I believe many people, after seeing the configuration and pricing of the Beijing Off-Road Tantalum 700, had the same first reaction: wow, this car is sincere enough, has plenty of highlights, and the price is quite competitive! But if you spread out the details and study them carefully, you will find that for this car to truly explode in popularity and sell like crazy, it probably will not be that simple!
First, look at the price and market heat: the Tantalum 700 can be had for a limited-time refreshed price of 249,800 yuan, and in just 48 hours of presale it secured 6,859 orders, with popularity rivaling hot models in the same class and not falling short at all.
After all, heat is only a surface phenomenon; the real delivery scorecard is another matter. This car was officially launched on August 25, and in that month the national insurance registration volume was only 122 units, belonging to small-batch delivery. The low delivery volume is partly because the launch date was relatively late, leaving limited time for deliveries; on the other hand, it may also expose the problem that production capacity has not yet kept up with the pace.
But looking at other models, if so many orders really could be obtained during the presale stage, such a delivery volume does seem somewhat low. Of course, it is also possible that these orders were all scheduled in a concentrated way to be delivered in September. Unfortunately, the complete official sales data for September has not yet been announced. However, based on the current situation, achieving hot sales is probably not easy. If one were to make a bold guess, breaking past a thousand units would already count as a fairly good performance.
Then there is the issue of trade-offs in this car. The comfort configuration of the entry-level model can be said to be noticeably cut down. The driver's seat's 12-way power adjustment, heating, ventilation, massage, memory, and welcome functions, the front passenger seat's four-way power adjustment, and a whole set of comfort features, including rear heating and ventilation, all require additional optional equipment. In other words, on configuration, the entry-level version has almost completely stripped away the comfort experience. If it is only for daily family use, this car is indeed a bit lacking in terms of comfort.
Except for the lowest-trim model, other versions require an additional 3,000 yuan for optional equipment if towing qualification is needed. Frankly speaking, for an off-road vehicle positioned as somewhat hardcore, this configuration should be standard across the entire lineup, rather than serving as an optional item that tests users' patience and budget.
Now for two other regrettable points. The first is the powertrain architecture. The Tantalum 700 adopts a pure range-extender solution, with the engine used only for power generation and unable to directly drive the wheels. It is completely sufficient for urban commuting and light traversal scenarios, but once faced with high-load conditions such as heavy off-roading, long-distance steep slopes, or continuous sand dunes, the power generation output will encounter a bottleneck, easily causing power limits and even power degradation. Stability under extreme conditions is clearly inferior to other models in the same class that support direct engine drive.
The second shortcoming lies in the spatial layout. The vehicle length exceeds five meters, and its dimensions fully reach the standard of a mid-to-large flagship SUV, yet the entire lineup offers only a five-seat version, with six-seat and seven-seat versions completely absent. The exterior is certainly imposing, but it is difficult to adapt to the travel scenarios of large families, and its practical value is therefore greatly reduced.
Overall, the Tantalum 700 shows full sincerity in pricing, with hardware configuration directly maxed out, and both intelligence and off-road heritage are competitive. However, if it could further strengthen the two core shortcomings of powertrain architecture and spatial layout, while also optimizing the comfort configuration of the entry-level version, then it could almost be called a near-perfect choice among models in the same class.
But as things stand now, it is more suitable for niche off-road enthusiasts, and there is still a long way to go before it can become a mainstream volume-selling model.
