The best Chinese crossovers in Russia: photo, review and reviews

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:42

Buying a Chinese car, and a crossover in particular, is a rather bold decision that needs to be approached with special care, because the reputation of goods from the Middle Kingdom cannot be called good.

The Chinese auto industry has to compete with venerable manufacturers from Europe, South Korea, Japan and other countries. Of course, first of all, the lineup of Chinese crossovers takes the buyer with its price, and only then with its appearance or some technical solutions. The latter, by the way, are mostly borrowed from other large concerns.

Despite the ardent technical and design plagiarism, some Chinese manufacturers produce very good Chinese crossovers. In Russia, they enjoy enviable popularity, where the price is still a critical factor during the purchase. We will try to analyze this market and choose worthy options.

So, we present to your attention an overview of Chinese crossovers, taking into account Russian realities. It includes the most popular models with a high-quality component and adequate prices for domestic consumers. We will only consider newChinese crossovers: they appeared in Russia less than a year ago and have already found their buyers.

Chery Tiggo 3

This series has been sold in Russia for 12 years with varying success. Today, the manufacturer offers a restyled car, prettier both outside and inside. The Chinese crossover (see photo below) turned out to be of surprisingly high quality and seriously competed with its more expensive counterpart Tiggo 5.

The model received a gasoline engine with a torque of 160 Nm and good power for 126 "horses". Judging by the reviews of the Chinese crossover, the Tiggo 3 is supple and elastic, but nevertheless, active driving is not for him, especially if the 7-CVT variator is included.

Features of the model

If you need a real "beast", then you can look at the modification with a manual transmission and a 1.6-liter engine. A similar tandem is available in both the basic and premium versions of the Chinese crossover.

Model benefits:

• good looking;
• pliable control;
• bright, ergonomic and comfortable interior with a swing to European standards;
• good engine and great synergy with our 92 petrol.

Flaws:

• Driver's seat set high (people taller than 1.8 meters may experience slight discomfort);
• noisy CVT;
• non-standard arrangement of controls.

Geely EmgrandX7

This is a new model, and it has already received a restyling in 2018. The Chinese crossover Geely Emgrand X7 can be called an urban hatchback due to its low ground clearance - only 171 mm. The exterior of the car is distinguished by the presence of interesting and really beautiful design solutions. Among his fellows from the Middle Kingdom, he looks favorably, but still falls short of the European level.

One of the main advantages of the Chinese crossover is the abundance of variability of modifications. Here we have as many as three gasoline engines that meet Euro-5 standards. The older modification received a unit for 148 "horses" and 2.4 liters, and the younger one - 125 hp. and 1.8 l.

Distinctive features of the crossover

Motorists speak ambiguously about the model. A good half of the users are more than satisfied with the well-coordinated work of the engine tandem for 2, 4 with a six-speed gearbox, while the rest do not like the injectors hooked exclusively on the 95th gasoline and the dynamics of the car as a whole. But again, with a reasonable price for a Chinese crossover, the existing shortcomings can be overlooked.

Pros of the model:

• large selection of modifications;
• full-fledged automatic transmission for 6 gears;
• pleasant to the eye and comfortable interior;
• good running characteristics;
• attractive price tag.

Cons:

• angular and plain exterior;
• low ground clearance.

Lifan X60 New

This is one of the bestChinese crossovers in the domestic market. The updated car differs from its predecessors in an almost completely redesigned exterior. The interior of the car has also undergone significant changes. The new panel alone is worth it.

Judging by the reviews of motorists, all the innovations have only benefited the crossover. The car began to look more neat and solid. If you put other competing models from the Middle Kingdom in a row, then the Lifan cannot be called an ordinary Chinese car. In terms of design, it compares favorably with its counterparts.

Under the hood of the crossover, almost nothing has changed. Here we have a 1.8-liter engine with 128 “horses” already familiar from previous series, as well as a proprietary VVT-I system. The model can go both with a stepless variator and with classic five-speed mechanics.

