Chery QQ3 EV

Combine the never-ending oil price hikes, then you can have this car to serve your daily urban movements. The Chery QQ3 EV released in 2011 is available in 3 trims, Base, Standard, and Sports. The exterior is similar to the Daewoo Matiz, with striking similarities at the headlights, front fascia and tailights.

The interior is adequate.The cabin is expansive for two and tight for three, but very much packed for four. Seating can be hard on the lumbar area, despite the comfortable fabric wrapping the seats. There’s one touch down power assist for all four windows, and unlike its Chana Benni rival there’s power assist for adjusting the side mirrors. There’s only one interior lamp, and it’s between the front sun visors, just like in the Suzuki Alto. It may not be as distracting to the driver at night, but the location of the lamp makes it tough looking for lost items in the rear when the sun goes down. There is Radio, though no frequency locking feature and the sound can be compared to the Promac audio entertainment systems found in a bevy of taxicabs.

The convenience that the intelligent control body system of Chery QQ3 is a winner in terms of giving security to its passengers. The One-Button Defense and LED Anti-Theft Indicator remove your worries after you lock the doors of this subcompact. Emergency assistance that acquires signal to execute unlocking operations in the event of vehicle collision is also included.

You can also remotely control the door lock and the four-door power window through the Remote One-Button Automatic Lifting Window feature. As an added benefit, standard MP3 interface, some storage spaces over the instrument panel, and air-conditioning system are allotted for the passengers’ comfort.

To add extra protection for the passengers, Chery QQ3 is equipped with Anti-Lock Braking System with Electronic Brake-Force Distribution (ABS+EBD), energy-absorbing steering column to enlarge the front-row seat in the event of collision to avoid head and chest injuries, and air bags at the front-row seats that will keep you in safety in the event of unexpected vehicular accidents.

Storage is small given the dimensions, but can frustrating. There are only two cup holders; they’re in front, but can hold a large McDonald’s soft drink cup. The rear seats don’t fold flat to handle odd-shaped loads. There’s no rear door hatch handle on the outside; you have to open the driver’s side door and pull on the lever near the driver’s seat door sill to pop up the trunk. Despite a 900 kg curb weight, the QQ can reach up to 145 kph yet go 14.28 km/l on four days city driving.

Size is 3,350 mm long x 1,508 mm wide x 1,491 mm high. The 800 kg QQ3 develops 38 kW at 6 000 r/min from its 812 cc 3-cylinder engine, and 70 N.m of torque between 3 500 and 4 000 r/min. The 4-cylinder 1,1 derivative delivers 50 kW of at 6 000 r/min and 90 N.m of torque between 3 500 and 4 000 r/min. Power is sent to the front wheels via a five-speed manual transmission.