Chery iCaur V23 review: This reveals China’s next move in the auto game

[SINGAPORE] Having shown that they can do tech, the Chinese car companies are now setting their hand to style and character, and the iCaur V23 is one result. It’s a stylish, stylised electric SUV that borrows liberally from an early Toyota Land Cruiser, with a hint of Mercedes G-Wagen, two unstoppable legends of off-roading.

Chery, the Chinese car industry’s export king, makes the V23. Apple has a thing or two to say about “iCar”, the car’s name at home, so it’s called iCaur instead. It doesn’t mean anything, looks like a typo and you’re meant to pretend the “u” is silent. Maybe “Ichor” would have been a better choice. It alludes to the blood of Greek gods, and at least everyone would know how to pronounce it. Chery, if you’re reading, I’m open to a consulting role.

Though the branding is a bit wobbly, the product direction is crystal clear. ICaur’s thing is retro cars that, to be polite about it, “pay tribute” to iconic off-roaders. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the incoming V27 really kisses the Land Rover Defender’s backside. Some people will mutter about the inauthenticity of such things, but really, when was the last time you saw someone put on jeans to go and wrangle a steer?

Anyway, I expect the iCaur to do well here. It’s relatively cheap without feeling or looking it, which is a winning combo, and though it isn’t especially posh or well equipped, it’s downright impish – only a grinch could dislike a car whose slogan is “Born To Play”.

The cabin is all chunky switches and rugged textures, and there’s even some attitude to the user interface. Instead of “OK” or “Accept”, some confirmation buttons say “Got it”. The odometer is labelled “Travelling With You”, and twiddling the drive mode selector makes “Slippery Individual” appear on the screen.

You’ll have to accept the stylishness in lieu of some features, though. There is no satellite navigation, no wireless charging pad, no frunk and no glovebox, though there are plenty of netted compartments to compensate, plus drawers under the front seats.

Also absent are rear air-conditioning vents (it’s manly to sweat, anyway). Perhaps the biggest flaw is that it feels like a four-seater with a fifth seat tacked on, because the middle rear seatbelt spools down from the ceiling in an awkward way.

While the car’s boxy shape creates plenty of interior space and makes it feel almost van-like in utility, the aerodynamics look pretty terrible. Energy consumption is rated at 22 kWh/100 km, meaning the V23 nearly uses 1.5 times the electricity a Tesla Model Y 110 does.

Yet, the numbers look worse on paper than they are in real life. I was on track to fustigate the official range claim of 312 km by wringing more than 400 km from the battery. Official testing includes high-speed stretches that penalise boxy cars, so if you mostly drive at city speeds, you’ll be good.

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In the city is where the V23 is best, anyway, which is a bit ironic given the off-roader looks. On the highway, wind and tyre noise become intrusive and the ride gets bouncy.

Otherwise, the V23 drives like a car. It may be firmly sprung, but it rides better than, say, the G-Wagen. It also goes where it’s pointed, which is more than you can say for some 4x4s built on ladder frames, which treat your steering inputs as mere suggestions.

Instead, the V23 is built on a unibody chassis, like a passenger car, which gives it better manners on tarmac. On the flip side, I’m not sure I would try to follow a Jeep through the jungle in one, despite the rugged looks (the car’s, I mean, not mine).

The motor drives the rear wheels only, and serious off-roading warrants a full spare tyre, not the can of compressed air and tyre sealant you get with the iCaur.

What matters more is that the V23 lets you imagine yourself bashing through the wild green yonder to recover a lost artefact, or maybe bag a tiger. Whether you actually do it is no one’s business but yours (except maybe tiger conservationists), but it’s fun to believe. No one takes their Ferrari to the track, after all.

ICaur promises no end of customisation for the V23, which shows the spirit of the thing. It’s made by people who get that accessorising a car can be half the fun of owning it. You might say they understand that dressing up this car puts the Chery on top.

Chery iCaur V23 Motor power/Torque 136 hp/180 Nm Battery type/Net capacity Lithium-iron phosphate/59.9 kWh Charging time/Type About 10 hours (6.6 kW AC), 56 minutes 10 to 80 per cent (85 kW DC) Range 312 km 0-100 kmh 11 seconds Top speed 140 kmh Efficiency 22 kWh/100 km Agent Vertex Automobile Price S$184,999 with COE Available Now