On the weekend, I made a special trip to the Wuling 4S store with a very clear goal—I came specifically for the Xingguang L. Not for anything else, I just wanted to see it with my own eyes and sit in it myself, to find out whether the third row of this six-seat SUV starting at 109,800 yuan can actually seat adults.
Why did I have to make the trip? Because when it was in presale, I scrolled through the comment sections, and disputes about the third row accounted for almost half. Some people said, "At this price, the third row of a six-seat car is just for show," while others said, "Looking at the real-world test data, it actually can seat people." I could not draw a conclusion just from the specs, so I simply went to the store to experience it myself and let my body do the talking.
Let me start with the first impression. To be honest, standing in the showroom looking at the actual car, it did not feel like a 100,000-yuan car. It was designed by an international team led by former Mercedes designer Gabriel. The front face has a "round front, square rear" bullet-shaped look, with a closed grille topped by a full-width star-ring LED daytime running light, whose two ends fold downward into vertical segmented light guides. In the daytime it looks like two standing eyebrow-pencil-shaped strips of light, and at night when lit up it is highly recognizable. On the side, the 4,980 mm body length paired with 20-inch large wheels, and the floating roof design reduces the bulkiness of a large vehicle. Among the 5 paint colors are Cangsong Green and Qinhu Blue, not the black, white, and gray seen everywhere on the streets, so it has recognition when driven out.
Sitting in the driver's seat, the interior texture was also a bit unexpected. The whole car has 17.41 ㎡ of large-area soft material wrapping, paired with laser-engraved brushed wood grain trim panels, and the feel is not that hard plastic sensation. The two interior color schemes, Sandstone Brown and Cloud Glaze White, together with 256-color ambient lighting, should create a good atmosphere at night. One detail is worth mentioning—all the corners in the car have been treated with anti-collision rounded edges, so for families with elderly people and children, the risk of bumps and bruises is much lower.
But these are all just the "appetizer." Today's main topic is the third row.
I walked back from the second row. The Xingguang L leaves a 190 mm wide central aisle between the second and third rows, and with the flat floor, an adult can walk through sideways without needing to fold the second-row seats. The door opening height is 1.13 meters, and at my height of 175 cm, I did not need to bend down or lower my head when walking through, and the movement felt quite natural. Compared with some "pseudo six-seaters" I had seen before, where every time you go to the third row you first have to fold the second-row seat forward and then squeeze in, that experience is really far worse.
Sitting into the third row, let me start with the seat cushion. The third-row cushion width of the Xingguang L is 1,110 mm, roughly the shoulder width of one and a half adult men, so two slimmer people sitting side by side will not have their shoulders pressing against each other. The cushion depth is 490 mm—this figure deserves a proper discussion. Many six-seat SUVs at the same price have third-row cushions of only about 420 mm, a difference of 70 mm. It does not sound like much, but when you sit down, it is the difference between "your thighs are supported" and "your thighs are hanging in the air." On a long trip of two hours, with 490 mm you will not feel sore legs, while with 420 mm you are already wanting to get out and move around.
With 850 mm of legroom, at my height, after sitting in, there is still more than a fist of margin between my knees and the front seatback. The backrest can also recline by 10°. Do not underestimate these 10°; leaning back a bit reduces pressure on the lumbar spine a lot, and on a long trip you can find a comfortable angle to lean on, rather than holding your back straight the whole way. There is no sense of oppression overhead either. The interior height is 1.24 meters, so sitting upright you will not hit your head.
The third row's equipment is not perfunctory either. Independent air conditioning vents mean the rear will not be stuffy in summer; an independent charging port keeps your phone powered on long trips; and there is also a not-small side window, which together with the panoramic sunroof means the third row is no longer a "little dark room." The line of sight is open, and sitting there does not feel oppressive. These details added together show that during design they really did consider the scenario of "the third row actually having people in it," not just doing it for show.
But when buying a six-seat car, you cannot only look at the third row; other aspects also have to pass.
First, how does it drive? The Xingguang L is equipped across the lineup with the Lingxi Hybrid 3.0 system, a 1.5L naturally aspirated engine plus a 170 kW front motor, and a 1-speed DHT hybrid-specific transmission. I did a test drive around urban roads at the store. Power response when starting and overtaking was very brisk, with 0-50 km/h acceleration in 3.6 seconds. At traffic lights, starts are not sluggish, but it is not that kind of violent lurching feeling either, so people in the car will not feel tossed around.
