Chinese automaker NIO has officially unveiled the wagon version of its ET5 EV dubbed ET5 Touring, which will be delivered to customers in Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark starting in the fourth quarter of this year.
NIO says the ET5 Touring is designed with families in mind, offering almost three-quarters of an inch (17 millimeters) more headroom for rear passengers than the sedan version, as well as a cargo capacity of 470 liters, plus an additional 42 liters of underfloor storage.
With a fully flat load space, the ET5 Touring’s load space can be increased to 1,300 liters by folding the 40:20:40 rear seats flat, which is a bit lower than the 1,367 liters offered by the MG5 electric wagon. Furthermore, the MG offers 9 more liters of cargo volume with the rear seats unfolded, all while being 7.49 inches (190 mm) shorter than the ET5 Touring.
Gallery: NIO ET5 Touring
Measuring 188.5 in (4.790 mm) long, 85.7 in (2.178 mm) wide, and 59 in (1.499 mm) tall, NIO’s new electric wagon one-ups its budget competitor with premium features like soft-close doors, frameless windows, a kick-activated tailgate, and a 360-kilowatt (482-horsepower) dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain as standard.
50:50 weight distribution
The front induction motor makes 150 kW and the rear permanent magnet motor outputs 210 kW, enabling a 0-62 miles per hour (0-100 kilometers per hour) sprint in just 4 seconds, which is 3.7 seconds faster than the MG5.
The Chinese carmaker says the electric wagon boasts a perfect 50:50 weight distribution and that it was tuned to deliver a sophisticated blend of sharp handling and composure, helped in part by the front and rear five-link suspension.
Two battery options
Customers can choose between two battery options: a 75-kilowatt-hour pack that provides a WLTP-rated range of 270 miles (435 km) or a 100-kWh variant that ups the estimated range to 348 miles (560 km). By comparison, the MG5 offers a maximum range of 248 miles (400 km) with a 61.1-kWh battery.
Besides purchasing one of the two options, the Chinese EV maker also offers a subscription for its Battery-as-a-service (BaaS) feature, which makes use of its Power Swap Stations that can replace a battery pack with a low state-of-charge with a freshly charged one in less than five minutes.
An all-glass roof
Inside, the NIO ET5 Touring welcomes the driver and its passengers with a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster and a 12.8-inch AMOLED center console display that integrates NIO’s NOMI in-car virtual assistant that’s powered by AI.
A Dolby Atmos-certified 23-speaker sound system is offered as standard, as well as a 14.5 square feet (1.35 square meters) glass roof that offers protection for up to 99.99 percent of harmful UV rays and 80 percent isolation from heat. An intelligent dimming system is offered as an optional extra.
The list of standard equipment continues with a heat pump, heated front seats with air cushions, and a portable flashlight. NIO’s Aquila Super Sensing suite is also offered as standard and comes with 33 high-performance sensors and an ultra-long range, high-resolution Lidar camera, enabling 23 safety and driver assistance features.
Pricing
Pricing for the NIO ET5 Touring hasn’t been announced yet for the European market, but we can make an educated guess and say that it will be close to the price of its fastback sibling, the ET5, which starts at around $52,000 (€47,500) in Germany without a battery.
The 75 kWh pack costs $13,100 (12,000) to buy and own, while the 100 kWh option has a $23,000 (€21,000) asking price. However, the batteries can be rented for a monthly fee, which can lower the overall price if an owner decides to sell the EV after a couple of years. The monthly subscription costs $185 (€169) for the small battery and $316 (€289) for the large one.
Additionally, the NIO offers the option of driving the ET5 fastback without buying one and instead paying around $1,310 (€1,200) for a monthly subscription that includes an allowance of 932 miles (1,500 km) and insurance.
