What’s this new car all about then?
The Arcfox T1 has officially landed in New Zealand, representing yet another aggressively-priced new entry-level option in the country's rapidly evolving electric vehicle landscape, this time - weirdly - from a brand that considers itself to be a premium manufacturer.
Although, given that Arcfox is yet to establish itself in New Zealand, that is a more of a nebulous concept than anything else at this stage, particularly as the brand has chosen to launch its presence here with a $34,990 crossover that lands right in entry level for electric vehicles here.
Established in 2017, Arcfox is the premium EV arm of the BAIC Group - a Chinese automotive giant founded in 1958 - and is launching locally under the Auto Distribution Holdings umbrella, who already distribute BAIC, Leapmotor, Dongfeng and Smart, as well as Citroen, Peugeot and Opel.
According to the company, the T1 is a small-to-mid-size Crossover SUV that sits in the "sweet spot" between a hatchback and an SUV, and aims to combine the practical utility and elevated ride height of an SUV with the sharper, more engaging driving dynamics of a traditional passenger car. But then they all say that.
Based on its size of 4337mm long and 1860mm wide the T1 drops into the New Zealand market right in the meat of the compact SUV segment, albeit with crossover-like styling that could also see it dropping a guest appearance into the hatchback market as well.
But like many of the new electric entrants into the segment, the T1’s external dimensions only tell part of the story, with its 2770mm wheelbase stretching the wheels right out to each corner and providing medium SUV-like interior space, including a big 459 litre boot that also features an extra 71 litres of underfloor storage, and some impressively generous rear seat legroom.
Underneath that crossover-style body, the T1 packs a 42.3kWh Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery that is relatively modest for the segment, but despite this smaller battery capacity, Arcfox quotes a 310km 'cruising range' for the T1. This figure does need to be taken with a grain of salt though, due to the company quoting a WLTC figure rather than the more common WLTP one.
To put that in perspective, WLTP represents the strict global standard, whereas WLTC is just the driving segment that omits a highway-speed test. And because electric cars thrive in stop-and-go city traffic, omitting the open road artificially inflates the range. It looks great on paper, but expect that 310km figure to drop noticeably on a weekend road trip.
And while the company doesn’t quote a maximum DC fast charging speed, it does say that the T1 will charge from 30 to 80 percent in 25 minutes, meaning you might see 60kW on a very good day.
How much is it?
If there's one thing that will make Kiwi car buyers sit up and take notice, it’s the T1's price. Despite positioning itself as a premium manufacturer, Arcfox is debuting the crossover with an aggressive local launch offer of $34,990, a launch offer that undercuts its standard RRP of $36,990 by $2000.
This sharp pricing positions the Arcfox right in the thick of the budget EV segment, despite Arcfox’s premium proclamations, with T1 sitting alongside rivals like the newly introduced Geely EX2 (which starts at $32,990 for the Complete and rises to $37,990 for the Inspire) and other affordable electric options such as the BYD Atto 1 ($30,990 to $36,990) and Dongfeng Box ($32,990). Yet, the T1 is considerably larger than those smaller city-focused hatchbacks, sitting more comfortably in terms of size with the likes of the BYD Atto 2 ($39,990 to $45,990) and GWM Ora 5 ($36,990 to $39,990).
The standard specification list is good for a sub-$35k EV and the T1 comes standard with a 15.6-inch multimedia touchscreen and digital instrument cluster, a high-power 66-watt wired front phone supercharger (but no wireless charger), Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) capability, a voice control system, automatic parking, and a 360-degree surround-view camera with a transparent chassis display.
The T1 also comes standard with a comprehensive active safety suite, including Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), Front Collision Warning (FCW), Lane Departure Warning (LDW), On-Off Adaptive Intelligent Cruise Control, and Traffic Congestion Assistance.
What's it like to drive?
While Arcfox is keen to push the T1 as a premium proposition, the reality is definitely more in line with its actual price position. Everything about the T1 comes across as nice, but pretty much par for the segment.
Materials that look like they should be soft touch and high quality are, in reality, quite hard (but still of a good quality), and the driving experience is quite similar as well.
Ride and handling are pretty much what you would expect from the budget EV segment, with a smooth and compliant ride quality that only betrays the slightest edge of brittleness over coarse surfaces, while handling remains benign and predictable without ever threatening to upset or, conversely, entertain. In other words, exactly what buyers would expect from a small-to-medium electric crossover.
While its 70kW/176Nm motor is far from powerful, it is certainly enough to propel the T1 at a respectable rate, both around town and out on the open road. Around town it jumps relatively eagerly off the line (albeit without ever threatening to chirp the tyres), effortlessly keeping up with the flow of traffic, even when you hit an on-ramp.
Out on the motorway it easily keeps up with the flow of traffic, even with a small reserve for overtaking, while on a winding country road it performs admirably, despite its modest power, while ride and handling remain convincing here too.
The steering is responsive and accurate, but almost entirely devoid of feel or feedback (something that is, regrettably, also par for the segment these days), while the driver assist systems are generally well behaved and non-intrusive, apart from an intelligent cruise control system that feels the need to announce the fact it is activated or deactivated whenever you move the steering wheel.
We did eventually find a way to shut it up, but quiet really needs to be the default on this one. Although this is something that can easily be addressed - and likely will be - in an update
What's the pick of the range?
Currently, Arcfox makes the buying decision simple for New Zealand buyers with the T1 launching as a single, model. At $34,990 you get all of the tech, the larger interior packaging, the full ADAS safety suite, and a decent, if not spectacular, range.
For buyers who are feeling brand-hesitant about a newcomer, Arcfox is backing the vehicle with an impressive warranty package: a six-year/200,000km vehicle warranty alongside an eight-year/200,000km battery warranty, and six years of roadside assist.
What other cars should I consider?
Despite the fact it has come in aggressively with its pricing, there are still many other options in the T1’s price range, and they are only growing every month.
All the aforementioned small EVs (Geely EX2, BYD Atto 1 and Dongfeng Box) line up in terms of price, while other competitors like the MG4 Urban ($38,990) and GAC Aion UT ($39,990) are slightly more expensive, but offer up bigger ranges and more power.
Then you have slightly larger competitors that move further into the SUV space like the GWM Ora 5 ($36,990 to $39,990) and Dongfeng Vigo ($37,990), but offer comparable interior space.
