IM Motors IM6

Why the lengthy preamble? Well, you see, we’re seeing all these Chinese vehicles coming to our shores, but the general public don’t know much about their lineage. That’s why I usually undertake ample research before writing test drive reports of such vehicles, not so much into the vehicles themselves, but rather, their parentage. In this case, the IM6 has got a pretty impressive family tree. After all, SAIC has partnerships with General Motors and Volkswagen as well, with assembly operations and joint testing facilities. So, what can the IM6 offer? That’s what we’re discovering right now.

Exterior

Stretching in at 4.9 metres long, the IM6 isn’t exactly what you’d call petite. It’s slightly under 2 metres wide, while the height is the lowest dimension, at a cat’s whisker less than 1.7 metres. The overall design is unmistakably Chinese, with elements drawn from some European luxury SUVs. I won’t play “spot the Euro” here but suffice to say you’ll see hints of Italian, German and British in the design; not carbon copies but inspirations or homages. You’ve got LED headlamps and tail-lamps, an active shutter grille, and those flush-fitting, fully retractable door handles that every Chinese car seems to have nowadays. These motorized handles might become a rarity very soon, because China is reportedly planning to clamp down on them by 2027.

Our test IM6 rolls on a set of lightweight 19-inch aerodynamic wheels and looks attractive with its Raphael Beige paint job. No, it’s not white – although there is a colour called Athena White if you want a really pure white. That being said, the Raphael Beige is a compelling choice for fans of light colours, as the paint has got some fleck in it for added visual depth. In case you prefer something else, you can pick from Nevis Blue, Ferdinand Pink, Rembrandt Grey and Ares Black. Interesting names, eh?

Mech & Tech

IM6s in other markets can be endowed with all-wheel drive and up to 579 kilowatts (776 horsepower). Sadly, our tax-mad situation means that we’ve got to contend with 109 kilowatts (146 horsepower). This is sent to the rear axle. The rear axle uses a multi-link set-up, while the front employs double wishbones. Ventilated disk brakes from Continental is standard fitment, as is a brake-by-wire regenerative braking system. Then, there’s the intelligent four-wheel steering system which can tighten your turning circle at slow speeds. This is the feature that also enables the quirky crab-walk feature.

Driving Experience

As you’d expect from a luxury SUV, you’ve got electrically adjustable front seats with heating, ventilation, and even massaging for the driver. This makes it super-easy to find your ideal driving position. Once settled, you face a wall of screens – a trio, I believe. There’s a wide display element with two screens that stretches from the centre console to the driver’s side and acts for infotainment plus gauge cluster functions. Then, there’s a portrait-oriented touchscreen in the centre console for control functions. Here, you can control everything – the climate control system, infotainment, phone integration, vehicle settings, crab walk enable/disable, etc. You’ve also got some steering wheel scroll wheels and buttons, but they’re all unmarked, so you’ve got a bit of a learning curve to scale. That’s because their function changes, depending on the task at hand. Most tasks are accomplished from a combination of touchscreen and steering wheel control inputs. One example of this is when adjusting the external rear-view mirrors. Thankfully, the car provides helpful visual prompts on how to perform these tasks.

Select D via the column-mounted gear shifter and away you go. Since this is an EV, that instant torque step-off is immediately apparent, regardless of driving mode. Yes, the IM6 is quite large, but thanks to its decent visibility and suite of external cameras, you can easily thread it through town traffic. Of course you’ve got traditional rear-view mirrors, but you can also call up feeds from the side cameras if you wish. These feeds are also used for the Rainy Night mode, where the car uses the cameras and AI to digitally remove raindrops from the on-screen views, granting you better visibility in inclement weather.

Despite having ‘just’ 146 horsepower, the sizable IM6 can easily get going. Foot flat to the floor from a standstill, I reached 100km/h without much fuss, estimating the run to take 10.5 seconds or thereabouts. There’s still plenty of urge left over, so highway overtakes will be fairly painless unless you venture into court-case speeds. Alternatively, you can use the car’s advanced autonomous driving features which allow it to steer, accelerate and brake on its own. It identifies the relevant speed limit and sticks to it where permissible. If the car encounters traffic, it slows down and speeds up appropriately. I tried this out and found that it worked a treat but needs clear road markings to properly function. If you do get dopey, there’s a driver monitoring camera permanently watching you, and the autonomous driving demands that you place your hands on the steering wheel at intervals, so you can’t simply switch it on and go to sleep. Remember, you’re responsible for any consequences, even if the car is driving itself. So, it’s always recommended to familiarize yourself with these features on a holiday or off-peak time before using them on a regular basis.

The IM6’s ride quality is very good, and you can tell that it’s a more comfort-oriented experience. Our drive was mostly on good tarmac roads, but the occasional foray into gravel and potholes revealed that IM Motors has gone to great lengths to ensure that not only primary, but secondary ride characteristics are very well insulated from the occupants. Paired with the active noise cancellation and double-glazed glass, it can be a very peaceful experience for everyone. Braking is similarly mature, with a Comfort Braking option to aid with smoother brake engagement if desired. Plus, you can select from various levels of regeneration to suit your driving style.

