Spring City in October, with crisp autumn air and high skies. Amid the gentle breeze of Dianchi Lake and the verdant slopes of Western Hills, the "Read the Landscape, Embrace the World" Hongqi G919 Test Drive Experience Camp Kunming Station officially kicked off recently.
Recently, FAW Hongqi launched the G919 nationwide, with three models available and an official guide price range of 349,800 to 429,800 yuan. The Kunming station event invited Yunnan-region automotive media, Hongqi owners, and prospective customers for an in-depth experience, testing the product strength of this Hongqi flagship rugged off-road SUV up close on the off-road course within Yulongwan Park.
Spring City Kickoff: When the National Car's Rugged Character Meets Yunnan's Mountains and Rivers
Yunnan is one of China's provinces with the deepest off-road culture. From the historic Yunnan-Myanmar Highway to today's Tiger Leaping Gorge and Meili Snow Mountain viewing routes, Yunnan's mountain roads and river valleys are naturally a touchstone for testing a rugged SUV. Hongqi chose Kunming as an important stop of the test drive experience camp precisely in the hope of using the region's most representative complex road conditions to prove to users the G919's product positioning of "capable of traversing the city and conquering the mountains."
The Kunming station was conducted on a professionally designed off-road course at Yulongwan Auto Park: hump sections, steep slopes, water-wading sections, crater pits, single-side bridges, and cross-axle sections not only test body rigidity, chassis vibration filtration, and cornering support; the steep inclines, side slopes, and crater pit sections also let participants personally experience the four-motor vector drive and "three locks" capability to escape low-traction surfaces.
At the event, a Hongqi manufacturer representative stated: "The G919 represents Hongqi's flagship-level answer to the high-end off-road market. We hope Yunnan users, on the mountain roads they know well, will truly understand what 'Read the Landscape, Embrace the World' means."
Design: Carving Eastern Mortise-and-Tenon into a Box
As Hongqi's first body-on-frame rugged SUV, the G919 did not take the shortcut of "replicating overseas box designs" in its styling, but instead fully infused Chinese aesthetic logic into the body. The new vehicle measures 5135×2050×1950mm in length, width, and height respectively, with a wheelbase of 2900mm—a genuine full-size box.
The most recognizable element of the front fascia is the "Alpine Flying Waterfall" grille, inspired by traditional Chinese mortise-and-tenon structures, with vertical slats progressing layer by layer and Hongqi's signature red flag emblem extending straight along the centerline to the front edge of the hood. The "Round Heaven, Square Earth" state-gift headlamps on both sides adopt a circular retro silhouette, with 15 internal LED beads symbolizing "a full moon at the heart of heaven," delivering both ceremony and technological atmosphere when illuminated.
The body-side lines are flat and powerful, with thick anti-scratch wheel arches and door cladding reinforcing the rugged character; the rear-mounted spare tire, bow-and-arrow-shaped LED taillights, and roof expansion platform interfaces all hint to users of this vehicle's off-road pedigree. The display vehicles at the Kunming station offered multiple color options including Blazing Orange and Muchuan Blue, with Blazing Orange appearing particularly striking under the Spring City's soft light.
Off-Road: Four-Motor Vector Drive + "Three Locks"
The G919's core product selling point is its Honghu off-road platform and self-developed four-motor distributed drive system. The new vehicle is built on an all-new body-on-frame architecture with ladder frame, with frame torsional rigidity reaching professional off-road standards, paired with an air suspension system that can automatically adjust body height and damping according to road conditions.
On the powertrain side, the G919 uses a 2.0T range-extender engine (155kW/340N·m) as a generating unit, with the drive system composed of four motors in vector-controlled four-wheel drive, delivering a combined system power of 620kW, combined torque of 1320N·m, wheel-end torque of up to 18500N·m, and an official 0-100km/h acceleration time of 4.5 seconds. These figures are almost a dimensionality-reduction strike against traditional rugged off-road SUVs.
In terms of off-road hardware, the G919 is equipped with front and rear mechanical differential locks plus an energy center lock, forming a true "three locks." Unlike electronic virtual locking, the front and rear mechanical locks can achieve hard connection under extreme cross-axle conditions, and combined with the four motors' millisecond-level torque vectoring, can precisely deliver power to wheels with traction. At the Kunming station off-road experience area, media guests made multiple attempts on crater pit and side slope sections, and the vehicle showed no obvious slipping or getting stuck.
