Price point, value, warranty
Not ANCAP tested, no stability control, quality concerns
One of the first Chinese cars to enter the Aussie passenger car market, the Chery J1 is a conventional compact hatch, with most of the mod-cons and a price set to lure the budget-conscious commuter.
Chery J1 Overview
Chery may be new to the Australian car market, but the manufacturer is a well-established and powerful player in China. Almost 700,000 cars are churned out from its five assembly lines each year; and that’s in its own domestic market. Like most things made in China, the key to its success is in mass-production and export, and Australia is an early test case.
Car importer Ateco, which brings in high-end Italian brands such as Ferrari and Maserati, Fiat and Alfa Romeo, was the first to install Korean brand Kia into the Aussie market, so it has an eye for the budget A-to-B. It already has a Chinese brand in Great Wall Motors, and recently sealed the deal to bring Chery to the fold with a similar cut-price car proposition, the J1 hatch.
It costs a miserly $11,990, including all dealer delivery and stat charges, and includes a three-year, 100,000km warranty with a year’s roadside assist.
Chery J1 Engine
Typical of cars at this end of the market, the J1 runs a small four-cylinder petrol engine with enough power to push its light kerb weight around, while sipping frugally on fuel. The 1.3L engine, built in-house at one of its two engine plants, develops 62kW of power and 122Nm of torque delivered via a five-speed manual gearbox; which is on par with its peers.
However, a fuel consumption of 6.7L/100km is a little higher than expected, as is 254g/km of CO2, suggesting the Chery’s engine is in need of further refinement – though it still gets a four star green tick from the government.
Chery J1 Interior
The J1’s price tag suggests a basic interior, and that is what you pay for. The cabin is ergonomically sound and some mod-cons are surprising inclusions; remote keyless entry, an MP3-compatible six-speaker stereo, power front windows and mirrors, a cute, clear centre cluster, and the actual cabin is roomy with good shoulder and hip room and a high ceiling.
However, the shutlines are either gapped or crammed closely together like an ill-fitting children’s building block set, and make the hard plastics and furry loose carpeting - a typical feature in a low price-point micro car – even more obvious.
Chery J1 Exterior & Styling
The styling is secondary to the function of the cabin, hence the J1’s high roofline and boxy stance. Its presence is helped by alloy rims, though at 14 inches they don’t stand apart to the eye, and a full-size spare is in the boot. There are no real options on the J1; what you see is what you get.
Chery J1 On The Road
The J1 is bare bones, basic transport, and again, it’s hard to criticise the car too harshly because of its price point and purpose. But the Suzuki Alto does not feel so loose in the chassis, and the Chery’s price has been undercut by the Alto to $11,790, to maintain the latter’s moniker as the cheapest car on the Aussie market.
The steering is handy enough and the engine willing, but gearing is long, as is the clutch pedal, and the clutch needs coaxing to get the car’s meager 1040kg tare weight off the line with more than one passenger on even a slight incline.
Chery J1 Challenges
Chery and the Chinese carmakers in general have to prove themselves in overseas markets, and this takes time. Coupled with the ‘cheap and cheerful’ stigma that haunted brands like Hyundai for so many years, and bad press from some of the country’s earlier export attempts (such as the first Brilliance sedan, which earned a one star crash rating for nearly decapitation its crash dummies), and the hill that Chery has to climb is steep.
The J1 does not yet have stability control as an option, nor does it have a crash test rating. But both are coming, and whatever the outcome, the price still may win in the end.
Chery J1 Verdict
We’ve seen these cars before – about eight years ago. The Chery J1 is basically the old Hyundai Getz, or the Kia Rio, or the Proton S16, but with ABS and a few other mod-cons that are almost compulsory in the current car marketplace.
In fact, you cannot buy and register a new car in Victoria now without it having a stability control system: something the VicRoads are implementing as part of an increased active and passive safety campaign within modern cars. So you can’t buy the J1 in Victoria at all – but this will soon change.
But will the price change with it? Time will tell – whether the bargain price remains, the build quality lasts, and if the Australian public will embrace the Chinese car.
Chery J1 Competition
The closest match to the J1 in the national market is the Proton S16. Made in Malaysia with an in-house 1.3L engine, the S16 matches the J1 on price and in spec, and actually develops the most power of the cars mentioned here.
It also shares the Chery’s loose chassis and bargain basement feel… The Suzuki Alto has a weeny 1.0-litre engine that struggles to haul weight, but sips two litres less than the 1.3-litre in the Chery. It also feels more solid, Suzuki has a proven track record in Oz, and it’s cheaper.
But the biggest threat is easily the Nissan Micra. The second gen Micra excels with many standard features, including stability control, and has excellent handling and feel. From $12,990, at a grand more, it’s well worth the stretch.
