Chana Star Double Cab
Right, so the missus has insisted on that fancy new dishwasher that is more expensive than your first car. And now she’s also called your bluff on that long-promised holiday to Thailand. So your pockets are rather empty.
Enter Chinese company Chana, and it’s Star Double Cab bakkie. Okay, so it’s not a Hilux or an Amarok or an Isuzu. And it’s available only in 4×2 format. But it is a double cab bakkie, and it can carry 500kg on the bak.
The 3,8m-long compact double cab’s price start at around R80 000 for the one-litre model, and tops out at R120 000 for the Maxi-Star 1.3 double cab.
Fair enough, the 1012cc engine’s 39 kW and 78 Nm of torque probably won’t set your pulse racing. But the 1,3-litre engine produces 60 kW and 102 Nm. If you are particularly brave, you can even indulge in some rear-wheel drive power slides. Indeed, the little Chana has been used for various forms of local motorsport!
The 1,3-litre model’s top speed is pegged at 120km/h while its smaller-engined sibling nudges the 105km/h mark. Since one has to work the small-capacity engines quite hard to maintain a decent cruising speed, fuel consumption suffers. Our sister magazine, CAR, claims an average consumption of 9,5 litres/100km.
Interior equipment levels include head rests, front and rear fog lamps and a remote release for the fuel flap. Air-conditioning, a canopy, a nudge bar and a tow bar are available as options. Safety features comprise side impact protection bars and? well, brakes.
In short:
Price: R79 900 to R119 900
Warranty: TBC
Engine: 1012cc/1310cc, four cylinder, petrol
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Power: 39 kW @ 5300 r/min/60 kW @ 5300 r/min
Torque: 78 Nm @ 3500 r/min/102 Nm @ 3500 r/min
Ground clearance: 165mm
Economy: 9,5 l/100km
Payload: 500kg
Foton Thunda
If a Chana double cab is a tad on the small side for that overland trip from Pretoria to Johannesburg, a Thunda double cab may be a better option.
The Foton Thunda 4×2 double cab range is backed by the massive Imperial group in South Africa – and it’s the newest Chinese kid on the local block, so to speak. But Foton is apparently the top ranking commercial vehicle manufacturer in Asia, and the second biggest in the world. So it’s clearly not a knock-and-drop kind of outfit that operates out of a backyard mechanic’s garage.
With a load capacity of 800kg, the double cab Thunda is available with either a 2,2-litre petrol engine or a 2,8-litre turbodiesel motor. The four-cylinder petrol engine produces 76 kW and 192 Nm of torque, and the turbodiesel churns out 68 kW of power and 202 Nm of torque at 2300r/min.
On the upside, the Thunda double cab is loaded with standard kit. And we’re not only talking leatherette seats (on the diesel model), remote central locking, electric windows, electric mirrors, rear park distance control (PDC) and air-conditioning here. It even has ABS brakes. And they are standard.
Prices range from R160 000 for the petrol double cab to R180 000 for the Diesel Luxury model. An unexpected bonus is the fact that these prices include a three-year/100 000km warranty, as well as a service plan.
All standard.
In short:
Price: R159 950 (petrol); R179 950 (diesel)
Warranty: Three-year/100 000km
Service plan: Three-year/75 000km (petrol)/ three-year/70 000km (diesel)
Engine: 2237cc four-cylinder, petrol/2771cc, four-cylinder, turbodiesel
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Power: 76 kW @ 4300 r/min/68 kW @ 3600 r/min
Torque: 193 Nm @ 2300 r/min/202 Nm @ 2300 r/min
Ground clearance: 195mm
Economy: N/A
Payload: 800kg
GWM Double Cab
Great Wall Motors (GWM) South Africa has been selling bakkies on local shores since 2007. So it’s probably the best known and most recognised Chinese bakkie on SA’s roads.
Instead of designing a new vehicle from scratch, GWM bases its bakkies on existing, well-proven designs – no need to reinvent the wheel, seems to be the company’s policy.
The Double Cab’s front-end styling is clearly a copy of Nissan’s Hardbody/NP300, with a helping of older-generation Isuzu KB thrown in for good measure along the sides, and for the tail.
The Double Cab’s turbodiesel engine (70 kW/225 Nm) is yet another Isuzu link – it’s based on the famous old 280DT design. It’s not big on refinement, but it should last the test of time. If you’re not into diesel, a 2,2-litre four-cylinder petrol engine (78 kW/190 Nm) is also available.
