Chery J2 1,5 TX – The Car Is In A Good Condition, Power Stering (Part 2)

In the J2′s defense, however, it does manage to feel livelier than the figures suggest. The engine picks up revs cleanly and doesn’t unduly mind being caned (although there are some vibrations and feint clonks), making for a fairly pleasurable drive on inner-city roads. Likewise, the transmission doesn’t hinder progress too much; the shift action on our test unit felt baggier than those of the launch units, but it still shifted accurately and lightly. It just a pity the clutch pedal bites too high, leading to unintentional clutch slip in stop/start traffic. The cabin is spacious and quality seems sound, but it reeks of chemicals and appears dated.

Dynamically, the J2 serves up few surprises and one major frustration. Body roll is prodigious and under-steer sets in early, yet progressively, but of more importance is the fact that the ride is relatively composed and absorbent. The steering, though, is woeful. There’s lots of play in the dead ahead and it’s oddly heavy at very low speeds before lightening considerably once on the move.

The brakes redeem the dynamic package somewhat. The average time after 10 emergency stops of 3,36 is by no means excellent, but it’s far better than what we achieved with the J3 (that vehicle averaged a pitiful 3,87 seconds) and the pedal is relatively firm underfoot.

Test Summary

We wanted to like the J2 … we really did. Past tests of Cherys have in turn left us with serious reservations (QQ3), unable to vouch for reliability (Tiggo) and disappointed (J3). The J2 easily surpasses those products, yes, and in some areas is quite good (cabin room, standard warranty of five years/120 000 km), but, like the larger J3, is undoubtedly too expensive. It feels like an early-vintage Chinese vehicle at a current-vintage price. And, unfortunately for Chery and its prospects of having a rosier 2013 in terms of sales, the market has since moved on.

The Etios, Vivo et al look set to rule the roost for a considerable while yet.