Maximum advantage: features of the new crossover from China
In addition to the Changan CS35 Plus crossover, which is already familiar to Russians, its "older brother" with the "max" prefix has joined. So far, the new product has been delivered to us from China, but production will begin in our country soon. The correspondent of Izvestia dealt with the pros and cons of the debutant of the Russian market on the roads of the Moscow region.
Supplement, but not replace
Despite the almost identical name, the CS35 Max is not even a deep facelift, but, in fact, a new model. It differs from the faceted "Plus" by its teardrop-shaped, coupe-like body with smooth, streamlined shapes. At the same time, the novelty is noticeably larger than the "old—timer" - 20 cm longer and 3.5 cm wider.
Of the interior features of the Changan CS35 Max, it is worth noting three LCD displays surrounding the driver at once.
If the Plus is equipped with a 1.4-liter 150-horsepower turbo engine, then a poltorash is installed under the hood of the Max, producing 147 hp. It is noteworthy that this engine was specially deforged for the Russian market — in China, the engine produces 188 hp. This made it possible to kill not even two, but three birds with one stone: the car falls into the preferential category not only for transport tax, but also for CTP. In addition, since the end of last year, after the change in the rules for calculating scrap metal, the rate has been sharply increasing from the "150 hp" mark. Considering that while the CS35 Max is being shipped to us from China, this has a significant impact on the final cost of the car.
However, in the near future, recycling for this model will no longer be so relevant. Changan representatives stated at the presentation that the company is considering the possibility of manufacturing the CS35 Max in Russia. This, depending on the degree of localization, will partially or completely compensate for the payment of the "scrap". After the official premiere, it became known that the CS35 Max received a new approval for the type of vehicle, in which the Kaliningrad Avtotor plant is indicated as the manufactured site.
The 147-horsepower 1.5-liter turbo engine accelerates the CS35 Max to 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds.
It is noteworthy that the production of this crossover, albeit under a different brand, could have started two years ago. In May 2024, he "lit up" during the presentation of the revived Volga brand to the Prime Minister of Russia Mikhail Mishustin. One of the three models presented was based on the Chinese Oshan X5 Plus (Changan sub-brand). However, there was no synergy between Volga and Changan. As a result, this car became the CS35 Max.
Joy and frustration
The interior of the CS35 Max was pleasantly surprised. Despite the widespread fashion of Chinese automakers to hide the control of car functions in multimedia as much as possible, the interior was pleased with the scattering of "physical" buttons on the front panel and the central tunnel. For this, the car can be given the maximum "plus" — you do not need to climb through the menu to activate basic functions like glass heating or use fashionable virtual "sliders" in an attempt to change the temperature in the cabin.
But there are questions about the seats. Despite the fact that the test had a top—end version of the car, the passenger seat had to be adjusted manually - only the driver has an electric drive. And even then, the buttons can only adjust the pillow: back and forth and up and down. And to change the angle of the backrest, you will have to grab the lever. Such a mixed "electromechanical" adjustment looks, to say the least, strange. And the shape of the front seats is not ideal: after an hour, my back began to stiffen.
But there are no complaints about the rear seats: the shape is not bad, and the seats are decent. Due to a decent wheelbase (more than 2.7 m) and a reserve of legroom, this compact crossover will give a head start to higher-end models.
At first glance, the Changan CS35 Max is perceived as a fairly quiet car. The engine can be heard, of course, but at a very comfortable level: there is practically no aerodynamic noise. But all this idyll crumbles as soon as we drive into a puddle or onto a road with fine gravel — the splashing of spray flying out from under the wheels and the impact of pebbles on the wheel arches stand out so sharply against the general low noise background that my partner and I even had to stop at the curb and check if the back door was open. Additional noise insulation of the wheel arches will definitely not hurt the crossover.
Nonlinear physics
When the technical specifications of the car were announced at the presentation, skeptical grunts swept through the hall. At first glance, 147 hp does not seem enough for a car with a gross weight of more than 1.7 tons. But there is no shortage of "silenok" in the city or on the suburban highway. The seven-speed robotic transmission picks up the right gear quickly enough, providing the Changan CS35 Max with quite adequate acceleration.
The crossover has several driving modes in its arsenal, from calm ECO to Sport and even Race. However, there are no noticeable differences when switching from one mode to another. Yes, in sports mode, the gears switch at slightly higher speeds, and in racing, the driver's ego begins to be amused by the overload indicator that pops up on the multimedia screen, and the "pseudo-sporty" synthesized engine sound begins to be broadcast in the speakers. However, in general, switching between modes does not affect the behavior of the machine in any way.
Dealers are asking 2.6 million rubles for the basic version of Changan CS35 Max. A car in the maximum configuration will cost 190 thousand rubles more expensive.
But the traction control algorithm is nothing short of strange. It feels like a maximum of half of the entire length of the accelerator stroke is used — the car is rooted non-linearly relative to the degree of impact on the pedal. The car reacts very sharply even to a slight pressure on the gas, especially in the Sport and even Race modes — for a smooth start from a standstill, it is necessary to precisely dose traction. But at the same time, further pedal pressure does not have a special effect.
It is possible that the reason lies in the fact that the test car has not yet passed even the minimum run—in - its odometer was only a few tens of kilometers at the start. However, such non—linear behavior of the car was noted by colleagues from other crews - most likely, the reason is in the settings of the electronic accelerator pedal.
But during the test, no questions arose about the operation of the chassis of the car. The suspension did a good job with a rutted track in the asphalt, as well as with potholes and potholes of various calibers.
The issue price
Dealers are asking 2.6 million rubles for the basic version of Changan CS35 Max. A car in the maximum configuration will cost 190 thousand rubles more expensive. Compared to the main competitors, these prices do not look overpriced at all. Although the buyer will have to put up with some features of the crossover.
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