Test drive Geely Tugella
Top model Geely boasts serious Volvo tech, rich interior and cool equipment. But you will have to pay as much as $ 32 for the "Tugella". Is it worth it?
The unthinkable is happening before our eyes: the Chinese are going on the offensive! More recently, they were glad if their quasi-cars found at least some buyers thanks to ridiculous prices, and now they dare to make loud policy statements. After all, Tugella is not so much a coupe-like crossover as an exhibition of all possible Geely achievements. This car doesn't have to break sales records; instead, it should get us all to take one more step from condescension to acceptance.
See how quickly times change: a couple of years ago, a "Chinese" who would have made a pleasant impression in statics was akin to a revelation, and now the story cannot do without the prefix "one more". Another harmonious, harmonious-looking crossover with a cool interior, merging with the company Haval F7, Cheryexeed TXL and others like them. Salon "Tugella" pleases with an intricate, but adequate design and thoughtful selection of materials: here you have nappa leather, artificial suede, and soft types of plastic almost everywhere you can reach your hand.
Equipment - to match. At the moment, the only and coolest configuration is available in Russia, which includes dual-zone climate control, a panoramic roof, interior backlighting, two large and beautiful displays on the front panel, wireless phone charging, adaptive cruise control, a lane-keeping system, all-round cameras, electric front seats and much more. Moreover, the "Tugella" has good ergonomics and good landing geometry: it's time to get used to the fact that Chinese cars are now designed not only for small people. But…
But there is still nowhere without a “but”. There are too many oddities in this Geely to turn a blind eye to - especially in the context of flagship status. For example, the front seats have not only heating, but also ventilation - but for some reason all this applies only to the pillow. A beautiful transmission selector is terribly inconvenient in life: to turn on drive or reverse, you need to grope for a small unlock button on the front edge hidden from view. The multimedia interface is illogical, confused and based on "secret" gestures: one menu must be pulled from the top of the screen, the other must be pulled from the bottom - in a word, without instructions you simply will not understand anything here.
However, you can get used to not such oddities, there would be a reason. And "Tugella" gives it - after all, technically it is the closest relative of the thoroughbred Volvo XC40. The same modular CMA platform, Haldex all-wheel drive, an eight-speed Aisin "automatic" - and a two-liter turbo engine with 238 horsepower. Structurally, this is a Swedish T5 unit (there, however, 249 hp), but if you remove the decorative cover from the engine, you will not find a single Volvo logo under it: all Geely and the subsidiary brand Lynk & Co.
On the move, the Tugella shows its own character, unlike the XC40 - and quite enjoyable at that. First of all, it is a very comfortable car. The suspension perfectly masks all minor asphalt defects, intelligently and silently deals with larger irregularities - and, moreover, does not annoy with swinging even on difficult terrain with large asphalt waves. Moreover, the crossover is able to rush very well on dirt roads almost in a rally style - you need to worry only about 20-inch wheels with relatively thin rubber, and the chassis itself will have enough energy capacity in the vast majority of situations. Add cool, no-joke premium soundproofing to that and you have a great option for long-distance travel.
Dynamics will give additional confidence in them: according to the passport, Tugella is gaining the first hundred in 6,9 seconds, and this is almost the best result in the class - only the top 220-horsepower Volkswagen Tiguan is ahead. Geely accelerates really confidently, with a tasty rush of traction after 3000 rpm and without any unpleasant jerks: the transmission changes gears imperceptibly, and the engine gets on in perfect harmony. The sports mode of the control electronics further sharpens reactions - and without nervousness, so that even in traffic jams it is not at all necessary to switch back to "comfort". But…
Yes, again this is the ubiquitous "but". The Chinese decided to add very strange electric power steering settings to the chic power unit and comfortable chassis. The first time I meet a car that so reliably imitates ... a computer simulator! Feels exactly like old, cheap Logitech controllers: a lot of artificial return effort, but no feedback at all.
In the city, the pinched steering wheel practically does not interfere, but when overtaking on the highway it already makes you nervous: you cannot guess when the Tugella will go from low sensitivity in the near-zero zone to a rather sharp change in course. In comfort mode, the effort is noticeably lower, but this does not add information. It's a pity, because the chassis of the "Tugella" is very capable: the crossover passes corners together, without unnecessary rolls, with soft but quick reactions - and with a good margin of adhesion even on winter tires. Let the driver communicate with the car normally - and there will be a thrill. But not destiny.
At least for now. Geely representatives say that the volume of Russian sales does not yet allow them to request special settings from the central office - although in the near future it is planned to create a local engineering unit that will deal with adaptation issues. In the meantime, Tugella is a sovereign Chinese product that will not even be localized in Belarus, following the example of the junior Atlas and Coolray. The reason sounds surprising: the Chinese do not want to risk quality and trust the assembly of the flagship only to their own ultra-modern plant, built just two years ago.
Is Tugella worth this jealousy? To be honest, she's not perfect, but she's really good. Most of the shortcomings can be adjusted in a couple of weeks, but there are no obvious failures in the basic qualities: the Chinese have made a comfortable, pleasant and dynamic car, which in the maximum configuration is like the basic Volvo XC40 with a three-cylinder engine and front-wheel drive.
But $ 32 is still an amount that will surely make many remember the origins of the Tugella and look towards the well-equipped market leaders: there are the Tiguan, the RAV871, and the CX-4. Marketers understand this and do not count on record circulations: they will be satisfied with a tenth of Geely's total sales of 5-15 thousand cars per year. And if Tugella performs well in terms of reliability and liquidity, this will affect the reputation of the brand as a whole - and in a couple of years a completely different game may begin. After all, this world is changing damn fast, just have time to follow.
