Second wind: test drive the Kaiyi E5 sedan
- July 3, 2023
- 0
More than three months have passed since the launch of the Kaiyi E5 assembly in Avtotor Kaliningrad, the brand’s car dealerships opened in March 2023, and at the
More than three months have passed since the launch of the Kaiyi E5 assembly in Avtotor Kaliningrad, the brand’s car dealerships opened in March 2023, and at the end of June I personally had never seen a single E5 on the road. And traffic cops keep waving the car with an interested look. This is the best confirmation that the model remains an unknown and still exotic newcomer to the market for the vast majority of drivers.
Like most modern “Chinese”, the appearance of the Kaiyi E5 is more than OK. The “face” of the car is not even devoid of originality – thanks to the bumper, as if dividing the radiator grille into two parts. I’m glad the sedan’s headlights are made in the traditional form factor, and not in the style of the current all-out Asian fad to make them as thin as possible. Thanks to this, the front of the “yeshki” looks modern, but at the same time – classic.
The stern of the “e-fifth” resembles a kind of Alfa Romeo (if anyone else remembers the existence of such machines). Mainly because of the shape and location of the rear headlights. However, which is quite understandable, because the chief designer Kaiyi once worked at the Italian car studio Pininfarina. In short, the overall impression of the Kaiyi E5’s exterior is “stylish-fashionable-youth”.
The youth motif can be found in the cabin of the E5. LED lighting, red leather inserts in the seats, integrated front headrests: solid hints of style and youthful energy.
In front of the driver’s eyes is a classic-looking “tidy one”: a pair of dials sandwiched between them by a monochrome trip computer monitor. He will not indulge in a special variety of information, but the entire set of data required by the driver (fuel reserve, engine temperature, average fuel consumption, etc.) will be displayed correctly.
A 10.25-inch infotainment screen rises above the center console. She “pulls” everything that is supposed to be: music, connecting a phone, and so on. But, unfortunately, it is impossible to set a specific operating temperature for the “kondeya”. You need to adapt and focus on the sensations of “warmer-cold”. But there is a sunroof, “cameras in a circle”, cruise control. The side windows open automatically when you lock the car by touching the button on the car door.
Ergonomics of the driver’s seat Kaiyi E5 is not annoying by modern standards, but – again – does not give in. The seat adjustment is electric, but the steering wheel only moves along the angle of inclination. On departure – not provided. However, a driver up to 182 cm can find a suitable and comfortable position for himself without any problems – it has been tested on himself.
The chair even has a more or less pronounced lateral support without adjustment of the lumbar support. The rear passengers are devoid of “excesses” in terms of options, but in terms of ease of landing they will not feel violated: the car’s wheelbase of 2700 mm allows them to sit quite comfortably.
Ears received a strong impression from the very first hundreds of meters of travel on the Kaiyi E5: the manufacturer clearly needs to work on the “wheel” sound. As for the steering, like many smart cars with Asian roots, the E5 looks like a joystick in its habits. Feedback from the wheels is somewhat lacking, but the car clearly responds to steering wheel manipulations.
The sedan’s suspension was clearly trying to “tighten up” for better handling, adding stiffness. It worked out quite well: the car keeps the track neatly in corners, the rolls are small, matching the steepness of the corner and the speed of passing. But “as a reward for this” the car transfers in detail all the “trifle” that gets under the wheels to the body. And on major irregularities, it loudly and loudly makes it clear to the fifth point and the driver’s ears about his displeasure with what is happening.
As for the dynamics, the combination of 147 “horses” of a 1.5-liter turbo engine, a variator and almost one and a half tons of curb weight declare the passport 9.8 seconds “to a hundred”. From the traffic lights, Kaiyi E5 starts with the expected “enthusiasm”. But his driver doesn’t feel like a “slow-pack” either.
And at speeds above 60 km / h, the variator of the sedan showed curious features of the settings. It seems that when crossing this line, the car opens something like a second wind. Accelerations are quick, overtaking at speeds of 100-120 km/h is easy and effortless. At the same time, the main thing is not to try to build a “Schumacher” out of yourself by switching the gearbox to manual mode. You don’t go faster.
Transferring the transmission “on sports rails” doesn’t add much dynamism. If you actively “press” the accelerator pedal, the car goes into “eco” or “sport” in the same way plus or minus. In traffic jams “busy”, or when you try to drive aggressively, the on-board computer indicates consumption in close to 10-11 liters per 100 km. In a half-empty summer city, a car “eats” about 7 liters of AI-92. And when driving on the highway, I managed to bring the fuel consumption to 5.8 l/100 km.
In conclusion, we can say that the Kaiyi E5 is a suitable contender for the role of a mass budget car. At least in the segment of cheap “Chinese” at a price of up to 2 million rubles. In the booklets of branded car dealers there is also a simpler configuration of the model – with the same engine but with a 5-speed “mechanics”. However, there are no prices yet or the opportunity to “feel” such a car.
