Changan UNI-K test. Now you are our new Q8.

Until recently, the Chinese automaker Changan did not particularly stand out in our market, offering

customers a lineup of three not the mostoriginal crossovers. But in 2022, the situation has changed, the manufacturer not only began to actively open separate mono-brand stores in Russia, but also brought several new cars that attract the attention of buyers. One of the first truly striking models, in my opinion, can be considered Changan UNI-K. Changan's UNI car family includes models with an unusual exterior and interior design, which still have good electronic content, and UNI (in Chinese spelling Yinli (引力)) is translated as "Attraction". That is, Changan UNI are those machines that attract attention.

The new crossover Changan UNI-K, made incross-coupe body, looks really nice and a little fantastic. An elongated hood with an aggressive front end, an unusual radiator grille, narrowed headlights and interesting-shaped daytime running lights from below. Balanced and not heavy car feed with LED strip in the entire trunk also attracts attention. Yes, and in profile UNI-K is quite good, lean and well-tailored, with pull-out door handles. Changan designers managed to make a really beautiful crossover that looks good from all angles and looks no worse than the same Audi Q8 or Porsche Cayenne Coupe. By the way, the Chinese manufacturer also borrowed the gray color of the body from the latter, so it turned out to be such a clear bias under the Cayenne, which, in general, is not bad.

The radiator grille here is frameless, but isa separate part, which is good if you suddenly need to replace it. Daytime running lights, although they are very low, are visible well, and in bad weather they practically do not get dirty and remain readable. Hidden handles look stylish and interesting, the only point is that in winter after washing it is necessary to blow them through, otherwise they may freeze and not close completely. As for the full LED headlights, they provide a concentrated bright beam and illuminate the road well. It was comfortable to move at night on the UNI-K, both with the low beam and with the high beam.

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The interior design of Changan UNI-K is not inferior toits attractive exterior design. Inside, we are met by a multi-tiered front panel with complex architecture, a plump, cut-off steering wheel, a massive central tunnel with a lower tier and bucket-shaped front seats. In general, everything looks very good, while the materials do not fail, at least those that are in your field of view, below the level of the eye. Yes, simpler thin plastic is already being used, but not of the worst quality. The top panel is covered with artificial leather, there are inserts made of soft-touch plastic and minimalistic decorative inserts. Plus, there are many small details in the cabin that you notice over time and which are very original. For example, a low automatic transmission lever with embossed letters UNI on a leather insert, additional keys and a mode switch puck are located under it. There, on the central tunnel on the driver's side, interesting decorative plastic grooves are made, which, however, are very impractical, as dust and dirt are clogged in them. And at night, the salon is decorated with good atmospheric lighting with a choice of colors from an extensive palette. In general, Changan designers did their best and made the car beautiful not only from the outside, but also from the inside.

A person will comfortably sit behind the wheel of a UNI-Kalmost any height and complexion. The front seats with a full range of electric adjustments, including lumbar support adjustment in two planes and lateral support adjustment for the driver, have the correct profile, they are moderately rigid, with pronounced lateral support, and you can only complain about a slightly short pillow. It's nice that the Changan chairs are not only visually beautifully executed, but also their ergonomics are at the level, the forced march along the route Moscow - St. Petersburg was easy in them, the back did not get tired, and the fifth point did not numb. The manufacturer should be praised for such chairs, yet today not all Chinese manufacturers focus on seats, usually they are made beautiful only visually, without paying due attention to ergonomics.

Behind the wheel of a UNI-K you sit relaxed, landingmore passenger, and not vertical, as in some crossovers. Visibility from the driver's seat is flawless, and the medium-sized side mirrors allow you to freely navigate them. You quickly get used to the dashboard, which is high and shifted closer to the windshield, besides, the beveled top steering wheel is not just there, but made specifically so as not to block your view. Immediately to the right and shifted closer to the driver, the main screen of the media system, to which you do not need to reach out to interact with it, you just need to raise your hand.

Boarding / disembarking from the car is free, doorsThey open wide and they completely cover the sills, so you don't have to worry about keeping your pants clean in bad weather. The rear sofa here is royal, there is so much space that even I, with a height of 187 cm, calmly sit down behind myself, if I wish, I can even cross my legs. The manufacturer lowered the sofa cushion a little, so that tall passengers will not rest their heads against the ceiling, even though the car has a huge panoramic roof with an automatic sunroof in its front part.

