The best Chinese SUVs in 2021

The division of the crossover niche into compact, mid-size and premium varieties, although it is conditional, is firmly rooted in everyday life. SUVs, which are the younger brothers of the family, are the answer to the aspirations of the auto community to have at their disposal a small, inexpensive car with a roomy interior, nimble, nimble and economical. The fashion for SUVs appeared suddenly and became widespread, and the Chinese auto industry reacted quickly and sensitively. Currently, there is no such large Chinese auto brand, in the range of which there would not be a couple of SUVs. Today we will take a look at the best of them.

Should I buy SUVs from China?

The boom in the automotive industry in the PRC came in the middle of the 2000s, when there were glimmers of liberalization in the country's economy. During these years in China, there were over a hundred companies (yes, yes, this is not a typo!), Producing cars. For whom and how - it does not matter, the main thing is that for the most part these products were of very low quality, and it is since then that the offensive nickname "Chinese consumer goods" has been assigned to cars from this country. The government was forced to react, as a result, the requirements for automakers tightened, and only those companies that began to pay increased attention to product quality remained afloat.

The results showed up quickly: Since 2019, China has produced more cars than all European brands combined. With the growth of cash flows, local automakers began to invest more in their own developments, gradually moving away from the practice of general cloning of other people's models and joining the international automotive community as an equal partner.

Today, cars from the Middle Kingdom are still inferior in quality to the world's leading car manufacturers, but they are already quite successfully competing with the products of the Russian car industry.

The subject of today's review is Chinese SUVs. Several new products in this class enter the market every year, and we suspect that only a small part of our compatriots who dream of a cheap city car with improved off-road characteristics know about this.

So, get acquainted: we bring to your attention an updated rating of Chinese SUVs of the 2021 model.

Geely atlas

This compact SUV with four-wheel drive or front-wheel drive is rightfully considered the best Chinese SUV of 2021, although it cannot be called a novelty. It was first shown at the Beijing Auto Show in 2016, and two years later the car appeared at domestic car dealers.

Geely Atlas boasts an expressive appearance, practical interior, good technical design and equipment. Not surprisingly, the famous designer Peter Horbury, who previously worked at Volvo, worked on the car. Those who like to look for borrowings in the guise of Chinese auto will be greatly disappointed. And yes, this is the first crossover of the brand, equipped with all-wheel drive, for the class of SUVs this is generally a rarity.

The length of the Atlas is 4.52 m, the width is 1.83 m, the height is 1.69 m, the ground clearance for a city SUV is optimal - 19.0 cm. The trunk volume is not impressive - 397 liters, if we take into account the underground (where you can store a full-size spare wheel and tool), the figure will increase to 397 liters. The possibilities of transforming the cabin are limited by folding the rear row in a 6: 4 ratio, but a flat floor with a folded "gallery" does not work.

Geely Atlas is equipped with three gasoline power units that meet the Euro-5 environmental standard. The base is a 141-horsepower two-liter aspirated, besides it, there is a 148-horsepower 2.4-liter "brother" and a 163-horsepower 1.8-liter turbocharged engine with the possibility of boosting up to 184 horsepower. At the moment, the turbo engine is not available in Russia, but its deliveries may begin in the near future.

A six-speed mechanic (only with front-wheel drive) works in tandem with aspirated engines, top-end motors are equipped with a six-speed automatic, and four-wheel drive is already possible here, implemented through a multi-plate clutch. The SUV speed varies in the range of 184-195 km / h, and the average consumption, depending on the modification, is 7.0-9.5 l / 100 km in the combined cycle.

The basic equipment "Standard" with a two-liter engine costs from 1.09 million rubles and is equipped with two pillows, a navigation system, a full package of power windows, ABS / ESP systems, heated front seats, the ability to control tire pressure, keyless engine start, light-alloy seventeen-inch wheels. The Comfort trim level costs 1.42 million (version with a 2.4-liter engine), for a car with a turbo engine you will have to pay 1.44 million. The cost of the Lux configuration starts at 1.29 million rubles (modification with a two-liter engine), and there are already 6 airbags, front / rear parking sensors, heated rear sofa, dual-zone climate control, 18-inch wheels, LED optics, cameras all-round visibility and many other "goodies", including a leather interior.

Changan CS55

The compact five-door SUV, belonging to the European C-segment, entered Chinese auto shows in the fall of 2018, two months after its premiere at the Shanghai Auto Show.

The car earned the second place in the ranking of the best Chinese SUVs available in Russia for the epithets that experts awarded it: they believe that this is the most reliable and safe SUV among all Chinese classmates.

Well, the car really turned out to be quite good, with an expressive appearance, comfortable and safe, with a modern dynamic character.

