Missing Lynk
Nowadays, Chinese electrified vehicles are piling up the local market left and right. Our Philippine roads have become a melting pot of various vehicles, makes and models–particularly from the Asian car giant.
It’s rare–however–that we get to see its cream of crop, like that of Lynk&Co’s upcoming model in the local market, the full-sized premium SUV, the all-new 900. This behemoth is set to officially arrive on our shores this November.
Recently, we had the rare chance to take it for a spin around Clark International Speedway in Pampanga–and hell we sure were impressed!
First of all, the Lynk & Co 900 is a premium, full-size, six-seater plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) sport utility vehicle (SUV) serving as the brand’s flagship model.
Now under Geely Motor Philippines (GMP), the Philippine-spec vehicle comes primarily in the single, high-tier Ultra variant.
The Lynk & Co 900 is built on Geely’s premium SPA Evo platform and delivers massive supercar-level output figures.
First, its massive footprint measures 5,240 mm long, 1,999 mm wide, and 1,810 mm tall, with a spacious 3,160 mm wheelbase.
Under its hood is a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 gasoline engine paired with dual electric motors. It is also equipped with a three-speed dedicated hybrid tranny, sending power to an all-wheel-drive (AWD) system. Combined system output delivers 724 horsepower and a staggering 1,038 N-m of torque.
The vehicle sports a 50-kWh lithium-ion battery that supports DC fast charging, replenishing from 20 percent to 80 percent in approximately 17 minutes.
It has a driving range of over 1,000 kilometers of combined range (up to 1,350 km on the CLTC cycle, with a pure electric range of up to 280 km).
“It’s the flagship model of Lynk&Co here in the Philippines, meaning it’s the most feature-packed, cream of the crop model we have for our local lineup,” said GMP product manager JJ Barles during an exclusive interview inside the vehicle.
“Here on the race track, we’re here to reinvent what luxury is in the Philippines,” he added, pointing to the unique features of the vehicle while looking out at the runway.
According to Barles, the vehicle captures the four senses of the driver and passengers: the touch, smell, hearing and sight.
“What we’re really proud of is the LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), which is an active remote-sensing technology that uses rapid laser pulses to measure exact distances and build detailed, three-dimensional (3D) maps of the world,” he said.
This kind of technology is rarely here in the Philippines and is usually China-exclusive with other brands. But with GMP, they decided to bring it here.
“It’s ultrasonic. It’s more safe and diverse, especially with dealing with the traffic situation in the Philippines, where the usual ADAS might get confused,” Barles continued.
“It’ really seamless.”
4 senses
One of its standout features is the Intelligent Magic Carpet Suspension. It is equipped with an advanced active suspension system that delivers an exceptionally soft, adaptive ride over rough terrain.
The 900 also has the first-class 2+2+2 cabin that features premium orange leather upholstery with unique 180-degree rotating second-row captain’s chairs operated via integrated buttons.
It’s also available in all-black and cream colors, depending on the preference.
What’s more is that it has dual 30-inch 6K display screens, a massive widescreen infotainment setup spanning across the dashboard to the front passenger side, supplemented by a 12.66-inch digital instrument cluster and a heads-up display (HUD).
High-end processing power runs on the Flyme Auto OS driven by a high-performance Dual Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 chipset to guarantee seamless, lag-free UI interactions.
“This defines premiumness,” Barles said.
“Everything about it looks prominent. It has 31 speakers inside with Harman Kardon. It has a fragrance system. It goes with a refrigerator, as well, and massage seats, not just for the driver and front passenger, but also for the second and third row passengers.”
Fun at the track
Media participants were able to experience the 900 in various courses, like the traction and suspension, slalom and drag race courses.
This mammoth was able to accelerate from 0-100kph in just four seconds. While in a drive-thru course, we let the vehicle drive itself with ease–and take note–hands-free. Thanks to its superb level of autonomous driving technology.
What this writer loved the most was taking the 900 out on the race track and pushing it in some parts of the course. Cornering and handling were really topnotch.
At the end of the day, this all-new 900 really passed the media participants’ test with flying colors. As for the price, they say it could range from P3M to P4M in our local market. Well, for now, that’s something to look forward to with its official launch this November.
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