Giving a lot of free space to the rear passengers,the manufacturer, unfortunately, cut the volume of the luggage compartment, which is 351 liters, for example, in the Audi Q8 it is 605 liters. It is a pity that the UNI-K did not provide for the longitudinal adjustment of the sofa, so that if necessary it was possible to squeeze passengers, but at the same time increase the usable trunk space. And so it is only possible to fold the rear seat backs from the passenger compartment, which fold in a ratio of 60:40 and form an almost flat floor. That is, it will be possible to transport bulky cargo, but at the same time you will have to sacrifice seats. The tailgate in a crossover with an electric drive, the ability to adjust the height of its opening, but without the ability to close it and immediately block the car.

Analysis of the electronic component of Changan UNI-Klet's start with the dashboard, it is digital here and differs not only in its placement, but also in the fact that it consists of three high-quality IPS displays: 3.5″, 10.25″ and 9.2″. On the left, the smallest, tire pressure is constantly displayed, I don’t know how important it is to constantly see this information, but the manufacturer considered that we needed it. The second is the classic digital panel, which displays the speedometer, data on the work of assistants, as well as additional information. The data from the tidy is read without problems, but the animated background of the digital speedometer looks strange, which can be distracting for some drivers. Plus, it is not clear why a language change was placed here for quick access, although more useful options could have been added. Yes, in fact, three instrument themes are available here: classic, sporty and smart (when you have data on the work of assistants).

The third screen displays an additionalinformation with readings of engine speed, data on its temperature and fuel level in the tank. But if you press the dedicated button on the steering wheel, the screen displays a picture from the camera located on the top of the trunk lid. That is, we additionally have such a virtual rear-view mirror available. I don’t know about you, but I don’t really like virtual mirrors, plus, even though the camera is high, it still gets dirty in bad weather. But perhaps this decision is due to the fact that the interior mirror in the car does not have auto-dimming, so at night it is quite possible to resort to an electronic analogue.

The main screen of the media system we have 12.3 inches, it is touch-sensitive with a good resolution and a very decent picture quality. As mentioned above, the screen is shifted down closer to the driver to make it easier to interact with the data on it. The media system menu has a good drawing, the response speed is not bad, but the minus of the system is that each section, except for the settings, is constantly loaded into memory when called. That is, you clicked on the climate, and it is not displayed immediately, at first the Changan splash screen appears, and then the section itself is loaded. It seems that the manufacturer either saved on RAM for the multimedia system, or the main system data eats up so much space that each additional menu section is forced to load one at a time. In general, the manufacturer clearly needs to do something about this.

According to its capabilities, the car media systemquite simple, there is no regular navigation, just as there is no support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as a replacement for the latter, their own system of duplicating information from the smartphone screen is offered, crutches, of course, but at least so. Traditionally for new Chinese cars, UNI-K has a voice assistant that can help with simple actions, such as opening the panorama blind or raising the windows. Of the interesting features, it is worth noting the presence of a built-in DVR that uses four cameras around the car and can write data in 720p from one of them or from all of them at the same time. Video is recorded on a microSD card, the slot for which is located in the public domain on the lower tier of the center console. In general, the thing is useful, but taking into account the fact that external crossover cameras are used, they will be most effective only in dry weather, as they will quickly get covered in snow and mud and the picture will not be readable.

Another of the interesting chips I note the presence of twoadditional speakers in the headrest of the driver's seat, by the way, they are from Sony, as, indeed, all the acoustics in the car. The speakers are activated during a hands-free conversation, so you can hear the other person better. And they are also used when turn signals are turned on and the blind spot monitoring system is triggered, so you can hear exactly which side the sound is from and in the latter case you immediately understand where you have interference. The chip is optional, but rather curious.

Yes, the speakerphone works in the car withoutproblems, microphones are directional, and the interlocutor always hears you well. Connecting smartphones to the system via Bluetooth is quick and hassle-free, and importing contacts is correct. The only pity is that you can only manage call lists from the screen of the media system, and only data on an incoming call is displayed on the digital dashboard. Although it cost the manufacturer to make it possible to work with the phone and music from the tidy screen, especially since there are corresponding keys for control on the steering wheel, and part of the data can be controlled on the panel itself, even the system language can be changed.

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To connect gadgets in the car is availablefour USB-A connectors. Two - in front on the lower tier of the central tunnel, they are on bevels so that they have free access. Two more connectors were given to passengers at the back. Modern gadgets are charged from the car's on-board network quite quickly, so there is no need to use additional adapters. On the central tunnel in a special niche, which is closed with a curtain, there is wireless charging according to the Qi standard. The site is located at a slight slope, so that the device's screen is perfectly visible from the driver's seat, which is convenient.

