Whole photoshoot
Representatives of FAW put the solid mid-size sedan Besturn B50 on a par with the Mazda 6, KIA Optima and Ford Mondeo. However, the cost of the car is comparable to the Hyundai Solaris. So what league does the B50 have to play in on the Russian market? Let's try to figure it out
The Besturn is built on a Mazda/Ford platform, equipped with a licensed engine from Volkswagen and a gearbox designed by Aisin, FAW specialists worked on the design with the involvement of ItalDesign studio - a promising list. All this should inspire consumer confidence in the car. But some big names, as they say, you will not be full. It is necessary to understand whether FAW managed to achieve a harmonious combination of all elements, the integrity of the resulting model.
First impression
In the parking lot, exactly the silver sedan that I expected to see from the descriptions on the Internet was waiting for me - indeed, there is something elusive in common in cars on the Ford CD3 platform, on which the Ford Edge, Lincoln MKZ and Mazda6 of the first generation are assembled.
Besturn is closest to the latter - it was on the basis of Mazda's modified version of the CD3 FAW that he created his own model. And the silhouette is similar, and the dimensions, and even the floor mats from the neighboring Mazda lay down almost better than the standard ones.
Yet the B50 looks different. I don’t know if the design was completely developed by specialists from the world-famous ItalDesign Giugiaro bodywork studio, but the result was solid and without direct borrowing from other more famous brands, which automakers from the Celestial Empire often sin.
There's more aggression in the Besturn B50 than in the rounded-family Mazda6 of the first generation. The car is wide and low, with head optics coming over the fenders. Fashionable LED today running lights not observed, but this is understandable - the machine has been in production since 2009. A restyling of the model is planned for 2014, and then all the modern elements that befit a D-class car may appear.
Both outside and inside, all the details and elements of the body fit neatly, nothing falls off or dangles. From this point of view, Besturn B50 pleasantly surprises. The culture of production has clearly grown over last years. By the way, the body of this sedan is produced using anodizing technology, which increases its corrosion resistance. However, no, even minimal additional anti-corrosion treatment the body is not exposed at the factory, so the new owner should do this: only welds are treated with mastic here. The front fenders are made of plastic, the rear fenders are made of felt-like material. Both of them cope with the protection of the arches, but it is still recommended to supplement the rear lockers with plastic ones: snow, mud and just rainwater will not allow the regular “boots” to live for one and a half to two years, and the moisture absorbed by them will begin to contribute to the destruction of the arch even earlier .
Of the shortcomings of the exterior, an external examination revealed only foggy foglights - however, this was not observed on the more recent Besturn standing next to it. The rest of the lighting equipment looked and worked properly.
Salon and electronics
The interior in the car is clearly from the Asian market - this is where light trim is in vogue. Frankly speaking - not very convenient for an unusual user - I sit in the driver's seat, put my feet into the cabin - and immediately leave a dark boot mark on the plastic door sill.
It is good that the interior upholstery and door cards are easy to clean and are distinguished by enviable wear resistance. During the test, even the sharp plastic legs of a loose tool box, which I accidentally left in the back seat while driving on a dirt road, left no traces.
However, the Russian market dictates its own conditions - the new B50 comes with a dark interior, also trimmed with artificial leather with contrasting stitching.
If we talk about space in the cabin, then the car is convenient for people of medium size (clothes size M, height 176-180) - in this case, five people will be accommodated here while maintaining relative comfort.
At the same time, opinions about the suitability of the car for taller drivers and passengers were divided - someone lacked the seven centimeters “eaten” by the hatch, and someone, even with a growth of under two meters, comfortably settled down on driver's seat, from which to the ceiling is actually exactly a meter in the lower position of the driver's seat cushion.
By the way, about the driver's seat - it is frankly hard, but at the same time ... comfortable! In the configuration that we got for the test, it also has a large number of electrical adjustments (except for lumbar support). Lateral support is weak, but the Besturn B50 does not pretend to be sporty either. But the shape of the back is such that during intensive travels the back does not get tired. In a word, I personally have no complaints about the ergonomics of the seats - they are just so comfortable that once you adjust the fit for yourself, you don’t remember about it anymore.
The rear seat, in addition to having an armrest with two cup holders and an IsoFix system for child seats, folds in a 60/40 ratio, which allows you to increase the already solid luggage compartment(450 liters) due to the space reserved for rear passengers. By the way, there are a lot of places for this - for example, from the back of the driver's seat to the back of the rear sofa - almost a meter, and the width of the sofa really accommodates three people, and those sitting in the middle will not feel deprived.
