27/04/2025

theSunday Special XIV ON SUNDAY APRIL 27, 2025

Paddle shifters are a nice touch.

The dasboard is a nice balance of futuristic minimalism.

The steering wheel has quite a number of buttons but its easy to navigate.

Gear selector is said to be inspired by the aviation industry.

Overall layout is decent and you also get a 50 watt charge pad as well.

The seats are supportive and comfortable.

power delivery. There are also two drive modes for the steering wheel – Sports and Comfortable. Though they might sound pur poseful, but the difference between two modes is not that broad. And finding and selecting the modes is a multistep process that involves diving deep into multiple menu layers when a simple dedi cated button would have done the trick. Or perhaps included it as an option in the swipe down menu. A little more eagerness from the powertrain would have helped with merging into traffic and accelerating to get up to highway speed. In its current form, it feels a little lethargic. But as I said earlier in this article, we must keep its price in mind. The fact of the matter is, the Dashing is an affordable SUV that offers impressive space and com fort. And if its more power you want, there are other fruits to pick from Chery’s tree in the form of the Omoda, Jaecoo and Chery itself. Anything else you should know about? For its price tag, it offers some impressive safety systems as well. These differ between the Prime and the Comfort, but the flagship variant gives you six airbags, brake assist, traction control, electronic stability

It is easy for someone about six feet tall to get comfortable in the front and rear seats. There is plenty of boot space as well, 486 litres expandable to 977 litres to be exact. And for that price tag, this is quite impressive, and I believe this alone may attract some buyers. The space is further comple mented by such niceties like wire less Apple Carplay and Android Auto, a full panoramic roof, six speaker sound system, ambient lighting and of course, multiple USB ports sprinkled all around the cabin. But why is that the trick up its sleeve? Because driving it is not an occa sion to be remembered. I know that is putting it very bluntly, but the Dashing is a tool, a means to an end. It is designed to be a nice big SUV that will keep your family safe and comfortable and will get you to where you want to go without so much as a fuss. And that is about it. Powering the Dashing is a 1.5 litre, turbocharged, four-cylinder petrol engine. It is mated to a six speed dual-clutch transmission which sends 156PS and 230Nm of torque to the front wheels. It is not a very powerful power train but neither does it try to be. There are only two drive modes – Sports and Eco – but this is for

Hakan is a Turkish-German automotive who formerly worked for Porsche and designed such greats as the Boxster, Cayman and the 918 Spyder. So, with such design pedigree, it is not entirely surprising that Jetour’s first model for the Malaysian market has such a dash ing appearance (lame and cringe worthy, I know). And then there is the size that grips you when you first lay eyes on it. It may not look like it in these photos, but it is a big car. And you feel the space inside as well. The interior is said to be inspired by oriental living layout, which is meant to wrap around you accord ing to the Jetour spokesperson who was giving the pre-drive briefing. I am not sure what to make of that, but I can tell you that the inte rior is a nice balance of minimalist futurism. The two screens up ahead for the infotainment system and instru ment cluster each measure in at 10.25-inches. But in typical Chery fashion which in turn has some design inspiration from Mercedes-Benz, the two screens are merged at the centre to form one giant screen. You see this in almost all of Chery prod ucts except for the Jaecoo J7. So, what is that trick up its sleeve you may ask? It is the space and comfort levels of the Dashing.

Rear seat space is surprisingly good.

SPECIFICATIONS Engine: 1.5-litre, turbocharged, inline-4, petrol Power: 156PS Torque: 230Nm @ 1750rpm Transmission: 6-speed dual-clutch PRICE (AS TESTED): RM116,800 We like: Design, spaciousness and comfort. We don’t like: Needs more power.

control, tyre pressure monitoring system, and even an ADAS suite that include lane change warning, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert and a 540° camera. It may not be a power monger, but it does come with an impressive array of features designed to keep you safe and comfortable. That alone makes the Dashing worth a look.