The Chinese are here. They might not yet own a big chunk of the Middle East auto market, but it seems only a matter of time before some of the country’s numerous car brands become major players in this region.
From a personal viewpoint, the first proof of this came via the Haval H8, which I reviewed in these pages last November. It was far from being the flimsy, half-baked product that I was expecting, and the same goes for the just-launched Geely Emgrand X7 Sport.
The newcomer joins the cut-throat compact SUV segment, dominated by the likes of the Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V et al. It’s a tough nut to crack, because the established players have already carved out solid niches for themselves, and buyers know exactly what they’re getting with each of these contenders.
So here’s some background on Geely: the company was established by founder Li Shufu in 1986 as a refrigerator-parts manufacturer (how cool is that?), but it’s now grown into a multibillion-dirham carmaker that owns Volvo (the result of a US$1.8bn acquisition in 2010), as well as the London Taxi Company that manufactures the iconic black cabs plying the streets of the British capital.
As for the Emgrand X7 Sport, it’s genuinely an “all-new” model that’s underpinned by an in-house designed platform, albeit tapping into the know-how of Volvo, which has a proven record of building competent SUVs (the latest XC90 has bagged multiple awards across the globe).
In case you’re thinking that the X7 looks a bit like the Range Rover Evoque, it’s possibly because Geely design boss Peter Horbury was in charge of styling various Land Rovers (as well as Jaguars, Aston Martins and Volvos) in his former job. Yes, the Geely is a bit generic in appearance, because it also borrows some visual cues from the Kia Sportage and Volkswagen Tiguan, but it’s a decent looker on the whole.
The Emgrand X7 Sport’s fortes lie in its remarkably supple ride, excellent build quality and generous kit levels. I tested the range-topping model (the suitably dubbed Flagship), which comes stuffed with six airbags, Bosch ABS/electronic stability control, auto hill-hold, parking sensors, reversing cam, panoramic sunroof, satnav, eight-inch touchscreen and lots more.
The cabin is nicely laid out, with some elegant design elements, decent Nappa leather upholstery and generally good-quality materials – apart from the cheap-looking faux-aluminium panel that runs across the dashboard. The X7 also mimics high-end brands (ie Jaguar/Range Rover) with its virtual dials that glow red when you select Sport mode and green when in Eco mode.
The front seats are superbly comfortable, while the rear pews aren’t too bad. There’s ample legroom in the back, but the seat backs are too upright to be truly comfortable.
The only real Achilles heel is the X7’s weedy engine, which serves up leisurely (at best) performance. Its outputs look OK on paper, but out in the real world, it lacks oomph. It’s not helped by the slow-witted six-speed auto, which shows little willingness to kick down to a lower gear, even if you stand on the throttle.
Other than these shortcomings, the Geely is a surprisingly capable offering. If you’re in the market for an affordable compact SUV, you would do well to overcome any preconceived notions of Chinese vehicles and test drive it.
motoring@thenational.ae
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