The rear seat is folded using special handles located in the trunk. Under the floor there is a full-size spare wheel, but for some reason on a stamped disk (despite the fact that the car is delivered to the Russian Federation on cast fifteen-inch disks with R15 195/65 rubber). Of course, standard cast wheel bolts are suitable for Besturn and for thinner stamped ones. But was it worth the savings?
But back to the salon, or rather - to the driver's seat. The design of the dashboard, center console, steering wheel and steering column switches cannot be called ascetic, but concise - quite. On the one hand, there may be a bit too many buttons, on the other hand, most of them are localized in the area of the center console, and everything you need to drive a car is compactly grouped exactly where you expect.
Switching buttons are clear, plastic leaves a good impression. The heating system control knobs are executed neatly, but they do not have limiters of extreme positions and clamps in general, which is not always convenient - it will not be possible to blindly control the climate.
The instrument panel contains a dial tachometer and speedometer, while fuel and temperature indicators are placed on a centrally located dashboard screen on-board computer with burgundy-red indication. There you can also view information on instantaneous (but for some reason not average) fuel consumption, average speed movement and read the odometer readings - a total mileage counter and two customizable ones.
On the leather-covered (by the way, very natural-looking) steering wheel, the radio and cruise control are placed. The cruise works properly, but I don’t want to touch the radio control buttons after the first press - every action from this remote control is accompanied by a loud squeak, which cannot be turned off by any actions in the settings menu.
In the really well soundproofed cabin of Besturn (although here engine compartment, for example, cannot boast of good insulation) this squeak is annoying almost more than a buzzer open door with the ignition off and side lights on. And this despite the fact that after arming the car, all external lighting turns off on its own after about 15 seconds.
This delay is a direct consequence of the Follow me home system. Theoretically, the system is needed so that you can park your car in front of your villa in the evening, and the headlights will illuminate your path to front door. In practice, this quickly gets boring - with an intercom and without backlighting a car parked on the other side of the yard, you can figure it out, and you quickly get tired of the neighbors' advice to “turn off the headlights”.
By the way, since we are talking about electronics, if you look at the difference between the trim levels, it will become clear that one of the most expensive car components is the interior mirror, which integrates a compass, a public address system, anti-dazzle, and monitors for parking sensors and tire pressure sensors. Everything works fine though Speakerphone in fact, it turned out to be too quiet, and the tire pressure sensors are too sensitive - it took a lot of effort to calm them down, in addition, in this car they require the same pressure of 2.2 technical atmospheres on all four wheels.
By the way, be careful - the pressure sensors are inside the wheels themselves. Radio pressure gauges are fixed on special design nipples, and there is a risk of their damage during tire fitting. When you change the assembled wheels, you lose this system altogether: ordering new ones and “registering” them into the system is a complicated matter.
The side mirrors did not let us down - there are no special systems in them, but heating, electrical adjustment and a turn signal visible from the passenger compartment are convenient.
In general, the view from the driver's seat in the B50 is good, the landing is comfortable, and one can only complain that the on-board computer screen glares a little in the sun (at any degree of brightness).
On the run
Actually, we turn on the turn signal, finally leaving the parking lot - and here the first surprise awaits us. The fact is that a sports car with a ground clearance of 160 mm, a rear multi-link suspension and a completely modern six-speed automatic transmission has a 1.6-liter engine from the EA113 family, unfortunately, not from the branch that is put on the Golf GT and Audi TTS. Rather, the 103.4 horsepower, four-cylinder, eight-valve, licensed to FAW, came straight from the 1993 Volkswagen Jetta.
By modern standards, 145 Nm at 3800 rpm (to which the machine in D mode is not inclined to get at all, switching up every time at 2800 rpm) is quite a bit. Especially for a machine with a "dry" weight of 1.3 tons. However, you won’t have to feel uncomfortable in city traffic - Besturn accelerates adequately, fulfilling the acceleration standard from standstill to 100 km / h in 14.3 seconds (in mode manual switching), although according to the passport it should fit into 13.8 s.
The Besturn B50 has a gearbox from the Japanese company Aisin, co-owned by Toyota.
