Geely LC: Cuddle up to a panda
2011-07-26 14:04
'MOMMY, IS THAT A PANDA IN THE PARK?' Nope, it's a Geely LC that's designed to look like a panda... see the eyes? Picture gallery.
Vehicle Specs
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Manufacturer
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Geely
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Model
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GEELY LC GT
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Engine
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1.3-litre, four-cylinder, quad-valve transverse-mounted
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Power
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63kW @ 6000rpm
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Torque
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110Nm @ 5200rpm
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Transmission
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Five-speed manual, FWD
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Fuel Tank
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35 litres (plastic sealed tank)
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Weight
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Kerb weight 1060 kg
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Steering
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Power-assisted rack-and-pinion
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ABS
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Yes, with electronic pressure distribution - ventilated discs front, drums rear
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Airbags
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Six, pre-tensioning seat belts
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Tyres
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165/60 radials on 14" alloy rims
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Front Suspension
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Macpherson struts
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Rear Suspension
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Hybrid link
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Service Plan
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24 months/60 000km or 36 months/90 000kmoptional at R4150 / R6 950 respectively.
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Warranty
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Three years or 100 000km
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Price
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R89 999
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Author: Les Stephenson
The target for a smart car-buyer today is small and fuel-frugal but a lot of cars from a spread of automakers meet those criteria these days so factor in price and the Chinese-made Geely LC four-door hatches score highly with tags from R79 999 to R89 999.
OK, I felt the pause when you saw the word 'Chinese'. While the cars certainly don't yet have a track record in South Africa, just think how far Hyundai and Kia have come over the past decade and more... perhaps you're prepared to be a voorloper in their development and benefit from the price, so take it from me that I was impressed by the 'GT' version I've just been driving.
PANDA CHARACTERISTICS
And no, I don't have a particular interest in whether Geely does well or not in SA but I do know I was impressed by the car's build quality, paint finish, engine performance and commuting comfort. My teenage but car-savvy daughter liked the car and was intrigued when I told her it was called the Panda in other markets (the name is already taken in SA by Fiat) and immediately cottoned-on to the deliberate panda face and bear's-foot tail light clusters.
The Geely LC has a rounded shape and distinctive panda-like
characteristics that include large "eye" headlights outlined in black like those of a panda. The
large grille doubles as a "nose" and the power mirrors are supposed to represent a panda's small ears.
The rear light clusters, Geely says, were inspired by a panda paw print
and the ignition key and remote control for the doors/boot have been
moulded to reprsent a smiling panda face.
It would have been hard for the local distributor to find another name for he car and perhaps explains why the company settled for letters rather than a word - and bush-baby doesn't quite crack it. Whatever, it's still cute...
GT'S A BIT OTT
She fired it up and headed down what passes for a road between Melkbosstrand and Bloubergstrand, north along the coast from Cape Town and agreed that the resilient ride was better than most of the other small cars she's driven along the same stretch of tar; I had to agree.
The GT moniker is a bit over the top - we're not talking Golf here! - but it does have a qhad-valve, 1.3 engine capable of a claimed 63kW and 110Nm and the five-speed gearbox was slick 'n quick, the steering neutral and the linkage also soaked up the bumps well after the initial shocks were soaked up by the 14" light alloy rims and generous 165/50 rubber.
It's cheerfully chuckable, too, so cheap doesn't have to be bland; I had some safe fun with the car over a couple of the Cape's mountain passes; it's also quiet (except for some road-noise) at 140-plus so a major inter-city trip wouldn't be arduous.
The extra R10 000 over the basic GS model buys a six-speaker audio system based on an MP3-friendly radio/CD head unit, six air bags and front pre-tensioning seatbelts, the alloy rims and reverse-parking radar. Common to each of the three models are front and rear foul-weather lights, chromed door releases, adjustable and crash-collapsible steering-wheel, power windows in all doors, power external mirrors, remote-controlled central locking, third brake light, rear-door child-locks and anti-lock brakes (discs front, drums rear).
TIGHT GARAGE?
Sorry, forgot to mention that aircon and power-assisted steering are standard, too - along with a handy beeper than sounds when you exceed the national 120km/h speed limit.
Now that list should have you thinking... it's not that many years ago that most of that equipment wouldn't have existed on a middle-priced family car.
The Geely will also meet restricted garage space. Mine house a couple of motorcycle but I guess I could squeeze a Geely LC in there too with its dimensions of 3.6m long and 1.63m wide. It's also not much of a stretch to wash its roof - that's 1.46m off the tar.
The cars are available in white, silver, yellow, red, blue, gold orange,
green and black and have a five-star Chinese safety rating - read into
that what you will - probably helped by the fact that the 35-litre fuel
tank is made of 5mm-thick plastic that won't rupture in a crash.
SERVICE PACK OPTIONS
The seats are upholstered in a strange combination of black and cream
cloth panels(think pandas again) but the front accommodation was plenty
spacious for my 1.8m length. The same colour scheme is adopted on the fascia, with the top half dark to reduce reflection on the windscreen.
Each Geely LC is sold with a 36-month or 100 000km factory
mechanical warranty with AA Roadside Assistance. Optional service
packages covering 24 months/60 000km and 36 months/90 000km cost R4150 and R6950 respectively.
The range is made up of
Geely LC GS - R79 999
Geely LC GL - R84 999
Geely LC GT - R89 999.
