There?s no stopping the tidal wave now. The Chinese vehicle invasion is well and truly on the go. McCarthy Motor Holdings, a member of the Bidvest Group, yesterday announced the launch of the Chery brand with three different models, one of which now hold the title as the cheapest new car on SA soil.

Chery models initially available on the local market include the QQ3 minicar , the J5 sedan and Tiggo SUV. The QQ3 looks a lot like a Chev Spark and also takes a stab at the likes of the Kia Picanto, Chana Benni and Daihatsu Charade. The J5 is set to fight the sedan brigade and the Tiggo, which has a RAV4ish appearance, takes the Chery challenge to the Daihatsu Terios and compact SUV market.

QQ3

There is no denying that the QQ3 is a cute looking car and the looks alone will appeal to a large number of entry-level buyers. Specification levels are also impressive in the little Chery.

Two engines and are on tap and both are developed to Euro III emission standards. The baby power pack is an 812cc cylinder that delivers 38kW at 6000rpm and 70Nm of torque between 3500 and 4000rpm. A four-cylinder 1083cc derivative delivers a bit more poke with 50kW at 6000 rpm and 90Nm between 3500 and 4000rpm.

Differentiating the various QQ3 spec levels is pretty easy, just glance at the badge on the rear. QQ3 0.8 TE is the lowest on the spec and price list with the QQ3 1.1 TXE at the other end of the scale. In between lie the 0.8 TX (Comfort) and 1.1 TE respectively.

Air-conditioning is included on both the QQ3 1.1 TE and TXE models. Front and rear electronic windows also come as standard on the comfort and luxury models, the QQ3 0.8 TX and 1.1 TXE respectively. Both these models also have electronically adjustable mirrors and 1.1 TXE model even has a manual sunroof. A sound system is standard on the TX and TXE models and the 1.1 TXE gets a MPR player port. Remote controlled central locking and alarm are standard issue on the Luxury models. While all QQ3 derivatives have side-impact bars only the 1.1 TXE comes with front dual airbags.

What?s it like to drive? Unfortunately I didn?t get to drive a 1.1 variant so can?t comment on that. The 800cc I was given was the TX version so no aircon but electric windows and a radio ? even in the winter conditions I battled the heat with a black shirt on. I would have rather specced a car of this nature to have aircon and manual wind-down windows

Although spec levels are tops for a car of this price bracket remember that this ain?t no super luxury barge. Ride is a bit wallowy and the wind from an oncoming truck makes for a turbulent ride. Others people on the launch complained about the steering being a bit vague but I was more perturbed by the sloppy gear-linkage and inconsistent clutch feel. The 800cc lump lacked a little oomph to making overtaking a feat in concentration.

It is worth remembering however that the launch route was on the country roads leading to the Vaal River so our driving conditions were far from the town and traffic set-up the QQ3 would usually operate in.

For town and traffic running about the QQ3 would do the job and would be able to squeeze in four people in for a lift club. Consumption is claimed in the region of 5.2-litres per 100km so that would also help out in keeping your monthly expenditure down.

J5

From the word go the J5 impressed. Its appearance is not too far off the mark and the interior finishing was to date the best I?ve seen in a Chinese vehicle. And like the QQ3 the J5 leads the class with bang-for-your-buck specification. Interior space is good and simple, functional instrumentation and controls make the cockpit a comfortable place to be.

The range consists of two model derivatives, the J5 2.0 TE and the J5 2.0 TX. Both are powered by a 2.0-litre ACTECO engine, which was jointly developed by Chery and Austria AVL. Numbers read 95kW at 5500 rpm and 180Nm at 4500 rpm.

Safety is paramount in this class and the J5 range comes with side-impact bars, front-dual airbags, ABS, EBD and disc brakes front and rear. The TX variant even has park distance control to avoid the slow impact parking lot issues.

The TE comes with fabric seats while the TX has leather. Both have a myriad of cup holders, storage compartments, electric mirrors and a trip computer. On paper and at first sight the J5 is not half bad.

And it is not bad on the road either. Ride quality is good, wind noise is in line with the competition and there is everything a family man or rep might need. My only real gripes were that the engine felt a little rough and noisy and that the clutch pedal was so far left I kept missing it and sticking my foot through the brake/clutch gap. The other irritation was that the height adjustable steering column only moved a centimetre or two.

Tiggo

If you want to go curb hopping for under 170-k here is your solution, the Tiggo. You could cut your limit down to just under R160 000 if you sacrificed a bit of specification and purchased the Tiggo 2.0 TX instead of the top of the range Tiggo 2.0 TXE.

Both Tiggo models make use of the 2.0-litre ACTECO engine that produces the same figures as the J5. Power is more than adequate for moving the vehicle and a claimed figure of 7.5 litres per 100km is given.

Again a noisy engine detracts from a relatively good ride. Chery engineers worked closely with Lotus when developing the chassis. It combines well with a McPherson front trailing arms rear.

Again the TXE comes with leather seats the TX model gets cloth. Rear seats are versatile and can fold down to create an extra loading space. The Tiggo TX has a single disc CD-front loader audio system, whilst the TXE features a 6-disc changer. Electric windows front and rear are standard on both models but only the TXE has a sunroof standard.

Service & Backup

McCarthy has a well-established dealer network in place, including four McCarthy-owned and managed stand-alone Chery dealerships, 13 McCarthy-owned and managed multi-franchise dealers, ten independent dealers, and a chain of 20 McCarthy Value Serve specialist service and repair workshops around the country.

Chery comes standard with a three year/100 000km warranty. A service plan is optional and service intervals are at 15000 km.

Pricing

QQ3 0.8 TE R59 900
QQ3 0.8 TX (Comfort) R65 900
QQ3 1.1 TE R73 900
QQ3 1.1 TXE (Luxury) R79 900

Chery J5 2.0 TE R139 900
Chery J5 2.0 TX R149 900

Chery Tiggo 2.0 TX R159 900
Chery Tiggo 2.0 TXE R169 900