WeeklySA_AdminWALLET OPENER: The Uni-S is not merely adding numbers but a serious player in the highly competitive family SUV segment with lots of high-end styling and a competitive price poised to woo throngs of new customers to the brand…
By Ali Mphaki
The scene was the parking lot at the Diepkloof Square in Soweto but could have been anywhere in South Africa.
The centre was a hive of activity and teeming with people and cars – thanks chiefly to the day being an appointment date for senior citizens with Sassa.
The car “guard” was at his element going about his work with some zeal as he led me to a parking space.
Woza, woza, he shouted in isiZulu as I reversed, somehow oblivious of the high-tech 540 degrees camera system in the car, a device which he is likely to loath since it is slowly but surely going to render him an endangered species.
Egressing and locking the car via keyless entry I greeted and thanked him, even though at the back of my mind I could not resist the urge that before me was a young man soon-to-be a relic of the past in our malls.
Yet again, my Anglican upbringing enjoins me to show respect to anyone irrespective of rank, and I am also aware of incidents were motorists did not greet the guard and when he found his car broken into only
Back from shopping with our trolley of goodies the boot opens and closes at press button.
But before we can ingress the vehicle there is suddenly a challenge; do we start the engine from outside and apply the self-parking device so the vehicle can move on its own out of the parking lot or we do it the traditional way?
Much to the amusement of our car “guard” and onlookers we opted for the self-start and self-parking option.
Then magic happens.
At the press of a button the vehicle starts to move on its own out as if in careful perallistis of the parking lot with no one inside and no need for anyone to direct the driver.
Tjo,tjo,tjo, sighs the starry-eyed car “guard” and other on-lookers.
Intswembu le kara! (This car is truly amazing!), he and them confesses.
What is the name of this vehicle, they ask.
Friend Sipho Mdluli quickly answers that it is a Changan SUV, but it is in the manner he corrupts the word “Chungun” as “Shangaan” that gets things interesting.
One of the onlookers, I suspect to be of Tsonga descent, somehow sulks and only after a closer look at the vehicle’s name seem to have his ‘’tribalistic’’ concerns allayed.
Thing is it is only 11 months since brand Changan vehicles eased into the SA market – even if it has existed since the 1860s – with products challenging the status quo and making a strong statement of the manufacturer’s intention to progress from what one may term less-desirable products to undeniable.
Among its debut offerings is the budget-friendly compact budget sedan Alsvin priced from R189 900 to R234 900. The mid-size and 7-seater options CS 75 Pro starting around R385 900, the rugged double-cab and REEV Hunter bakkies, as well as the fully electric Deepal SO7.
Three derivatives of the Changan Uni-S are on offer, the CS, CL, and CE, the latter our subject material, all powered by a 1,5-litre petrol engine producing 147kW and 380Nm, paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
Design-wise the Uni-S does not try to be anything but a normal SUV though easily distinguishable from the rest with its bold and aggressive head-turning looks accentuated by that hard-not-to-like borderless honeycomb grille ala the Omoda likely to leave many buyers smitten.
The rear with quad exhaust pipes and a split roof spoiler that houses the high-level brake light. conjures up what you may call ireverse yo mhlaba
If the exterior is anything to rave about, the interior will make even the hardest of critics eat humble pie. The cabin is dominated by a 12.3-inch high resolution infotainment screen though bereft of climate controls. Leg room in the rear is aplenty and there is no room for claustrophobia in the five-seater.
Endowed with a light steering it goes about with alacrity soaking up those GP potholes et al as it breezes around.
Changan claims a fuel consumption figure of 6.3 L/100 km and it comes with a 5 year/90 000km service plan.
