Nio introduces the EL6 and the ET5 Touring estate car

Nio instead of Ferrari: Where once red racers from Maranello were sold and serviced, the Nio lineup is now offered. We were among the roughly 160 invited guests and got to sit in the ET5 Touring and EL6. And while BMW is still considering if the next 3 Series will come as a Touring, Nio simply builds the ET5 – and in a very short time, because an insider says the decision for the estate was only made about one and a half years ago. In that time, the entire rear section was extensively redesigned, as the large tailgate compromises rigidity. As Ralph Kranz, General Manager of Nio Deutschland GmbH, explained:

“The Nio ET5 Touring was specially developed in Europe for local needs. Not only is it the first estate car within the Nio product family, but it's also the first fully electric estate in the premium segment.”

Nice: It costs no more than the fastback and starts at 47,500 euros (plus battery rental ("BaaS") or battery purchase – which is expensive at 12,000 euros for the 75-kWh battery or 21,000 euros for the 100-kWh battery). In the subscription model, the ET5 Touring can be subscribed from 1,119 euros (including 75-kWh battery, 36 months duration).

Alongside, Nio introduced the SUV EL6, which uses the same (more compact) drivetrain as the ET5 (360 kW, 700 Nm!), but is larger: The EL6 is available from 53,500 euros in purchase (plus battery) or in the subscription model. The delivery start of both models is from Q4 2023.

Nio Hub – Munich premiere at the former Ferrari location

For the first time, Nio also launched a so-called Hub, meaning: Here you can not only view but also test drive and have the car serviced or repaired. For the NIO team and Ralph Kranz, the event location is an additional premiere – interestingly even a "world first": 

“The Nio Hub Munich is the first of its kind worldwide and combines the community and brand experience on one side with first-class service on the other side.”

The planned Nio Hubs should offer the full range of classic service services from car purchase to aftersales service – so they are classic car dealerships with workshops. It serves as a central point for viewing, ordering, test drives, or repairs of all kinds. Additionally, it will also function as an extended showroom in the future. The trick: Nio provides the showroom for external events free of charge, thus offering a modern and accessible event space in Munich. Furthermore, visitors can get to know or purchase the design products from Nio Life, the lifestyle brand of Nio. The opening hours of the Hub on Zamdorfer Straße 86 are conventional: Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 18:00, but on Saturdays from 10:00 to 18:00.

First sitting impressions: Optics, haptics, and smell are premium

We certainly used the Hub for extensive sitting tests in both new models, and have to say: Optics, haptics, and even the smell of the interior (subconsciously very important) are clearly premium! Nio did not mess around here. And: both models appear more compact than they are: The Nio ET5 Touring measures 4,790 mm × 2,178 mm × 1,499 mm and with a wheelbase of 2.888 meters, it is rather in the upper mid-range. Inside, however, it is similar to a Jaguar on the outside, meaning: it is not a space miracle: 450 to 1,300 liters of trunk capacity can also be found in compacts, and four 1.9-meter passengers will fit well on the seats, although the rear seats are a bit "slim fit."

One is even more pleased with the 1.35 square meter panoramic roof. Since the Touring, as a dual-motor air-suspended all-wheel drive with large batteries, comes with a 75-kWh battery weighing from 2,190 kg, with the 100-kWh battery from 2,210 kg. It goes from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.0 seconds if needed. Nio states the WLTP range with the large battery to be up to 560 km. The braking distance from 100 km/h is 33.9 meters. Regarding the cW value, no records were broken: 0.25 is acceptable but not outstanding. And, important for an estate: it can tow up to 1.4 tons. The front seats are extremely comfortable, while it can be a bit tight in the rear. We were convinced by the craftsmanship and the haptics: A-pillars with a suede-like covering are as pleasing as the bamboo inserts. No question, in hardware Nio has found its place between Tesla and BMW's three-series models, but it can still improve in software.

The software is getting a giant update

This is also planned, as "Banyan," the intelligent operating system on the NT2 platform, which is constantly being developed through FOTA updates, is expected to receive a major update in the fall, largely driven by the community and its wishes.

Correct Figures: The EL6 is closer to the EL7 than the ET5 to the ET7

The same applies to the EL6, which does not differ as much from the EL7 as the ET5 from the ET7, because: With 4,854 mm × 2,212 mm × 1.703 mm (height) at 2,915 mm wheelbase, it remains essentially a member of the upper mid-range and is hardly smaller than the EL7. We take a seat in the front and back and find that there is plenty of space in all seats. So much space, in fact, that it almost questions its big brother, the EL7. Provided that one can be satisfied with a trailer load of 1,200 kg. The package follows the ET5 in terms of drive technology, only the EL6 starts with the 75-kWh battery at 2,303 kg, with the 100-kWh battery at 2,323 kg. This is why it takes 4.5 seconds to reach 100 km/h and 34.5 meters to come to a halt from 100 km/h. The WLTP range is not much worse, partly due to the identical cW value to the ET5 Touring, with up to 529 km. The trunk holds between 579 to 1,430 liters of volume.

We disembark and also attest premium quality to the EL6 while stationary, with which it can definitely stand alongside a Mercedes-Benz EQE or a BMW iX. We are also curious about the software and details such as the "Intelligent Smooth Stop (ISS)" system, which can automatically adjust the braking force.

What does this mean?

Nio is sensibly expanding its range downwards. However, since it uses the (large and swappable) batteries of the 7-series models and delivers an extreme amount of power with the two strong all-wheel-drive engines, it is still far from the mass market: The new additions also score with elegance, comfort, and the corresponding smell, but remain in the four-digit range in leasing and have to compete with established premium brands, against which they more quickly break their teeth (currently still) than MG does in the affordable compact segment. However, Nio has already announced that it wants to grow further downwards in the future. For now, though, a steel-sprung ET5 Touring with 150 kW and rear-wheel drive for under 40,000 Euros base price (yes, WITHOUT battery) or for 700 Euros in the subscription would have sufficed. Perhaps Nio will prospectively add something like this...