Seduce for three: what the bright exterior of sport crossovers hides
Appearance of GAC GS3, Changan Uni-T and Geely Cityray is memorable better than names. At least these cars look bright and sporty, but what about the driving qualities? What Chinese crossovers can seduce the buyer besides design, "Izvestia" found out.
Technically, all three cars are similar - a one and a half liter turbo engine in conjunction with a 7-speed "robot" with two clutches. Drive - only on the front wheels. It is all the more interesting to know how each company imagines a sporty crossover.
Facets and waves
Geely can be called the originator of the genre, its Coolray looked like a tuned hot-hatch - twin exhaust tips, a huge spoiler. Last fall, the Chinese brand has a new crossover Cityray. It costs a little more expensive than the restyled "Kulray", at the same time it is larger and in the top version is armed with an impressive battery of quadruple exhaust tips. In some online game, such an exhaust would immediately bring a hundred points to the speed.
The Cityray looks so much like the Atlas that it's easy to confuse the two models. The newcomer is smaller and looks more sporty thanks to different contours, a large spoiler on the rear door and the aforementioned quad exhaust. The "wow effect" that the Atlas used to produce is no longer there: the design has become familiar.
In addition to, bright blue, like Artemy Lebedev's hair, color, GAC GS3 offers no less spectacular, but more restrained shade "Matte Graphite". The Geely Cityray also has its own blue hue, while the Changan has blue and blue. All cars are also available in more subdued white and gray coloration. Only Changan has black
GAC GS3, which went on sale last summer, is another relatively new player. In China, it has a version with huge exhaust pipes, but in the Russian market sporty styling is more modest. Nevertheless, GAC with its fancy "cut" is now one of the brightest and unusual crossovers on the market, although it costs less than Changan and Geely. The reverse side of the bold design is impracticality. Complicated stampings on doors will be a terrible dream for any tinsmith.
Changan Uni-T entered the Russian market earlier than other participants of the test, but its fluid alien appearance still makes an impression.
Hospitable bucket
All three cars can boast of a good fit of body panels and quality assembly of the interior. The level of materials is approximately the same - plastic of different texture and rigidity plus leatherette, but Changan Uni-T makes an impression of a more expensive car. Cityray is simpler. The quality of GAC "walks" both inside and outside. The door frames pasting is scuffed in some places, and somewhere it is peeling off. Hood and gas tank lid opening cables have slipped off the levers, and it is necessary to pull directly by them.
Declared ground clearance of the cars is approximately the same (180-190 mm), but in the test GAC it is reduced by a non-standard engine protection. GS3 and Uni-T have approximately the same off-road geometry, but Changan wins in distance from the ground to bumpers and sills. Geely Cityray has the best "geometry"
GAC, despite the fact that it is the smallest, surprises with a wide "in shoulders" interior and a range of longitudinal adjustment of a driver's seat. The seat cushion is a bit short, but there are no special claims to landing. Until you get into a Changan or Geely - their driver's seats are wider, which will be appreciated by large drivers, cushions are longer, and the profile of backrests is more successful. The most comfortable landing is in the "bucket" Uni-T, in addition it is equipped with lumbar support adjustment, Cityray offers the function of seat position memory, which automatically moves away, making it easier to get in and out.
All of the cars tested are presented in maximum configurations, with a full range of options, but the GS3's front passenger seat still has to be moved manually.
Physics vs. TV set
In general, ergonomics of GAC against the background of two other cars can be considered as reference. It is possible to criticize only to a virtual button of opening of a luggage door, hidden deep in a menu. The steering wheel is almost of traditional form, the control unit of climate control with physical buttons and knobs is close to the ideal. The Uni-T, on the one hand, will appeal to conservatives thanks to the multitude of physical keys and knobs. On the other hand, the "alien" transmission selector will take some getting used to, and the pedal unit is cramped for a man's foot in a size 42 winter boot.
Cityray is a reflection of the most fashionable trends of Chinese automobile industry, with all advantages and disadvantages. Faceted steering wheel, small dashboard display, minimum of physical buttons. A huge, vertically stretched touchscreen controls all functions. You need to adjust the mirrors - look for the necessary section among a set of items and tabs. Not everything is smooth with "physical" control. Handbrake key without light indication makes nervous, and original handles of door locks and window elevator keys require getting used to.
