Unknown to the battalion barely ten years ago, the manufacturer Wey announces its arrival in Europe with its flagship, the large plug-in hybrid SUV Coffee 01. But who is hiding under this logo which is also reminiscent of that of the American Lincoln whose “very-big” Navigators are often found in the US series? If you answered a Chinese manufacturer, you are correct. But you have not sprained since the answer is given a little higher!
Enough with the jokes. Created in 2016, Wey is one of the brands of the Great Wall Motors group, a Chinese giant founded in 1984 and whose teeth are long. Indeed, the leading SUV manufacturer in the Middle Kingdom, Great Wall intends to make a name for itself in Europe not only with Wey but also with Ora, whose small electric Cat stood out at the last World Cup in Paris. Far from coming out of nowhere and also a partner of BMW for the production of future Mini Aceman and electric Hatch, Wey must therefore be taken seriously. This is all the more true since this manufacturer has, via its parent company, first-choice suppliers, whether European (Bosch, Valeo, Borg Warner, etc.) or home, because Great Wall notably manufactures its own batteries via its subsidiary Svolt. In short, far from being a product cobbled together by a young start-up, this Coffee 01 asserts itself, on paper at least, as successful.
Coffee 01: China is not Europe
Abscesses, you might as well burst them right away. While there is no doubt that with a base price announced at €55,900 in Germany, the Coffee 01 will find customers, not everyone will be thrilled. The French first of all since for the moment, the Chinese manufacturer is still negotiating with partners to be distributed in France, which is not won for the year 2023. The other problem comes from the fact that despite many qualities that we will discuss a little later, the Coffee 01 does not have the profile of the SUV adapted to Europe. Imposing, with a length of 4.87 m long and 1.96 m wide, the machine is much larger than the VW Tiguan and other Peugeot 3008 acclaimed by drivers in Western Europe.
Another downside, like the coffee that some prefer very long and others extremely short, the Coffee 01 will not be to everyone’s taste on board. Indeed, in China, the rear passengers are treated a lot with a very welcoming bench seat where the legs spread out easily. This is the case on board this large SUV with an XXL wheelbase (2.91 m). The other side of the coin, the trunk with 371 liters announced under the luggage cover is disappointing in view of the size of the beast. But there is still enough space to go on vacation and this SUV has other strong arguments to seduce…
100 km without consuming petrol… at ease!
Who has the biggest? Range Rover with the latest Range and its sport derivative which you can find the test here? Mercedes and its new GLC? Lost ! In the game of rechargeable hybrids with XXL batteries, the Wey Coffee 01 makes everyone agree. Placed under the floor between the axles, the battery of the Chinese SUV indeed announces 39.7 kWh of useful capacity, which is more than some 100% electric city cars! Thanks to this rechargeable super-battery on a fast terminal (up to 50 kW of power accepted), Wey announces that his SUV would be able to travel up to 146 km under the WLTP certification cycle. If we were not able to verify it via our certified measurements during this first test, we nevertheless traveled 113 km without consuming the slightest liter of superfood and… without dragging ourselves. Indeed, with an average speed of 56 km/h, our route alternated between the city, secondary roads and a large section of motorway. Contract fulfilled therefore for this large SUV which also boasts good performance.
476 hp and four-wheel drive
Traditional architecture in the world of high-end PHEVs, the Coffee 01 combines a thermal engine, in this case a four-cylinder 2.0 turbo operating under the Miller cycle at the front with two large electric motors. The first of 110 kW is integrated into the automatic box with double clutch with 9 reports (Wey announces that it is house). The second of 135 kW is placed at the back and is in charge of animating, without mechanical connection, the rear axle thus allowing, like a Peugeot 3008 to benefit from four-wheel drive or in 100% electric to make Coffee 01 a propulsion. All this allows you to benefit from 476 hp and 847 Nm of cumulative torque! Impressive, but if the accelerations are tonic (0 to 100 km / h in 5 seconds) and the power always available with a battery that is never completely emptied, do not however expect huge chills. Indeed, the weight is also part of it with, according to Wey, 2.3 tons on the scale. What to fear the worst driving side? Wait for the sequel.
Serious handling
It’s starting to become a habit. If all Made in China products do not all rhyme with quality yet, our latest tests of products from the Middle Kingdom confirm a real rise in power both on the motorcycle and car side, as proven by our test of the compact MG4. The Coffee01 also demonstrates this. If this big baby does not establish new references and does not have the agility of certain European stars, tasting this Coffee 01 is not indigestible. Safe and healthy if not very agile, the fault of its very high mass, this SUV offers services worthy of our time. Yes, its direction is not very communicative and you have to remain vigilant in the tight turns but in the genre, it is quite honorable.
The flank to criticism, the Coffee 01 lends it more on the comfort side. Deprived of an air suspension (it would be under study according to Wey) or a simple controlled damping, the Coffee01 offers a suitable but not soft road feel, also the fault of modern automobile evil with large and heavy wheels ( 21 inches for our test) sources of useless percussion on degraded pavement. But there too, nothing prohibitive. Finally, it should be noted that the Coffee 01 escapes the disease of many PHEVs with a healthy response from the brake pedal with a smooth transition between regenerative braking (adjustable on three levels but not strong enough in our opinion) and friction braking.
Overdose of bling-bling and techno
The design is subjective and everyone is therefore free to like or not the tote style of this Coffee 01. Indeed, the large Chinese SUV steals here and there things already seen elsewhere. Doesn’t this large grille remind you of Audi’s? And the headlights, don’t you think you’ve seen them on a DS7 or a Jaguar F-Pace? Finally, the stern looks like a Toyota, doesn’t it? Anyway, if it presents a melting-pot style, the Coffee 01 cannot hide its nationality on board. Flashy ambient lighting with bright colors, overabundance of screens since in addition to the digital counter and the large multimedia panel (14.2 inches) there is another one below, in particular to control the air conditioning, the Wey puts some full eyes.
This is also the case with materials in daring colors combining, on our high-end test model, white and aubergine, while the materials imitate (or not) leather and Alcantara. If the whole thing is not arranged in a quick way, we are still far from a BMW finish and not sure that this “bling-bling” mixture meets the sober tastes of European motorists.
Another grievance, ergonomics suffers from this too tactile universe with the obligation to take your eyes off the road for too long. Finally, on the ADAS side, the Wey is also a little too much. Beyond the intimidating presence of the driver’s vigilance surveillance camera mounted on the front left pillar, it is the lack of effectiveness of the control of keeping in line, coupled with annoying vocal reminders that annoyed. If Wey affirms that corrections are to be expected on these devices, this confirms that accumulating arguments is useless if they are not well put together. But in terms of semi-autonomous driving, we must admit that there is progress to be made among all manufacturers… without exception!
Not perfect for us but…
If there is no doubt that this Coffee 01 will arrive in France at best during the year 2023 or at worst the following year and that its base price should be close to that offered in Germany (as a reminder 55,900 €), it should not be a hit with us. But we will very soon be talking about Wey and a future model that will be a more formidable competitor for European compact SUVs. In this case a 4.60 m Coffee 02, available in four and two wheel drive to offer an aggressive entry price (under €50,000) and above all with a battery almost as big as that of its big brother…