It is worth mentioning that the G919 had previously completed high-speed crosswind safety testing at CATARC—entering an Level 11 crosswind zone at 150km/h, the vehicle maintained its lane and drove normally throughout, earning an official certification. For users who frequently encounter crosswinds on Yunnan's mountain highways, this test result has direct practical significance.
Range and Recharging: 1350km Combined Range, 12-Minute Recharge
The biggest concern for rugged off-road users is the recharging anxiety of new energy vehicles during long-distance expeditions. Hongqi G919's solution is a two-pronged approach of "range extension + high-voltage fast charging."
The new vehicle is equipped with a 62.9kWh ternary lithium battery pack, offering a CLTC pure electric range of 280km, sufficient to cover the weekly urban commuting of the vast majority of users; with a full tank and full charge, the combined range can reach 1350km—from Kunming to Shangri-La or the Dali loop, there is no need to specifically search for charging stations along the way.
In terms of charging efficiency, the G919 is built on an 800V silicon carbide high-voltage platform, with official data showing that charging from 30% to 80% takes only 12 minutes. This means that in the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee at a highway service area, hundreds of kilometers of range can be restored, greatly reducing the time cost of long-distance self-driving.
Cabin: Chinese-Style Luxury Beneath a Rugged Exterior
Sitting inside the G919, the most intuitive impression is that "rugged" and "luxurious" are not opposites. The cabin is wrapped in large areas of soft leather, paired with diamond stitching and metal trim pieces, while the suede headliner presents a delicate sheen in sunlight. The five-seat layout feels exceptionally spacious thanks to the 2900mm wheelbase, with ample rear legroom.
In terms of technology features, the new vehicle is equipped with a 17.3-inch 3K floating central control screen + 12.3-inch LCD instrument cluster, powered by the Qualcomm 8295P cockpit chip, with voice interaction and screen smoothness at the industry's top tier. Considering the need for blind operation in off-road scenarios, the center console retains a large number of physical buttons and metal toggles, and the dual electronic gear lever design is both ceremonial and easy to operate.
In terms of comfort features, the front seats support heating, ventilation, and massage functions; the front center armrest box incorporates an intelligent heating/cooling compartment that can chill drinks in summer and keep them warm in winter; the rear is equipped with folding tray tables and a ceiling-mounted entertainment screen. The audio system is an 18-speaker 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos setup—with the windows rolled up, tire noise and wind noise from the Western Hills winding road are isolated outside, leaving a quiet Chinese-style luxury space within the cabin.
On the intelligent driving front, the G919 is equipped with the Zhuoyu 384-line high-performance LiDAR and the Hongqi Sinan high-level driver assistance 5.0 system, supporting end-to-end high-level navigation-assisted driving. On the highway section from Kunming to Dali, it can achieve automatic lane changes, ramp merging, and congested following, greatly reducing long-distance driving fatigue.
Official Guide Prices and Purchase Benefits
At today's launch event, FAW Hongqi officially announced the guide prices for the three G919 models:
Four-Motor Tuojing Edition: 349,800 yuan
Four-Motor Yujing Edition: 389,800 yuan
Four-Motor Limited Edition: 429,800 yuan
Compared with the pre-sale range of 359,800 to 439,800 yuan during the September pre-sale period, the official launch prices have been reduced by 10,000 yuan across the board, with the entry-level version directly entering the sub-350,000 yuan range, giving it a clear price competitiveness among four-motor rugged off-road SUVs in the same segment.
At the Kunming station event, Hongqi simultaneously announced the first batch of purchase benefits, including complimentary exclusive custom off-road kits, whole-vehicle warranty and lifetime warranty for the three electric systems, as well as Yunnan-region exclusive door-to-door test drive services. Prospective customers can book in-depth test drives through local authorized Hongqi dealers, and the experience camp will remain open until the end of this month.
Conclusion: Read the Landscape, Naturally Embrace the World
From the urban roads by Dianchi Lake to the winding mountain roads of the Western Hills, the Hongqi G919 demonstrated in the Kunming station test drive the comprehensive qualities expected of a flagship rugged off-road SUV: the hardcore off-road capability of four motors and three locks, the peace of mind of range-extended long range and 800V fast charging, and the comfort and dignity brought by a Chinese-style luxury cabin.
"Read the Landscape, Embrace the World" is not just a brand slogan, but Hongqi's precise annotation of this vehicle's target user profile—they need a luxury ride capable of urban commuting, and they also yearn for the freedom of driving into the mountains and wilderness on weekends and holidays. After Kunming, the Hongqi G919 Test Drive Experience Camp will continue to roll out in more cities across the country, inviting more users to get behind the wheel and experience the national flagship's ambition for mountains and rivers.