The Aisin Warner TF-61SN, also known as the 09G, is a proven unit developed by the company for the Volkswagen concern. Since 2003, the box has been installed on the Mini Cooper, Skoda Superb and Saab 9.3, as well as on numerous front-wheel drive cars under the Volkswagen brand with an engine capacity of up to two liters and a torque of up to 280 Nm.
Automatic transmission has proven to be durable and relatively inexpensive to repair. However, she is also known for her dislike for hot weather. Because of this, it is recommended to check the oil in the box after every hot summer - if the transmission fluid is “burnt”, change all seven liters (excluding the radiator), along with the filter - since filters for this type of automatic transmission are the most common commercially available.
BUT partial replacement transmission fluid every 60-80 thousand kilometers will help delay overhaul box, up to which the liquid filled in at the factory should serve only in theory.
The box in the B50 is configured in such a way that, on the one hand, the car can adequately move around the city, and on the other hand, it is quite capable of overtaking on a country road. However, even a small load or a couple of passengers make the driver more likely to abandon risky maneuvers that require rapid acceleration.
So we will assume that solidity lies in the power - the car is loaded and it really does not suit us to hurry. The box has a “Sport” mode and manual modes - but they don’t save much: even in S mode, upshifts occur, albeit without jerks, but earlier than we would like. As already mentioned, in the sequential switching mode, we got acceleration to 100 km / h at the level of 14.3 seconds (close to the passport value). At the same time, the best time shown in Sport mode, it turned out to be equal to 15.4 seconds. But in Drive mode, you will accelerate to “hundreds” in about 16 seconds.
FAW engineers taught their brainchild to move measuredly and solidly. The MacPherson strut front suspension and the multi-link rear suspension, although stiffer than I expected, still allow you to call the movement of the B50 in space smooth.
The suspension travel is short both front and rear, but at the same time, “breakdown” does not occur even on the numerous deep potholes found on our country roads. Uncomfortable rolls in turns are also not observed. That is, we can state that the engineers who worked on the suspension settings managed to keep the golden mean.
Worthy of praise and the stability of the car on bends - excellent: a sharp drift of the front axle or skidding of the rear, depending on the situation, begins far beyond the boundaries of safe driving, and even then - rather "thanks" regular tires.
But speed bumps work hard car. However, the real owner of the FAW is unlikely to storm them on the move - the clearance here, as befits a sedan that claims to be solid, is 160 mm without passengers and cargo. It is necessary to take care of such a car, which means that you should forget about curbs and goat trails: the B50 will be uncomfortable there.
In the rain, Besturn leaves an ambiguous impression of itself - on the one hand, the aerodynamic features of the car are such that even at low speeds, water from windshield floods the side windows (where there are no wipers, of course), significantly worsening visibility. This, in my opinion, is a clear disadvantage. On the other hand, control remains even on wet road extremely clear even on standard tires. And that's a plus! Thanks to the engineers who tuned the car's suspension, steering and gearbox.
Steering is worth a special mention. Often, in cars of the lower price segment, one has to deal with an “empty” steering wheel, an unobvious connection between the steering wheel and wheels, etc. It doesn't exist here. Of course, the B50 is far from the models of the world's leading manufacturers, but I would say that Feedback on the steering wheel is sufficient so that the driver does not experience discomfort, not understanding at what angle the wheels are turned, how the car reacts to bumps pavement etc.
By the way, the turning radius of a car of 5.25 meters, declared by the manufacturer, is quite plausible, and for a car 4.6 meters long, it is not so great. There are no problems with maneuvering in tight spaces, the rear overhang allows you to place it above the average height of the curbs during parking. More serious obstacles are warned by a four-zone parking sensors with proximity indication, which works relatively accurately.
The brakes on both axles in the Besturn B50 are disc brakes. Claimed anti-lock system ABS Bosch 8.1 reinforced with distribution system braking force EBD showed good results even as a result of braking "into the smoke" on a wet track. The trajectory of movement at emergency braking managed to save, as well as the ability to change it at the last moment in order to avoid a “theoretical” collision with a wild animal, an unexpected obstacle, a pedestrian or the stern of a car that suddenly braked in front. And yet, it should be borne in mind that the 8.1 generation ABS, although it differs from its predecessors precisely in its improved behavior on wet and slippery surfaces, still does not work well on rough roads - Besturn is no exception in this case.
Outside the city
As we have already said, May - they are holidays for that, to get out of the city - to evaluate the capacity, carrying capacity, and dynamics of the car with a heavy load.
