Affordable Chinese people mover

MPV and panel van range undercuts opposition

HINESE brand FAW, known in our market for its presence in the heavy truck industry, has now also launched a new seven-seater MPV and panel van range called the Sirius.

The newcomer is similar in size and dimension to Toyota’s Avanza range, but as per typical Chinese imports comes in much cheaper at R159 995 and R149 995 for the MPV and panel van respectively. The first models into the country will be powered by a 1.3-litre petrol offering 67kW and 120Nm, with a claimed average fuel consumption of 7.4l/100km. A bigger and more powerful 1.5-litre petrol is expected at a later stage.

Drive is to the rear wheels only through a five-speed manual gearbox. Load capacities for the two models are 525kg for the sevenseater and 545kg for the panel van, and there’s a headlamp levelling system for use when fully loaded.

CThe panel van can tow an unbraked trailer of 450kg and the sevenseater is rated at 600kg. The loading space in the panel van, which has an aluminium plate floor fitted at the FAW factory in China, is 1 670mm long, 1 270mm wide and 1 070mm high.

Standard fare includes 38cm alloys, air conditioning, dual airbags, ABS brakes, keyless entry, central locking, power steering, electric windows, and audio system consist- ing of a radio with MP3 player and USB port.

Both models are covered by a three-year/100 000km factory warranty, one year roadside assistance and a four-year/60 000km service plan.

The FAW brand is brought into South Africa by the Imperial group, which plans to extend the FAW passenger car range with a new V2 hatch and larger B-segment sedan later this year.