AUTONEWS

Xiaomi SU7: the Chinese sports car that accelerates better than it brakes

The Xiaomi SU7 Max is currently the most powerful version of the model with 673 hp. But some have found out the hard way that the brakes don't seem to be up to par, destroying their cars.

Everything indicates that the Xiaomi SU7 accelerates better than it crashes and some customers discovered this feature the hard way. Best known for its cell phones, Chinese company Xiaomi is one of the newest manufacturers of electric cars and has only one model on the market, the SU7 sedan (currently available in three versions that will soon be reinforced by an even sportier one). , the reality is that this electric vehicle has caused some impact (or even terror) on European competition. The current SU7 range includes the standard versions (called simply SU7), SU7 Pro and SU7 Max, with the SU7 Ultra on the way, which beat the Porsche Taycan Turbo S and Taycan GT for the fastest lap around the Nürburbring circuit.

While the SU7 Ultra has yet to begin delivery to customers, which is scheduled for the first quarter of 2025, Xiaomi's most powerful sedan is the SU7 Max, which features two engines totaling 673 hp, powered by a 94-horsepower battery. 3 kWh, which allows it to reach 265 km/h, pass 100 km/h after 2.8 seconds and promise a range of 800 km. The normal and Pro versions of the SU7 only have a 299 hp engine and a battery with 73.6 kW/h, in the first version, and 94.3 kWh, in the second.

The Chinese press and a series of vloggers have denounced a series of deficiencies in Xiaomi, ranging from an acceleration capacity below that advertised to less effective emergency braking than the manufacturer claims, as well as other problems that you can see below in the video. from China Observer. But the most serious defect, due to the danger involved, concerns the brakes, which are incapable of stopping the SU7 during intensive use. Xiaomi has always associated the image of its SU7 Max with track driving and it was exactly in these conditions that many accidents happened, making it clear in the video that Xiaomi cars are left without brakes, either due to excessive heating or extreme degradation of the friction material.

Xiaomi responded to these accusations by stating that the SU7 Max was not designed to be used on the track, without specifying where a buyer of the vehicle can explore the 265 km/h that the brand advertises. The Chinese manufacturer also says that the brakes work perfectly when driving on public roads, without acknowledging that the problem may be attributed to the fact that it uses discs with a small diameter for the power (and possibly poorly ventilated), as well as surface brake pads. too reduced, unable to transform kinetic energy into heat. Autopian points out that the Brembo brakes fitted to the SU7 Max feature smaller pads than the substantially less powerful — but safer — Honda CR-V, a family-oriented SUV with no sporting aspirations.

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