Crossover features

In luxury modifications, the brand focused on leather. In the Luxury series, the seats, armrests and instrument panel received high-quality and noble upholstery. The manufacturer also did not forget about other necessary features such as electric mirrors, parking sensors, heated seats, air conditioning and luxurious multimedia. As for the top modifications, here users leave entirely positive reviews and do not note any critical shortcomings.

Model benefits:

• excellent design solutions both in the exterior and interior of the car;
• enviable and relatively inexpensive equipmenttop modifications;
• good geometric patency of the body;
• good urban driving performance.

Flaws:

• noisy engine;
• stepless variator (I would like a full-fledged automatic transmission);
• on broken roads the car bounces like a ball.

Brilliance V5

The only one who can seriously compete with Lifan in terms of design is Brilliance V5. The exterior of the crossover was developed in close cooperation with the famous Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina.

By the way, he also designed Ferraris and Cadillacs, so the appearance of the car turned out to be expectedly excellent and attractive in all respects. Moreover, in the exterior of the car there is not even a hint of "Chinese", and sometimes it is very easy to confuse it with some noble European representative. The owners in their reviews just sing praises to this decision and are not satisfied with the purchase.

Technical characteristics of the car is also at a very decent level. The model received a turbocharged engine for 142 "horses" with a spin up to 220 Nm, which is very good by the standards of even the European car industry.

In the domestic market, the car is presented in the Sport and Deluxe trim levels and exclusively with an automatic transmission. Naturally, this does not add dynamics to the car, but a good half of the owners are ready to put up with this.

Pros of the model:

• very handsomeappearance from the Italian studio;
• just a huge number of all kinds of electronic assistants and assistants (EBA / ABS, ESC, HSA and others);
• good chassis performance with an emphasis on Russian roads;
• good equipment.

Cons:

• the quality of the interior materials is clearly not up to the European level;
• modest engine dynamics thanks to automatic transmission;
• price is too high for a "Chinese".

Haval H2

This is the only model on our list that comes with an optional all-wheel drive system. But the car is nevertheless considered a crossover, not an SUV, because it received a load-bearing body. The Haval brand itself works under the strict control of the Great Wall concern, so the company has experience in the production of high-quality, and most importantly, reliable cars.

The model received a 1.5-liter engine for 150 horses, a torque of 210 Nm, turbocharging, multiport fuel injection and 184 mm ground clearance. Users on this occasion leave mixed reviews. On the one hand, the available characteristics do not fully reveal the capabilities of the 4X drive, but on the other hand, the car copes quite well with urban conditions and small off-road adventures.

The engine fully complies with the demanding environmental standard "Euro-5" and works in tandem with a 6-speed automatic transmission. Alternatively, there is a modification with manual transmission also in six steps.

Model benefits:

• compact body;
• increased cross-country ability compared to simple crossovers;
• Pleasant looking "masculine" design;
• high-quality finished and well-equipped salon;
• quite adequate value.

Disadvantage - the trunk is only 300 liters, which is very small for its class.

Summing up

The automobile industry of the Celestial Empire, though slowly, but steadily developing. Chinese models from the “more expensive” category already come without lurid exteriors, and some manufacturers even turn to European designers for help, rather than blatantly copying everything they see.

Salons, in turn, got rid of low-quality and foul-smelling materials, and began to be equipped with normal standard equipment. But on the chassis, the “Chinese” are still lagging behind their more venerable competitors. Yes, spare parts for them, of course, are cheaper, but this moment only partly justifies the imperfections.

Which Chinese car to choose depends only on the preferences, conditions and capabilities of each individual consumer. The Haval H2 and Tiggo 3 models act as universal and most attractive solutions from a price point of view. They are easy to ride around the city, and they will cope with country roads with dignity. The remaining options are more suitable for megacities and the nearest suburbs, where the road surface is more or less normal.