The Geely Emgrand sedan has been on sale in Belarus since the end of last year, but has not yet been officially presented in Russia. At the same time, the novelty has already appeared in some Russian dealers in a “parallel” status. “Chinese Automobiles” studied the offer in Russia and conducted a short test drive of the sedan.
Popularity Secret
On Belarusian market the new Emgrand sedan to buyers, as they say, “came in”. The novelty went on sale in December last year, and in the spring, queues of 250 people formed for it in some car dealerships.
The secret to success here consists of several components. Firstly, the car itself turned out to be successful. European-style laconic exterior design, spacious interior, quality finishing materials, spaciousness and a large number of options – buyers quickly tried all this.
The second reason for success is an adequate price tag and favorable lending programs with a preferential interest rate. Since the start of sales, prices have risen, but still remained at a very attractive level. The basic Standard package costs 49,200 Belarusian rubles, and the maximum Flagship costs 56,200 (1.43 and 1.65 million rubles, respectively).
How much do different configurations of Emgrand cost in Russia
According to rumors, Emgrand was supposed to officially appear in Russia at the beginning of summer. However, this has not yet happened. At the same time, some dealers took advantage of the situation and brought a novelty on their own.
Judging by the ads on the classifieds, about a hundred new Emgrands are being sold throughout the country. At the same time, only a fifth of them – in the basic Standard with a manual 5-speed gearbox. Obviously, dealers do not count on the high popularity of cars with “mechanics”.
The equipment of the basic version is “ambiguous”. On the one hand, there is air conditioning, an 8-inch multimedia system with Bluetooth and an EasyConnection app for mirroring a smartphone screen, electronic stabilization systems and tire pressure monitoring. On the other hand, the car has modest 15-inch steel wheels with caps, halogen front optics, no keyless entry system, and only two airbags. For such cars in Russia they ask from 1.6 to 1.8 million rubles.
Flagship comes with the same naturally aspirated 1.5 liter engine (103 hp and 142 Nm). It is available only with a CVT and has a much richer equipment. It has a digital instrument panel (12.3 inches), keyless entry and engine start from a button, an electronic handbrake with Autohold function, LED head optics, 17-inch alloy wheels, leather upholstery, a light sensor, cruise control, rear sensors parking, power sunroof and rearview camera.
The steering wheel in the top configuration is adjustable in height and reach, the driver’s seat receives an electric drive and adjustment in six directions instead of four. A choice of driving modes is available (Normal, Sport, Eco). There’s also remote engine start, front side and curtain airbags, and a number of other small improvements. In Russia, for Emgrand Flagship they ask from 1.9 to 2.3 million rubles.
Impressions from Geely Emgrand: good, but there are nuances
“Chinese cars” got acquainted with the “Emgrand” in the maximum configuration. There are three cars to choose from in the showroom, and one more stands at the front of the showroom. All of them are in the top version of Flagship, which confirms the all-Russian trend – dealers are in no hurry to bring cars with “mechanics”.
Appearance is really a strong point of the model. The sedan looks good from all angles, there are simply no controversial elements here. Emgrand has five body colors, the most beautiful of them is “azure”. The top version is also distinguished by an additional LED jumper between the rear lights. In the basic version, there is a plastic insert in its place. Moreover, when you open the car, a welcome animation is triggered. This option is rarely found in much more expensive cars.
The salon makes a very pleasant impression, not only thanks to its modern design. The materials are pleasant visually and to the touch. The seats are trimmed with two-tone artificial leather, there are perforations on the backs and cushions of the seats. The ranges of adjustment of the steering wheel and seats are so wide that, pushing the driver’s seat as far back as possible, you simply can’t reach the pedals. And this is with a height of 186 cm. The back is also spacious, there is ample space above the head, almost right up to the knees. But the backs of the front seats are soft, so there will be no discomfort in any case. Of the amenities – only deflectors and one USB connector. It is strange that the rear armrest is not in any of the trim levels.
The trunk will also please with space. By volume, exactly 500 liters are declared. The backrest folds in a 60/40 ratio – for almost all Chinese competitors, it drops only entirely.
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There are also a few oddities. For example, there is only one front ceiling lamp, and the rear one is available only in the maximum configuration. That is, there are no separate lamps for the driver and front passenger. What’s more, when the doors are opened, the single front dome light always comes on. Whether this function can be deactivated remains a mystery, there is no separate button on the ceiling for this. It is also a bit surprising that the car brought from Belarus did not have the Russian language in the multimedia system. Its functionality is quite simple, but the picture quality is decent. What can not be said about the rear view camera. There is no all-round visibility system in Belarusian cars – only a plug can be seen above the emblem in the radiator grille.
And yet, the designers clearly “broke off” on the instrument panel. After the classic theme in the Tugella coupe-crossover, we were surprised by the appearance of flying birds, a lighthouse and trees in the “tidy” of the flagship Monjaro. But there the readings were read well, some of the windows could be adjusted. Emgrand has one design theme. It is too original and obviously overloaded with information. Why the large 12-inch screen was filled in this way remains a mystery.
It’s also very odd that sedans don’t have any “warm” options, not even heated seats. Only heated mirrors are offered, and only in the maximum configuration.
The main surprise on the go is the suspension. It is very soft and will not shake you when passing speed bumps, unlike the same Monjaro. The steering effort felt a little smeared, but the ride settings didn’t change during the short trip. Most likely, the Eco mode was set. The soundproofing of the Emgrand is praised in many reviews, but it is difficult to call it the strength of the model. At least this applies to driving at low speeds. The same Omoda S5 is quieter.
What is the result
Despite not minor flaws, the sedan left a very good impression. If the Russian price tag corresponded to the Belarusian one, the queues for Emgrand would certainly appear in Russian salons.
So far, the car does not stand out as a particular benefit at the level of competitors. It costs approximately at the level of the Omoda S5 in the basic configuration with an atmospheric engine (2.16 million rubles), and a little more expensive than the Kaiyi E5, which is offered only with a turbo engine (1.95-2 million rubles). But in this case there is no official guarantee for Emgrand. If desired, it can be purchased in addition, as in other “parallel” machines.
Most likely, the sedan will get to Russia and officially. But it’s hard to say when that will happen. So far, only one full-fledged novelty from Geely has been presented on the Russian market – the flagship Monjaro. And the Tugella and Atlas Pro crossovers received more affordable versions.
Let’s hope that the Emgrand sedans, as well as the Okavango crossover and the updated Coolray, will still officially reach Russian buyers this year.
Roman YAROVOY (@rvr50), photo of the author
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2023-07-09 09:35:44
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