The Changan CS 75 Pro is, to state the obvious, a large vehicle. But it is one of those magical automotive engineering achievements that results in a car being bigger on the inside than on the outside.
No laws of physics are being broken, but when one sees the car on the outside, it strikes one as a regular SUV, if slightly larger than the norm. On the inside, it is startling to find three rows of seats, providing in effect a 7-seater experience.
It’s worth noting the utility the layout provides in places the driver does not usually notice. The third row comprises two seat backs that can be folded down to turn the luggage compartment into a fairly vast area for packing for a lengthy getaway. With the seat backs in their regular position, if one is just off for a weekend or the day, the two back seats are ideal for children. Each has a cup holder and small snack compartment alongside the seats.
The 3-seat middle row has even more space in the doors for storage, as well as personalised airvent controls for each side and a USB A port to support the passengers at the back.
In the front row, the driver and passenger seats both have electrically controlled settings, with a massive central control separating the two seats. The leather finishes are luxurious, comfortable, and elegantly accented throughout the cabin.
Controls on the steering wheel are straightforward and practical, in particular the music controls, which provide very clear access to Volume Up and Down, along with Previous and Next selections of music. It’s astonishing how many vehicles get that wrong. Changan gets it right. The Previous and Next buttons double as Phone Answering and End Call buttons.
A home button on the left hand side of the steering wheel is again one of those elements that so few cars get right. It is enormously useful for the driver simply to be able to go back to the home screen of the infotainment system without having to take eyes off the road.
A camera button on the steering wheel allows the driver to get a 360 degree view around the car, with a choice of a 2D or 3D view. It also allows one to set a speed limits for bringing up the surround view assist, as the feature is commonly known. For example, the default is that above 30km/h the surround view cannot be opened, but when vehicle speed is lower than 15km/h, the surround view is triggered, in particular by the turn signal. That is seriously cool when you need it in a tight spot, but one of my great frustrations is that it gets in the way of navigation when you have to turn several times in succession and are not sure where you’re going. The CS 75 Pro allows one to turn it off easily, unlike many vehicles that turn the setting into an obstacle course.
Changan has added a cool setting called partial big picture: when the vehicle approaches an obstacle, the screen automatically switches to a partially enlarged view. That can also be distracting if you’re trying to navigate, but it is switched off by default and you can choose to switch it on.
The steering wheel controls are among the best, most intuitive, and practical I’ve seen in a car for a while. The instrument cluster in front of the steering wheel is large and yet clearly visible, thanks to the way the steering wheel itself is designed. It is very hard to be too low or too high to see the entire instrument cluster, as in some vehicles. The cluster shows speed, revs, mileage mode, petrol consumption, temperature, as well as a mini view of your car in relation to the road and other traffic. It is possibly one of the most extensive instrument clusters in terms of what is visible on one screen. It is logical, and even beautiful.
The infotainment system is a different story, however. The screen is practically the same size as the instrument cluster, which does not make sense, as you need to pack far more visible content onto the infotainment system.
One gets the sense that Changan did not take infotainment too seriously for the CS 75 Pro. For example, it does not support Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. It requires one to download an app called Car Auto Global. You can scan a QR code on the infotainment screen to download it, but then you also have to scan the QR code with the app in order to mirror your phone onto this car. The first time you do it, it requires you to connect via USB cable, and then open Car Auto Global.
It’s probably the most unintuitive infotainment system I’ve ever come across. After a week of playing with it, I still couldn’t get it right.
The home screen includes icons for Spotify and Google Map, but both require one to connect to Car Auto Global. Once connected, Spotify was great and Google Map was great. However, it did not allow the grid view that one gets with Android Auto, for example to see Spotify, Google Map, and outside temperature on the same screen. I could choose one and only one at a time, so while mapping I could listen to my music, but not see what was playing.
That is obviously a Me-problem, but one that will be an issue for all is the disconnect between Google Maps and the voice recognition system in the CS 75 Pro. This is how it went:
Me: “Hey, Changan.”
Car: “How can I help you?”
Me: “Navigate to OR Tambo Airport.”
Car: “Sorry, Changan currently does not know this operation.”
Me: “Hey, Changan. Hey, Changan. Hey, Changan.”
Car: “I am here.”
Me: “Navigate to the airport.”
Car: “Sorry, Changan currently does not know this operation.”
In other words, if you’re not connected to Car Auto Global, you’re not able to access many of the interactive features.
That said, below the infotainment display lies a very practical digital climate control interface for air conditioning, setting temperature up or down, setting fan up or down, setting rear or front demisters, and setting aircon to auto or max or off, and it’s all clear, it’s all available. In the middle is the Emergency button, or the Thank You button, as we call it in South Africa.
The gear lever is straightforward with a handy additional parking button and an auto hold button on the driver’s side. You can set the temperature of your seat and even activate a seat fan for both the driver and the passenger.
Drive mode includes comfort, sport, echo, and custom. Echo is your most fuel efficient, of course, but don’t expect this big baby to be light on petrol.
It’s a wonderful drive when you’re out on the highway, but does not enjoy stop-stop traffic. The accelerator presents a slight lag, which is not a great look when you want to pull away from other cars. Once you’re in the traffic, everyone gets out of your way, thanks to the imposing presence of this vehicle. That sums it up: it is imposing both inside and out, and that means it is a vehicle that is impossible to ignore.
* Arthur Goldstuck is CEO of World Wide Worx, editor-in-chief of Gadget.co.za, and author of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to AI – The African Edge”.