Jacob Joseph wrote:French cars can sometimes be a bit polarizing. Some of the decisions French automakers make can seem a little out there for someone used more sober German or Japanese cars. But the same kind of thinking that leads to weird production cars also leads to really excellent concept cars . Concepts are supposed to be weird, and are supposed to challenge our notions of what a car should be, and the French do that sort of thing really well, even if it isn’t always intentional. Peugeot’s new Fractal concept is a gloriously weird two-tone electric convertible .
The purpose of the concept is to show the direction that Peugeot plans to take the i-Cockpit infotainment system. Peugeot is very proud of this system, and to be fair, it does represent a significant leap forward in the design and implementation of these kinds of systems, especially when you consider that it’s being fitted to not especially expensive cars. The Fractal is therefore a car that was designed from the inside out, and as wild as the exterior looks, the interior is completely bonkers, a testament to just how crazy you can go with an interior if you don’t have to worry about actually selling the car.
Exterior:
The Fractal was designed to give the occupants the best listening experience possible in a car, so much of the exterior of the car was designed to keep outside noise out. This even included making taller and skinnier tires to reduce the contact patch, something that was also done to improve efficiency.
The paint scheme is a very simple but still striking idea, combining a very glossy white with a matte black. Many of the sound-deadening features blend into the black in such a way that they aren’t quite so obvious. LEDs adorn the exterior in several places. They serve as turn signals and a set on the rear of the car serve as a giant charging indicator when the car is plugged in.
The doors are hinged on the rear, and can be opened from a smart watch app. Peugeot suggests the Samsung Gear S, even though you can’t actually buy the car. The watch can also control the air conditioning system and stereo, although why you would need to control the stereo from outside the car isn’t at all clear.
Accent strips in the front fenders are adorned with a French flag color scheme. They don’t serve a purpose, but hey, concept car. The rear end of the car is somewhat disproportionately large, but that’s not unusual for a small car with a folding roof and a back seat. It’s all thoroughly enjoyable, even when it is in no way practical.
Interior:
A little bit of background before we get into the crazy Bond villain lair that is the interior of this car. Peugeot’s i-Cockpit system is actually several different components brought together to make better use of the newest technology. A big touchscreen has replaced nearly all of the center controls on the models that use the system, and a second screen in the gauge cluster provides addition information. Head-up displays are used to reduce distracted driving, and Peugeot makes a big deal out of the fact that the steering wheel is smaller than it has been in previous incarnations.
The Fractal is meant to take this thinking even further, with an emphasis on the absolute bleeding edge of stereo design and technology. Peugeot says that about 80 percent of the car was made in a 3D printer, in order to create shapes that would have been impossible by other means. The materials used for the interior are meant to invoke a sort of combination concert hall and recording studio, complete with copious soundproofing. The look is pretty outrageous, but again, this is in a thoroughly enjoyably crazy way.
The wooden wrap-around dash is unbroken by the usual displays and controls, with all of these being moved to an arch coming from the side of the steering wheel to the center console just in front of the arm rest. This makes for some odd and possibly awkward placement of some of the buttons, not to mention having to look all of the way down to control the stereo. But a few steps have been taken to address this issue. The gauge cluster has been replaced by one giant 12.3-inch HD screen that can be customized to show different information. The buttons on the genuinely bizarre steering wheel have been replaced with touchscreens as well.
The stereo is described as a 9.1.2 system. The 9.1 part is pretty standard, describing the car’s nine speakers and single subwoofer. But the last 2 is something else altogether. This is to denote the two bass speakers mounted inside the front seats. These aren’t regular speakers either, these are a new kind of speaker developed by American company Subpac.
These speakers don’t transmit sound though the air, but instead reach the listener’s inner ear by way of traveling through his body, theoretically giving the listener a solid bass experience without polluting the surrounding environment. It sounds crazy, but you’re unlikely to find many audiophiles that aren’t intrigued by it.
Drivetrain:
As with a lot of far-out futuristic concepts these days, the Fractal is electric. It’s not an especially powerful car, coming in at 204 horsepower split equally between the two motors, but the motors are mounted one each on the front and rear axles, making the car all-wheel-drive. Peugeot claims a 0-60 time of 6.8 seconds, which isn’t supercar fast but is in the acceptable range for mainstream cars.
Range is listed as being 280 miles, which is definitely in the upper areas of electric car capabilities. The ride height is adjustable from between 7cm and 11cm to make for better freeway driving while still allowing the car to get over speed bumps with relative ease.
DRIVETRAIN SPECIFICATIONS
http://www.topspeed.com/cars/peugeot/20 ... 71081.htmlCode: Select all
Type 102 HP electric motors, one on each axle Combined output 204 HP Driving range 280 miles 0 to 100km/h 6.8 seconds
