Two different materials were used for the body of the train cars:
aluminium alloy and
fibre-reinforced plastics (FRP). Aluminium alloy was chosen for use on most of the body due to its low weight and high strength so safe high-speed performance could be achieved. For the nose cone, FRP was used because of its ability to be molded into complex
aerodynamic shapes necessary sustained at the front of the train in high-speed operations and continue to maintain its structural strength. However, the use of these two materials with different
coefficients of linear thermal expansion meant the different rates of expansion could lead to paint peeling off the body. This problem was addressed by using two separate
gasket rings on the nose cone to separate it into different sections which are painted independently. They can be distinguished from
CRH380A trains operated by
China Railway which only have 1 gasket ring. • Further improvement on collision and fire resistance as well as electromagnetic compatibility and other properties. • Improved
low-resistance shape. • The optimisation of the
bogie design and improvement of the interior structure. • High-strength air tightness: to further enhance the airtight performance, the fully sealed pressurisation of differential pressure control mode is adopted. The rate of pressure change does not exceed . • Improved bogie. • Noise control: Using a variety of new noise absorption materials and noise barrier technology, EMU speed of inside noise keep in 67–69 dB level. • The
axle load still maintained at a level of , under vehicle weight gained by enhancing traction power, structural quality and noise reduction level. • High-efficiency
regenerative braking. •
Ergonomic passenger interface. • Label text (including fleet number and seat class name) on car body is painted with , including MTR Sung () for Chinese characters (both Traditional and Simplified, of which Simplified Chinese is a first for Hong Kong) and
Myriad MM for alphanumeric characters. == Classes ==