Well, what if the shelf is under rear window poorly adapted to the transport of seedlings due to high angle tilt of the glass, then the capacity of the trunk, the size of its opening and the carrying capacity of the car will please anyone.
Full mass car - 1775 kg for the version with automatic transmission. Subtract the dry weight of the machine (1325 kg) and get the load capacity of exactly 450 kg. That is, 5 people and 15 kg of luggage for each - not bad in theory.
In practice, we managed to fit in the luggage compartment three backpacks with food and equipment for two days, three tents (one of them is a heavy camping one), meter-long covers with fishing rods, several boxes with equipment, a coal samovar and a bunch of small things for a group of ten Human. Not that it's all vital, but once Besturn's trunk starts to fill up, it's hard to stop.
It is difficult to say whether Besturn was at least close to the maximum load, but in the end, three people got into it (a driver of 76 kg, a navigator of 100 kg and just a passenger of 80 kg) and drove off along the highway out of the city.
As I mentioned, on the track the engine allows you to accelerate, but not very fast. From the declared 14 seconds to a hundred, declared for an empty car, there is no trace left - it’s good if twice as much time passed from the moment of launch to reaching a comfortable 100 km / h. A bit inconvenient when leaving fast track from an adjoining secondary road, but in the end bearable.
The optimal driving speed is approximately 100-120 km / h (by the way, in a car at 120 it is heard sound signal), and this is dictated mainly by the desire to protect the car from potholes - acoustic comfort is excellent at almost any speed. We didn’t even try to develop the maximum speed on a loaded car, but according to the results of third-party tests, the ceiling for the “dry” Besturn B50 is 184 km / h according to GPS / GLONASS.
When driving into the forest, into a hostile environment for a sedan, the passenger and navigator had to be kicked out of the car and then they played the role of pilots, scouting the way for a slowly crawling car.
By the way, the radio tape recorder, which drowns out the driver’s lamentations at this moment, is not bad in Besturn, but peculiar: the connector for the flash drive is located at the driver’s left knee in the glove compartment (files should have only Latin names and God forbid they lie in different folders - Besturn doesn’t care - he does not know how to sort by folders), and getting confused in the control system of the radio, single-zone climate control and bluetooth headset is as easy as shelling pears.
In view of the dubious, but still necessary, testing of the maximum volume aspect, we, like the right tourists, thought to open all the doors and try to turn on the music “at full”, but the neighbors in the parking lot did not approve of this undertaking. So the question of “pumping or not” will be left to lovers of disorderly conduct.
By the way, replace head device it will be difficult for an emergency: indicators of the state of the air conditioning system are integrated into it, so when changing the radio tape recorder, you will lose them. You can try to order a head unit for the B50 with a built-in computer, which is not available in trim levels for Russia, but you will have to install it yourself.
In natural habitat
On the Besturn during the test, I drove more than eight hundred kilometers, of which a maximum of 200 were outside the city. About half the time I traveled alone, the rest of the time - with fellow travelers. The only time I felt that I had chosen the wrong car for the trip was when I had to carry all the contents of an immense trunk about a hundred meters to the place of the future camp. But it was more of a reinsurance - and not only FAW ended up spending the night at this makeshift parking lot away from the camp.
At the same time, the B50 looks extremely organic on a suburban multi-lane highway. Not bad manifests itself in the evening city. Feels good in the bustling morning crowd and apathetic trips from work. Causes genuine delight in the older generation being transported from a family celebration, it is also appropriate for meeting a girl with her friends from the airport.
It is these stories that I really see in reality on the advertising posters of this car.
He has everything a modern city dweller needs - a presentable appearance, an automatic transmission, a cup holder and an airport parking card slot in the center console that most owners would never know existed.
The manufacturer declares a guarantee of 4 years (or 100 thousand mileage), an interservice mileage of 15 thousand (moreover, in the homeland, in the Middle Kingdom, it is 10 thousand, are the roads worse there?), And undertakes to patronize the owner of FAW in every possible way. According to rumors, they take care of some rarely broken spare parts, if anything, you have to wait a long time.
The main problematic elements of the car are suspension struts, both front and rear, front hub bearings and a servo drive in the climate control system.
The car is not quite ready for winter - the hydraulic booster starts to howl from the cold, crickets and noises appear in the windshield area, the owners complain about the starter's less confident operation in the cold season.
