CHANA BENNI 1.3L A/T Test Drive
By Drey Roque
Chinese products are not only common they are actually everywhere. From cellular phone, tires, to DVD players and even cars… After all, China has produced a lot of affordable products, although sometimes with iffy quality.
So it wasn’t much of a surprise when China-based Chana Motors decided to follow Chery’s lead and enter the local automotive market. And they did so by launching at the Manila International Auto Show. After the event, the Chana brand was talked and argued by many people, intrigued by the low prices but concerned about the un-established quality of China-made cars.
Despite (but then again, maybe inspired by) all the endless debates with fellow tsikoteers, I heard myself asking, “I want to test drive a Benni sir!” This is in order to finish some questions that kept ringing in my head. For starters, the Benni is a small car made by Chana to compete against Chery’s QQ and the well-established sub-compact cars such as the Hyundai Getz, Kia Picanto, Suzuki Alto and the rumored upcoming Hyundai i10. The Benni is powered by a 1.3L engine that produces a reasonable 84 horsepower at 6500 rpm with a torque of 110 at 3500 rpm. The engine meets Euro III compliant standards which is good for those tree huggers who want an earth-friendly vehicle that is affordable and able to seat five people all-in-one go.
When I first saw this car, I immediately like it for being an original Chinese vehicle with an Italian ‘sguardo e tatto’ style and feel on the outside. As a matter of fact, I like it because it reminds me of the Mercedes Benz A-Class. Although the A-Class comes from a luxury brand, the interior felt and looked cheap looking.
With the Benni, it feels like a massed produced car for the masses who seek economy class mobility. The car is surrounded by plastics that appear slapped on. Sure it’s got fabric but most of the other parts are made of plastics — cheap looking plastics at that. It also has small dials and buttons that are both hard and confusing to see and use.
In this car, you’ll feel hotter in the literal meaning of the word. I was expecting it to be like snowland inside due to the fact that this is a small vehicle that is easy to cool. But alas, even with the fan settings to the max and the thermostat set to the coldest, the A/C wasn’t much help.
It’s quite prolific in producing various sounds too. The moment you start the car, you can instantly hear the engine from the inside. The moment you close the door, you’ll hear no thud sound but instead a ‘clack-ety’ sound.
Still, I behaved like a good boy while driving the Benni. I felt terrible nodding at the staff making them think the Benni is a great car. Sadly it is not. Sure it feels quite solid inside, and has real suspension that performs like one. It has comfortable seats with enough room for those who have heads, shoulders and legs. It feels stable; it has no rattles and no loose bolts. And it is also well-equipped for safety, having dual airbags, anti-lock brakes, electronic braking distribution and err… seat belts! But these things don’t really move me because I never felt the Benni to be a fun and a nimble car.
The car needs quite some attention too. The electric power steering for example is a great feature but it acts strangely different from other cars equipped with the same technology. Turn the steering wheel to either side and you’ll notice it has a second delay before you’d be given a turn thereby driving on straights can be quite a challenge. Approach the corners and it rolls like a tall car like the Benni itself is. Another issue would be the automatic transmission that shifts too lazily and the brakes that feel like a little weak for my taste. Thankfully this car is neither fast nor quick. Heck, who cares and wants it to be fast? The car isn’t built for speed and handling. It was made to mobilize small families, save fuel, decrease the rapid rate of global warming and swallow quite a lot of stuff in the back.
But again this car isn’t Casper. The Benni is more like Stinky, Fatso and Stretch combined into one. Unfortunately it comes with too many doubts carried by our own experience with Chinese quality. Truth is, Chinese cars aren’t like Chinese DVD players whose inferior quality are easy to accept if they break down easily. We travel with our loved ones in them, trusting our lives on them.
I would want myself to believe that what I drove is a lemon, that way, I know the real Benni is somewhere out there that is a good comfortable commuter, with a freezing air-conditioning system, and with the steering that behaves like it is directly connected to the tires. But if this is what it really drives, then I’ll wait for the next, hopefully improved version. Nevertheless, the brand has still a long way to go to prove its reliability.
A 5 year/100,000 kilometer would be a great start.
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its no worth it… its a piece of crap!
whats the price if less than 300,000thousand its good enough
Hi Mr. Drey Roque ,
Iam a filipino and shall we say car , motorcycle enthusiast too . I’ve read your comment as well as your first actual impressions of Benni while doing the drive test . Thanks for the test drive technical informations .
But , your opinions as to actual test seems to contradict with respect to the Benni engine that meets the Euro 3 standards . Do you know that drivers in Europe drove there cars in the Highway always at max. tested speed what ever brand of the car is . You will never get this standardizations Euro 3 if your engine can not attain this speed test and endurance test either in ON and OFF the road .
Have you heard about the Honda Cars having Recalled from year model 2005 to 2007 due to rear wheel axle bearing assembly design , materials and quality problems that caused and endagered life in US. We’ll that’s Honda the prestigious car by design , R&D , high technology manufacturing set-up etc… but what happened .
Maybe you don’t know that Philippines is contributing about 75% in the production of Mercedes Benz engine parts and we are doing it excellently.
Do you know that China engine manufacturers for cars and motorcycles contribute a lot of their engine parts prodcution as OEM to most popular car and motorcycle brand from Japan and Europe and US .
If I were you, it is better to challenge the Manufacturer of Benni to compete in any local car races whether ON and OFF the road race to see the real thing Just like that . The same when proton enter the market and even Hyundai too.
