How Competitive is the $32,120 Geely Galaxy E8 Performance Version with a 45 – Inch 8K Borderless Screen and a 0 – to – 100 km/h Acceleration in 3.49 Seconds?

Geely, as an established and powerful automobile enterprise, has accumulated a wealth of experience in the field of new energy vehicles for a long time. After appropriate preparation, it has become even more successful in the new energy vehicle market. Previously, Geely Galaxy L7/L6 achieved good sales performance, and the positive market feedback demonstrated Geely’s solid strength as an “old hand”. It’s not difficult or strange for an experienced player to achieve high scores when entering a new field.

Against the backdrop of excellent sales, Geely Automobile has once again drawn our attention to a new model – the Geely Galaxy E8.

At the beginning of this year, the Geely Galaxy E8 was officially launched, with a price range of 175,800 – 228,800 yuan (approximately $24,660 – $32,120). The performance version of the vehicle also officially started deliveries on March 8th. As the first intelligent pure electric flagship sedan built on the SEA architecture, the Geely Galaxy E8 adopts the brand-new design language of “Ripple Aesthetics” and is equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 flagship chip and Geely’s new vehicle-mounted system. So, how does the performance version of this vehicle perform dynamically? Today, let’s experience it.

A Product of the “20 Billion” Architecture: Worthy of Its Power and Handling

The Geely Galaxy E8 is Geely’s first product built on the SEA architecture, possessing a first-mover advantage in aspects such as the three-electric system, the overall vehicle handling experience, and the body safety framework.

The SEA architecture was developed by Geely’s R&D centers in China, Sweden, the UK, and Germany over a period of five years with an investment of 20 billion yuan (approximately $2.81 billion). It is a strategic move by Geely Automobile Group in actively laying out intelligent electric mobility, marking that Geely Automobile Group is becoming a digital technology enterprise driven by users and innovation. Currently, the SEA architecture has empowered nearly 10 brands including Lotus, Volvo, Polestar, Zeekr, Smart, JiYue, and Geely.

Meanwhile, this architecture has excellent scalability, achieving full-size coverage from Class A to Class E vehicles, and can meet all styling requirements for sedans, SUVs, MPVs, small urban vehicles, sports cars, pickups, and future mobility vehicles. Currently, models built on this architecture also include the Zeekr 001, Zeekr 009, Lotus ELETRE, JiYue 01, and Smart #1.

In terms of power, the rear-wheel-drive version of the Geely Galaxy E8 adopts a 400V architecture. The maximum power of the motor is 200 kW, and the maximum torque is 343 N·m. The cruising range is 550 km and 665 km respectively.

The 620 km Starship Performance Version (hereinafter referred to as the “Galaxy E8 Performance Version”) that we test-drove adopts a full-stack 800V architecture and is equipped with a high-efficiency SiC electric drive. The maximum power of the front motor is 165 kW, the maximum power of the rear motor is 310 kW, and the maximum torque is 710 N·m. The official announced that the fastest zero-to-hundred acceleration time of the new vehicle is 3.49 seconds, the maximum speed can reach 210 km/h, the elk test score is 82 km/h, and the turning radius is 5.62 m.

In terms of the battery, the new vehicle is equipped with a 75.6 kWh battery pack, with a cruising range of up to 620 km, and supports 360 kW fast charging. It only takes 18 minutes to charge from 10% to 80% of the battery capacity.

Such data makes it stand out among models of the same level. However, this vehicle does not sacrifice driving smoothness due to its powerful power. The response of the accelerator pedal is very linear, without a sudden acceleration feeling, giving people a sense that they can control the vehicle more easily.

This vehicle offers a variety of choices in driving modes, including three major modes: energy-saving, comfort, and sport, fully meeting users’ daily travel needs. Perhaps due to the excellent power consumption performance of the vehicle, in terms of kinetic energy recovery, the Galaxy E8 Performance Version also focuses on comfort. When releasing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle will not produce an obvious “braking” feeling, ensuring that the comfort of passengers in the vehicle remains stable and will not cause motion sickness.

The designed steering wheel has an outstanding feel. During the driving process, the strength and directivity of the steering assist system each play their roles, providing drivers with a stable and precise handling experience. Even though the vehicle’s length exceeds 5 meters, it can be driven as easily as a small car. Coupled with the vehicle’s minimum turning radius of 5.62 m, even with one hand operation, it can easily make turns and U-turns without too much worry about the limitations brought by the vehicle’s size.

The Galaxy E8 Performance Version adopts a front MacPherson + rear five-link suspension combination, giving a sense of solid balance. For the vibrations caused by small bumps on the road and the junctions between different road surfaces, the vehicle’s suspension can fully absorb and filter them. Compared with the rear-wheel-drive version of the vehicle, the suspension tuning of the Galaxy E8 Performance Version is a bit “stiffer”, so the support is increased, and the relative comfort is “sacrificed” to some extent.

