Voyah Dreamer launched in China – EV MPV with dual electric motors, 435 PS; 0-100 in 5.9s; priced from 253k

This is the Voyah Dreamer, an electric MPV that was recently launched in China after first being presented as a prototype at last year’s Guangzhou Auto Show. If you haven’t heard of Voyah before, the brand was first introduced in September 2020 and is the luxury division of Dongfeng Motor Corporation.

Voyah’s first product was the Free, a crossover launched in 2020 that can be had with either a fully electric or plug-in hybrid powertrain. The Dreamer is the company’s second offering and is electric-only, although customers will be able to choose whether they want a range extender system.

As standard, the Dreamer comes with two electric motors – one for each axle – that provide 435 PS (429 hp or 320 kW) and 620 Nm of torque. Voyah didn’t disclose battery details, but it did say that the Dreamer will provide a range of up to 600 km in pure EV form (without the range extender).

More importantly, the Dreamer takes just 5.9 seconds to get from 0-100 km/h, which makes it one of the fastest MPVs in the world. Hot MPVs are uncommon, although one model that commanded quite a bit of attention was the Mercedes-Benz R 63 AMG 4Matic that was introduced way back in 2006.

The R 63 featured the M156 6.2 litre naturally-aspirated petrol V8 that Mercedes-Benz shoved into many models at the time. These included the E 63, ML 63, S 63, CL 63, CLK 63, CLS 63, C 63 and SL 63, and in the MPV, the engine made 510 PS (503 hp) and 630 Nm.

Compared to the Dreamer, the R 63 is faster, clocking in a century sprint time of 4.6 seconds and a limited top speed of 250 km/h. Of course, the R 63 doesn’t have to lug around a big battery pack, so it’s kerb weight of 2,297 kg is a lot less than the Dreamer that tips the scales at 2,625 kg (in pure EV form).

With the range extender system, the weight drops to 2,540 kg and a 1.5 litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine is fitted to recharge what is likely a smaller (and lighter) battery. The range extender variant is also slower from 0-100 km/h, taking 6.9 seconds due to the reduced rating of the two electric motors: 394 PS (389 hp or 290 kW) and 610 Nm. The reduced performance is offset by the increased range of 700 km.

The Dreamer is undoubtedly a big vehicle, measuring in at 5,315 mm long, 1,985 mm wide and 1,820 mm tall. It’s also styled to attract attention thanks to a massive closed-off grille with chrome trimmings at the front, which makes the BMW X7’s snout look tame by comparison.

To match, there are also large, chrome-framed faux intakes at the corners of the bumper that flank the grille and centre intake. The headlamps are rather sleek in their shape and they are linked by a light bar that meets at the Voyah logo.

Along the sides, we find a two-theme paint scheme, fan-style wheels, an air breather-like element along the bottom edge, powered sliding doors and chrome window trim that end just before the base of the rearmost pillars. At the rear, slim taillight clusters are bridged by a black trim piece that bears the Voyah script, while the lower apron is conservatively styled relatively to what’s happening at the other end.

The Dreamer has a wheelbase of 3,200 mm and the interior can be configured with either a 2-2-3 or 2-2 seating configuration, the latter similar to what’s offered with the Lexus LM. The cabin itself does appear to be a comfortable place to be in, with OEKO-TEX imitation leather being used throughout and accompanied by lots of ambient lighting.

No shortage of tech too, with a triple screen setup on the dashboard, a Dynaudio sound system, heated, ventilated and massaging seats, air suspension and Level 2 semi-autonomous driving functions, remote parking, gesture recognition, connected services, and over-the-air infotainment software updates.

According to CarNewsChina and XCar, the Dreamer is priced from 380,000 to 480,000 yuan (RM252,598 to RM319,070), with the limo-like four-seat option starting at 600,000 yuan (RM398,791).

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