The New Seres 3 EV: Upgraded

The popular Seres 3 EV has received an update, although the upgrades are mostly cosmetic. The Seres 3 is priced at Rs. 49.99 Lakh for the comfort variant and Rs. 52.99 Lakh for the Premium Variant. The changes though, are mainly cosmetic. In fact, the price remains unchanged from its previous version.

Exterior

The front is where the changes are most prominent. The busy front grille has been replaced by one that is more minimal. The logo is gone and it’s replaced by lettering that reads SERES in big bold letters. The vertical DRLs are also a new addition and. work well to continue the minimal appeal of the Seres 3’s front fascia. 

Apart from that, the Seres 3 adopts a less-is-more approach and does not have much going on in the front fascia. Under the hood is a bit of a mess, but there is a chance that you will be getting a cover of sorts later, maybe with a small frunk. You will also notice a dash cam camera on the windscreen and rain-sensing boneless wipers up front.

The profile makes up for the plain front fascia. There is a lot going on. The chrome lining on the waistline stands out on the shiny piano black cladding. The prominent character line and accent line go all the way to the tail end and the 18-inch alloys fill out the wheel arches fairly well.

The rear is simple. Two taillights and two badges that read out SERES, in case you missed the first SERES badge up front. The indicators and reversing lights are situated lower above the rear bumper cladding. The coupe-style design of the rear, we’ve been told, is inspired by Porsche’s ex-Designer who is now the head designer at Seres.

Interior

The cabin of the Seres 3 is a great place to be in, and for anyone who spends a lot of time in their cars, this will be a deciding factor. This is the largest car in its segment, but that doesn’t count for much if it isn’t comfortable. Luckily the Seres 3 is. 

The leatherette seats are well cushioned and the side bolsters keep you in place when driving. It does well to not tire out the body too much, even on longer drives. Both driver and passenger seats get a 6-way electric adjustment, and they are equipped with three-stage heating. But, they are not ventilated.

Nevertheless, you can cool things down in the cabin with the AC. The circular propeller-style AC vents look wonderful in the cabin. This along with the soft touch material with minimal chrome accents has an air of sophistication that feels premium.

Even the 10.25-inch touchscreen unit does not feel over the top. It does not feel very advanced though. It displays a 360-degree camera and you can connect via Bluetooth to play music from your device. However, you don’t get Android Auto or Apple Carplay. Instead, you have to use their CarAuto app, which is a hassle.

Overall, the all-black interiors are pure class but it isn’t flawless. One quip we have is the drive selector knob. With the interiors as classy as this, the faux crystal drive selector feels out of place. Almost like it’s trying too hard. Something simpler would have fit in much better.

Second are the buttons. It’s not a complaint really, physical buttons are more convenient. Here is the issue: the materials used in the cabin all feel very premium. The leatherette on the seats, the soft touch dash, and even the plastic bits on the dash aren’t hard plastic. 

However, the buttons and switches feel like they’re of a slightly lower quality and they do not feel tactile. The textured volume adjusters on the steering wheel, for instance, give you the illusion that they are scrollable, but they are not. It’s more of a lever function instead. On any other cabin, it wouldn’t be an issue, but here they stick out like sore thumbs.

The piano black on the centre console is a fingerprint magnet, but you get very useful touch sensors and switches that allow you to toggle the AC settings, drive mode, and 360-degree camera. You and your passenger both get a place for your phone, but only one of them comes equipped with a wireless charger.

You get 2 cupholders in the front and two more in the center armrest that you can pull down in the rear seats. Seating three is fairly comfortable in Seres 3. You get rear AC vents to keep passengers cool, and a USB C charger for your device.

In terms of bootspace, you get 525L of bootspace and an additional 800L of bootspace with the rear seats folded down. The Seres 3 is a great place to be. The panoramic sunroof floods the cabin with light and is a great addition.

Performance

There is a 52.7 kWh battery and in terms of range, you get a claimed WLTP range of 320kms. Realistically, you will be getting somewhere around 300kms of range which is very good.

You get three driving modes, eco, normal, and sports and when driving, the differences between the modes are significant. Eco mode is sedate. It is perfect for in-city traffic. The steering is light and the car doesn’t feel too aggressive to drive.

In normal mode, things are peppier. The car responds to your accelerator inputs in a livelier manner. This mode is what we resorted to for the majority of the time. It’s plenty even for the highways or when you need to make overtaking manoeuvres. Furthermore, it will stay happily well above the stipulated speed limits of Nepal… not that we did that of course. Sports mode though, is a different beast. This is the mode you choose when you want all 99kw of power and 300nm of torque at your disposal, and it is a lot.

There is a significant jump in performance in this mode. The drive is more engaging and you are tempted to push the Seres 3 to higher speeds. And when you do that, it maintains its composure. It doesn’t feel unstable. In fact, it feels like you are going much slower than you are which demonstrates its steadiness at high speeds.

Even when you chuck it into turns it remains unfazed. There is a fair bit of body roll, especially in the rear seat. The duties of stopping the Seres 3 are governed by 4 disc brakes. At first, the brakes feel like they lack bite. It just feels like there is a longer travel distance for the pedal but the stopping power is linear. Once you get used to it, you get a good feel of its stopping capabilities.

This would be a good time to go through the features list that you get with the Seres 3. You get cruise control, which is activated through this stalk in the steering column. In terms of safety, you get 6 airbags, ESP, EBA/EBD, TPMS, auto hold and hill descent control, traction control, lane keep assist, and front collision warning.

The Seres 3 feels like a big car and it drives like one too. The 190mm of ground clearance is also massive, so you will not run into any trouble. The earlier version of the Seres 3 managed to make it to Lo Manthang, so other roads should not be a problem.

We drove the Seres 3 on slightly offroad terrains, it performed well. It soaks up the bumps and lumbers over undulations. Our suggestion would be to keep the traction control on and to take things easy. Even off the tarmac, the Seres 3 is very adept at moving forward. Having said that, the Seres 3 is not an off-road car. Don’t go around searching for offroad trails to conquer.

Verdict

It has the big SUV feel, and it lives up to the biggest car in the segment claim. For the most part, the interiors feel premium and comfortable. That could be the biggest selling point that the Seres 3 has, along with the range and the ground clearance.

The new version of the Seres 3, in our opinion, looks better too. It manages to catch attention but it still does not feel too extravagant.

Then there is the price. The price of the new Seres 3 remains unchanged at Rs. 49.99 lakh for the comfort and Rs.52.99 lakh for the premium. I think that is a very good price for a car that feels premium and is a fun car to drive. Furthermore, the company offers a 3-year Vehicle Warranty, an 8-year (or 150000 Km) Battery and Motor Warranty, and a 1-year Charger Warranty.

In the Nepalese market, the Seres 3 locks horns with the likes of the BYD Atto 3 and MG ZS EV. Their main rival though would be the Atto 3. While cheaper, the Seres 3 does not come with as many features, but it edges out the Atto 3 in terms of space and ground clearance. The Seres 3 will also come out on top for those who find the interiors of the Atto 3 a little too funky. Nevertheless, the BYD Atto 3, with its blade battery, is a tough competitor to go against in this segment.