In just a year and a half, Chery Socma updated the Fulwin for the Argentine market. With the Fulwin II imported from China - and which will soon be manufactured in Brazil - the brand tries to improve its position in the small car category (Segment B).
The Fulwin II went on sale on December 15 . It is offered with two types of bodywork: Sedan (143,005 pesos) and Hatchback (147,061 pesos). We drove a Hatchback version for a week and the full review is reproduced below.
OUTSIDE
It's called the Fulwin II , but it's not the second generation of the Fulwin . It is just a restyling . The original design, signed by Chery and the Italian studio Torino Design , received changes to the bumpers, fenders, optics, grille and bonnet.
It now has a sharper trunk, which extends a little further forward. Overall length increased by seven centimeters to 4.14 meters in the Hatchback and 4.26 meters in the Sedan. The wheelbase remains at 2,527 mm.
The overall result is pleasing to the eye, with its own personality. This causes many to ask what car it is. Despite being on sale for a year and a half, the Fulwin remains a rarity on our streets. Only a thousand units were patented.
I found the body of the Hatchback more attractive than the Sedan. But it is a matter of taste. What matters is that the Sedan has a larger trunk capacity: 450 liters (against 380 for the Hatch). But it is not a conventional sedan, the tailgate not only communicates to the trunk, but also to the passenger compartment, since it also raises the rear window. It's an unconventional fifth door, so technically it's a liftback .
The external presentation is complemented by 15-inch alloy wheels, shod with Linglong 185 / 60R15 tires . The spare wheel is the same size, but with a sheet metal rim.
INSIDE
The first time I saw a Fulwin was at the 2013 Buenos Aires Hall. I found the exterior design acceptable, but the quality of the interior finish was the worst of all the La Rural pavilions. Including surveillance golf carts.
The surfaces were rough, with sharp ridges on the door panels and the steering wheel. But worst of all was the smell. Reheated under the spotlights of the stands, the plastics began to emit intense fumes, which made the nose itch.
The brand pointed out that those were display prototypes. And that the model would go on sale with improvements. But it was not like that. And today you can find several second-hand Fulwins with these happy little plastics.
The Fulwin II improved a lot in that regard. If you leave it in the sun for a long time, the aroma is still a bit strong, but the instrument panel, center console, upholstery and door trims scored several points. Say you went from China Quality to Quality Mercosur . It is not perfection, but something is something.
The driving position is typical of cars designed for so-called Emerging Markets . The driver's seat is height-adjustable, but still the driver is positioned a little higher than expected.
The steering wheel is adjustable only in height. Those with long legs will find it difficult to find a comfortable position with the steering wheel at the correct distance.
In the rear seats there is just room for three adults, although two adults and a child will travel more comfortably. There is a good place for the heads of the tallest, but not so much for their knees.
The equipment brings what is just and necessary: power steering, air conditioning, four electric windows, electrically adjustable mirrors and an audio system with CD / MP3 / USB.
The trunk opening system is a bit strange. From the outside it is only opened with the remote command. The tailgate has no external button or lock. But this command does not work if the driver's door is open. In this case, you must use the internal opening button, located on the console. Although this button only responds if the engine is running. Sometimes - just sometimes - it also does it if the key is in contact.
The best thing about the Fulwin II interior is, without a doubt, the air conditioning system. It leaves you colder than a penguin leg.
SECURITY
The Fulwin II complies with current regulations to offer double front airbags and ABS brakes. The anti-lock also brings Electronic Brake Distributor (EBD). In addition, it has a seatbelt forgetting alert.
Four of the five passengers have headrests and three-point seat belts. Whoever travels back and in the middle will have to settle for just a two-point belt. There are no Isofix anchors or other electronic driving aids.
It has no stability control. Autoblog does not recommend buying cars without ESP .
C-NCAP , the Global NCAP body tasked with assessing the safety of cars sold in China, crash-tested the Fulwin II. It earned a four-star rating. However, the tested unit featured double side airbags and Isofix anchors. For this reason, this result is not valid for the Fulwin II that arrives in Argentina.
ENGINE and TRANSMISSION
The engine has not changed since the launch of the Fulwin. It is still a naphtero of the Acteco family , the same that equips the Tiggo . In the case of the Fulwin II, it has 1,497 cc, 16 valves, multi-point electronic injection and develops 107 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 140 Nm of torque at 3,000 rpm.
The box is manual, five-speed. And the traction is front.
BEHAVIOR
As a Segment B (small) car, the Fulwin II is a vehicle designed for a majority use in the city, with the occasional trip to the road. In that sense, the good clearance of the ground makes sense and is appreciated: it is very rare that the trunk touches on speed bumps or donkey backs.
The suspension set-up is soft, although the shocks on the tested unit had a problem. In expansion, they butted too easily. This results in a sharp hit when a wheel is left in the air by a pothole. Or when it bounces off one of the many reflective studs that flooded our streets. It is quite an unpleasant feeling, which should be corrected.
Another point that I did not like is the feel of the brakes. The first three-quarters of the pedal travel is useless and spongy. You really have to go all the way for the system to kick in. There the presence of ABS and EBD is appreciated, because kicks are difficult to regulate in intensity. It is another point to correct.
The direction is very smooth and is appreciated in the city. Also in parking maneuvers. But on the road, at good speed, it is somewhat erratic and conveys the feeling that the front end tends to float. It's not nice. A more progressive hardening would be appreciated.
Nor does the soft tuning of the suspension help. The body tilts quite a bit in curves and is somewhat sensitive to road side winds.
On the other hand, it must be recognized that the engine and transmission assembly is well balanced. Despite the fact that the control of the box is somewhat "crunchy" , the first three gears are designed to cope with agility in traffic. The fourth gear, however, is more lazy.
The Fulwin comes out well from the bottom, but to reach 100 km / h it takes 12.9 seconds. The fifth, strangely, is too short. This makes the engine run at 3,500 rpm at 120 km / h. And that the maximum speed is only 160 km / h .
Consumption is correct, with an average of 7.5 liters per 100 kilometers. The fuel tank is 50 liters.
CONCLUSION
With the launch of this model, Chery Socma modified its strategy in Argentina. It stopped trying to compete in the C segment, with a discontinued Skin , which never took off in sales. And it concentrated its efforts on the B segment with the Fulwin II , almost stopping bringing the Face assembled in Uruguay.
Halfway between the unsavory QQ ( read review ) and the successful Tiggo , the Fulwin II has the role of growing the brand's sales, which last year were hit hard by a low import quota.
With a price of 147 thousand pesos, the Fulwin II is a car with good dimensions for a Segment B. It has a nice design and an agile engine in the city.
On the other hand, the steering, suspension and brakes are three crucial aspects that must be improved urgently.
If to this are added the constant changes in the Chery range in Argentina and the announcement that soon the Fulwin II will no longer come from China, but from Brazil, perhaps the best advice Autoblog can offer is this: wait, to see if it improves.
Source:
https://autoblog.com.ar/2015/01/30/critica-chery-fulwin-ii-hatchback/