In the darkness the brightness of the display should be turned down as much as possible to give rest to eyes. But the "TV" shows a good picture from the cameras of a round view, and also a map of navigation - the firm box-gasket allows to connect to a multimedia system smartphones with Android Auto and Apple Carplay. The center displays of the GAC and Changan are noticeably smaller, with the latter's modest graphics more comfortable to the eye in the dark. The dashboard of GAC is reflected in the windshield at night, in addition, the picture from cameras in GS3 slows down. Head units of these crossovers are friendly only with Apple Carplay, for Android you will have to download a special application.
What do they have behind?
Sporty silhouettes of cars are spectacular, but impose restrictions on the size of the second row and trunk. Changan Uni-T surpasses other test participants in length and wheelbase, but its rear row seems to be the most cramped. The feeling is aggravated by low landing, massive backrests of front seats, small windows and tapering to the top interior. If to measure with a tape measure, the reserve before knees and above heads of GAC and Changan is approximately the same, and it is not big. The sofa of Changan is more comfortable.
Geely is noticeably more spacious in all directions, but on a back sofa three will be cramped here too. The Cityray also has the most spacious trunk among the test cars, and the luggage door lid rises to the greatest height. Trunks of all three cars for this class are not badly equipped - electric drive of a luggage door and a capacious underfloor.
Winter adventures
Winter this year does not frighten with cold weather, and snow comes down every now and then, but "Chinese" have enough of it. Already at minus five frost the unheated motor of "Changan" began to shudder uncertainly. Uni-T is equipped with winter options at a minimum - remote start and heated front seats. And all this is only in the maximum configuration. In addition, to make the car warm, the heater should be set on 26-27 degrees. The engine of GAC GS3 also trembles in frosty morning, warming up, but the temperature rises faster in the cabin, heating threads defrost the windshield, and heated front seats are hot at all.
Changan and GAC headquarters are located in the subtropics, and Geely, apparently, knows about the existence of frost from Scandinavian Volvo, which is part of the Chinese holding. In any case, Cityray does not show any concern about cold weather, but only twice displayed temperature in the cabin is misleading. Here is not a separate climate control, but single-zone, as well as in other cars.
Cityray is equipped with the most complete winter package - seats, steering wheel, windshield, and windshield washer nozzles are heated. It is strange to mention about it, but only in this model the rear window is cleaned normally.
Nozzle of the windshield washer in "Changan" is unsuccessfully located: a thin jet of "unfreeze" flows along the very edge of the rear window, and at speed the liquid is generally blown sideways by air streams, twisted by a diffuser on the edge of the roof. But at least the Uni-T has a wiper blade. The GAC has no wiper blades, no windshield washer, only heated filaments. Someone in the company decided that a spoiler of a tricky shape will be responsible for cleaning the glass. In conditions of Russian winter it turned out exactly the opposite. The plates on the roof, imitating rails, direct back not only air streams, but also dirt mixed with reagent.
The camera also gets dirty quickly, and all hope when driving in reverse is on external mirrors. You have to clean the camera and the glass manually all the time. In the second case, be careful - the sharp edge of the spoiler can scratch your hand.
Merry starts
In principle, the GS3's oddities can be forgiven for its fighting character. Even algorithm of work of selector speaks about desire to go immediately - it is necessary to rock it once, and not twice, as in other crossovers. GAC is the only one in the test has Sport+ mode in addition to sport mode. In this mode, the dashboard is painted red, some absolutely fantastic figures of supercharger pressure appear on the central display, and the car starts off merrily, with slippage. The declared acceleration from a place to a hundred is 7.5 s, measurements have shown that on dry asphalt at minus temperatures the car is quite capable of getting out of nine seconds. The Sport+ mode is even excessive for everyday driving - when moving backward the car sharply twitches. The usual sport mode is quite enough for moving around the city.
