing this firsthand had me thinking: the Xiauni SU7 is the car Apple ought to have built. The SU7 does support CarPlay, which is basically a must if you are going to support the iPhone, but it is not quite as well integrated as with the best Xiaomi phones. That makes it the best phone integration with a car. Period.
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Questionable Range and Lightning-Fast Charging
It was my first time inside a Xiaomi SUV, and it had some things that blew me away. All Xiaomi technology- phones primarily- are known to charge very fast, and the Xiaomi SU7 continues this way with extreme promises on charging and range capabilities.
The total range of Max is 810 km, while the normal Xiaomi SU7 has 700 km. Five minutes of charging takes you 220 km, while another ten minutes gives you an overall reach of 510 km. All the specs mentioned above apply to the Xiaomi SU7 Max, while the base model has 138 km and 350 km respectively, whereas the Ultra-the world’s fastest SUV focuses on speed instead of range.
This is actually faster than Tesla’s Supercharger network, which delivers a maximum of ~320-km (on the Model S), even as one should note that the two use different standards of rating. The fast charging in the Xiaomi SU7 shall be the norm among all cars because even if it is rated at a lower rating by different global standards, it would probably be fastest charging.
I have owned a plug-in hybrid ev before, but have been constantly resisting converting to a full-time ev because of charging apprehensions. The few occasions when I’ve had a rented Tesla, it has needed at least a stop of about 30 minutes to charge. For long drives, this can sometimes be multiple stops. I waited for longer ranges and faster charging, and the Xiaomi SU7 brings both home in a big way.
Space, Fridge, and Diffuser
Okay, hear me out: All cars must own the fridge and diffuser like the Xiaomi SU7. The idea with this diffuser is straightforward to change the scent in the car. There’s three options currently available and more will be ordered separately. The fridge is in a league by itself. It can store up to 6 cans and is suitable for hot and cold items. Oh, and it’s easily accessible from the front or rear seats, with its location under the center console and opens from the rear.
Right above it are two USB-C ports that support 18W charge, while the USB-C port in front boasts 65W. Storage is significant when occupying the great frunk, a big trunk, and numerous compartments beneath the mat of the trunk. The Xiaomi SU7 is a car designed for its user in every possible manner.
Made-to-Measure Technology Matching
Points such as these would most likely find their way through the car-from the experiences given to rear passengers into the probable use cases of owners. Behind the two front seats will be a holder for a tablet, along with the provision of power and otherwise integrated experience with your current technology.
There isn’t really much space for rear passengers-unexpected, given the space bias toward the front plus that sporty-themed look-but still a great experience overall. The rear two seats have heating in two zones, whereas the front has cooling. This is controllable by the rear tablet along with Air Conditioning, Music, and others.
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Integration of Smart Homes
The Xiaomi SU7 is great not only for the in-car experience but also for its overall integration with the Xiaomi ecosystem. You can access the entire range of home appliances from curtains to battery-operated vacuum cleaners, lights, televisions, smart displays, and thermostats, among others, manufactured and sold by the company.
Given that ecosystem, it would be strange if it were not very well integrated into the smart home ecosystem within which the Xiaomi SU7 deeply fits. This would allow you to control a large swatch of your intelligent home from the infotainment screen of the car, while you would also set up routines to activate by either detection of your location or with a single tap on the car screen.
Surprisingly though, you can also use any Xiaomi smart home device to control your car. Warm up your car while you prepare your recipe on the smart display at breakfast? It’s easy. The task of controlling your car while watching television can also be achieved. In terms of integration, it’s fabulous, and sadly, it seems that Xiaomi sells much of its wider ecosystem outside of China.
Finally, the car we deserved
The Xiaomi SU7 leads the pack in connectivity, offers brilliant integration into an already existing technology and smart home, and has an outstanding charge and range. This is the first vehicle manufactured by a phone maker, which makes it different – that difference is that of unlimited potential.
I wanted to drive it, but the Max version is headed to the UK soon, where I was born, and hence might just be my next car there. So far, this model has also followed Xiaomi’s mobile phone pricing model for China by making the best technology more affordable (in most cases), as the base price starts from around $30,000 equivalent and Max version at $42,000. These prices would change if taken over to other countries, but this is a seriously compelling offering.
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