NIO ET7 2022 Review – International

In China, NIO is keeping the choices pretty simple with the all-new 2022 NIO ET7 sedan.

You can either get the car for RMB448,000 ($A97,200) or loaded up with options in the Premier Edition version at RMB526,000 ($A114,100).

We’re testing the latter, which increases the battery pack to 100kWh and comes in significantly cheaper than if you ticked all the option boxes separately.

First deliveries in China begin at the end of March 2022, and our car was a pre-production model with the 0.7 version of the software for the user interface compared with the 1.0 due for delivery.

That will feature an English language option, so we had to make do with a Chinese interface on our test.

Not only is the ET7 NIO’s first sedan, but it is also the first model to ride on the car-maker’s new second-generation platform.

A smaller ET5 sedan and an ES7 SUV will follow later this year, and together with the ET7 will form the bulk of the first wave to push into a total of 25 export markets – including Australia – by the end of 2025.

There’s no question you get a lot for your money. For example, it’s the second production car to feature a Dolby Atmos sound system, following the Mercedes-Benz EQS, so that clearly shows you who NIO has in its sights.

With 23 speakers, the 1000W sound system gives real depth and definition to sound. And given that the EV creates a very quiet environment, thanks to the electric motors and having windows with double-layered soundproof glass, you can really appreciate the difference.

The most noticeable design feature of the 2022 NIO ET7 is what the car-maker calls the watchtower sensor housing at the top of the windscreen, consisting of a LiDAR unit flanked by two eight-megapixel cameras.

These are facilitated by a total of 33 sensors, and in addition to LiDAR and cameras includes 5mm wavelength radars.

Unfortunately, the system hasn’t yet been activated and so we were unable to test these out. But it does show how upgraded driver assist technology and autonomous driving capability are at the heart of NIO’s second-gen platform and a strongpoint of the new ET7.

Controlling all that is the Adam supercomputing platform which NIO claims is the most powerful mobile computing platform for a mass-produced vehicle. Using four Nvidia Orin X chips, total computing power reaches 1016T.

NIO’s ethos is that technology shouldn’t be cold or scary, but friendly.

Perhaps the biggest demonstration of that is the Nomi digital assistant in the ET7, which swivels to address who is giving it voice commands and has a variety of ‘facial’ expressions and actions to boot.

Voice command allows control of most car functions from any seat.

A 12.8-inch AMOLED screen provides car information and allows you to change settings such as the drive mode. In addition, the driver gets a 10.2 HDR digital instrument panel plus an 8.8-inch colour head-up display.

Despite the watchtower sensor housing, NIO claims to have created the world’s second-most aerodynamic production car after the Mercedes-Benz EQS – yes, there’s the German competition again – with the 2022 NIO ET7 boasting a drag coefficient of 0.208Cd.

That slippery shape, which is helped by door handles that recede into the bodywork, is needed to boost the driving range, particularly given the ET7’s large footprint – it measures 5101mm long, 1987mm wide and 1505mm high – and its hefty kerb weight of 2349kg.

Unfortunately, NIO is only quoting range using China’s new CLTC standard, which is even more generous than NEDC (and WLTP). On the 100kWh battery, range is quoted at a nonetheless impressive 706km.

That said, shod on 21-inch Pirelli P Zero tyres with non-load-bearing carbon-fibre rims (as found on our test car), the driving range drops to 615km.

Perhaps NIO’s biggest party trick is its battery swapping, which allows you to get a fully charged new pack in around three minutes. This is one of the services NIO promises to roll out in each new market, despite the cost.

Coming later this year, however, is the option of a 150kWh semi-solid-state battery pack said to be good for a range of over 1000km.

Currently drivers have a choice of four driving modes including Sport, Comfort and Eco, along with a Custom option – and more will arrive later (such as Snow and Sand).

In the fastest Sport+ mode, both the 180kW front electric motor and 300kW rear unit go hell for leather and deliver a combined 850Nm of torque.

A half-loaded ET7 can do the century (0-100km/h) in 3.8 seconds. Perhaps more impressively still, it can then come to a standstill in 33.5 metres, with braking performance also a strong suit of the car.