The IM6’s rear-wheel steering system is totally automatic. You don’t need to intervene or enable it; the vehicle will judge when it’s needed (at slow speeds) and engage it accordingly. We noticed its benefit when taking tight U-turns or parking in constricted spaces. The rear-wheel steering is also key to the Crab Walk system. Crab Walk must be manually enabled when the vehicle is stopped, via the Crab icon in the vehicle settings page. Once it’s enabled, it works at up to 20km/h and can indeed be a trippy experience – for the driver, as well as onlookers. From behind the wheel, it can feel like the car is mildly ‘drifting’ as you proceed forwards in a diagonal fashion. You’ve got to maintain about a quarter turn of lock on the steering wheel to keep things going straight under this mode. You can also flip the crabbing direction on-the-go by simply turning the steering wheel in the opposite direction. However, if your speed creeps above around 22km/h, Crab Walk gets disabled. To re-enable it, you must bring the vehicle to a full stop and re-select it.

What’s the purpose of Crab Walk? I guess it can be used to help when exiting tight parking spaces, but for the most part, it’s a quirky party trick. Plus, the IM6 has a sophisticated one-touch automatic parking system with side parking, parallel parking, reverse parking and escape modes, so if you’re a poor parker, the car can literally do the job for you.

Living with the IM6

As you’d expect from something competing in the luxury segment, the IM6 is packed with tech. It’s got an infotainment system powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 processor, with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Audio is played through a 20-speaker sound system that includes four Sky Speakers – wherever you look there seems to be a speaker aperture! Needless to say, the system works very well, aided by the active noise cancelling, road noise control and double-glazed glass. Overhead lies a silvering and thermally insulating panoramic roof too. Then, you’ve got 256-colour ambient lighting, a ventilated wireless phone charger, three USB-C charging ports and two 12-volt power sockets. The vehicle’s climate control system is also intelligent, using presence sensors to detect rear-seat occupants and the front seat passenger, and activating the relevant air vents as needed. The air vents themselves are powered, and you can even select a mode that will not blow any air at your freshly coiffed hairdo!

The seats of the IM6 are covered in synthetic leather, and Evolution Auto allows buyers to pick between beige or grey interior colour choices. Our test vehicle comes with beige and exudes an airy vibe as a result. It’s also easy to clean, we’re told, with a spray of Wurth Cockpit Cleaner being sufficient to wipe off any dirt or smudges. But if you’re concerned about heavy soiling, the grey interior might be better. You can select a resting mode for the front seats as well, which folds them into a near-flat position that’s ideal for napping. The rear seats have heating but no ventilation, and they offer 6-inches of adjustable backrest travel. The vehicle also offers a Pet Mode which keeps the climate control running in case you need to keep your precious doggy in the car for a few minutes - they’ll be safe and comfortable. Of course, the doors will be locked, unlocking only upon your return with the NFC or PEPS keys that come with the vehicle.

In terms of storage, the IM6 doesn’t have a glovebox, but it makes up for it with a deep storage area beneath the centre console. This is augmented by door pockets, cup holders and an intelligent cold and warm box. Meanwhile, there’s a front trunk or frunk with 32 litres of space. Of course, the main cargo space is the 665-litre rear trunk that is accessed via a hands-free power tailgate. You can also split-fold the rear seat backs for up to 1,640 litres of cargo capacity when needed.

Safety and ADAS Features

The IM6 comes with an Intelligent Pilot Device powered by NVIDIA Orin N as proudly proclaimed by the supplied brochure. Via the use of 12 ultrasonic sensors, 9 HD cameras, 3 millimetre-wave radars, a positioning unit and a high reliability inertial measurement unit, this is what powers the car’s adaptive cruise control, autonomous driving and parking capabilities. Of course, you’ve also got the expected suite of automatic emergency braking, blind spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning and lane centering control, airbags, tire pressure monitor, pedestrian monitor, seat belt alerts for all seating positions, and more.

Range and Charging

The IM6 comes with a 75 kilowatt-hour LFP battery pack. As per Evolution Auto, the quoted range on the NEDC cycle is 505 kilometres. Battery charging can be accomplished via AC or DC fast charging, with a CCS2 charging port. Furthermore, the IM6 also offers Vehicle-To-Load (V2L) capabilities at up to 6.6 kilowatts. 

Price and Warranty

Evolution Auto sells the IM6 in this specification for Rs. 27 million. They offer a 5-year / 100,000-kilometre warranty on the vehicle structure. The battery is covered by an 8-year / 250,000-kilometre warranty. A 7-kilowatt charger is included at purchase.

Final Words

The IM Motors IM6 enters a segment that’s got quite a few contenders already, including one or two from Evolution Auto’s own portfolio. It fights back with a roomy and refined interior, a nice sound system, a sophisticated suite of autonomous driving and parking abilities, and of course, things like crab walk and rain mode. So if you’re looking for an easy-driving luxury SUV with space and an electric powertrain, it’s worth checking out the IM6.