Larger Changan Uni-T, according to official data, is a little lighter, and its motor with a little less power than GS3 (167 hp vs. 170 hp), is more torquey (280 Nm vs. 250 Nm) and reaches the peak of thrust earlier, at 1250 revolutions of the crankshaft. All this does not give an advantage in dynamics, the declared acceleration is 8.1 s up to "hundred". Changan takes care of "robot" clutches, starts with a hitch and gains speed slower than GS3, both by sensations, and by measurements (9,4 s). At the same time, it is the only one of the three crossovers can overcome 200 km/h.
Geely Cityray is the heaviest, the tallest, and its motor develops only 150 hp and reaches the peak of traction (270 Nm) later than the others. As a result - acceleration to "hundred" is marked at the level of 8.9 s, in reality the car hardly leaves ten. The reason is slippery Chinese Sailun tires and too strict stabilization system, which cuts off fuel supply at slippage.
The real consumption, according to the readings of on-board computers of the cars, turned out to be approximately the same: in the area of 7,8-8,6 liters per 100 km. 92nd gasoline is recommended for all three crossovers, but GAC unit due to higher compression ratio will be more correctly filled with 95th.
Not quiet running at all
GS3, in spite of simpler, than at other two crossovers, rear suspension, is the most venturesome. Behavior is similar to hot-hatch - fidgety, lightning responds to a rudder. Stabilization system gives skid to develop, but as a whole works adequately, though roughly.
Changan is also "arrogant", but in measure. It is more stable both on a straight line and in turns, it has better feeling of a wheel. ESC works quietly and accurately. Geely has a pronounced understeer and strict electronic "collar" against the background of competitors. And at a sharp start the car is pulled to the side, and Citiray reacts to rutting more noticeably than other crossovers.
All three cars cannot boast of quiet and smooth running neither on asphalt, nor moreover outside it. GAC GS3 is the softest on asphalt, thus the noisiest, including at the expense of a suspension, loudly counting joints and road defects. At high speed the engine roars, and faceted body cuts air with a whistle. On a snow-covered country road the system of stabilization loudly shoots brakes. Geely Cityray goes quieter and at small speeds elastically passes small defects. The higher the speed, the more tangible are road joints. Outside of asphalt the suspension of "Cityray" pierces even on small bumps, thus off-road geometry of this crossover is the best. GS3 is stiff, but copes better. Low Changan on the biggest wheels nevertheless shows enviable energy capacity of a suspension. Yes, it "collects" all trifles from asphalt, yes, shakes on bumps, but without breakdowns. It is also the quietest of the trio.
The Uni-T has only two configurations compared to five for the GS3 and four for the Cityray
There is no "excellent" among these cars, alas, no. GAC GS3 is an embodiment of youth with energy, passion and accompanying mistakes. It is not only an emotional choice, the crossover is noticeably cheaper than the other two. The Geely Cityray brings a modicum of practicality to this impractical design segment, but is inferior on the automotive side to the other two rivals. The Changan is the most balanced in terms of quality and driving performance, but preparation for cold weather is still the weak point of this car.
It is good that the company Changan quickly reacts to criticism and after the material of "Izvestia" about winter options promised to add a full winter package to the Uni-V liftback. Hopefully, the turn will come to the Uni-Crossover with the letter T.
Payment for sport
GAC GS3, as it was already mentioned, is the most affordable - the recommended price starts from 2.4 million rubles. Its basic equipment is the simplest - air conditioning instead of climate control, only two airbags, analog dashboard. Adjustment of the driver's seat is mechanical, and there are no additional air ducts on the second row. In the top GS3 is equipped a little easier than its competitors, but also costs less - 2.8 million rubles. Geely Cityray in base is richer than basic GAC, but also offers only two cushions, and economy touched quite strange things like illumination of a glove box. At the same time, prices for it start from 2.85 million rubles, and in the top and with the sports package Citiray will cost already 3.25 million rubles.
The basic Changan (3.07 million rubles) wins in terms of equipment of the basic configuration against the background of others, but side curtains of safety are available in the top version. The maximally equipped Uni-T on 20-inch disks and with a panoramic roof will cost 3.17 million rubles.
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