Chery J3 Video Reviews

It’s one of the most common questions we get asked: what are those Chinese cars like? Unfortunately the answer isn’t straightforward because the quality varies between brands – and individual vehicles within each brand. But, as a rough guide, some are definitely better than others.The Chery J1 hatch made headlines a couple of weeks ago when its price dropped to $9990 drive-away – the cheapest new car in Australia since the Polish-built Fiat-derived Niki of the early 1990s. Lost in the hype was its bigger older sibling, the Chery J3, whose price was also trimmed, to $12,990 drive-away. It’s about the size of a Ford Focus (you may even seen hints of the design from the previous model), so you’re getting a bigger car for the same money as the runabouts from Suzuki, Nissan and Mitsubishi.Chery is China’s largest independent car manufacturer but it has been slow to gain a foothold in Australia, unlike its compatriot Great Wall, which has made good headway with its ute and SUV range over the past three years. But the Australian distributor hopes to breath new life into the Chery line-up and find more homes for its cars having trimmed its prices to match the heavy discounting of the mainstream brands.The Chery J3 offers a lot of metal and equipment for the money. It’s almost Toyota Corolla-size but is priced down with the tiny-tots. Standard fare includes six-airbags, leather upholstery, steering wheel audio controls, rear parking sensors and 16-inch alloy wheels. The passenger’s vanity mirror gets a light (hey, every little thing counts), and the flick-key appears to have been modeled on a Volkswagen’s (although, annoyingly, it has only one button to lock and unlock the car, so you’re never quite sure if the car is locked until you check the door handle).Value, however, is an interesting term. The buying price is sharp: $12,990 drive-away equates to about $10,000 before on-road costs are added. And metallic paint (three of the four colours available) adds $350 (not $550 as it is on a Holden Barina, and $495 as it is on many other mainstream brands). But we know from recent experience that Chinese cars also have weak resale values – and depreciation is the single biggest cost of car ownership after buying the vehicle in the first place.For example, a $12,990 Suzuki, Nissan or Mitsubishi would be worth more in three years than a $12,990 Chery – and there would be a greater demand on the used-car market for the well-known brands.The Chery J3 is fairly basic on the technology front – it doesn’t even get Bluetooth – but we did spot one cool gadget. The rear sensors have a display in the instruments (near the odometer)s with a countdown in centimetres how close you are to the car behind.The cabin is roomy and the boot is massive. The back seats fold down to create an even larger cargo area. The leather seems to be of a fair quality and a comfortable design. There are child restraint anchor point on the 60:40 split rear seat backs. All buttons and dials are logically placed and easy to use. Unlike some other cars from emerging brands, most switches and controls don’t feel stiff or clumsy in the J3. Annoyingly, though, there is no reach adjustment on the steering wheel, only tilt.There is a clever hidden cubby near the top of the dashboard – and a neat sliding drawer in the middle of it – but the side pockets and the centre console are a bit too slim, and the cup holders are small for our tastes. The sound quality from the six-speaker audio system was good (bordering on above average), but the radio reception both AM and FM was patchy. At least you get steering wheel audio controls. The air-conditioning worked fine, although the vents are on the small side; I’d be curious to know how well it handled last week’s 46-degree heatwave.The Chery J3 comes with six airbags, the first Chinese-branded car on sale in Australia to do so. But this does not automatically equate to a five-star ANCAP safety rating. Chery says internal testing has shown the J3 is capable of a four-star rating but it loses a star for its lack of stability control (which is due to be added mid-year when the CVT auto arrives).Any speculation about an ANCAP star rating is unwise, however, because we won’t know for sure how it performs in a crash until the independent auditor smacks one against a wall later in the year. We should point out that the Chery J3 meets and/or exceeds the Federal Government’s safety regulations, but those regulations are a much lower benchmark than global standards.But the J3 (and the J1) cannot be sold in Victoria because it does not yet have stability control (which can prevent a skid in a corner and is said to be the next big advancement in saving lives since the seatbelt). It has been common on almost all new cars for several years but is due to be added in June when the CVT automatic arrives.Here’s the most surprising part: the Chery J3 actually drives quite well. In fact, I’d venture to say it feels like the most complete Chinese car I’ve driven to date. That’s not damning it with faint praise, but it does come with a few qualifications. The 1.6-litre is a little breathless and needs to be revved to really get moving. And although the engine itself is quite smooth and refined, Chery is yet to master the craft of noise deadening, so you hear more of the engine’s goings-on that you do in other cars.Despite insisting on premium unleaded (the minimum requirement according to the label is 93 octane, which means you’re obliged to use 95 octane in Australia) it’s rather thirsty (8.9L/100km). So one of the cheapest cars on the market requires the expensive fuel. Hmmm. The five-speed manual gearshift was basic but normal, as was the clutch action, and the steering feel was more than adequate for this type of car. What impressed me most, however, was the ride comfort and relatively good control from the suspension and 16-inch Maxxis tyres. It’s not going to out-maneuver a Ferrari (or a Mazda 3 for that matter), but it will serve most people’s needs.

