Sony’s Afeela 1 looks like a PlayStation 4 within the PS5 period

CES 2025 has been a boon for transportation information, however far and away, the discuss of the present is the Sony Afeela 1 — once more. The corporate has been exhibiting off some variation of this EV for 5 years at this level, first with the Vision-S in 2020, then the Vision-S 02, earlier than adopting the unlucky rebranding to Afeela in 2023.

Now, we have now the Afeela 1. Alongside this journey, he automotive misplaced what little attention-grabbing styling it had whereas sticking true to some specs that sounded good 5 years in the past. However as we speak, all the things feels only a bit off, together with the eye-popping beginning value of $89,900.

I obtained an opportunity to rise up shut and contained in the automotive, a demo that started with one other rationalization of what Afeela means. It is a kind of overwrought portmanteau for the phrases autonomy, augmentation, and affinity.

This 12 months’s Afeela 1 is little modified from final 12 months’s numberless present automotive. The one important visible replace is discovered within the sensor pod protruding from the forefront of the roof. A LiDAR module now stands proud, together with a few cameras on both finish, staring in reverse instructions, chameleon-style.

Whereas the bug-eyed look just isn’t significantly charming, it’s the solely little bit of visible character in an in any other case bland design. The lone different exterior speaking level is the show embedded in the forefront of the hood. This “media bar” is one other factor that appeared novel and enjoyable just a few years in the past on an idea automotive.

It is speculated to welcome you to the automotive or present messages to these round you. But it surely’s laborious to learn from afar, and up shut you may see the unlucky seam down the center the place two panels have been considerably crudely joined collectively to kind the factor.

To open the motive force’s door, you both faucet a button within the app or press a small button embedded within the pillar. There aren’t any door handles to tug, not even a token fin like on the Ford Mustang Mach-E. I could not assist asking what do you do if you happen to park in an ice storm and the door is frozen shut. I wasn’t given a lot of a solution.

These doorways open to an area that is each bit as understated as the outside aside from one factor: the dashboard-spanning show. It is vibrant and clear and about the one factor in right here that jogged my memory that it is a Sony product. Nicely, that and the DualSense controller that you could pair to the automotive after which hearth up PS Distant Play when you cost.

And you may want one thing to do as a result of the utmost cost fee of the Afeela 1 is 150 kW for its 91 kWh battery, which supplies an estimated 300 miles of vary. Evaluate that to a less expensive Lucid Air, which may cost twice as rapidly and canopy over 400 miles on a cost, and you start to see the true drawback with this factor.

That show plus the ambient lighting throughout the automotive are all comprehensively customizable, with the identical kinds of themes accessible on the PS5. I sampled the Ghost of Tsushima and Fortnite themes, every of which splayed the inside within the correct collection of colours, including a splash of character to the in any other case vanilla surfaces.

That huge show is the key speaking level, however look a little bit decrease and you will spot the world’s largest quantity knob located between the seats. It is larger than the iDrive knob on most fashionable BMWs, but solely controls the output of the 28-speaker, Dolby Atmos-enabled sound system.

The software program interface, in the meantime, regarded largely unfinished, little greater than a two-row grid of outsized containers representing apps, settings and automotive controls. Given the width of the show, very important controls can simply stretch past the motive force’s attain, leaving you to tug the entire array again to the left to get what you want.

After so a few years of seeing what Sony’s first automotive would actually seem like, I could not assist feeling upset after I climbed out. However not almost as upset as I used to be when trying down the spec sheet once more.

There are two trims of Afeela 1, the $89,900 Afeela 1 Origin and $102,900 Signature. The latter has bigger wheels (21-inch vs. 19), a rear-seat leisure system (shows embedded within the headrests plus an HDMI enter) and extra cameras. The Origin, in the meantime, is barely accessible in black.

Significantly.

Why Sony would even take into consideration launching a $90,000 automotive that’s solely accessible in black is past me. Spend the $13,000 extra for the Signature mannequin, and you continue to solely get three forgettable shades: white, grey and black once more.

Within the Origin we have now a automotive that prices $20,000 greater than a Lucid Air Pure however has significantly much less vary and slower charging pace. Go for the $102,900 Afeela 1 Signature trim, and also you’re now spending greater than a Porsche Taycan, which admittedly has much less vary however appears to be like much better and can virtually assuredly be the extra participating drive.

5 years in the past, Sony’s vehicular aspirations made for an odd however intriguing challenge. Now, all of it simply appears misguided. How will it really feel in one other 12 months when the primary automobiles begin rolling off from Honda’s Ohio manufacturing facility? That is anybody’s guess, however I am unable to think about tomorrow’s market will look any extra kindly upon this vehicular curiosity.