The Firefly rolls into the electric premium hatchback market with simplistic designs and a couple of quirks, all with suburban utility in mind
Singapore – NIO is quite a known name among the EVs scene, and one of them, the Firefly, has come to Singapore to start establishing the brand’s presence here. It was interesting to have to specify the insect when googling “firefly”, which are unfortunately an increasingly endangered species. A poor sign of the times for the unique little critter, but it’s a funky source of inspiration for the lifestyle-oriented electric hatchback.
One look at its body size and style, and you can probably guess it’s looking to fly around the same playing field as MINI, because it is.
Pill-shaped
Right away, a detail that starts subtle but screams at you once you start to notice it, is a theme of pill-shaped details embellished from front to back. I’m guessing it’s because looking at the body shape of the insect, it’s kind of like a pill itself, so maybe the car wishes to stay true to its namesake origins.
You don’t have to look very hard to find that this pill-shape can be found everywhere. Its design cohesiveness emphases the car’s intentions to be a lifestyle-oriented people mover. It doesn’t have to impress or blow anyone’s socks off, it just wants to be an eccentrically fun, funky ride.
Speaking of eccentric, the headlights and taillights of the Firefly are both tri-lens arrangements that make it look like it was designed by Apple.
The fly’s insides
Sitting in the Firefly is a pretty comfortable place to be in. It’s quite a no-fuss deal, and yes, there’s more pill-shaped features to find dotted all over the inside too. It’s literally a happy pill through and through.
If you thought minimalism was an ideal sought-after by the stream of these Chinese EVs, you’d be hitting the nail on the head because yeah, it is. The Firefly is chasing after this sense of environment exactly, and does it fairly well.
There’s a good number of storage points for a seemingly humble-sized cabin, including a 92-litre frunk that is superbly handy.
The 14 Dolby Atmos speakers in the car deliver impressive audio quality. Your music will certainly pack some punch in a seemingly tiny, unassuming car.
The central space between the driver and passenger is intentionally kept empty for moving left or right, for if you ever happen to find yourself in a less-than-desirable parking spot but you don’t have to squeeze yourself through a tiny nook to get out of the car. This detail is a pretty clever one.
In the pursuit of this aesthetic cleanness, there is also something strange to be pointed out – the front passengers’ air-conditioning only sweeps side-to-side, unable to do up-down sweeping, and controlling it is through tapping the central infotainment screen. You can live with it for sure, but it’s certainly not my favourite feature of the car, even more so than the lack of a wireless charger or absence of Android Auto. Though buttons are kept to a minimum in the Firefly’s cabin, the most commonly used functions can be toggled by swiping two fingers across the screen, rather similar to how you’d do an Apple touchpad.
Firefly-ing around
The motor delivers 141hp and 205Nm of torque, finishing the century sprint in 8.1 seconds which is adequate for city driving and the occasionally-necessary zipping around in traffic. Even with the Category A power band, the Firefly behaves more like a Category B car during acceleration. To my pleasant surprise, the motor’s “push” does not taper-off as quickly as some of the Category A EVs that I have driven.
However, the range sits at 320km, which isn’t great. It’s okay for daily commuting, but range anxiety sets in if you’re not doing things conservatively, given that buyers in today’s market see at least 400km of range as a foundational criterion.
Driving it, on the other hand, is quite pleasurable in a simple way. The suspension is set to deliver remarkable comfort, but surprisingly it keeps itself calm and nimble enough to entertain your quicker drives. In many ways, the Firefly’s road holding reminds me of the Volkswagen T-Cross – the latter which I have grown quite fond of. Given its humble size, overtaking is a no-stress matter, not to mention parallel parking.
So what’s the final buzz around this fly?
Its lifestyle-leaning-orientations are greatly commendable with metaphorically and literally neat touches all over the outs and ins. Being packed from front to back with storage points enhance its utility and versatility for family needs too.
If you’re not a stickler for the nitpicky finer points of driving and want a fun, funky way to move around, the NIO Firefly is a perfect choice to add to your list of considerations.
Text: Titus Tang
Photos & Edits: Clifford Chow
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Well-executed design | No Android Auto, no charging pad |
| Well-sorted infotainment interface | No up-down directional controls for the air-conditioning |
| Good handling, comfortable drive, superb turn circle | Slightly small on the range |
NIO Firefly 42kWh
| Drivetrain | Full Electric |
| Layout | Single Motor, Front-wheel Drive |
| Motor power / torque | 141hp / 205Nm |
| Battery capacity | 40.2kWh |
| Efficiency | 6.5 km/kWh |
| Electric Range | 320km |
| 0-100km/h | 8.1 seconds |
| Top Speed | 150km/h |
| VES Band | A1 |
| Dealer | Wearnes Automotive (NIO) |
| Price | S$176,999 with COE and VES |
| Verdict | Almost like an iPhone on wheels. Massively cute, and surprisingly good around turns. |