After restyling in 2019, the car boasts the following data: length - 4.5 m, width - 1.86 m, height - 1.69 m, trunk volume - 505 liters, with the rear row folded, this figure increases to 1415 liters. Like most "Chinese", there is a subfloor with a spare wheel and a small set of tools.

Under the hood of the compact crossover is a 156-horsepower 1.5-liter gasoline engine paired with a six-speed mechanics, which can be replaced with a six-speed hydrodynamic automatic transmission. In this configuration, the car is capable of accelerating to 180 km / h, consuming 5.5-5.7 liters of gasoline in the combined cycle.

The Comfort equipment costs from 1.27 million rubles with a manual transmission and from 1.4 million with an automatic transmission. The list of equipment is not bad: 2 airbags, an electromechanical parking brake, air conditioning, a media center with an eight-inch display, a full package of power windows, ABS / EBD / TCS / ESC systems, an audio system with 4 speakers, a navigation system, alloy wheels, etc. 31 million rubles will not work, but with an automatic transmission you will have to pay at least 1.6 million. A rear camera, a parking aid, dual-zone climate control, two additional speakers, a keyless engine start, an electric sunroof are added to the list of options.

FAW Besturn X40

This front-wheel drive subcompact SUV was unveiled to the public in 2016 at the Guangzhou Auto Show, and a year later the car appeared in Chinese car dealerships. Outwardly, this is a rather attractive SUV with a harmonious and balanced exterior. Its characteristic feature is the contrasting color - the roof and mirrors are different from the rest of the body.

Belonging to the subcompact class is perfectly illustrated by the dimensions of the car: 4.31 m in length, 1.78 m in width and 1.68 in height, while the ground clearance is not the most impressive - 18.0 cm.The volume of the luggage compartment is 375 liters, but the form factor is not the most successful due to the protruding wheel arches. The rear sofa folds out in a 6: 4 ratio, after which the trunk can accommodate 1525 liters of luggage. However, the site is not perfectly flat. There is a niche under the raised floor, where a full-fledged spare wheel and a set of tools are stored.

Under the hood, the Besturn X40 has a 1.6-liter aluminum gasoline engine producing 108 hp. from. He is assisted by a five-speed mechanic, but the list of options also includes a six-speed automatic, equipped with a torque converter. With such a set, the SUV is capable of accelerating to 168 (with automatic transmission) or 173 (with a manual transmission) km / h.

In Russia, the Chinese SUV (car of the 2020 model year) is present in two trim levels. The basic version, which is called (Basic), costs from 950 thousand rubles. For this money, you will receive 4 airbags, an electric driver's seat, leatherette seats, a modern media center with an 8-inch display, 17-inch wheels, an air conditioning system, a light sensor, ABS / ESP systems, rear parking sensors, heated front seats and outside mirrors , an audio system with 4 speakers, 4 power windows and other options.

The Luxury package with a manual transmission costs from 999 thousand, if you want a car with an automatic transmission, you will have to pay 50 thousand extra. In addition to the aforementioned options, you get an electric sunroof, rear camera, multifunction steering wheel, cruise control, keyless start of the power unit and the number of columns increased to 6.

JAC JS4

The SUV closes the rating of the best Chinese cars, which was announced in the summer of 2020 during a virtual presentation. With an affordable cost, the novelty has a modern exterior, is well equipped technically and has a practical interior.

Belonging to the class of compact SUVs is quite obvious: the length of the JS4 is 4.41 m, the width is 1.80 m, the height is 1.66 m, the ground clearance is 20 cm.With such small dimensions, the cabin is not cramped, and the trunk can accommodate 520 liters luggage, doubling the volume with the rear seats folded. A flat floor is traditionally not possible for the "Chinese". The underfloor is small, only a small spare wheel and a minimum of tools are placed here.

In the engine compartment, there is either a basic 118-horsepower 1.6-liter aspirated engine, or a 147-horsepower turbocharged engine with a volume of 1.5 liters. Both engines are equipped with a six-speed mechanics, and the top-end unit also relies on a continuously variable variator.

Car deliveries to Russia are expected in the summer of 20-21, at the same time prices and configurations will become known. Vessels according to Chinese price tags (74-100 thousand yuan), our SUV will cost about 0.86-1.2 million rubles. Basic equipment includes ABS / EBD / ESP systems, 2 airbags, rear parking sensors, air conditioning, 4 power windows. In the top-end configuration, you can get side PB, climate control, LED optics, a virtual dashboard, an audio system with 6 speakers, heated front seats, all-round visibility and other useful options.

As you can see, Chinese cars are quite modern SUVs, inexpensive, well-equipped, as a rule, with a pleasant youthful appearance. The disadvantages include poorly developed service, but the situation is improving markedly. Reliability - yes, questions may arise here, but even premium global brands are not perfect ...