Austerity Rocks ! Great Wall Steed

[toppstuff]

No one seems to have talked about the arrival of these Chinese trucks.

It is interesting because its a Chinese brand and the first of what will be many, many Chinese branded cars to come here.

Last weekend I was out with a bunch of farmer types. I went to a pub with a cousin of mine, he drives a Toyota Hi Lux, just a couple of years old.

The trip home ( about 15 miles ) was in his friends new Great Wall Steed.

And here's the thing - it's not really any different.

And the Great Wall only cost £12k brand new , with a 3 year warranty.

OK, it's a truck. It's not very PH. It's not very cool.

But as an appliance to serve a purpose it looks very useful. And bloody cheap.

I approve.

[Jimbo.]

Many of the Chinese cars look like their Western (Eastern?!) counterparts.

Until you crash in one.

IIRC NCAP or Thatcham put a Chinese SUV/pick-up (maybe even this one) through a crash test against aforementioned equivalent. Suddenly the cost-cutting because very, VERY clear.

EDIT: Not the example I'm thinking off, but still...
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/34328/chines...

[GroundEffect]

I was in China for work last summer and some of the cars really are hilarious. The Great Wall's are pretty much their best brand (bar the Roewe that the MG6 is based on).

Go look for the Matiz look-a-like that's a 3-wheeler (a Cherry IIRC). They were all over Shanghai and hilariously dangerous looking.

[Johnnytheboy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-asB7sfoxM

Not good.

[toppstuff]

Apparently the Great Wall is OK. Not class leading in terms of crash ability, but not the worst. The Australians have tested them and they are middle ranking.

Probably no worse than a previous generation Japanese truck, on which the technology is probably "borrowed".

[JREwing]

They seem worthy to me, but I don't think they pull like some of the other trucks on the market (Navara particularly)