Dongfeng AX7 test drive
The AX7 crossover is the best that one of the largest Chinese brands Dongfeng Motor offers us now. This model is like a showcase of corporate achievements - it is by this model that clients will judge the company's potential in Russia.
Chinese cars are still considered unpredictable in Russia. The time will come, and the process of unrestrained development of firms from the Middle Kingdom will certainly lead them to the constancy of style, technical level and quality. But so far, many new items seem to customers to be opaque, lottery.
Another Chinese car, Dongfeng AX7, was brought to Russia. It is stated that the look was created with the participation of artists from the ItalDesign Guigiaro studio. Be that as it may, the exterior is without pretentious Asiaticism, intelligent and neutral in a good way.
Does the emblem weigh? A year ago, at the Moscow auto show, Dongfeng exhibited the AX7 with similar pleasant-looking models: the A30 sedan and the AX3 cross-hatchback. But next to it on the same stand were an awkward microvan 370, an A9 sedan with a guise a la VW Passat and a frank Hummer copy called Warrior. A brand of contrasts and throws? Diversity brand.
"East Wind" is the translation of Dongfeng. The company was founded in 1969 and has grown from a single factory to the true East Asian empire of Dongfeng Motor Corp. or DFM. The industrial complex now includes joint ventures with Honda, Kia, Nissan and PSA. Cooperation has been established with Luxgen, Renault and Volvo, and in terms of components - with Dana, Getrag, Lear and other brands. Millions of cars have been sold: trucks, buses, and in the passenger range there are about 90 own and joint assorted models.
In Russia, everything is different: here DFM's positions even among Chinese competitors are modest. Official sales have been going on for only three years, but there is no local assembly and is not expected yet. But there is a tactic to create a positive brand image. Everything unprepossessing and copied by us has passed, the stake is made on decent-looking original cars of popular classes. We are waiting for the aforementioned A30 and AX3, the small crossover AX4 and the flagship SUV 580. Until then, we will definitely not get confused: after the departure of the H30 cross-hatchback, the only Dongfeng in Russia is the AX7.
The wind brought us the AX7 late. The crossover was presented back in 2014, that is, it was time to measure out interesting Russian configurations seven times. The 1,4 liter Turbo petrol engines (140 HP) and naturally aspirated 2,3 liter (171 HP) engines available in China were ignored by the importers. The displacement of the supercharged proprietary design was considered insufficiently high-status, and the licensed Peugeot Citroen engine would have raised the price. They preferred the middle ground, choosing another Franco-Chinese "lion heart" with the Peugeot logo on the casing.
Under the hood of the Russian AX7, the petrol 140-horsepower 2,0 L, which is familiar from many Peugeot and Citroen models, is considered reliable. It is offered to us with a 5-speed manual gearbox of long-standing French origin or with a Japanese 6-range "automatic" Aisin TF-70SC. In telling the story of the underlying platform model, the Chinese are hinting at borrowing from the Honda CR-V. In fact, the AX7 has a MacPherson suspension in front, a multi-link with the effect of passive steering in the rear, and the drive is only front.
As a consolation - good geometric cross-country ability: ground clearance of 190 mm, entry and exit angles of 23 and 24 degrees. The motor protection is made of plastic, but for an extra charge dealers install metal protection. They would also change the defective fenders, leaving open fragments in the arches. At the same time, the body parts most at risk of rusting are galvanized. However, the guarantee against perforating corrosion does not exceed a total of three years or 100 thousand kilometers. It is good that the battery has been replaced with a more efficient one and is filled with “cold antifreeze. But the chassis is still without adaptation.
In the hands - the top version of the Luxury on 18-inch wheels. The crossover works out a primer with sharp edges of irregularities shaking, disapproving booming of suspension elements is heard, there is an almost physical feeling that you are causing damage to the technique. On the asphalt - even decently shabby - the ride is much more comfortable, although even here you want better elasticity from the suspension.
And I would also add a light steering wheel of information content in the near-zero zone. Steering reactions are inert, as if driving with rubber reins. In this case, the correction of the trajectory of the AX7 requires both in corners and on a straight line, when it is unnerved by the wavy surface, rut and gusts of wind.
