The budget crossover segment is awash with a wide variety of choices. After all, who wouldn’t want extra ground clearance for less than a million pesos? With the market preferring higher riding vehicles, today’s car buyers are spoiled for choice.
On the flip side, the number of these affordable small crossovers mean each model has to stand out in its own way. That brings us neatly to Changan.
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So, what does the Chinese automaker bring to the table? That would be the Changan CS15 and it comes with a price tag that’s rather tempting. We’ll get to that a little later.
Locally, the CS15 is the brand’s entry-level crossover. Aimed at the likes of the Toyota Raize, Geely CX3 Pro, and Chery Tiggo 2, it’s in a competitive segment with a discerning target audience.
The Changan CS15 wades into battle with a sharp-looking exterior, 190mm of ground clearance, and 17-inch alloy wheels. In terms of dimensions, it measures 4,135mm long, 1,740mm wide, and 1,630mm tall. It has a fuel tank capacity of 44 liters, while cargo capacity ranges from 230 liters to 1,100 liters.
Inside, it comes with a fully digital instrument cluster and a touchscreen audio display. Leatherette is present on the steering wheel, door arm rests, and the seats. For convenience, it comes with steering wheel mounted audio controls, as well as cruise control. Wrapping up the interior features is a sunroof. And, joy of joys, there are physical buttons present on the dashboard.
Moving to safety features, the CS15 comes equipped with four airbags. There’s a pair for the driver and front passenger, along with side airbags for the frontal area. Parents will be glad to know that there’s stability control standard, as well as ISOFIX mounts for child seats. Rear parking sensors are included, as well as a camera. A tire pressure monitoring system is also standard.
Powering this baby crossover is a 1.5-liter engine. It’s good for 105hp and 145Nm of torque and it then shifts with a five-speed dual-clutch transmission. There is no manual variant available.
Speaking of variants, there is only one trim level for the Philippine-spec Changan CS15 and it starts at P799,000. That makes this one of the most affordable subcompact crossovers in the market today, undercutting most of the competition. Not only that, Changan Philippines is offering a P50,000 discount as an introductory offer, bringing the price further down to P749,000.
