Shuanghuan S-ceo. Sugar substitute.

Shuanghuan S-ceo. Sugar substitute

The inspector took my documents without even looking at them and focused all his attention on the car. Silently, he walked a circle around the vehicle, then thoughtfully said: “M... yeah. A killer’s ride.” While I was trying to pick my jaw up off the floor, I frantically began explaining to the officer that this was no crime, but a journalist’s test drive of a “wonder of nature” named S-ceo. The traffic cop finally deigned to glance at my license, softened, and politely asked permission to sit in the cabin of the “Chinese.” With childlike curiosity, he felt the dashboard, clicked the toggle switches, and grumbled about the sharp smell of the new interior. I didn’t miss the moment and asked why he had dubbed the car that way. The answer turned out to be dreadfully practical: “Just imagine: if something happens, you’ll be tortured writing a description for this ‘Scene’ of yours. I mean, how do you describe a car if the plate is smeared with dirt? Like, ‘wanted: a vehicle of unknown model, rear end looks like a BMW X5, grille has a SsangYong emblem, hood from a Mercedes ML, headlights from a Lexus, and doors seem from a BMW, but more like an Opel Frontera.’ And how do you broadcast that over the radio?”

With the Opel Frontera, the officer certainly went overboard. But otherwise, he’s a hundred percent right. The Chinese Shuanghuan S-ceo really does look like a puzzle assembled by a child with imagination. All the parts are from different pictures, but overall, it’s a full-fledged car that, by the way, can drive. The cruising speed of the S-ceo is 100 km/h. To accelerate to 120–130 km/h, you need to stock up on angelic patience. The most annoying thing: when on the road the S-ceo is given way (and this happens because of its resemblance to serious cars), it’s not always possible to take advantage of the courtesy and overtake some “bucket of bolts.” You can create the imitation of sharp acceleration only by mercilessly downshifting from a higher gear to third. The roar of the engine, vibration through the body—and if the driver who yielded holds out at the roadside for about five minutes, there’s a chance to break into the lead and make a “lightning-fast” overtake. Outside the Moscow Ring Road, such a trick works, but in the capital, it’s better not to venture into the far left lane in the S-ceo at all.

I don’t know under what license they assemble Mitsubishi engines in China, but it’s clearly a defective one. On paper, everything looks decent: an engine with a displacement of 2351 cm³ and a compression ratio of 9.5 produces 125 “horses.” It meets Euro III emissions. Fuel supply is distributed multipoint injection with electronics. Maximum torque is 190 Nm. But honestly, I didn’t feel those newton-meters. The S-ceo pulls away like a railway train—slowly and thoughtfully. Maybe that’s for the best, because the 5-speed manual also doesn’t tolerate sharp movements. The gearshift lever wanders around the cabin so broadly that the passenger next to you is constantly tense—regularly receiving pokes and cuffs. As for the functionality of the gearbox, it seems it was also assembled under a “wrong license.” Apparently, tolerances during assembly were measured in centimeters—hence the sweeping travel and characteristic noise during acceleration, and the gear ratios were selected for an averaged engine power. Imagine a kind of super-unified gearbox that easily fits different models—from SUVs to subcompacts. I emphasize, these are just my guesses. The reality, even if it is so, the Chinese neighbors will never confirm. Although the fact that Chinese engineers indulge in unification is a fact. Today this is evident at least in the interior trim, and our hero is no exception—take a look at the Derways Aurora, comments are unnecessary.

The creators of the S-ceo tried to refine the interior by assembling another “quote book,” but a quality copy of the leaders in car design didn’t work out. The Chinese “Kulibins” missed the dimensions, and the cabin is adorned with mismatched gaps. The seats, as stated in the description, are upholstered in genuine leather, but a faux leather jacket for 500 rubles looks more presentable. And, by the way, the leather gearshift knob, mirror control panel, and steering column adjustment lever (only for tilt) I’ve already seen on the Hafei Brio, various Great Walls, and the Admiral pickup. So I wasn’t joking about the interior unification of many cars from the Middle Kingdom.

However, with the S-ceo, not everything is as gloomy as it might seem. Fearing to ruin someone else’s car, I sank the S-ceo’s wheels into the soggy field only by a quarter. The local tractor driver, watching my maneuvers, was already rubbing his hands in anticipation of easy money. But I’m greedy and stubborn: four-wheel drive—‘on,’ first gear, rocking, strained engine roar… The S-ceo escaped from the mud trap, no, burst out like a frightened doe from a tiger. True, the tractor driver still came in handy: when leaving the field, the S-ceo’s two right wheels fell into a pit. The rims half-sank into the mud. We didn’t spin for long. Hook, strap, tractor… and the S-ceo is free again. But we definitely wouldn’t have needed help if the Chinese hadn’t been stingy and hadn’t installed a reduction gear. Instead of a “low range,” next to the knob for engaging four-wheel drive, there are icons: 2WD (rear axle only), 4WD (all-wheel drive), and… N. The latter, apparently, means “everything off”?!! Why there’s a “neutral” here is a mystery. The only explanation is mockery of the owner: like, the reduction gear is structurally provided, but not for you. As consolation, the extra “neutral” can be used as protection against thieves—they won’t even think that the transmission can be disconnected not only by the gearshift lever. Jokes aside, but S-ceo sellers claim they convinced Chinese partners of the need for a reduction gear for an SUV. Let’s hope they didn’t deceive.

You want to hope for this, looking at the price tag: $34 thousand for the top version—for a “Chinese” that’s overkill. By the way, this is understood by sellers, buyers, and, surprisingly, the manufacturer itself. Perhaps in the near future the base configuration of the S-ceo will become a bit cheaper, and the price of the most “loaded” version will be $32–33 thousand.

However, this will only slightly sweeten the pill. No matter how hard entrepreneurs try, in the SUV segment the Shuanghuan S-ceo will not become a leader under any circumstances. This car is like a sugar substitute, which is regularly consumed only by seriously ill people. Healthy ones indulge for a while, and then still return to normal refined sugar. Same with the S-ceo: it seems like a decent alternative to pretentious models, but for that money you can buy a new crossover with an aristocratic pedigree or the same BMW X5, though on the secondary market. And note, no one will laugh at you like at a fan of cheap copies.

Alexey Vorontsov

Technical specifications

Source – www.automania.ru