Most of these malfunctions are eliminated by the manufacturer's warranty obligations, subject to the availability of spare parts. In the case of their absence (thanks to unification!) You can often pick up an analogue from well-known European and Japanese brands.
Eventually
It is difficult to make an unambiguous verdict for the B50. Frankly, the car is worth ... attention. It is at least worth a look to all those who choose a car in this price category. Then you can read forums and reviews. People on the Internet are inquisitive, and even the most biased of them write enough to be able to compose general impression.
For myself, I compiled it - an insufficiently powerful engine with an overestimated consumption of 11-13 liters. (up to 14 liters in traffic jams and about 8-9 on the highway) per hundred, with the declared 8.5 liters .. And also low ground clearance, although sufficient for a sedan. On the other hand, throughout the entire time of communication with the FAW B50, I drove a car that aroused genuine interest and sympathy from everyone with whom I spoke about it. Logan neighbors, friends on octaves, golfs and Mazdas, girls on Hyundai and Honda - all noted that they were pleasantly surprised by the car. And a team of hardworking Asians at the car wash sent an embarrassed translator to clarify the technical characteristics and features of Besturn.
The main disadvantage is that the language does not turn to call the car cheap. For 450-500 thousand it would really be good (and another 50 thousand cheaper - just great), but we are talking about a car for 550 in basic configuration, for 580 thousand - in the average and for 670 - in the maximum. Isn't it too much?
AT soon restyling is expected, moreover, with a modern and more powerful engine. Maybe then the Besturn B50 will come close in content to the price assigned for it? Unless, of course, the price increases along with the amount of horsepower ...
Chinese car company FAW is known in Russia for its trucks. FAW Besturn B50 - another representative from China, will this car manage to gain a foothold in automotive market Russia will show time.
FAW (China First Automobile Works Group Company), a Chinese auto corporation with more than half a century of history, has been systematically introducing a line of its passenger cars to the Russian market in recent years.
The FAV Besturn B50 was designed by the Italians from Italdesign Giugiaro, and the premiere of their sedan work took place back in April 2008 at the Beijing Motor Show. Let's look at the FAW Besturn B50 from all sides.
The front of the car with high headlights with a sly "look", a neat false radiator grille and a simple but massive bumper. The front fairing places on its surface a slot of the lower air intake and round foglights on inserts made of unpainted plastic. The profile of the "Chinese" - with adult vyshtampovki dilators wheel arches and two ribs. The top rib runs through the line of door handles, the bottom splash decorates lower part doors. The rest of the FAW Besturn B50 is the correct and calm sedan body style, which has a long sloping hood, a sloping roof and a roasted stern. The rear is simplicity itself: a straight trunk lid, a bumper. Several adorn the stern and pleasing to the eye rear lighting and arched stamping on the luggage compartment lid.
Representatives of the Italian school of auto design drew and created a nice body for the FAV Besturn B50, this is certainly not a masterpiece, but it looks original and does not smell like plagiarism.
External dimensions sedan from FAW are: length - 4600 mm, width - 1785 mm, height - 1435 mm, wheelbase- 2675 mm.
The interior of the FAW Besturn B50 welcomes its five passengers with a large and bright cabin. The front dashboard is massive, with smooth lines, the center console with the classic arrangement of music control units (in the base there is an audio system with CD MP3 and 6 speakers) and climate control (for all trim levels). Large multifunctional steering wheel. A simple instrument panel with an on-board computer screen has an adjustable red backlight. The driver's seat is electrically adjustable and adjustable in 8 directions with a variable lumbar support roller, the passenger seat is mechanically adjustable. There is nothing to say about the convenience of the seats, there are no “live” cars in Russia yet, but judging by the photo, the profile is correct, with developed lateral support. In the second row, passengers have enough legroom and the roof does not put pressure on their heads. A pillow with a flat profile, the central tunnel will interfere with the average passenger.
The trunk volume of 450 liters is an average figure for a European D-class car, in which FAW is going to “play” with its sedan, built on the platform of the first generation of the Japanese Mazda6.
What configurations for the FAV Besturn B50 will be offered in Russia is not yet known. In China, cars are sold in three fixed content: Luxury, Premium, 3G. The difference between them is in the details, but even the base Luxury is traditionally generously packaged by Chinese standards. There is climate control, leather interior, cruise control, parking sensors, power driver's seat, power windows for all doors, central locking, alarm, height-adjustable steering column, power mirrors, CD MP3 music, front and side airbags for driver and passenger, alloy wheels with tires 195/65R15.