In my opinion , it is better to go and let those China cars enter and see and feel the difference on our very safe road ( hehehe ) competing against Japanese , European and US products so that competitions prices will be justified easily after all .
Hello, Very nice site. Universe help us, dont worry man.
whats good to buy chana? suzuki alto? or cherry qq???
whats good to buy chana? suzuki alto? or cherry qq
I agree with ARY, let it enter and prove itself worthy. I know this coz I used to sell KIA during its early days and we had the same feedback back then.
so,how much are they asking for a unit?perhaps if the price is right,then we could make ends meet?hehehe…..but seriously,how much are they asking for it?if this car will only be used in a typical house to palengke type of mode of transport,i think i would take my chances of owning one for a pang araw – araw mode of transport
I agree with ARY that this car should participate in this car racing/competition and test its endurance and capacity to withstand what other cars had gone thru. This way they would be able to show to the people that this car from CHINA really is worth our penny.
We know how China products fare in the world of production. They are more on quantity output and quality is nowhere to be found.
Meaning sub-standard quality.
Anyway, everybody deserves a chance to prove his worth.
Go CHANA!
GOOD LUCK.
its 20t di ok na! hehhe. dont know the price but with that kind of review it should be less than 50t hehehe
sir I whould like to inquire for financing
thank you
english arabek
PROS: has biggest sub-compact car engine @ 1.3L, 4 cyl, 16 valves, SOHC, average 16km/L!, euro III, more or less goes @ 150km/h, projecter-type headlamps, front and rear foglamps, 3rd brake lamp, side impact beams, ABS+EBD, air bags, immobilizer, key-less entry, very spacious for sub compact car and Php 405k.. to name a few.
…for more inquiries, contact: 0915-8873400 XD
correction: biggest sub-compact car engine compared to its main competitors; alto, qq, spark, getz, i10, celerio. XD
the GEO brand of vehicles is hardly recognized. This comes from the short lived division of a corporation and the GEO brand last for a short time for a vehicle. The home of the GEO brand was the General Motor Corporation that started production in 1989. The line was intended to provide some competition to the Japanese vehicles that were being imported into the American market.
Thanks
GEO parts
http://www.iautobodyparts.com/geo/
bakit china brand? pa pwede naman korea brand! kasi d pa pwede sa pilipinas yun china brand mahal kasi mura lang sa china kahit ano sabihin niyo china pa rin yan no safety marami kasi nang yari sa chinahinde pumuputok yun airbag ?is that true?
i’m a benni owner myself …honstly its a very good car compared to others… also for its options but the only problem that i faced is the balance followed by high speed ..you get a feeling that the air may flip it …but as it wasm said that the car was not bulit for speed and handling ….as for its price its very good to own a car with low price and got full option i hope the company get rid from these sid effects….D:D:D:D:D
The logo reminds of… Star Trek
Don’t be so harsh, they’re newbs, give them the chance. With regards with the cheap plastic look, most modern cars, even Japanese cars, have cheaper looking plastics that what they used to have in the 90′s.
I SEE, the benni is verry verry verry nice, by contribution of alto, atos, qq308…etc. it’s verry cool when we driving it, thank you,because i have chana benni.
I like the benni too., The features are superior compared to other sub compact cars in the market, and the price can be affordable. The MT cost P 389K, due to chana’s big promo discounts.
With regards to its aircon system, I think the benni seems cool enough. Maybe, Mr.Roque did the test drive during noon time, and without a good tint, the car requires ample time to cools its interior. The same thing apply with all cars.
As soon as my car loan application was approved, I think I will be getting a benni.
I test drove the Chana Benni 1.3 M/T last July 3, 2010 and my overall impression of the car was negative.
1) The fit and finish of the exterior is far off from the Japanese and Korean cars.
Brakes are so-so. The car will stop when you depress the brake pedal but somewhere in your mind you are very very hopeful they will not fail you during emergencies.
2) The fit and finish of the interior is very cheap looking.
3) The steering wheel is too big for the interior.
4) The transmission is clunky to shift and shifting to the next gear is not precise.
5) The transmission is noisy and has a bad transmission’s whine.
6) The driver’s seat is HORRIBLE. It cannot be adjusted to a comfortable position making the driver’s ergonomic position very bad. I can imagine the back aches after driving the Benni for 4 straight hours.
7) Engine is strong but not so “revable”. It sounds like it would explode if you over-revved it.
9) No credible data yet for durability and owners’ pride.
10) Aircon is fine. At least the interior of the car is cool and comfortable.
If you’ve driven Japanese and Korean (Hyundai), you’ll most certainly not like the Benni. If this is your first car then you’ll have nothing to compare it to except the taxis, jeepneys and buses you’ve ridden before and therefore, you probably will be excited to own the Benni.
For those that are thinking of getting the Benni as a second car then do so at your own risk. I would, hands down, recommend the really, really super great mighty mite Hyundai i10 (1.1 A/T or 1.2 A/T) anytime. I own an i10 as my third car and it never ceases to put a smile on my face. Test drive one and see what I mean.
I guess that when reviewing a vehicle developed and made in China, one should liken the comparison not to new cars but the first Japanese cars that were made in the 1960′s. At that time the Japanese built cars (Datsuns & Toyotas) were considered to be disposable tin boxes with a life of 6 months. Today Nissan, Toyota, Honda, Suzuki, Mazda, Mitsubishi and mare are market leaders all over the world. The slogan “the car behind you is a Toyota” goes to say so much. So come on CHANA, one day “the car in front of you and behind you is a CHANA” should become reality.