It's thumbs up from me on the BYD Tang EV. I kept the best for last, and this final iteration of this China Test Drives 2019 series following the Shanghai Auto Show details the most impressive car I got to drive this year: the BYD Tang EV. BYD (for Build…
The Baojun RS-5 in Tongliao, Inner Mongolia. Last year we test drove the extremely successful Baojun 510 and 530, and in 2019 SAIC-GM's low-cost brand has taken a complete u-turn with a semi-premium stand at the Shanghai Auto Show in April in opposite trajectory with its heritage and DNA. The truth…
Geely Binyue in Kunming, Yunnan. One year ago I tested the Geely Boyue and was thoroughly impressed by its almost rally car-like handling thanks to particularly brazen sales people. I did not expect that from the "soccer mum SUV" the Boyue is. Since, Geely has released the smaller Binyue to…
Bestune T77 in Tongliao, Inner Mongolia. We interviewed the Bestune team at the Shanghai Auto Show last April to try and uncover the secrets behind the success of FAW's new brand, and the logical next step was to test drive its unique model for now, the T77 SUV, which one…
Dongfeng Aeolus AX7 in Dali, Yunnan. We continue on our series of Chinese dealership test drives with the second Dongfeng this year, this time from the Aeolus sub-brand, a Westernised name for the Chinese label Fengshen. Note that it may as well be a different brand altogether so much so…
VW Lavida in Lijiang, Yunnan. After test driving the Wuling Hongguang, #1 in China from 2013 to 2017, the logical next step is to get a feel of 2018's overall leader the VW Lavida. I was able to do exactly that in Lijiang in the Yunnan province earlier this year. Originally launched…
Wuling Hongguang in Dali, Yunnan. It's time for me to test drive the car that is responsible for bringing mass mobility to an entire nation: the Wuling Hongguang. Originally launched in 2010, no less than 4 million of them have been sold in China since, dominating the country's sales charts…
Dongfeng Fengon ix5 in Kunming We continue on our Chinese dealership test drives with the Dongfeng Fengon ix5, previously Fengguang and aka Glory outside of China. This is Dongfeng's first coupe SUV, a red hot format in China at the moment that seems to be the perfect blend of SUV…
Jetour X70 in Dali. After reporting on my rental Peugeot 301 and Hyundai Celesta, it is now time to relate my visits to Chinese dealerships and all the quick test drives that resulted. From 5 in 2018, the number of new Chinese cars I was able to get my hands…
Our Hyundai Celesta near Tiger Leaping Gorge in Yunnan. After trying out a Peugeot 301 in Inner Mongolia, we now fly the entire width of China to land in Kunming, the capital of the Yunnan province. We will attempt to visit the province's highlights during a 1.263 km loop with…
We conclude our series of quick test drives of the best-selling SUVs in the world in preparation for our upcoming review of the new generation Toyota RAV4. These are in no way exhaustive but just to get a feel of the competition. After the unconvincing Nissan X-Trail and the impressive Honda…
Honda CR-V in Sydney, Australia This is a quick Sydney, Australia test drive series of the best-selling SUVs in the world in preparation for a much more substantial review of the new generation Toyota RAV4. After the unconvincing Nissan X-Trail, we move onto the Honda CR-V launched in August 2017,…
Nissan X-Trail in Sydney, Australia. In a short time I will start writing about an epic test drive I had the chance to complete in Northern Australia of what will likely be the best-selling SUV in the world in 2019: the new generation Toyota RAV4. To prepare the set for…
Tasra my Peugeot Pars in the Dasht-e Kavir desert. This is Part 5 and the final Part of our exploration of Iran in a Peugeot Pars. You can see Part 1: Tehran here, Part 2: Isfahan here, Part 3: Shiraz here and Part 4: Dasht-e Lut and Yazd here. It's now…
Tasra my Peugeot Pars in the Dasht-e Lut desert, aka Empty desert. This is Part 4 of our exploration of Iran in a Peugeot Pars. You can see Part 1: Tehran here, Part 2: Isfahan here and Part 3: Shiraz here. We are now headed east towards the border with Afghanistan…