Specifications FAV Besturn V50. As mentioned above, the platform donor for the Besturn B50 was the “trolley” on which the first generation Mazda6 stood. The engine, it seems, is also from Mazda - 1.6 liters (103 hp), aggregated from 5 step mechanics or 6 step automaton. Front suspension independent double wishbone with stabilizer bar roll stability, rear multi-link is also independent with a stabilizer. Disc brakes with ABC EBD, power steering. The “Chinese” has a good platform, the motor is really weak for a car weighing 1300 kg.
Think about running FAW specifications Besturn B50 with an eye on how the Mazda6 rides? It probably doesn't make sense, but we remember that the platform donor has excellent driving performance, sharp steering, practical and comfortable interior.
Options and prices. In 2016 in the Russian market FAW sedan The first generation Besturn B50 is offered in two trim levels: Modern and Delux. Already “in the base” this car is equipped with: parking sensors (rear), ABS system, front airbags, electric side mirrors and power windows, climate control, an audio system with steering wheel controls, 15″ alloy wheels.
AT maximum configuration Besturn B50 boasts: tire pressure sensors, leather interior, power front seats, additional airbags, cruise control, a more functional audio system, etc.
The price of the basic configuration FAV Besturn B50 - from 458 thousand rubles per car in 2013 model year(530 thousand rubles for a car of the 2014 model year). The cost of the Besturn B50 sedan in the maximum configuration is from ~ 484 thousand rubles. (or 550, respectively).
The crossover is equipped with a large and powerful two-liter four-cylinder engine, issuing 142 hp (at 6500 rpm) and a torque of 184 N.m (at 4000 rpm). power unit provides a maximum speed of 190 km / h, while consuming combined cycle reasonable 8.6 liters per 100 kilometers. Suspension - reliable and durable. Independent front and rear multi-link suspension with anti-roll bar.
Already in the basic configuration, you get a whole bunch of modern technologies in the field of handling and safety: anti-lock braking system (ABS), brake force distribution (EBD), traction control system(TCS), Emergency Brake Assist (EBA), Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Hill Start Assist (HSA), front and side airbags for driver and front passenger.
FAV Besturn x80 will appeal to those drivers for whom a car is not just a means of transportation, but also a way to enjoy the process itself. driving position here it is thought out so that you would be as convenient and comfortable as possible. The driver's seat has manual adjustment in six directions and is equipped with a heating system. The front passenger seat is also equipped with a heating function. The steering column can be adjusted for height and reach. The dashboard is comfortable, with bright backlight, making it easy to read indicators at any time of the day.
Master put his hand
They compared it by inertia: Chinese means borrowed. Now is not the case: Besturn B50 was developed by the world design master Fabrizio Giugiaro. The same one that had a hand in the "multi-circulation" VW Golf ( latest generations), and to the unique Aston Martin Twenty-Twenty.
The Besturn B50, like its manufacturer FAW, has just made its debut on the Russian passenger car market (FAW trucks have been working hard in the country for a long time). After the closing of the Moscow Motor Show, an exhibition copy of the B50 was provided for a long test by the editors of Za Rulem.RF, the first of the domestic specialized publications. The higher the responsibility entrusted to us to acquaint a wide audience with a car that falls into the popular price niche "from 400 to 600 thousand rubles."
Let's get into the skin potential buyer: we feel the car with our eyes, hands, body, we will drive around the city - in a word, we will draw the very first impressions at the stage when “they choose not with the mind, but with the heart”.
"Chinese" in the car is not immediately recognized. In the exterior we see what is characteristic of a certain European-Japanese type (just like completely strangers have common features, so cars are often similar). This is to the fact that hardly anyone will find obvious “under-” in the exterior - you will not notice them either in the concept of the form or in the compatibility of parts: stampings, lines of headlight blocks, decorative overlays, etc. However, it’s even embarrassing to stomp on the design from Giugiaro ... One definition: not bad.
Let's look into the salon through the doorways (but we don't sit down yet) - and again we will see the classics of our time. The craving for trendy elements is obvious. On the leather-wrapped steering wheel, there are buttons for controlling the audio system and cruise control, a set of paddle shifters that is standard today. Between the dials of the tachometer and speedometer there is a compact display (we will still evaluate what it will show). On the center console under the audio system display - air conditioning / heating knobs ...