AutoView’s photo
AutoView’s photo
AutoView’s photo
Like most modern “Chinese”, the appearance of the Kaiyi E5 is more than OK. The “face” of the car is not even devoid of originality – thanks to the bumper, as if dividing the radiator grille into two parts. I’m glad the sedan’s headlights are made in the traditional form factor, and not in the style of the current all-out Asian fad to make them as thin as possible. Thanks to this, the front of the “yeshki” looks modern, but at the same time – classic.
The stern of the “e-fifth” resembles a kind of Alfa Romeo (if anyone else remembers the existence of such machines). Mainly because of the shape and location of the rear headlights. However, which is quite understandable, because the chief designer Kaiyi once worked at the Italian car studio Pininfarina. In short, the overall impression of the Kaiyi E5’s exterior is “stylish-fashionable-youth”.
The youth motif can be found in the cabin of the E5. LED lighting, red leather inserts in the seats, integrated front headrests: solid hints of style and youthful energy.
In front of the driver’s eyes is a classic-looking “tidy one”: a pair of dials sandwiched between them by a monochrome trip computer monitor. He will not indulge in a special variety of information, but the entire set of data required by the driver (fuel reserve, engine temperature, average fuel consumption, etc.) will be displayed correctly.
A 10.25-inch infotainment screen rises above the center console. She “pulls” everything that is supposed to be: music, connecting a phone, and so on. But, unfortunately, it is impossible to set a specific operating temperature for the “kondeya”. You need to adapt and focus on the sensations of “warmer-cold”. But there is a sunroof, “cameras in a circle”, cruise control. The side windows open automatically when you lock the car by touching the button on the car door.
Ergonomics of the driver’s seat Kaiyi E5 is not annoying by modern standards, but – again – does not give in. The seat adjustment is electric, but the steering wheel only moves along the angle of inclination. On departure – not provided. However, a driver up to 182 cm can find a suitable and comfortable position for himself without any problems – it has been tested on himself.
The chair even has a more or less pronounced lateral support without adjustment of the lumbar support. The rear passengers are devoid of “excesses” in terms of options, but in terms of ease of landing they will not feel violated: the car’s wheelbase of 2700 mm allows them to sit quite comfortably.
Ears received a strong impression from the very first hundreds of meters of travel on the Kaiyi E5: the manufacturer clearly needs to work on the “wheel” sound. As for the steering, like many smart cars with Asian roots, the E5 looks like a joystick in its habits. Feedback from the wheels is somewhat lacking, but the car clearly responds to steering wheel manipulations.
The sedan’s suspension was clearly trying to “tighten up” for better handling, adding stiffness. It worked out quite well: the car keeps the track neatly in corners, the rolls are small, matching the steepness of the corner and the speed of passing. But “as a reward for this” the car transfers in detail all the “trifle” that gets under the wheels to the body. And on major irregularities, it loudly and loudly makes it clear to the fifth point and the driver’s ears about his displeasure with what is happening.
As for the dynamics, the combination of 147 “horses” of a 1.5-liter turbo engine, a variator and almost one and a half tons of curb weight declare the passport 9.8 seconds “to a hundred”. From the traffic lights, Kaiyi E5 starts with the expected “enthusiasm”. But his driver doesn’t feel like a “slow-pack” either.
And at speeds above 60 km / h, the variator of the sedan showed curious features of the settings. It seems that when crossing this line, the car opens something like a second wind. Accelerations are quick, overtaking at speeds of 100-120 km/h is easy and effortless. At the same time, the main thing is not to try to build a “Schumacher” out of yourself by switching the gearbox to manual mode. You don’t go faster.
Transferring the transmission “on sports rails” doesn’t add much dynamism. If you actively “press” the accelerator, the car will go into “eco” or “sport” plus or minus in the same way. In a traffic jam “busy”, or when you try to drive aggressively, the on-board computer indicates consumption in the region of 10-11 liters per 100 km. In a half-empty summer city, a car “eats” about 7 liters of AI-92. And when driving on the highway, I managed to bring the fuel consumption to 5.8 l/100 km.
In conclusion, we can say that the Kaiyi E5 is a suitable contender for the role of a mass budget car. At least in the segment of cheap “Chinese” at a price of up to 2 million rubles. In the booklets of branded car dealers there is also a simpler configuration of the model – with the same engine but with a 5-speed “mechanics”. However, there are no prices yet or the opportunity to “feel” such a car.
Source: Avto Vzglyad
Donald Salinas is an experienced automobile journalist and writer for Div Bracket. He brings his readers the latest news and developments from the world of automobiles, offering a unique and knowledgeable perspective on the latest trends and innovations in the automotive industry.
