22/06/2025

theSunday Special XIV ON SUNDAY JUNE 22, 2025

The infotainment screen gives you access to all the car’s key controls.

Interior is typically of an EV, big screen and few hard buttons.

Door handles retract to sit flush with the body.

The asterix – rear passenger’s access to voice command.

12-speaker Infinity sound system.

the letter “i”, and there’s also the same alphabet at the centre of the front fascia, the steering wheel as well as underneath the centre air-conditioning vents on the dash. There’s a storage box at the back where a spare wheel sits for the Jimny. For the iCaur, this is simply a box where you can place items you don’t want to have inside the car, such as duri ans and such. But we couldn’t fit a way to lock it, so you might not want to place anything too expensive. This box could have also been a spare wheel, which is some thing EV’s struggle with since the batteries take up the space where a spare wheel usually sits. Is this a lost opportunity for iCaur? The thing about Chinese car makers is that they respond to market demands at the blink of an eye. So, if there is enough demand for a door mounted spare wheel, trust iCaur to deliver. The 03 even comes in a dual tone paint job. The model we drove came in white with a gloss black roof which looked very cool. How’s the interior? Typically EV with a large info tainment screen, a digital instru ment cluster and very few hard buttons. I have to say though that there were some cleverly placed “teh-tarik” hooks all around the cabin, which simply makes day to day life a lot easier. There’s also a 12-speaker Infinity sound system with Carplay and Android Auto for your navigation and entertain ment.

The seats are brilliant to sit on and are ventilated as well and come with massage function. In fact, in the flagship variant, both the front as well as the rear two seats have ventilation function. Almost all the key commands of the car such as the side mirror controls, air-conditioning, and memory function for the seats, among others, are located in the infotainment screen. So, the learning curve of the car may be a little bit steep for those not already familiar with how EV’s function. Besides that, spaciousness is decent, boot space is good though a tonneau cover will be great, and if you are over six feet tall, the back seats may be a little cramped. What about powertrains though? There are two versions of the 03 available, the 2WD and the AWD, or iWD in iCaur lingo. The 2WD is powered by a sin gle, rear-mounted electric motor that churns out 181hp and 220Nm of torque. The motor gets its juice from a 65.7kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery that will take about 30 minutes to recharge from 30 to 80% using a 80kW AC charger. It has a claimed range of 426km on the NEDC cycle. The iWD on the other hand has twin motors with each mounted on either axle, making it an all-wheel-drive machine. The front motor makes 94hp and 165Nm while the rear makes 184PS and 220Nm. The com bined system output on the other hand stands at 279PS and 385Nm.

The LFP battery is also big ger; rated at 69.8kWh though with a lower range, rated at 418km on the NEDC cycle. Charging times remains the same, with 30 to 80% taking 30 minutes. However, both models can only take 6.6kW of AC charging. How does it drive? Surprisingly well actually. I only drove the iWD variant but the driving feel was more decent than I expected. Perhaps it is because I expected very little and was then blown away. Whatever it is, the suspension deserves special credit. The front consists of MacPherson struts with Multilink at the rear. And this gives the 03 a compliant ride, firm yet comfortable. Acceleration is great as well and it gets up to 100kph in just 6.6 seconds from an absolute standstill. Not bad for a car with the aerodynamics of a brick weighing in at over 1.8 tonnes. Should you buy one? Absolutely, if for the design alone. There are a couple of things that annoy me, such as the grammar in the software and the iffy quality of the rear mounted storage box. The latter should have at least come with a lock, lah. But with an estimated price of RM145,000 for the 2WD and RM155,000 for the iWD, I think they will sell like hot cakes. College boys with rich Daddy’s will probably buy one to show they are tough though they have never filleted a fish in their

Full panoramic roof and a proper sun roof.

Rear seats can be cramped for taller passengers.

lives nor fried an egg. Those who like the Suzuki Jimny but think it is overpriced may be swayed as well. It may be a little iffy around the corners, but it nails its design and ride quality and for that, you can expect to see a few of them running around after its official launch in Q3 of this year. Specifications (2WD) Power: 184PS Torque: 220Nm Motor: Single, Rear Mounted Range: 426km (NEDC) Charging: 6.6kW AC /

80kW DC Price: RM145,000 (Estimated) Specifications (iWD) Power: 279PS Torque: 385Nm Motors: Twin, All-Wheel Drive Range: 418km (NEDC) Charging: 6.6kW AC / 80kW DC Price: RM155,000 (Estimated) We like: Good looks, Ride quality. We don’t like: Software, Some build quality.