What do you remember about 2023? This is an incredible number of new models, brands and sub-brands that have appeared on the Russian market. More than 20 Chinese cars have passed through my hands alone, and almost every one of them contained some oddities and typically Chinese “chips.” Let’s talk about it and remember the most important points.
Chery Tiggo 4 Pro
My car year began with a test drive of Chery Tiggo 4 Pro. In 2023, it became one of the best-selling cars in Russia. In general, the car is balanced and quite well adapted for our market, but there are some oddities here.
Among them were both typical ones, such as savings on glove compartment lighting or heated seat backs, and more specific ones – inconvenient cup holders, lack of lampshades in the back row and a fuel flap cover that easily freezes at sub-zero temperatures outside.
Changan CS35 Plus New
The next test surprised me with its strange approach to restyling the model. We are talking about an updated version of the crossover with a long name – Changan CS35 Plus New.
On the one hand, the car has become more interesting in terms of technology. A turbo engine and a “robot” appeared, and the dynamics improved noticeably. The appearance has become more modern and aggressive. At the same time, compared to the pre-restyling car, the interior decoration has become simpler, the driver’s seat has lost some of its electric drives. Even such little things as additional hooks and organizer pockets on the backs of the front seats, as well as a microlift for the ceiling handles, have disappeared.
Among other oddities: when you press the physical climate control buttons, a window with information about the temperature and other settings does not pop up automatically, and there is only one button for heating the rear row of seats, that is, the entire sofa is heated, without dividing into the left and right parts.
Changan Uni-K
Another crossover from Changan can easily be called one of the most interesting “Chinese” on the Russian market – this is the Uni-K model. Here you get a cool design, a spacious interior with high-quality finishes and many options. But where would we be without weirdness?
For example, using the climate control touch buttons turned out to be inconvenient, and the climate itself works extremely strangely, which was especially noticeable in winter. There are also sound gags. For example, every time the threshold of 120 km/h is crossed, a sound alert is triggered – this is a tenfold signal that cannot be turned off normally. And if you get out of a running car with the key, after a while the handles close, and to open them you need to press the touch button and listen to the horn sound three times.
Geely Monjaro
Despite the huge number of new products, I would call the Geely Monjaro the best Chinese car in 2023. Design, finishing materials, driving performance – all this corresponds to the level of a good European car. But even here there were some incomprehensible decisions.
Unlike the same Tugella, the themes of the instrument panel of the Monjaro do not change; birds fly on the screen during the day, and the stars shine in the evening. Questions are raised by the logic of controlling the gearbox selector and the drive mode change puck. Moreover, every time you switch these same modes, for some reason a specific sound signal is triggered. It is also surprising that the side walls of the trunk did not receive soft upholstery.
Changan CS85 Coupe и Changan CS95
A couple of large crossovers from Changan were also not without their peculiarities: CS85 Coupe and CS95.
The crossover coupe has a powerful turbo engine and a classic automatic transmission, good dynamics, a stylish red interior and rich equipment. But the car is only available with front-wheel drive, the glossy black panels glare in the sun, the cupholders are small and inconvenient, and the climate control works strangely. The crossover simply does not have the Autohold function, and the trunk shelf does not have holders, meaning it almost always needs to be held with one hand.
The 7-seater CS95 has fewer such moments, but it is not without them at all. The glossy panels here also glare, the climate is not entirely clear, and ergonomics have suffered due to the design of the central tunnel. The wireless charging pad is poorly located. The cup holders have been hit again: two large glasses of coffee will “conflict” with each other. There is an Autohold function, but for some reason there is no separate indicator of its operation on the instrument panel, only a small pop-up window. There are no standard seat heaters, and the dealer’s solution turned out to be unsuccessful: when the driver or passenger gets into the car, part of the side support of the seat is pressed, which is why the heating buttons are often pressed accidentally. You have to turn them off on the go and by touch.
Jetour Dashing
Today, a similar trend can be seen among various Chinese cars – ordinary gasoline cars are made to look like electric cars both outside and inside. One of the striking examples: the Jetour Dashing crossover.
It has a very impressive appearance and an equally unusual interior, especially in the maximum configuration. There is a flattened oval steering wheel, a minimum of physical buttons, a narrow instrument panel and a huge multimedia system tablet. This very screen contains control of all functions, from adjusting mirrors and heated seats to activating the trunk servo drive. Is it convenient? For me, not very much, although you can get used to everything, especially when you like the car. On the move, the Dashing turned out to be generally pleasant, but the “robot” still requires tuning; in the city it lacks smoothness in any of the driving modes.
Changan Lamore
The hero of our last test in 2023 was made in a similar style. The Changan Lamore sedan received a stylish design with fold-out door handles in the style of a Tesla, a huge frameless radiator grille and exhaust pipes hidden under the bumper. The interior features an oval steering wheel, even more flattened than in the Dashing, a large vertical media system tablet and an unusual instrument panel. But all this beauty comes at the price of practicality.
The inner part of the steering wheel is made convex, so that when rotating its outermost buttons are often pressed accidentally. The themes on the dashboard do not change, and not everyone will like the constant flickering of painted road markings. The car received a bunch of advanced options, including gesture control and driver condition monitoring, but among the “warm” options is only heating of one driver’s seat. The climate control also works strangely, and the proprietary signal does not turn off normally when crossing the threshold of 120 km/h. But, even despite all these oddities, in terms of driving performance, the Lamore can be set as an example for most Chinese cars, which we will discuss in detail in the review, which will be published on the website in January 2024.
Lynk & Co 09
The crossover from the premium sub-brand Geely turned out to be the most balanced and pleasant to drive of all the Chinese cars I tested. The only strange thing that can be noted here is that at the time of shooting there was no Russian language in the menu, and it was also impossible to mirror the image from a smartphone. But they promised to fix this with future firmware. “Zero Nine” turned out to be the most expensive car I tested in 2023, but this model is not officially supplied to the Russian market, although the dealer gives a two-year warranty.
***
As you can see, there are plenty of oddities and incomprehensible “tricks” in Chinese cars, and this does not depend much on the price or brand. Among the most common issues are incorrect operation of climate control, problems with ergonomics (chairs, cup holders, filling of the central tunnel), settings of robotic boxes, lack of a good translation into Russian and an abundance of sound signals and notifications. For example, the last point applies to almost all models from the Chery concern: when you get out of a running car with the key in your pocket, a beep sounds (three or six times). In courtyards, this function is especially pleasing, and it cannot be disabled normally.
Of course, these are not all the oddities and features that are found in Chinese cars. Here we have shared the main moments that were memorable in the past year. You can find out more information about the models you are interested in in our articles and video reviews. And in 2024, we will continue to study the features of new Chinese cars and share all the details with you. Judging by the plans of Chinese companies, we will definitely not have a shortage of new products.
Roman Yarovoy (@rvr50), video by the author
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2024-01-01 08:49:38
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