Despite manufacturing more cars in a year than are sold in total here annually, Chinese manufacturer Chery has a tiny Aussie profile.That could change following the arrival of the new J3 small five door hatchback. Why? Because it's up a rung or two on other Chinese vehicles we have so far seen in this country.At $14,990 drive away the Chery J3 gets a 1.6 litre 4 cylinder engine and is available in manual only.  Standard features include a decent audio system, air conditioning, power windows, remote central locking, MP3 player and reverse sensors.Power comes from the twin cam, fuel injected, 1.6-litre petrol engine driving the front wheels through a five-speed manual transmission with appropriate gearing and a pleasing action. The engine's good for 87kW/147Nm output but it's a tad thirsty at 8.9-litres/100km partly due to the J3's 1350kg weight.Inside it's totally different to anything we have seen from the Chinese and is generously equipped with leather upholstery. There is a little too much plastic but this is softened by different textures and colours. Fit and finish is also better than most we have seen from the Chinese to date and we were pleasantly surprised at how functional it was with a decent size boot, adequate rear seat head and legroom and driving ease. It also comes with 16-inch alloys including the spare.And it's easy on the eye particularly from the rear view with a neatly curving roofline ending in a pair of feline-looking tail lights. The whole car bears some resemblance to the previous model Ford Focus hatch but only in passing.The J3 features six air bags, ABS and a basic form of stability control that should go close to scoring a five star ANCAP rating when tested. That's a relief considering what has come before from some Chinese brands.The ride is comfortable via a MacPherson strut front set-up and semi independent trailing arms at the rear. Steering is hydraulic power assisted rack and pinion with a smallish turning circle. We scored Australia's first drive of the J3 last week and can report the experience to be positive. It's much better to drive than say, a Great Wall ute or the Chery J11 small SUV.The company is fair dinkum about selling cars here and spends lots of loot on R&D as well as equipping its cars with plenty of kit as standard. The “asbestos issue'' in earlier Cherys has been dealt with... there isn't any in the new cars. The drive feel is much like most of the other small hatchbacks on the market in terms of performance and ride. It won't win any traffic light derbies but that's irrelevant to most buyers. The funky controls are also easy to identify and use.We drove the car around the ‘burbs, parked and had a coffee, drove on major urban roads and then the motorway at 110kmh. It delivers acceptable performance and is both smooth and relatively silent in operation.You keep coming back to the money which makes this particular car a real bargain among small hatchbacks, some of which cost twice as much or more. Do they go twice as well and look twice as good? Unequivocally no. Budget conscious and used car buyers should check this one out.

The first Chinese passenger cars headed for Australia are surprisingly normal.  Three models from the Chery brand do not look or drive like third-world clunkers and, with a value-added approach, they promise a better deal than the Koreans that currently dominate in the bargain basement.Chery is partnered with Ateco Automotive, Australia's largest independent importer with a portfolio from Great Wall of China to Ferrari of Italy, and the two companies are aiming to have cars on the road by the third quarter of this year.The J1 baby hatch will come first in partnership with the J11 front-drive SUV, which looks a lot like the Toyota RAV4, with the Corolla-sized J3 to come in 2011.  No-one at Ateco or Chery is talking prices, but the J1 should be less than $13,000 driveaway - it is pitched against the Hyundai Getz in Australia - with the J11 at less than $20,000.The cars have been created by China's largest local maker, as opposed to joint-venture brands, and the company with the biggest exports. Chery is aiming for production of one million cars this year and intends to send 100,000 overseas.  "Chery car, in terms of the quality and after sales service and all this, will be no different to our competitiros, This is our target," says Biren Zhou, vice-president of Chery Automobile.Chery is mostly state-owned by the government in WuHu and the local province, and has been in the car business since 1997. It's cumulative production is more than two million vehicles and it has a range of more than 20 models, from 800cc microcars to HiAce-sized vans.The big hurdle for Australia is safety - Chery trumpets the first four-star car in China NCAP tests - and acceptance of cars from China.  But the J1 and J11 look good, they drive fairly well, and Ateco chiefs have experience with all three Korean brands - Hyundai, Daewoo and Kia - to fast-track acceptance and sales."In our perfect world we will come in below the Koreans, but with a meaningful value advantage," says Dinesh Chinnappa, special projects manager for Ateco, during a press preview in WuHu, China.DrivingThe J1 is tiny, but it looks good and gets along reasonably well with a 1.3-litre engine. It also has a funky looking dashboard design that will be good for youthful first-car buyers.  The J11 is better again, with more space and a reasonable 2-litre engine. There are quality glitches, but the cabin is way better than the first Korean cars that reached Australia.The J3 looks the most impressive, but rear vision is crimped, performance is nothing special, and there is a power-steering whine in one car and clunky steering in two cars.  These first impressions are formed during a severely limited drive at the Chery factory, but they are a positive pointer.Of course, it all comes down to prices and equipment and the crucial dealer network - Ateco is planning 40-50 agents at the start of sales - as well as the vital ANCAP crash test results.  Great Wall utes have been selling strongly despite a two-star ANCAP result but Chery must do far better to create the right first impression for Australia.