Gili Emgrand 2013 Review
High-priced Chinese company Geely is conquering the used car market with the stylish Emgrand EC7 small sedan.
Perth-based Geely's national importer China Automotive Distributors, which is part of the John Hughes multi-franchise group, this week stuck a $14,990 sticker on either the sedan or its hatchback sister.
The cars arrive around September, first in Washington, then gradually around the country through about 20 dealers, starting in Queensland and New South Wales this year and Victoria and other states in the new year.
Geely, which owns Volvo, is one of China's largest car companies and the largest state concern. Many competitors are owned by the state. Geely has a presence in Western Australia with its $9990 MK 1.5 hatchback, but because it doesn't have electronic stability control, which should be on all passenger cars in Australia from January 2014, it is being phased out in December.
Geely's next car is this car - the EC7 (called Emgrand in domestic and some export markets) - which comes in hatchback or sedan body styles. An SUV will follow next year.
VALUE
An exit price of $14,990 and a three-year warranty or 100,000 km of driving is an instant eye-catcher. For that price, you can buy a sleek Cruze-sized sedan or hatchback with a high crash rating, six airbags, leather upholstery, 16-inch alloy wheels, and a full-size spare tire with Bluetooth and iPod connectivity.
For another $1000, the deluxe version adds features such as a sunroof, satellite navigation, rear parking sensors, a six-speaker audio system (base has four speakers), and a power driver's seat. The only downside is that it only comes with a five-speed manual transmission initially. Auto will be added next year.
Design
The EC7 has conservative trim lines in both the sedan and hatchback, although subjectively the sedan looks classier. The trunk is huge, helped by the folding rear seat. Legroom and headroom are equal to or better than the class average, and leather is the standard fit, although it feels more like vinyl to the touch.
The dashboard is simple but effective, and while rife with hard plastics, contrasting colors and subtle trim overcome any tactile frustrations. Nice touches include a trunk release button on the dashboard. The overwhelming impression is that this is a more expensive car.
TECHNOLOGY
Simplicity is the key. Geely is one of the few Chinese automakers that produces engines and transmissions, as well as bodies. Its four-year-old plant in southeastern Hangzhou Bay - one of only two to produce exclusively EC7s - is spotlessly clean at Japanese levels and runs on military orders with European robots and hundreds of workers that produce 120,000 vehicles a year.
But the car's specs are simple - a 102kW/172Nm 1.8-litre variable valve timing four-cylinder petrol engine that drives a five-speed manual transmission (an automatic CVT coming next year) to the front wheels, assisted by four-wheel disc brakes and hydraulic steering. control.
SECURITY
The car has a four-star Euro-NCAP rating but must pass ANCAP testing. The distributor is sure that he will not get less than four stars, otherwise he will postpone the launch date set for September and correct it until it reaches this rating. There's also electronic stability control, six airbags, heated side mirrors, a full-size spare tire (on an alloy wheel), ABS brakes and electronic brakeforce distribution, and the Luxury model ($15,990) gets rear parking sensors.
DRIVING
Expectations may be disappointingly anti-climatic. Take my planned ride in the new Geely EC7 sedan that didn't materialize. Instead, I was a passenger when the test driver shook the car, which had rolled off the assembly line a few minutes earlier. The tough test track that tried to dismantle my skeleton didn't cause any squeaking or chassis twisting and didn't live up to the expectations of a light car that was underpowered, noisy and harsh - all the trappings of a first Korean car coincidentally. , a Hyundai Pony (later renamed Excel) that I tested in Perth in the early 1980s.
In addition to me and the driver, the passengers included Queensland construction manager Glenn Rorig (186 cm) and Brisbane-based Motorama franchise CEO Mark Woolders (183 cm). Everyone was impressed with the legroom and headroom, ride comfort and quietness. This car will sell for less than $16,000, and while it will initially be manual-only, Mr Woolders predicts strong demand.
“The quality of the car is much better than I expected,” he says. "It's exceptionally smooth and quiet, and it's a fantastic quality package." Mr. Woolders says the market for manual transmission vehicles remains, although he expects the upcoming automatic transmission to signal volume sales. “As an alternative to a used car, it has a strong warranty and safety features. Of course, to some extent this will affect our work with used cars.”
VERDICT
An impressive effort worthy of note.
JILLY EMGRAND EC7
Cost: from $14,990 per trip
Guarantee: 3 years/100,000 km
Resale: n /
Service Interval: 10,000 km / 12 months
Fixed price service: No
Safety Rating: 4 star
Spare: Full size
Engine: 1.8 liter 4-cylinder petrol engine 102 kW/172 Nm
Transmission: 5-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Body: 4.6 m (D); 1.8m (w); 1.5 m (h)
The weight: 1296kg
Thirst: 6.7 1/100 km; 91RON; 160 g / km SO2
