New Landwind and Changan models
CHINESE: OFFERING WELL-PRICED, FUNCTIONAL ALTERNATIVES
Mitsubishi-sourced turbo-petrol engine produces decent power.
Alittle history for reference sake won’t hurt. It was back in 1862 when the Changan company was founded in Shanghai as one of the earliest Chinese initiatives.
Fast forward to the year 1984 when the company started making small-sized cars in China.
The good thing is, by the year 2014, the company has sold more than 10 million units worldwide, including in our country. a cost – something that competitors offer as standard – but the company says that will be available as of next year.
We didn’t test the sprint to 0-100km/h but the Chinese folks say it can do that in under 13 seconds and that should be useful as your daily commute.
Power comes from a Mitsubishi-sourced 4G63MPI turbo-petrol engine producing a decent 140kW of power and 250Nm of torque.
It is available in two derivatives, the Lux and Flagship, which carry a price tag of R269 880 and R289 880 respectively.
You get an electric sunroof, leather seats, multi- functional steering wheel and auto cruise by default in the Flagship model.
Safety is standard; both models come with dual airbags (side airbags are only offered in the Flagship model).
We were given a chance to drive it on a short stretch of road and although it would have been nice to have it for an extended time, I can