Despite being pricier than its immediate rivals, the Q's added substance makes it tough to ignore.
Q has finally launched as Chery’s EV rival for the Geely E2 and BYD Dolphin Surf. Picture: Charl Bosch
Although it made its public unveiling at the Kyalami Festival of Motoring in August, Chery officially launched its highly awaited all-electric Q this week as one of the most affordable EVs available in South Africa.
Jumping the gun
Most likely as a result of buyers who submitted pre-order deposits that opened after its showing at Kyalami, the September new vehicle sales saw 214 units being registered as sold.
The Citizen was provided with a homologation unit as part of an extensive pre-launch drive before the opening of general sales.
A short stint that impressed, the launch in KwaZulu-Natal this week mostly involved highway driving on the outskirts of Pietermaritzburg and into the Midlands.
Q vs rivals
Touted at the time of its showing to the South African media in China in April as possibly being one of the country’s most affordable EVs, the two-model range subsequently came with a price premium over its direct rivals, the Geely E2 and BYD Dolphin Surf, but with a bigger battery pack and more range.
Priced at R349 900 for the entry-level Comfort and R389 900 for the flagship Elite, the base Q is R9 000 pricier than the Dolphin Surf Comfort, but R6 000 cheaper in Elite form than the range-topping Dolphin Surf Dynamic.
The same applies to the E2, whose entry-level Aspire variant is R10 000 cheaper and the top-spec Apex priced at the same R389 900.
Outputting significantly less torque than its countryman, though, the Q’s inherent promise of more tech and the now trusted Chery name are likely to play in its favour as the uptake in EVs intensifies.
Dimensions
The spiritual replacement for the original much maligned Daewoo Matiz/Chevrolet Spark-aping QQ3, the new Q, apart from being an EV, adopts a rear-engine, rear-wheel drive layout instead of a front-engine, front-wheel drive configuration.
Riding on a platform Chery calls T12, its dimensions are:
- Length: 4 195mm;
- Wheelbase: 2 700mm;
- Height: 1 568mm;
- Width: 1 811mm.
Longer and wider than all its rivals, the Q’s dimensions come with practical gains in the form of a 375-litre boot that increases to 1 450 litres with the rear seats folded down.
At the same time, an additional 70 litres can be stored underneath the bonnet and 35 litres in a pair of drawers located beneath the rear seats.
Due to it not being available in China, a parcel shelf isn’t included. However, Chery has indicated that it is planning to make it available as standard instead of a cost option.
Spec
On the spec sheet, both the Comfort and Elite have been equipped with the following:
- auto on/off LED headlights;
- electric mirrors;
- keyless entry;
- imitation leather upholstery;
- push-button start;
- climate control;
- imitation leather-wrapped multi-function steering wheel;
- rear air-conditioning vents;
- electric tailgate;
- front and rear type-C USB ports;
- all-around electric windows;
- Apple CarPlay and Android Auto;
- six airbags;
- front and rear parking sensors;
- tyre pressure monitor;
- cruise control;
- reverse camera;
- Hill Start Assist;
- Electronic Stability Program;
- Hill Descent Control.
Reserved for the Elite are 17-inch alloy wheels in place of the Comfort’s 16-inch steelies, folding electric mirrors, electric adjustment for the driver’s seat and the bonnet opening and closing electrically via a button located on the right front wing.
The Elite also replaces the Comfort’s eight-inch digital instrument cluster with an 8.8-inch display and its 12.8-inch infotainment system with a 15.6-inch display.
An additional two speakers bring its audio system tally to six, bolstered further by an external speaker, ambient lighting and a ventilated wireless smartphone charging pad.
On the safety side, the Elite receives an extended array of driver assistance systems comprising:
- 540-degree camera system;
- Adaptive Cruise Control;
- Auto High Beam Assist;
- Forward Collision Warning;
- Auto Park Assist;
- Blind Spot Monitoring;
- Lane Keep Assist;
- Automatic Emergency Braking;
- Lane Change Assist;
- Door Opening Alert;
- Lane Departure Prevention;
- Traffic Jam Assist;
- Rear Cross Traffic Alert;
- Reverse Automatic Braking.
Colours
In total, four colours can be selected from
- white;
- silver;
- cream;
- purple.
A smooth transition
Tipping the scales at 1 360 kg, the Q’s 42.7kWh battery pack powers a single electric motor that makes 90kW/115Nm.
While down, as mentioned, on the 150Nm made by the E2 and the Dolphin Surf’s 135Nm, it feels anything but underpowered and instead has a linear and smooth delivery that belies its 135km/h top speed and 0-100km/h sprint time of 13.5 seconds.
Despite its claimed range of 400km, a more realistic assumption points to a distance of 350km, largely also dependent on driving style and the drive mode selected.
Throughout the drive, admittedly not in the Q’s natural surrounding of the N3, Normal mode was selected, with sporadic spells in Sport registering incremental improvements in throttle response. The Eco mode was not dialled in at any stage.
Plugged in to a DC charger up to 85kW will require a waiting time of 16 minutes from 30% to 80%, while using the on-board 6.6kW AC outlet will need six and a half hours to get from 10% to 100%.
In addition, the Q supports vehicle-to-load (V2L) up to 6.6kW, which effectively turns it into a power-sourcing hub for a suite of electronic devices.
The drive
Out on the route, the Q feels nimble and agile, while ride quality also impressed. Comfort isn’t found wanting either, especially at the rear, where head and legroom leave little to be desired.
Understandably, mastering the infotainment system will require familiarisation as all of the various functions reside within it.
However, Chery has streamlined the system to be as user-friendly as possible, while retaining a few physical switches and scrollers located in front of the charging pad.
Unsurprisingly, material quality varies, yet overall fit-and-finish is more than commendable considering its sub-R400 000 price tag.
Conclusion
Arriving at a time of South Africa’s latest petrol price shock of unleaded now being more than R30 a litre, the Chery Q can be considered a masterstroke from not only a city and urban commuter perspective, but what it offers as an outright package deal.
Quirky but also comfortable and generally well executed as a whole, the Q, arguably, has the promise of becoming the segment benchmark.
Adding further incentive is a five-year/150 000km warranty, a five-year/100 000km service plan and a 10-year/200 000km warranty on the electric motor and battery.