And all the same, you peer with caution: well, for sure there is something “purely Chinese” here! ..
In what niche?
However, it's time for "their place". Well, here it is: well-tailored leather seat ... oh, and tough! Don't fall for this one. In such situations, they persuade themselves: let's take this as a feature of the model or the style of the manufacturer, or even growing pains (once almost all Korean cars had hard seats, but now ...). And then, the Chinese are noble healers, maybe they, knowing something special, did it on purpose?
The salon is spacious: to get to the inside handle of the right door, you have to bend over and stretch your hand. In place “behind you”, the knees touch the back of the driver's seat (if the helmsman is taller than average). On the right-rear, when you move the front seat a little, it is absolutely spacious. Advantage: high back sofa. Above the head is not exactly space, but the roof does not press. And the “panorama” of the cabin from this place looks European.
An armrest is dropped between the two rear riders. But the wall of the niche does not open - you can’t slip the skis through. In general, the car is not very adapted to the transportation of long loads. Which is understandable: in the classification adopted in China, it is classified as a business class. With our estimates, we will not let the B50 into the "business". However, one cannot but agree: this is far from “economy”.
One foot in high school
In all six trim levels (three each with “mechanics” and “automatic”), not the most weak motor at 103 hp; ABS, electric brake force distribution (EBD), "assistant" during emergency braking. Kit active safety quite decent.
All glasses are athermal; climate control, air conditioning rear passenger seats; adjustable steering wheel position (height); trip computer, parking sensors (rear) with a three-level warning system and indication on the interior rear-view mirror; Bluetooth and USB port. Electrically adjustable exterior mirrors, an immobilizer, alloy wheels and the like are natural components of a car that claims to be equal among equals on the market. But in what category?
We must agree with the definition of the Chinese manufacturer itself, which has accepted the criteria of the Russian auto community: FAW Besturn B50 is a C-class car with class D elements.
... and in the mind - about the costs
From the gate - into the hour plug. She held on pretty well. A resident of a metropolis is still more comfortable with an “automatic” (and the B50 is a purely urban car).
On short accelerations and decelerations, the sound of the engine resembled the roar of the VAZ G8. (Involuntary association: FAW top manager Mr. Yang Feng said: our company is for China what AvtoVAZ is for Russia - the very first, with the largest volumes release.) The similarity of the units of the two machines is also confirmed by the long strokes of the gear lever.
The engine loves high speed - maximum power achieved at 6400 rpm. At the same time, acceleration is not the most impressive (for a curb weight of 1.35 tons, a hundred and a few forces are still not enough), but you will not be the last one from a traffic light.
What about fuel consumption? AT technical specifications the average consumption is 7.8 l / 100 km.
Under the fuel indicator icon is a horizontal scale with two "full" dashes (there are six in total). This means that there are approximately 40 liters in the tank (its total capacity is 58 liters). Let's see how the dashes will go out as the distance traveled.
And along the way...
Connoisseurs say that the FAW Besturn B50 was created on the basis of the first versions of the Mazda 6. The car is maneuverable, the steering wheel is sharp. Despite the fact that the suspension would be called quite stiff.
More about a couple of scattered observations in the first hundred run. The ground clearance is low. When parking near the curb, be careful. Too careful parking sensors. For a meter - more than a meter to the obstacle begins to hysteria: not a step back! We'll have to "turn on" the eyes and the sense of size in order to fit more tightly.
Discouraged "krutilki"-regulators of the air conditioner: they are without limiters at the end points, and rotate them to infinity. There are also no notches on the wheels, and the indication is given on a rather narrow bottom line of the audio system display, which is already saturated with symbols. And you never know drivers with unimportant eyesight! .. This is purely in Chinese. But, most likely, the skill of adjusting blindly will come.
B50 in this configuration costs 559 thousand rubles. Is the price justified and what else will operation show Chinese car on Moscow roads? More about this in the following publications about the FAW Besturn B50. There will be questions - ask!
FAW Besturn X80 is a front-wheel drive compact segment crossover that combines an attractive design, decent technical “stuffing” and a good level of equipment ... Its main the target audience- urban residents (often family), leading an active lifestyle and practicing forays into nature ...
First ever Chinese automaker The SUV was introduced to the world community in April 2013 at the stands of the Shanghai International Auto Show, and the following month, its sales began at Chinese market. This car, by the way, built on the basis of the Mazda 6 of the first generation, reached Russia only four years later - in April 2017 (moreover, in a pre-styling form).
