Chery Amulet: a Chinese "charm" for Russian roads
While the paperwork is being processed, I examine the car from the outside. The look is quite modern, although, like most “Chinese” cars, it’s based on the previous-generation Seat Toledo from the early nineties. The guard at the exit checks the trunk, and here a surprise awaits me. I thought I was getting a sedan, but when the fifth door opened, it turned out that the glass rises together with the body panel. Neither one thing nor the other — in fact, it’s a liftback, that is, a hatchback disguised as a classic sedan. The trunk volume is 420 liters, and it easily fits three or four bags of potatoes, of course, if you don’t exceed the permissible load.
All documents are ready — let’s go. In its homeland, China, this very model is the main working tool for taxi drivers. So I’ll give it a test in the role of a cabbie. We were given the “Amulet” (by the way, the name was invented only for the Russian market: in China it’s called Flying Cloud, and three years ago at the Moscow motor show it was shown as Chery A15) in the top trim — with a single airbag for the driver, alloy wheels, air conditioning, ABS, and a CD player.
Inside, everything is quite familiar: beige velour, matching plastic, and generally decent build quality. The only thing that bothers me is the door locks, which remind me of the ones installed on our apartment doors about ten years ago. You don’t get used to the seating position right away — there are few adjustments, and the gear lever is located a bit far from your right hand. But that’s only for the first few kilometers; then you get used to it. I pick up my first passengers — three of them. No complaints. There’s plenty of room in the back, and the cabin feels more spacious than in the “tenths” and their successors.
What truly surprised me, having seen hundreds of different cars, is the acceleration dynamics. Even with four passengers on board. True, when you floor the gas, the engine starts to hum mercilessly — sound insulation is lacking. But at traffic lights, there are almost no competitors — except maybe Mercedes or BMWs. The brakes are excellent, the steering wheel is informative. The suspension seemed a bit stiff, but in my opinion, it’s even better than the Daewoo Nexia or Hyundai Elantra.
Over three days, I racked up more than 800 kilometers on the “Amulet” and gave rides to about ten passengers. I drew conclusions not only from my own experience but also listened to the opinions of those who rode in the back seat. The car is undoubtedly successful: spacious, nimble. But the question remains: is it worth its 350,000 in this trim? On one hand, yes, because there’s a three-year or 100,000 km warranty. On the other hand, no car has yet lived up to these figures. And it’s still unknown how to service it, where, and how things stand with spare parts.
Nevertheless, some people are already taking risks and buying the Amulet — in the same three days, I noticed more than a dozen such cars in the city. So these people trust China and choose it over the Taganrog Hyundai Accent, which, by the way, is also not bad.
Would I buy one for myself? Unlikely. First, it’s worth looking at the statistics of service visits. And then we’ll decide.
Dmitry Shavyrin
Technical specifications:| Dimensions (mm) | 4393x1682x1424 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 2468 |
| Curb weight (kg) | 1100 |
| Max speed (km/h) | 172 |
| Min turning radius (m) | 5.5 |
| Engine power (hp) | 94 at 5500 rpm |
| Max torque (Nm/rpm) | 132/3600 |
| Fuel tank capacity (l) | 55 |
| Fuel | A-92 |
| Tires | 185/60 R14 |
| Acceleration 0-100 km/h (s) | 10.5 |
| Average fuel consumption (l/100 km) | 8.2 |
| Price (rubles) | from 280,000 |
Our reference:
Chery Automobile Co. Ltd is China’s largest automaker operating without foreign capital. The factory is located in the city of Wuhu, 400 km from Shanghai.
The company was founded in 1997, and its first model was the Chery Qiyun based on the Seat Toledo. In 2003, Chery had a legal conflict with GM because the Chery QQ was an exact copy of the Daewoo Matiz. The dispute was then resolved not in GM’s favor, and the factory near Shanghai has been producing five models since 2001.
We thank the company “Incom Auto” for providing the car for the test.
Source – AUTOMANIA.RU