The chassis is a combination of front MacPherson and rear multi-link independent suspension, specially tuned by the Multimatic team. When going over speed bumps, compression and rebound are crisp and clean, and fine bumps are filtered quite thoroughly. I deliberately drove over a stretch of potholed road, and the body did not have an obvious bouncing sensation, with a strong sense of solidity. For a large car nearly 5 meters long, the turning radius is 5.9 meters, so turning around in a residential compound does not require too many back-and-forth maneuvers, and even a novice can accept it.
Range and energy consumption are what people choosing hybrids care about a lot. The Xingguang L comes standard across the lineup with a 37.9 kWh Shenlian battery, with 260 km of pure electric range. Calculating based on a daily commute of 40 km, one full charge can basically cover a week of daily travel, so it can completely be driven as a pure electric car, and the cost of use is very low. Long trips are not a worry either: with a full tank and full charge, the combined range is 1,260 km, and fuel consumption when depleted is 4.9 L, so intercity travel does not require frequently searching for charging piles.
Recharging efficiency is also quite strong, supporting 3C fast charging, going from 30% to 80% in just 15 minutes. In the time it takes to use the restroom and buy a bottle of water at a service area, more than half the charge is restored. There is also a practical function—3.3 kW external discharge, so on weekend camping trips you can plug in an induction cooker or projector, giving you freedom to use electricity outdoors.
Safety also needs to be discussed, after all this is a car carrying the whole family. The Xingguang L uses a six-ring high-strength steel cage body, with 21 key areas using 1,500 MPa hot-formed steel, reducing the risk of cabin deformation in a collision. The whole car has 6 airbags, and the side curtain airbag length is 2.15 meters, covering the head area of the third row. This point is very important—many cars' side curtain airbags only reach the second row, leaving the third row essentially "naked." The Shenlian battery has passed rigorous safety tests, with official data of 76.6 billion kilometers and 0 spontaneous combustion. In addition, it has obtained 5S healthy cabin certification, with low odor in a new car, which is more reassuring for families with elderly people and children.
In terms of intelligence, higher-trim models have a 15.6-inch 2K floating large screen, equipped with the LING OS system. Touch response is responsive, and the AI voice assistant supports dialect recognition, so while driving you can directly speak to adjust the air conditioning, switch songs, and set navigation. L2-level assisted driving is standard on the Zhenxiang trim and above, including full-speed adaptive cruise, lane centering keep, and active braking, which can reduce a lot of fatigue on long highway trips. The 360° panoramic image plus transparent chassis greatly reduce blind spots when meeting cars on narrow roads and when parking.
Storage space is also worth mentioning. The whole car has 40 storage compartments, with a place for cups, phones, tissues, snacks, and toys. With all six people seated, the trunk still has 383 L, and underneath there is a 101 L sunken hidden compartment, enough for several suitcases or a baby stroller. Folding the third row expands it directly to 1,103 L, so camping gear and large luggage can be loaded freely. The power tailgate has position memory, so when garage space is low, you do not have to worry about hitting the top.
Finally, a few honest words. The third-row seat cushion of the Xingguang L is on the low side in terms of height from the floor, and the seating posture is a bit like sitting on a low sofa. On super-long trips, leg stretchability cannot compare with the first two rows. This is a physical limitation, and at this size and price it is very hard to achieve perfection. The Shuxiang trim does not have double-layer soundproof glass or L2 assisted driving, and its equipment is relatively basic. If the budget allows, I suggest going for the Zhenxiang trim; the extra 13,000 yuan buys very substantial things (I previously wrote a dedicated analysis on this). Also, wind noise control at high-speed cruising still has room for improvement. After the speed goes above 120, interior noise becomes more noticeable, though Zhenxiang trim and above are equipped with double-layer laminated soundproof glass, so the situation is much better.
Back to the question at the beginning: can the third row of a 100,000-yuan six-seat SUV actually seat adults? After this trip, my answer is: yes. Not the kind of "yes" where you barely squeeze in, but the kind of "yes" where knees are not pressed, the head is not crushed, thighs have support, and the backrest can be adjusted in angle. And besides the third row, this car also has no obvious weak spots in power, chassis, range, safety, and intelligence. Overall product strength is worthy of this price.
If your family has six people or often travels with three generations together, you no longer need to drive two cars; one Xingguang L is enough. If the third row is used year-round for luggage and only occasionally for people, the entry-level Shuxiang trim is fine, and the money saved is more practical spent on several charges. But no matter what, I suggest going to the store and sitting in the third row yourself—your body is more honest than the specs.