That rear motor, though, only chimes in under acceleration and when increased traction is needed. Most of the time the ET7 operates in front-wheel drive, and in Custom mode the driver can even disengage the rear motor and pare the 0-100km/h acceleration right back to 12.9sec.

In many ways, the ET7 behaves like a conventional premium performance car, with regenerative braking never being particularly strong and one-pedal driving certainly not possible.

NIO says it benchmarked handling of the 2022 NIO ET7 against the long-wheelbase version of the BMW 5 Series, and with the performance-spec Pirelli tyres fitted to each corner, the large electric sedan is surprisingly competent on track manoeuvres, eating up a slalom with aplomb.

However, for most drivers, how it performs on the road is more of interest.

Drop the ET7 into Comfort mode and that 0-100km/h acceleration goes down to a more mild-mannered 7.9 seconds, which should be plenty enough for most drivers in everyday situations, and the high-tech 4D Dynamic Control air suspension system – which reads the road conditions and adjusts the settings accordingly – provides a plush ride.

For ride quality, the ET7 was benchmarked against a BMW 7 Series, and NIO says the ET7 has 55 per cent faster longitudinal aftershock control on bumps. Indeed, the car seems to glide along the road.

Whether the mode settings will change for export markets is unclear; currently only Sport+ has the stiffest steering and the light setting in Comfort is too vague.

Comfort is also the watchword for the cabin.

With the ET7 resting on a 3060mm wheelbase, and the cabin accessed via soft-close doors with frameless windows, NIO claims the interior delivers 7 Series space in a 5 Series-sized package.

The rear seats are set back well past the C-pillar to the detriment of boot space. All four main seats get heating, cooling and a massage function, plus the outboard rear passengers get air cushions which inflate to match the curvature of the back to better combat long-distance fatigue.

If the middle passenger is feeling a bit left out, at least they get a fully flat floor, which is one of the benefits of an electric car that’s built as an EV from the ground up.

The 1.9-square-metre panoramic roof makes the whole cabin very airy, while ‘invisible’ air vents front and rear not only provide a cleaner design aesthetic, but are claimed to provide more precise airflow control for greater comfort.

Customisable ‘waterfall’ interior ambient lighting, offering 256 different colours, also impresses.

Headlining is microfibre and the ET7 sees the first use of karuun, a material derived from rattan wood, which NIO uses for trim inserts throughout the interior.

Despite the sustainability kudos brought by karuun, our test car came with Nappa leather seat upholstery. A vegan leather option is available.

We have learnt from cars like the Polestar 2 and the latest Tesla Model 3 – the latter judged carsales’ Best Electric Car in 2021 – that China can build a decent electric vehicle.

However, NIO is not hiding behind Scandinavian or American pretences.

The 2022 NIO ET7 has exemplary build quality, coupled with performance that only the keenest driver is likely to grumble about, while delivering a level of luxury at a price point that should leave German and other European luxury brand executives shifting awkwardly in their seats.

We’re yet to see details of NIO’s Australian market launch, including key variables such as pricing, specification and warranty support – and whether the current battery swapping process will be applied here.

An unknown Chinese brand taking on the luxury car segment is also a tough assignment.

But the ET7 is a breakthrough EV for the brand and a big leap forward over previous NIO models that were good, yet didn’t quite have that wow factor.

NIO is one of several Chinese brands with aspirations to shake up not only the electric car market but the premium sector in general.

The big test lies ahead, when NIO lands Down Under and Aussie buyers are asked to take a leap of faith.

How much does the 2022 NIO ET7 Premier Edition cost?
Price: From $99,000 estimated (plus on-road costs)
Available: TBD
Powertrain: Front permanent magnet electric motor/rear asynchronous induction motor
Output: 480kW/850Nm (180kW front/300kW rear)
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 100kWh lithium-ion
Range: 706km (CLTC)
Energy consumption: 14.2kWh/100km (CLTC)
Safety rating: Not tested

Images supplied: Mark Andrews