The NVH performance of the new vehicle during driving is quite good. There is basically not much noise on urban roads. When on the highway section, some tire noise will be transmitted into the vehicle, but it is also within an acceptable range.

Ultra-low Wind Resistance and Stunning Appearance

The Geely Galaxy E8 is known as the “most beautiful mass-produced pure electric flagship sedan”. In fact, it is indeed the case. The new vehicle is different from the monotonous and dull designs of existing electric vehicles. Future technology is integrated with Chinese charm, interpreting the beauty, texture, and sense of technology of “Chinese style” design.

The new vehicle has a very cool Light Ripple · Rhythmic Grille, which is also the world’s first mass-produced integrated luminous front face, with a luminous matrix composed of 158 windows and a luminous area of 0.105 m². In addition, the lower grille of the new vehicle is treated with blackening, and the front headlight group is paired with C-shaped light strips on both sides, making it look more aggressive overall.

The side of the Galaxy E8 Performance Version does not change much compared with the rear-wheel-drive version. It generally presents a coupe styling posture, and the concave and convex lines create a full sense of muscle. Different from the rear-wheel-drive version, the new vehicle has been upgraded with 20-inch Starwing Streamer Sports Wheels, full of a sense of sportiness.

In terms of body size, the length/width/height of the Galaxy E8 Performance Version are 5010/1920/1465 mm respectively, and the wheelbase is 2925 mm. It is worth mentioning that it is also the only product among current Class B pure electric sedans with a length exceeding 5 meters, truly a “super-sized” version among pure electric coupes.

Thanks to 25 low wind resistance designs throughout the vehicle, such as the low-profile front end, streamlined body, external AGS active air intake grille, and low wind resistance closed pneumatic wheels, the Geely Galaxy E8 has a wind resistance coefficient of only 0.199 Cd. Interestingly, the wind resistance coefficient of the Geely Galaxy E8 is even lower than that of a bullet.

At the rear of the vehicle, the Galaxy E8 adopts the currently most popular integrated through-type taillight design. Especially when lit up, it further enhances the vehicle’s recognition.

Moreover, different from the rear-wheel-drive version, the rear logo of the Galaxy E8 Performance Version has been blackened, which clearly indicates the identity of the performance version.

8K Large Screen + Rich Configurations, Truly Flagship

Entering the vehicle, it has to be said that the Geely Galaxy E8 lives up to the word “flagship”. The Geely Galaxy E8 is equipped with a 45-inch 8K borderless intelligent large screen. From visual design to functional interaction, it truly realizes the integration of an ultra-large-size one-piece and through-type display. The effective display area of the large screen reaches 1130 mm * 138 mm, which is equivalent to the height of a mobile phone screen and is very in line with people’s usual adaptation height to screens.

In addition, the large screen also adopts an ultra-thin design with a thickness of 9.8 mm. Through processes such as combining the touch glass and the display screen and combining the cover plate and the functional film, this screen achieves an 8-millimeter narrow black border, and the screen-to-body ratio reaches 98%, the highest in the current industry. At the same time, it also performs excellently in aspects such as anti-glare, anti-fingerprint, waterproof, and dustproof.

The Geely Galaxy E8 will also be equipped with the new-generation Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 flagship cockpit chip and a new vehicle-mounted system. Adopting a 5nm process technology, its AI computing power reaches 30 TOPS. Compared with the 8155 GPU, the overall performance is improved by 2 times, and the 3D rendering performance is improved by 3 times. It also supports all-scenario AI intelligent voice interaction and can respond in as fast as 0.23 seconds.

Interestingly, the vehicle-mounted system built into the new vehicle supports game applications and can be controlled by mobile phones or game controllers. In the P gear state, users can use this screen to play games. It is also worth mentioning that Geely Galaxy E8 users who place a large order for the 620 km Starship Performance Version before March 31 can get a free Nintendo Switch game console. They can not only play games in the car but also at home.

The design of the center console is eye-catching. The crystal knobs and buttons make daily operations more convenient. Below it, a 50W wireless charging position for mobile phones is also equipped, which is much better than the wireless charging positions of some models of the same level that have a situation like “charging for half an hour but only having a standby time of five minutes”.

Compared with the rear-wheel-drive version, the seats of the Galaxy E8 Performance Version have better wrapping properties, adopt a larger area of suede, and also use the Interstellar Orange color matching consistent with the interior color, looking more dynamic. The headrest of the driver’s seat is also equipped with a sound speaker, which has also been equipped on other Geely models before and is very practical.

In Conclusion

The price of the Galaxy E8 Performance Version is 228,800 yuan (approximately $32,120). It feels like Geely has really pulled out all the stops this time. With a wind resistance coefficient of 0.199 Cd, a 45-inch 8K large screen, and the Snapdragon 8295 chip, it can achieve a dimensionality reduction strike compared to most models of the same level, having a good sense of novelty and attraction. If you are planning to buy a Class B new energy vehicle that combines performance and comfort recently, then you might as well come and try the Galaxy E8 Performance Version.