Aion ES

The cabin of the Aion ES might not be as youthful in appearance as the other new-age products from Aion. However, the all-black-themed cabin of the Aion ES has impressive space levels, while having nicely supportive seats. There are a host of contrast silver accents visible on the steering wheel, centre console, and door trim, which further make the car look premium on the inside. 

Behind the two-spoke multi-functional steering wheel, the Aion ES has a conventional-looking instrument console with an informative 3.5-inch TFT MID in between analogue dials. This instrument console is one-half of the wide trapezoidal driver’s cockpit, which is placed adjacent to the 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system that covers the upper centre console.

The middle part of the centre console has sleek AC vents and the push start-stop button, while the lower centre console has USB charging ports. The central tunnel between the front seats has cup holders, a drive mode controller, and an electronic parking brake.

The centre console also has switches and knobs for dual-zone automatic climate control. The Aion ES is not heavily-equipped in terms of features but does get basics like driver seat height adjustment, air filter, rear AC vents, and USB ports in both the front and second rows of the cabin.

The original version of the Aion ES, the China-spec Aion S, as introduced as a long and sleek-looking electric car, which only got even sleeker and more modern in its appearance in the facelifted version, the Aion S Plus, which is the Philippines-spec Aion ES.

The clean-looking front fascia of the Aion ES has horizontally laid Y-themed all-LED dual projector headlamps with L-shaped DRLs on the sides, while the lower part of the front bumper is widely covered by the faux air dam on the sides and a functional air dam in the middle. 

The side profile of the Aion ES seeks inspiration from the Lexus’ premium luxury cars, which is visible in the highlights like door-mounted rearview mirrors, a sharp character crease flowing through the door panels, a zig-zag-themed C-pillar design, and the multi-spoke 17-inch machined alloy wheels. 

The sleek-looking rear profile of the Aion ES has C-shaped LED tail lamps, with their upper LED inserts connected by a slim LED light bar across the width of the boot lid. The ES also has a rear defogger and shark-fin antenna as standard. 

The Aion ES is available with Macpherson independent suspension at the front and torsion beam suspension at the rear, with soft-tuned springs at both ends that ensure a supple and well-settled ride quality. For urban speeds, the Aion ES delivers a sense of confidence, which might not be the same during quick directional changes at higher speeds due to a very light steering setup. 

A front-mounted electric motor is the main source of power for the Aion ES, which is paired with a single-speed transmission and generates 134 PS of maximum power output and 225 Nm of maximum torque output. This particular variant of the Aion ES is available with a 55.2kWh battery, which generates a maximum driving range of 442 km (NEDC-certified). 

Being an entry-level all-electric sedan, the Aion ES might be missing on ADAS to keep the costs in check. However, it does come with many basic safety features like dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, reverse parking sensors and camera, brake assist, hill hold control, electronic parking brake, tyre pressure monitoring system, and cruise control. 

The Aion ES might not be too trendy in its appearance inside-out, nor it is heavily-equipped, given its positioning as an entry-level car. However, where the Aion ES impresses is comfort and performance, where it feels pretty good and more than enough for first-time electric car buyers at a reasonable budget.