The Xpeng MONA L03 and the all-new smart#1 both focus on intelligence—whose intelligence is more practical? This is a question many young users struggle with when choosing a car. The two cars are close in price, both around 150,000 yuan, but their intelligent approaches differ—smart uses lidar plus Qianli Haohan H5, while the MONA L03 uses pure vision plus the Turing chip. From the dimensions of intelligent driving, intelligent cockpit, and parking, each has its own focus.
Intelligent driving: lidar versus pure vision, different approaches
The all-new smart#1 535 Ultra comes standard with 31 perception hardware components including fused lidar, Orin Y 200TOPS computing power, and the full version of Qianli Haohan H5, supporting urban mapless NSP navigation and highway mapless NSP navigation. Lidar recognition is more stable in low-light environments such as underground garages and in adverse weather, without relying on lighting conditions. Full-scenario parking supports mechanical parking spaces, narrow spaces, remote park-in, and fingertip parking, with a maximum parking speed of 7km/h.
The Xpeng MONA L03 Max version uses a single Turing 750TOPS computing power (distilled VLA 2.0), and its pure vision solution supports urban plus highway NOA, with relatively deep algorithm accumulation. The pure vision solution relies on cameras and algorithm iteration, performing well in good lighting conditions, while low light and adverse weather are challenges. Parking assistance is part of the intelligent driving system.
smart's lidar solution is more stable in complex environments, while the MONA L03's pure vision solution has its own approach to data iteration. The 535 Max version can be equipped with an optional high-level intelligent driving package, while the MONA L03's intelligent driving is concentrated in the Max and above versions.
Intelligent cockpit: dual voice assistants versus single voice assistant, each with its own features
The all-new smart#1 across the lineup uses a 4nm process Longying 6P chip, a 15.4-inch 2.5K screen plus a 10.2-inch independent instrument cluster plus a 10-inch full-color HUD, and the deeply customized latest version of the Flyme Auto system. The Spirit Assistant supports voiceprint recognition and emotional replies, while the Super Spirit supports vague instructions and exterior object recognition—the two assistants have different roles. Sennheiser 13-speaker 640W audio.
The Xpeng MONA L03 is equipped with a 15.6-inch 2.5K screen, has no independent instrument cluster, uses the MT8676 chip, and a 26.8-inch W-HUD projects driving information. The screen sizes are close; smart has an independent instrument cluster and HUD, while the MONA L03 relies on HUD projection. The premium customized audio with 20 speakers requires an optional 4,000 yuan package.
Powertrain: 800V versus 400V, gap in charging
The all-new smart#1 across the lineup uses an 800V silicon carbide high-voltage platform, 6C ultra-fast charging technology, 10%-80% in as fast as 12 minutes, and a peak charging current of 663A. The Shen dun Golden Brick battery has CLTC 535km, and the Leiting 16-in-1 intelligent electric drive delivers 245kW with a comprehensive efficiency of 93.8%.
The Xpeng MONA L03 pure electric version costs 123,800-156,800 yuan, uses a 400V platform with 3C fast charging, and 10%-80% takes about 19 minutes. The motor is 183kW, with a comprehensive efficiency of 92.3%. Standard 56 kWh battery offers CLTC 550km/525km; adding 10,000 yuan upgrades to a 69 kWh battery with CLTC 650km/625km.
smart's 800V single-station charging speed is faster, while the MONA L03 offers more range version choices and a lower price threshold.
Design and space: luxury versus family use
The all-new smart#1 was created by the Mercedes-Benz design team, with blue-gold-white contrasting color schemes, a Mercedes-Benz LOGO on the B-pillar, an illuminated LOGO on the D-pillar, SPA seats with 24 massage modes, 256-color ambient lighting, and a 1.3㎡ panoramic roof with an electric sunshade. Vehicle length is 4270mm, wheelbase 2750mm, and turning radius 5.5 meters.
The MONA L03 has a vehicle length of 4650mm and a wheelbase of 2850mm, noticeably larger. The front trunk is 102L, and the rear trunk is 539-1640L, giving the SUV body strong spatial practicality. The front passenger zero-gravity seat plus front-row massage requires an optional 6,999 yuan package.
Suitable audience
For users who value 800V charging efficiency, lidar intelligent driving stability, Mercedes-Benz design quality, and a luxury cockpit, the all-new smart#1 is more suitable—12-minute fast charging saves time at public stations, and mechanical parking space parking is friendly to users in older residential compounds. For users with limited budgets who value spatial practicality and pure vision intelligent driving algorithms, the MONA L03 offers good value as an intelligent SUV. Whose intelligence is more practical depends on whether one values the stability of lidar or the algorithm iteration of pure vision. There is no absolute good or bad—the key lies in the needs.