Inside it’s all Isuzu KB. In fact, GWM is one of several Chinese bakkie manufacturers who uses the Isuzu KB interior, hailing from the nineties. You get a bucket load of standard kit though. Leatherette trim (vinyl that looks like leather), air-conditioning, sound system, remote central locking, electric windows and a lot more. What you don’t get are airbags and ABS brakes.
Prices start at R151 000, and this includes a two-year/60 000km warranty.
In short:
Price: R150 990 (petrol); R159 990(diesel)
Warranty: Three-year/100 000km
Service plan: None
Engine: 2237cc four-cylinder, petrol/2771cc, four-cylinder, turbodiesel
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Power: 78 kW @ 4600 r/min/70 kW @ 3600 r/min
Torque: 190 Nm @ 2400 r/min/225 Nm @ 1800 r/min
Ground clearance: 195mm
Economy: 17/11,9 litres/100km
Payload: 1080kg
OUR PICK
GWM Steed
If Chinese double cab bakkies were Hollywood actors, the GWM Steed would probably be? Charlie Sheen. Like the recently embattled Charlie, the Steed looks the flashy part, but underneath the skin it’s also a bit of a ruffian that likes to get down and dirty.
This was highlighted when the Steed, which looks as good as a Chinese bakkie can probably look, joined us in 2009 on an overlanding trip to Mozambique.
The trip included some tough 4×4 tests – but the Steed managed to conquer all the obstacles, and certainly earned our respect.
The Steed 4×2 double cab range is powered by a 2,4-litre petrol engine, or a 2,8-litre turbodiesel mill. The four-cylinder petrol engine produces 100 kW and 200 Nm of torque, while the turbodiesel has 85 kW and 285 Nm of torque at 2 600r/min. The payload capacity is 1080kg.
The Steed’s cabin is vintage Isuzu KB. This is a bit of a let down, considering the unique exterior styling. But it is loaded with standard kit. So it gets all the bells and whistles, as well as ABS brakes and airbags – the Steed double cab is the only Chinese bakkie sold here that gets airbags as standard.
So the Steed picture does seem rosy indeed. But what about pricing? Selling from R181 000, the Steed double cab is more expensive than the other Chinese offerings. But you do get a lot of bakkie for your money.
In short:
Price: R180 990 (petrol); R196 990 (diesel)
Warranty: Three-year/100 000km
Service plan: None
Engine: 2378cc four-cylinder, petrol/2771cc, four-cylinder, turbodiesel
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Power: 100 kW @ 5200 r/min/85 kW @ 3600 r/min
Torque: 200 Nm @ 4000 r/min/285 Nm @ 2600 r/min
Ground clearance: 195mm
Economy: 13,2/11,9 litres/100km
Payload: 1080kg
JMC Boarding Series
After our budget bakkie shoot-out in 2010, a panel test in which the new JMC Boarding Series D/C 4×4 came last, JMC South Africa decided to give us a new Boarding Series to live with. It’s been with us for two months now – and it hasn’t missed a beat yet.
And it has already gone some way in changing a few of our perceptions about Chinese bakkies, and the JMC brand. Staffer GG van Rooyen, who has spent the most time behind the JMC’s steering wheel, says he is really enjoying driving the bakkie. There’s nothing really amazing about it, but also nothing really bad. Power is sufficient, ride is acceptable, and all the luxuries make it an easy vehicle to live with, says GG.
Airbags and ABS brakes are not part of the package though, which is a pity.
The new JMC Boarding Series, due to be officially launched here by March, is one of the better looking Chinese offerings. Not too much chrome bling, and rather pleasing lines, especially at the front. From the side the Isuzu KB DNA is rather obvious. Still, we’ve been surprised by the number of passersby who stop and look, and ask about the model, the origins of the bakkie, as well as the price.
According to JMC SA, when the new Boarding Series 4×2 is launched in March it will sell for around R180 000, ensuring that it is in the ball park, compared to its Oriental compatriots.
In short:
Price: About R180 000
Warranty: Three-year/100 000km
Service plan: None
Engine: 2 771cc, four-cylinder, turbodiesel
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Power: 84 kW @ 3600 r/min
Torque: 235 Nm @ 2300r/min
Ground clearance: 185mm
Economy: 10,6 litres/100km
Payload: 1066kg
Our pick
The GWM Steed may not be as solid as a Hilux, as fancy as an Amarok, or as powerful as a Navara, but for the money it certainly offers a lot of bakkie. And it’s also kind of pretty, and it certainly stands out from the crowd of (mostly) cloned Chinese double cabs.
Importantly, the Steed is fitted with airbags and ABS brakes as standard.
And that counts for a lot of kudos in our books.