Sleek, sublime … and well priced

THE Chery J2 TX may be new to the market in South Africa but it appears to have the courage to take on its competitors. One of the reasons is that it is very well priced, with the R129 900 figure likely to be very appealing.

The J2 has been described as sleek, sublime and zippy.

It may not be the trendiest vehicle ever to cruise along the country’s potholed roads, but it also doesn’t offend with horrid design.

On the whole, the design is modern and items such as the 15-inch alloy wheels and foglamps (front and rear) are included in the price.

Inside, there are no unpleasant surprises. It’s standard Chinese-car fare, from the tiny instrumentation, large sound-system interface (boasting a CD player and micro-USB port) and simple, clear air-con controls.

The quality is sound throughout and the cloth trim is decent.

Drivers and passengers will enjoy, and benefit from, the ergonomically designed seating. There’s also 270 litres of boot space which makes things easier when travelling or transporting belongings – plus it can be increased simply by folding down the rear seats.

The 1,5-litre engine develops 72kW of power and reaches peak torque of 140Nm at a 4 500 rpm, relayed to the front wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox that shifts cleanly.

It comes with a two-year/30 00km service plan, five-year/120 000km warranty, power steering, air conditioning, CD player, MP3, radio, USB, central locking and more.

Fuel consumption is 7,4l/100 km and CO2 is 176 g/km.