Just a few weeks ago, we talked about the GAC Empow - a Chinese sports car, which is a cheaper and less powerful alternative to the Honda Civic Si. Obviously, it’s not available in the United States but we received positive reactions from our readers and decided to take a look at another sporty offering coming from the same market. Folks, meet the Changan UNI-V.
Changan is a Chinese state-owned automaker headquartered in the city of Chongqing, and one of its most recent models takes the shape of a sporty sedan. In fact, as a new video courtesy of our friends at Wheelsboy车轮哥 shows, the vehicle looks very aggressive, especially at the front. There’s a very unconventional-looking front fascia with two wide air openings in the corners and an interesting semi-closed-off radiator grille.
Gallery: Changan UNI-V
From the side, the UNI-V looks very much like a liftback with a sloped roofline and a large rear window. Behind it, there’s an electronically controlled spoiler. The rear fascia features coast-to-coast LED lights and a massive diffuser with two integrated tailpipes. Overall, it is a very sleek and modern-looking car with some influences from European manufacturers, including Peugeot and Audi.
Inside the cabin, we get even stronger Peugeot vibes, especially after seeing the "two-stage" dashboard with the small, oval-shaped steering wheel. There are no fewer than four screens - two small ones flanking the instrument cluster and another one on the center console for the infotainment system. From what we are able to see in the video, the material quality looks decent.
However, just like its competitor from GAC, the UNI-V has a small 1.5-liter engine under the hood that doesn’t really match the overly aggressive exterior. The output is rated at about 188 horsepower (138 kilowatts) and 222 pound-feet (300 Newton-meters) of torque. A seven-speed dual-clutch transmission channels the power to the front wheels and we suppose the car has a similar performance as the GAC Empow, which features the same powertrain configuration.
