Ukrainian car market demonstrates an irrepressible thirst for life. And a willingness to adapt to anything. In January, it was officially replenished with another brand from China. And not just another newcomer, but a giant from the Chinese TOP 5. Moreover, Changan has something that the vast majority of manufacturers from the Middle Kingdom lack — a pedigree of a century and a half.
A test presentation was held simultaneously with the official opening of the representative office and showroom. For the first time, a trio of crossovers, led by the Uni-K cross-coupe, will be offered on our market. The flagship «chungachang» (UAH 1.479 million) pleased with its non-trivial exterior and interior with many design finds that would not be ashamed of the Italians. However, it disappointed with the stately chassis settings. The youngest in the SS35 family is another matter. A minimum of decorations and options, «knocked down» suspension, and a much more democratic price tag of UAH 889 thousand.
Against their background, the SS55 Plus is the very golden mean. At only slightly higher cost (+100 thousand domestic yuan), it is noticeably more spacious and better equipped than the 35, and at the same time does not look like a poor relative next to the Uni-K.
Compared to the flagship, the SS55 Plus looks less attractive, but has a much more attractive price tag of — 990 thousand UAH versus 1.479 million UAH. If it’s hard to look away from the Uni-K (danke schönne, Herr Bertrand Bach), the look of the SS55 Plus is forgotten on the way from the parking lot to the office. But our memory is as selective as a ballot box.
The Changan CS55 was presented at the 2017 Shanghai Motor Show. Its appearance was completely developed in the Turin design studio of the concern. As you might guess, the reference was the Land Rover Discovery Sport. The first generation of the Changan CS55 Plus crossover was presented in July 2019. A year later, production of its electric version, the Changan CS55 EV, began.
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Changan SS55 Plus mischievous behavior
It’s not just about the design exuberance. In the vocabulary of «dealers» and «gray» dealers, the SS55 Plus is — typical «soup kit». No alternative front-wheel drive and engine: a gasoline «four» 1.5-liter turbo caliber, which is loved by the Chinese. To them is added a 7-speed «robot» with a pair of «wet» clutches. In general, everything is like everyone else in this segment. The typical «Made in China» flaws in multimedia, the lack of Ukrainian «voice acting» and purely Chinese interior ergonomics have not been forgotten.
Forget about the connectable rear axle, manual transmission, «spontaneously combustible» diesel engines, and all the other whims of the Ukrainian market. The Chinese are not interested in our interests, nor in our opinion of them. So, snobs can stop reading now — this is by no means the most interesting «Chinese» on our market. I would have thought so too, if my acquaintance had been limited to that half-hour blitz test. But after a week of traveling on the roads, and not so much, everything is much more non-trivial.
So, unlike the flagship crossover, the hero of our story is devoid of a design spark, and, it seems, no special ambitions at all. On the other hand, the exterior is coherent, up-to-date, and without overt borrowings. It’s a solid mid-sized car in one of the most saturated market segments, with its pros and cons. The bet here is clearly not on recognition, but on the price/quality ratio. The same as in the case of Chery Tiggo 7 Pro (UAH 921 thousand), JAC JS6 (UAH 950 thousand), Haval Jolion L2 (UAH 997 thousand), etc.
Under the hood is a «fifty-five» — BlueCore engine (181 hp, 300 Nm) with turbocharging and direct injection. The design is not the most modern and economical — in the city, the consumption is now and then about 10 liters/100 km, even on the highway the lowest figure was 7.4 liters. The flip side of the coin is that the design has probably been proven for years, which is indirectly confirmed by a 150 thousand km warranty with recommended maintenance every 10 thousand km.
Paired with the engine is the equally proven «robot» 7DCT. And it knows its job much better, smoothing out the engine roughness and delighting with almost «seamless» shifts. The main thing is not to get carried away. When you push the accelerator «pedal to metal» (kickdown — ed.), you will first of all encounter the howl and stupor of the box. Only after a couple of seconds, which will seem the longest in your life, the 55 will start accelerating. But when it reaches 4250 rpm, it’s all over — the acceleration fades away, as if the crossover is bumping into a transparent wall. So you need to be on the alert when overtaking. Moreover, all this is accompanied by a not-so-great soundtrack.
Hidden qualities of CS55
In general, the noise insulation of the SS 55 Plus is difficult to add to the virtues — the Chinese clearly partially saved on this. Gravel «sandblasting» thresholds and arches are especially annoying. As the speed increases closer to 100 km/h, the wind howling in the exterior mirrors comes to the fore. And don’t even think about opening the window because the hum will increase to a headache. Aerodynamics is also not a strong point of the Chinese.
The «watt» steering with an extremely low level of information does not set you up for a gambling ride. We can say that the electric power steering (here it is on the steering shaft) lives its own life, emptying and filling with weight according to an algorithm it knows only. And it’s not so convenient to turn the steering wheel with a cut steering wheel.
Changan CS55 Plus interior space
The spacious interior of the SS 55 Plus seems to apologize for its mediocre appearance and «double standards» handling. Rich equipment, intricate architecture, bucket seats, and turquoise lighting. For this price segment — This is rather an exception. Special thanks for the higher-quality finishing materials. The «plusless» predecessor CS55 had seven types of plastic, and the cheapest ones prevailed.
Even the trunk was a pleasant surprise with its spaciousness, thoughtful little things like an organizer and rear seats that fold down almost «to the floor». So in case of a delay on the road, you don’t have to worry about not being home in time for the curfew.
The sliding «panorama» almost half-roof gives a truly convertible feel. On rare April weather days, it allowed us to enjoy the warmth to the fullest, sunbathing on the go. The main thing is to turn up the music louder because the wind howling starts to get annoying after a few minutes.
