Lingdu is a boutique compact sedan built by SAIC Volkswagen, which was positioned as a "wide-body luxury coupe" when it was launched in 2015, and its price was higher than that of ordinary brands. After the mid-2018 facelift, the official guide price is 145,900 yuan-201,900 yuan, the lowest configuration is the 1.4T low-power manual version, which is used to lower the entry price, and the 1.4T high-power version is only available to the sub-top configuration, the price has reached 184,900 yuan, and the positioning is still high in the same class, on the other hand, the official guide price of the 1.4T high-power version is only 156,900 yuan.
The current Lingdu does not have much choice in terms of powertrain, except for the 17 models that have a 2.0T, only the 1.4T high and low power versions are left, the lowest model is equipped with a manual transmission, and the rest is a DQ200 7-speed dry dual-clutch. The driving level does not have the sporty feeling of a coupe, and the remaining 1.4T model is just an ordinary family car, and the gear change speed and smoothness are more like the Golf, rather than the crisp and clean like the Audi A3. There is a lack of communication between the steering wheel and the steering, which is also in line with the home positioning, and it is very comfortable to change lanes in low- and medium-speed turns, but the steering wheel and the wheels always feel that the response is a beat slower, and the directivity is not very clear.
Lingdu's current model is equipped with LED headlights, LED taillights, LED daytime running lights, and supports CarPlay and Car Life mobile phone interconnection, which is also one of the few advantages. In terms of interior, Lingdu also continues the tradition of the Volkswagen Group's high and low configuration gap is particularly obvious, and the middle and low configuration models will be much worse than the high-end models in terms of interior materials and screen size, and only the top models will have 9.2-inch touch screens and LCD instruments. At this price point, Lingdu does not have an advantage over its peers in terms of interior.
In terms of applicability, Lingdu's shortcomings are a bit too obvious. Its rear legroom is very tight, and the rear headroom is cramped, which is oppressive, which has to do with the fact that the angle of the backrest in the back is too upright - such an upright backrest is naturally very poor in long-distance comfort. The middle rear seat of the Lingdu is almost impossible to sit in an adult, and in this respect it is much worse than the coupe Volkswagen CC of the same door. Moreover, the front seat of Lingdu is also on the hard side, which will feel uncomfortable when driving long distances, and the position of its supporting foot rest pedal is too far back, which may cause the resting left foot to be more tired than the right foot of driving. In short, in terms of comfort and ergonomics, this car is probably the worst among the "performance cars" in its class.
Lingdu is the same as other models that use EA211 with DQ200, the fault mainly occurs in the gearbox, there will be a chance of abnormal noise and frustration, and the 2015 model has the problem of odor in the car due to the use of inferior sound insulation cotton, please pay more attention when buying a new car.
In terms of safety, Lingdu, as a model independently designed in China and only for the Chinese market, currently lacks sufficient crash test data, but the Audi A3, which also uses the MQB platform and has a similar body size, won a C-NCAP five-star evaluation in 2015.