Looking for a big family five-seat SUV for around RMB 250,000? Over the past couple of years, range-extended powertrains have become almost unavoidable in the family-car segment: for the daily city commute you run on electricity, which is quiet and cheap; on holiday long-distance runs the range extender generates power and you simply fill up with petrol, with no need to queue for a charger at a motorway service area. Compared to pure electric, it offers a bit more flexibility, and compared to traditional fuel vehicles, it's still quite economical, making it well-suited for the "multi-purpose" core demand of modern families. If you are shopping right now, these four popular models are impossible to ignore: the SAIC Volkswagen ID.ERA 8X, which leans on German chassis tuning and safety credentials; the Xiaomi Pengcheng N70, which differentiates itself with a big-battery range-extender setup and the Xiaomi ecosystem; the XPeng G9L, which stretches to the largest body in its class and adds a three-chip cabin-and-driving integrated architecture; and the Li Auto L6, which sits high on the sales charts on years of family-car goodwill and continuous iteration. In this round-up we walk you through them and see which one suits you best. - **SAIC Volkswagen ID.ERA 8X**: ID.ERA is the new-energy family SAIC Volkswagen has been pushing hard over the past two years, and the ID.ERA 8X is the first "8-series" model in the line-up. It comes in four configurations - Pro, Max, Max Long Range and Ultra Long Range - with official guide prices of RMB 226,800-289,800 and a limited-time price of RMB 206,800-269,800. First owners also get a lifetime whole-vehicle warranty worth RMB 10,000. It takes the "German driving-dynamics flagship" route, focusing on chassis quality and safety credentials. It targets families who value ride quality. The four models of ID.ERA 8X on sale are priced at 206,800 RMB for the Pro model, 229,800 RMB for the Max model, 249,800 RMB for the Max Long Range model, and 269,800 RMB for the Ultra Long Range model. The ID.ERA 8X has a body size of 5020/1997/1750mm, with a wheelbase of 2970mm, making it a standard mid-to-large SUV. The side profile is smooth, with a strong shoulder line that highlights the Bauhaus style's simplicity and the luxury feel of an SUV. The front of the car features a ring-shaped light strip, with the headlights using six vertical light-core units. In terms of configuration, the Pro and Max models are standard with 20-inch Chengfeng wheels, while the Ultra Long Range model is standard with 21-inch Lingfeng wheels and adaptive matrix headlights; from the Max trim up it adds power soft-close doors all round, and the wide 80-degree door opening makes it easy for elderly passengers and children to get in and out. The interior design continues the exterior's simple and elegant style, with the center console and door panels done in offset floating designs, giving a homey and warm atmosphere. The entire range comes standard with the Wanfeng smart air-conditioning, which emphasises draught-free comfort, with features such as three-zone temperature control, intelligent fragrance, rapid cooling, rapid heating, and quick ventilation. The 15.6-inch 2.5K dual-screen system for the driver and passenger, paired with an 8.88-inch Smart Surface instrument panel, comes standard with W-HUD head-up display. Each side of the second-row doors comes with a Smart Surface Magic screen, which blends into the wood trim when off, and activates to adjust seats, air conditioning, sunshades, and the fridge when on, offering a very high-tech feel. The car runs VW OS on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295P chip, with four-zone voice access to the Doubao 2.0 large model. It comes standard with ANC active noise cancellation, VSG double-layer acoustic glass, a gesture-sensing power tailgate, a 12L smart fridge-and-freezer box, a 540-degree surround-view camera and nine airbags, offering a lot of value. With a good foundation, the space is naturally not lacking. The ID.ERA 8X is a five-seat layout, allowing three people to sit comfortably without feeling cramped; Nappa full-grain leather seats certified to mother-and-baby grade are now offered free with any purchase, and the Ultra trim additionally provides dual front zero-gravity seats. The cargo space is 496 liters when upright, and when folded, it expands to 1916 liters, making it suitable for long-distance travel, camping gear, and other items. In terms of power, the ID.ERA 8X comes standard with the EA211 "golden" range extender, which uses the Miller cycle, with a maximum thermal efficiency of 43%, a maximum net power of 105kW, and runs on 92-octane petrol. The rear-wheel drive model has a peak power of 220kW, and the four-wheel-drive version can achieve a 4.6-second 0-100km/h acceleration, which is sufficient for daily use. Battery options include 51.1kWh and 65.2kWh, with the Pro model offering a CLTC pure electric range of 373 km and a combined range of 1,567 km, while the Max Long Range model gets a 65.2kWh CATL Xiaoyao super range-extender hybrid battery, with a CLTC pure electric range of 451 km and a combined range of 1,602 km. The entire range comes standard with 800V high-power fast charging, with a 10%-80% charge time of 16.5 minutes. The chassis features a front double wishbone and rear multi-link independent suspension, with Continental four-piston calipers. Starting from the Max model, it comes with a 150mm-travel closed dual-chamber air suspension, continuous variable damping dampers, and intelligent pre-emptive magic carpet system, which can anticipate and actively adjust road surface undulations 15 meters in advance. In terms of autonomous driving, the ID.ERA 8X comes standard with Momenta R7 world model and 26 sensing hardware units including a 192-line LiDAR, supporting parking-space-to-parking-space navigation assist, NSA narrow-space assist, RPA remote parking, APA automatic parking and other full-scenario advanced driver-assistance functions. If you place an order for the ID.ERA 8X before November 30, you can enjoy an RMB 10,000 cash discount, an RMB 888 deposit that counts toward RMB 5,888 of the car price plus an RMB 5,000 insurance subsidy - RMB 20,000 of savings in total - and personalised exclusive equipment is thrown in free. If your budget is limited and you primarily use it for city commuting, the Pro model is sufficient; if you want a four-wheel drive and high-end chassis experience, the Max model offers the best value for money; if you travel long distances daily and want to reduce charging frequency, the Max Long Range model with a CLTC pure electric range of 451km is the best choice.