But with microclimate control, «Chinese» traditionally do not do well — it’s clearly a matter of our mental differences. The only things worse are the audio system and sociability. I’m not talking about the Android Auto and Apple CarPlay protocols «Bluetooth» — not all premium «Europeans» have them even today. But even the wired connection of these applications does not save the day.
It’s a similar story with voice control — even simple functions like turning on music and managing calls were so reluctantly performed by the invisible assistant that it’s easier to do without it. The hum of the air conditioning pump doesn’t add to the comfort either. All this is compensated by a decent multimedia system interface with a 12.3-inch monitor, a built-in dashcam, and a rich set of cameras, led by a circular video panorama. If desired, the car can even be steered by looking only at the monitor. And with jeweler’s precision, you can make your way through the narrowest parking lots packed with buses with «tececashniks».
They did not forget to install heated seats for us, even for the rear passengers. The rear window and mirrors are heated, as well as the windshield separately. Thin heating strips crawl along it like cobwebs. And while the rear heater has physical buttons and even a power level change, the driver will need to go into the climate settings on the central monitor to turn the heating on or off.
You can also put the “two” behind the chairs. The cushion is so short that even a girl can hardly get comfortable. The Chinese understanding of the body position in a car seems to be quite different from the European vision, or it may be due to a difference in constitution. To get comfortable behind a cropped steering wheel, you need to raise your knees to avoid reaching for it, but you get tired and start looking for a new position. And even electric adjustments in all possible directions don’t help.
Passengers are more fortunate. The rear sofa of the SS 55 Plus has a comfortable angle of inclination, a deep seat and almost no tonneau on the floor. There are air deflectors and two USB outputs for charging gadgets.
The audio system is also worth noting, which turned out to be surprisingly decent. And the modest inscription on the Pioneer speakers suggests that something was definitely developed by the Japanese. The speakers are not large, but they are located in the right places in the cabin, and in a duet with decent noise, everything works as it should.
In the settings, you can choose when the camera will turn on, only when you want it to and press the button near the gear lever, or automatically when you slow down and turn on the turn signal. This is convenient because the camera sometimes shows you more of the intersection than you can see, but this behavior can also be intrusive when it blocks our navigation.
Not intrusive help
Maneuvering can also be hindered by a whole chain of safety systems, of which there are many. From conventional airbags and ESP, ABS, EBD to intelligent adaptive cruise, which is offered by the maximum Tech configuration. Perhaps its intelligence is peculiar, but you can’t catch the algorithms at once, you have to get used to them. Although the crossover is able to keep a distance to the previous cars, stay in the lane and keep the speed.
Even the CS55 itself constantly reminds you on the dashboard (10 inches) that you are driving the car because the car will not automatically stop, but will slow down
Interestingly, the graphics on the panel show how many meters to the previous car. You can set the distance and the SS 55 Plus will maintain a distance of 65 meters to 24 meters, depending on your choice.
You don’t have to worry about the automatic windshield wipers, they do a good job and don’t remind you of themselves. Just like the lighting: once you turn on the automatic mode, you can forget about it. It’s nice that the Chinese don’t skimp on diode light, and it’s usually completely sufficient.
CS55 Plus positioning and configuration
In fact, there are many things to say about the crossover, and the impressions of it are contradictory. Everyone will form their opinion about the car, and it is worth doing so during a test drive. For those who carefully count every hryvnia, there is something to think about.
We are offered three configurations of the SS 55 Plus from UAH 989,000 to UAH 1,079,000. While the first one will be almost empty in terms of active assistants and comfort features, spoiling the impression of the car, the maximum one will offer all the advantages that are possible in this case. And this car clearly wins with a margin over its closest competitors and compatriots: Chery Tiggo 7 Pro and Haval Jolion. But the new MG HS may outperform this crossover, but we’ll see next week, as it will get to us for a test.
Conclusion
Although Changan is a new brand for us, it has a long history in car manufacturing and cooperation with such brands as Suzuki, Ford, Mazda, and DS. Ranking fourth among automakers in China speaks volumes. And now the brand is officially represented in Ukraine, so each member of the model range has an official warranty, service, and credit offers.
To summarize, the SS55 Plus is definitely worth the money. Of course, with the main «Chinese» caveat. After all, no matter how long the test drive is, it will never answer the eternal question to any product from China — what about reliability? Even if we are convinced of this by the brand name itself, which is translated from Putonghua as «reliability, time-tested». So time will tell.
Technical characteristics of Changan CS55 Plus Tech
| Body, type | SUV |
| Dimensions (LxWxH), mm | 4515/1865/1680 |
| Wheelbase, mm | 2 656 |
| Declared ground clearance, mm | 190 |
| Trunk volume, liters. | 55/466/2179 |
| Curb weight, kg | 2385 |
| Engine | In-line, 4-cylinder with turbo heater, gasoline -1.5 liters |
| Power, hp (kW) | 181 (133) |
| Torque, Nm | 300 |
| Type of drive | front |
| Pendant | Macpherson/multi-lever |
| Transmission | 7DCT |
| Dynamics 0-100, s | 8,2 |
| Maximum speed, km/h | 190 |
| Fuel consumption, l | 8,3 |
| Cost, UAH | 989 000 |
| The cost of the test car, UAH | 1 079 000 |
| Competitors | Chery Tiggo 7 Pro (921 690 UAH) |
| Haval Jolion (UAH 997,000) | |
| JAC JS6 (UAH 950,000) | |
| Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross (UAH 1 265 000) |