Climate control in Changan UNI-K dual-zone withionization function, the main part of the data on it is hidden in the bowels of the media system, and work with them is carried out from the screen, but some of the main options are available from the touch keys on the glossy panel in front of the display. The climate system works well in automatic mode, however, at -25 on the highway it allowed the side windows to freeze, and even turned on the airflow only in the legs, and from the front passenger side it fried so that it was even uncomfortable. But in a milder temperature regime, there are no complaints about the climate control of the car. The only thing I would like to see in such a car is still a three-zone climate, so that the passengers in the back are more comfortable, since only air ducts are sometimes not enough there. In addition, the car has heating for all seats, it seemed to me that it works somehow rather weakly, and there is also ventilation of the front seats.

Recruitment of driver assistants in Changan UNI-Kquite extensive. There is an adaptive cruise control with the ability to move in traffic jams. It works well, but in heavy traffic it releases the car in front too much, and on the highway it does not slow down smoothly in front of the vehicle in front, but starts to slow down too quickly to restore the distance to the set values. But in general, more positive emotions remained from the system, it is not ideal, but still helps to feel more comfortable on the road. Plus, as in some other Chinese cars, data on the assistant's work is displayed on the dashboard in graphical mode. Transport is drawn on the sides and in front, and with a gradation in size (motorcycle, car, truck), a warning is displayed from the blind spot monitoring system in addition to the indication on the mirrors themselves, and even pedestrians on the side of the road are highlighted in orange. The adaptive cruise control is complemented by a tracking and lane keeping system, and the latter can be quickly turned off with a button on the steering wheel, which is useful, especially in winter, when the markings are difficult to read. Of course, there is also an emergency automatic braking system in the crossover, and even a separate system that will slow down when a pedestrian is detected. There is also a surround view system with a very good picture and the ability to rotate a virtual car. Moreover, additional information from parking sensors is superimposed on the image from the cameras, which looks more clearly.

From the oddities of the work of assistants, I note that in-25, even after a minute stop, the UNI-K radar froze and then refused to turn on the adaptive cruise control, but came to life on its own after 30 minutes of continuous movement. Worst of all, with no radar available, you can't even use normal cruise control with cruise control. But on the other hand, in bad weather, the car's system keeps to the last, and only after an already tangible layer of snow and ice sticks to the radar, the system turns off.

In terms of comfort, Changan UNI-K is quite good, whichconcerns the operation of the suspension, which adequately fulfills even a collision with large bumps with sharp edges. But in terms of sound insulation, everything is not so rosy, even despite the presence of two-layer side windows in addition to a similar windshield in the maximum configuration, it is noisy in the car, and the main source of this is poorly insulated wheel arches. Yes, brand dealers offer additional arch insulation as an option, after which it will be much more comfortable in the cabin, but still I would like them to be like that from the very beginning.

In Russia, the car is presented with onea two-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine with 226 hp, which comes in conjunction with an 8-speed Aisin automatic transmission. The drive of the car can be either front or full, implemented through the NexTrac electromagnetic multi-plate clutch from BorgWarner. The engine-gearbox combination of Changan UNI-K is set up perfectly, the machine always works smoothly and quickly, and the engine power is enough for free overtaking on the track, even with a margin. We pressed the accelerator a little, and the box had already dropped down, and the engine picked up and gave the necessary acceleration. The only thing the car lacks is sharper control, here it is cottony, sharpened more for calm movement, and even rolls in corners are noticeable. With such an appearance, you expect a more driver-like character from the car, but, alas, ah, UNI-K does not have it. It doesn't matter if you choose normal or sport mode, there won't be much difference in the behavior of the car. But on the other hand, in a calm driving mode, you get pleasure from the car, it goes confidently either on dry asphalt or on slush and does not give you doubts.

As for off-road qualities, the modelsthere is nothing special to brag about, and it’s not about that. Ground clearance of 190 mm and all-wheel drive give confidence in winter and allow you to carefully pull off the road, but for off-road rides UNI-K is not suitable.

In terms of fuel consumption, the crossover has nothing specialstand out, in the city an average of 11 liters per 100 km comes out, on the highway the minimum that we managed to get is 8.5 liters per hundred kilometers. The specifications indicate the ability to fill Changan UNI-K with 92nd gasoline, but it is still better to pour 95th.

Today, the price of Changan UNI-K in Russia starts frommarks 3,439,900 rubles, while the maximum version will cost 3,699,900 rubles, plus you should immediately lay down the cost of soundproofing the wheel arches in order to get the most out of the car. The price for a large, beautiful and technological crossover is more than good today, especially in comparison with the same Audi Q8, which is sold from the remnants for at least 10 million rubles.