In September 2016, the FAW Besturn X80 went through a planned upgrade (but it “reached” Russian buyers in this form only in July 2018) – the SUV “refreshed” in appearance, becoming even more similar to Infiniti models, got a seriously redesigned interior and received a new equipment, but at the same time retained technical part without any change.
In general, the appearance of the crossover is quite modern, attractive, but separate elements clearly looks like Infiniti FX (first generation) and Mazda CX-5 (also first).
The front part of the FAW Besturn X80 is decorated with complex headlights with LED “eyebrows” of running lights, an impressive “hexagon” grille and a massive bumper, and its lean rear flaunts nice lighting and a pair of round exhaust pipes sticking out from under the bumper.
However, the car looks most advantageous in profile - what are the littered outlines of the roof, the “window sill” line soaring towards the rear and the relief influx of wheel arches, which jointly give the appearance a dynamic and taut look.
The length of the Besturn X80 body is 4620 mm, the wheelbase reaches 2675 mm, the width is 1820, and the height is 1695 mm. The track width of the front and rear wheels is 1580 mm, the crossover's ground clearance does not exceed 190 mm, and the angle of entry / exit (respectively) is 26 and 27 degrees.
The curb weight of the car varies from 1500 to 1570 kg, depending on the configuration.
The interior of the FAW Besturn X80 looks attractive and modern, and in addition to this, it boasts high-quality ergonomics and a solid level of performance (soft and hard plastics are combined inside). In the immediate field of view of the driver - a weighty three-spoke multi-steering wheel and designed with a hint of sportiness dashboard, exposing a pair of arrow scales and a color display of the on-board computer between them. Cute and concise center console adorn the protruding 8-inch “tablet” of the multimedia system and convenient blocks of the radio and “microclimate”.
The front seats are comfortable enough for city trips, but when driving for a long time, the load on the back is noticeably noticeable. On the back row sitting is much more comfortable, but only if you are short (tall passengers here will rest their heads against the sloping roof).
Things are not the best here with the trunk - with a capacity of 398 liters (this is not enough for a crossover of this size). Somewhat corrects the situation, divided into two unequal sections, the back of the rear sofa - which folds almost flush with the floor, thereby increasing the volume of the "hold" by more than three times.
in Russian FAW market Besturn X80 is offered with one gasoline engine - a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated (meeting Euro-5 environmental standards) CA4GD1 with an in-line layout, port injection fuel and 16-valve timing belt type DOHC. He maximizes 142 horsepower at 6500 rpm and 184 Nm of torque at 4000 rpm, and docked with a 6-speed "mechanics" or "automatic" and exclusively front-wheel drive transmission.
How agile the crossover is in dispersal from standstill to the first “hundred” is not reported. The maximum "Chinese" is able to accelerate to 180-185 km / h, and its fuel consumption varies from 8.2 to 8.6 liters in combined mode, depending on the type of gearbox. The volume of the gas tank of the SUV has 64 liters.
The urban SUV FAW Besturn X80 is built on the basis of the Mazda 6 platform (first generation), which the Chinese have slightly altered “to fit their standards”. The front of the car rests on an independent structure with MacPherson struts, stabilizer bar and double wishbones. The rear of the body rests on an E-type multi-link design with anti-roll bar.
The front wheels of the five-door are equipped with ventilated discs. brake mechanisms, on the rear wheels Installed simple disc brakes. In the "state" the car is equipped with rack and pinion steering with an integrated hydraulic booster.
In the Russian market, the FAW Besturn X80 in 2018 is offered in two trim levels - "Basic" and "Luxury".
- A crossover in the basic version costs a minimum of 1,099,000 rubles - for this money you get a car with a “manual” gearbox. Regularly, the five-door is equipped with: four airbags, ABS, ESP, fabric trim, an audio system with a USB connector, 17-inch alloy wheels, heated front seats, air conditioning, four power windows and other equipment.
- A car in the "top" version with a manual transmission is sold at a price of 1,199,000 rubles, and the surcharge for automatic transmission is another 100,000 rubles. Such an all-terrain vehicle additionally includes in its functionality: single-zone climate control, a “leather” interior, electric front seats, a sunroof, a media center with an 8-inch screen, cruise control, light and rain sensors, a rear-view camera, a system keyless entry, rear parking sensors and some other "gadgets".
