When the Tesla Model Y first arrived here in 2022, its sales immediately took off like a house on fire. The hype behind the brand was certainly one part of its success, but the underlying product also showed that an electric vehicle, then still considered somewhat of a niche in Singapore, could be competitive vis a vis a traditional international combustion engine (ICE) powered crossover.
Since then, the market has been flooded with numerous Chinese EV brands, with offerings in all shapes and sizes. But while some have managed to rise to the top of the sales charts, there hasn’t really been a very solid equivalent challenger strong enough to push Tesla’s popular SUV off its throne.
That’s not to say they haven’t been trying though, and perhaps the most serious rival to the Model Y to date might be this, the IM 6 Performance. In nearly every form, the IM 6 looks capable of going toe-to-toe with the Model Y, and perhaps even best it in several areas.
It starts with the shape. The IM 6 blobby’s design, with its bulbous curves and sleek roofline, is reminiscent of its great rival. There are of course unique distinctive details, like the pseudo rear spoiler and full-width brake light setup (which apparently can display messages, though that functionality is disallowed for Singapore), but the overall silhouette is uncanny.
That’s about as far as the similarities go though, because the IM 6 does come into its own in many other ways. The interior, for instance, adopts a minimalist style that is de rigueur for many EVs nowadays, but the IM 6 takes it to another level by offering no less than three screens at your disposal, which feels like a bit of an overkill even for the touchscreen obsessed generation.
There is the large two-in-one screen that stretches across the dashboard totalling 26.3-inches in size that incorporates the driver instrument display and a section that showcases details about your infotainment and the various camera images. Below that though is another 10.5-inch screen down on the centre console where you access most of the controls and functions.
It’s certainly a different approach to ergonomic design, but personally I’m not a huge fan of this layout. It feels a tad distracting to have to look down onto the lower screen to, say, adjust the air con temperature, even if the overall user interface tries to make it as easy to navigate as it could.
The rest of the interior does fare slightly better though. As an SUV it is to be expected that interior room would be generous, and the IM 6 lives up to that expectation. There’s plenty of legroom, and a surprising amount of headroom despite the sloping roofline. But particular praise has to go to the seats, which are amazingly plush and comfortable, and are arguably one of the best in this segment.
IM has also gone out of their way to imbue their cars with lots of tech gizmos in order to impress in this crowded market. There’s the usual parking assistance features, and a bevy of cameras to help you keep your car free of dings. But the most novel one has to be what IM calls the ‘crab walk’.
Essentially, it makes use of the car’s four-wheel-steering system to enable the car to move diagonally sideways across. Ostensibly it’s meant to make it easier to manoeuvre in tight spots, but truth be told, it just feels like a weird gimmick.
The four-wheel-steering system does aid with the car’s handling prowess though, because the IM 6 does feel more agile to pilot than its size suggests. It feels light on its feet despite its 2.4 ton weight, and the well-weighted steering delivers a decent amount of feedback.
This is supplemented by the air suspension system which is standard on the top spec Performance variant tested here, and it works wonders in helping to mitigate body roll when cornering, while still maintaining great stability as you are pushing hard thanks to the dual-motor all-wheel-drive system.
It also works wonders when you’re ready to settle down, as the air suspension gives the IM 6 an absolutely cushy ride that eases out road bumps in the same way that the best limousines can. There is still a tiny bit of harshness that is somewhat unavoidable, but for the most part the IM 6 is as comfortable as you can get for a fairly large electric SUV.
Not that the car is merely a docile creature though. In Performance trim, the IM 6 packs in a colossal 767bhp and 802Nm of torque, which are supercar killing figures. 0-100km/h comes up in a frankly absurd 3.5 seconds, and this is a car that can blitz past most other cars on the road, save for its fellow other high-powered EVs of course.
Put your foot down and the car propels you forward with alarming pace. It doesn’t quite have the same sort of insane sudden burst of energy as, say, the most powerful Tesla Model Y, but it comes pretty close. It is perhaps to IM’s credit that the car can deliver nearly that same sort of thrills while maintaining some semblance of composure, instead of simply throwing you around like a rag-doll in vomit-inducing fashion.
Of course, if that sort of excitement is a bit too much for your liking, IM does offer the car in lesser powered versions, including a Cat A-eligible model that is a lot more restrained, but still no less engaging to drive. Or you can opt for the middle ground Sport option, which has around 400bhp and the same 100kWh battery as the Performance, and should deliver all the usable power you would ever need without going over the edge.
The large battery of course translates into quite impressive range, and the Performance does have a claimed range of 505km, which is plenty for driving in Singapore. It also sits on an 800-volt architecture, which means that the battery can charge up from 10 to 80 percent in less than 20 minutes, at charging speeds of almost 400kW.
In many ways, the IM 6 nearly matches the Tesla Model Y pound-for-pound, in terms of drivability and performance at least. It does however net a price tag of over $300,000 with COE in Performance trim, which is a significant chunk more than what Tesla is asking for an equivalent Model Y. The hefty power output too means that you’ll have to fork out over $8,000 in annual road tax, which is an exorbitant amount any way you look at it.
Still, if you don’t mind the somewhat hefty cost, the IM 6 makes for a seriously credible rival to Tesla’s best seller. If you want something that’s similar in mould to the Model Y, but without the idiosyncrasies of Tesla’s design, then the IM 6 is well worthy of your consideration.