And in general, the movement is sometimes impetuous, which is largely due to the standard for the top version of the automatic transmission. In Drive mode, recoil is difficult to predict due to early upshifts, even during acceleration. But for a confident ride, it is better to keep the engine at the rpm of 3. But the automatic goes down with reluctance, and each intense acceleration is exactly a gust that fills the cabin with engine noise. It is more convenient to operate the gearbox manually, since it also reacts to kick-down in M mode by dropping several gears. In the pluses, we write down a rare phenomenon: the average consumption of the recommended 000th according to the onboard computer coincided with the passport - 95 liters per 8,7 kilometers.
The representatives explain that the actions of the automatic transmission are determined by the "break-in" electronic insurance, which is active only up to 3 kilometers. But on the same test in the less rich "automatic" version of the Prestige, the new box works more adequately. Interestingly, this AX000 drives more obediently. Let's take into account the likely influence of other 7-inch wheels, although the amplifier settings are perceived differently. More importantly, there were differences in the assembly of test specimens - uneven body joints. And the sounds when the turn signals are turned on are different: one has a ticking, the other has a tapping.
Versions with MCP were left outside the scope of the presentation. At the basic Comfort for $ 13. LED running lights, fog lights, front airbags, electric mirrors and power windows, air conditioning, multimedia with 057-inch touch-screen and USB-slot, audio control on the steering wheel, Bluetooth, ESP, hill start assist system, alloy wheels and a full-size spare wheel ... But where are the heated seats? It appears on the Premium ($ 7) along with heated mirrors, leather seat upholstery, a color trip computer display, climate control and a luggage compartment cover.
Modifications with automatic transmission are even richer. The Prestige ($ 15) has fabric upholstery, but extras include a 154V socket for the second row, cruise control and an electric parking brake. And the Luxury version ($ 220) already with leather, keyless entry and a start button, electric drives and driver's seat memory, an electric sunroof, parking sensors and a rear camera, side airbags and air curtains. By the way, the AX16 took five stars for the Chinese CNCAP crash tests. A 473-inch touch-screen, a blind spot monitoring system and a panoramic camera are available for the model, but they no longer fit into the framework of Russian prices.
In terms of size, the AX7 is one of the class leaders. The practical trunk holds at least 565 liters. The passengers of the second row have freedom, there is an opportunity to comfortably accommodate three of us, although in the struggle for space the sofa cushion is shortened. Those in front are slightly oppressed by the tunnel. The soft pillow of the Luxury driver's seat is also a bit short, you want to raise its front edge and deepen the back. The shape of the tight Prestige chair is more comfortable. Alas, the design of the design devices with a digital speedometer in the version is unfortunate. And in Luxury - and another panel, it is traditional and well-read.
The interior is well finished: large buttons, handles are easy to use and do not "breathe" under the fingers, and the design is not bland. Some of the solutions, you must understand, have been spied on by former Nissan? But here are the miscalculations: the ERA-GLONASS block protrudes alienly between the seat heating buttons, the emergency gang button is far from the driver, and on the highway there is a squeak and a pictogram of a non-deactivable warning about a threshold of 120 km per hour.
Chinese people, pay attention to the little things! You have made sure that all the windows in the Luxury are activated with a single touch of the keys, provided 26 compartments for small items and air ducts for those sitting in the back. So why does the steering column stick out not change, but the base already has a special effect - the projection of the logo outside the door?
As a result, the manifestations of our sympathy for the model are kind of impetuous. And is it a crossover? Rather, a wagon with increased ground clearance, roomy and well-equipped. A useful thing in the household of a family man living with average needs. DFM plans to sell three thousand AX7s in Russia in a year, especially hoping for the Prestige package. And in the description of potential customers, the line "loyal to Chinese brands" is highlighted. Yes, without this amendment in this case, nothing.
| Body type | Universal | Universal |
| Dimensions (length / width / height), mm | 4690/1850/1727 | 4690/1850/1727 |
| Wheelbase, mm | 2712 | 2712 |
| Curb weight, kg | 1595 | 1625 |
| engine's type | Gasoline, R4 | Gasoline, R4 |
| Working volume, cubic meters cm | 1997 | 1997 |
| Power, hp with. at rpm | 140 at 6000 | 140 at 6000 |
| Max. torque, Nm at rpm | 200 at 4000 | 200 at 4000 |
| Transmission, drive | 6-st. MCP, front | 6-st. Automatic transmission, front |
| Maximum speed km / h | 185 | 180 |
| Acceleration to 100 km / h, from | ND | ND |
| Consumption of fuel mixture., L | 8,0 | 8,7 |
| Price from, $. | 13 057 | 16 473 |
