/ Featured Article

Lucky Number Seven?: The Changan X7 Plus

Changan’s seven-seater offering promises to be its luckiest bet for the Philippines yet.

Earl Lee on Nov 15, 2023

It’s just another seven-seater, it’s just another crossover, it’s just another car, says the many that bring their opinions to the table. However, Changan usually succeeds in creating a package that looks enticing from a design standpoint and exciting from a spec and from a driver’s perspective. The X7 Plus is yet another seven-seater in the market, granted, but with a brand like Changan on its front grille, you know that something about it is a little more special than the rest.

Recalling the last seven-seater that Changan fielded in the Philippines, you might remember the CS95 Plus, it was good but not great. You may say that it was good but a bit unlucky having been overshadowed by the brand’s other stellarly equipped and priced models like the CS55 Plus and the CS35 Plus. However, what we’re looking at with the X7 Plus is a new take on what a seven-seater for the Philippines should be according to Changan. A crossover with all of the Changan trimmings and tech, but with an expanded passenger capacity and a price point that many can afford could be the lucky charm that Changan needs to make a dent in the segment.

Exterior

Remembering the CS95 Plus, the design wasn’t so great compared to the other hyper-modern designs that Changan churned out. The X7 Plus features the next-generation design language of the brand, and it features sharp edges, geometry, and angles that put it in line with Changan’s design direction. Sleek throughout, it boasts a presence that only a Changan can deliver and something of an eye-catcher while it is out on the road.

Modern design meets modern features here with the headlights taillights, indicators, DRLs and more all being done with LEDs. As far as the lighting system is concerned, it’s in the same vein as many other crossovers. Par for the course as always, but done with Changan’s attention to detail and in their own way.

Now, while the specifications of the exterior are plastered on the wall, the X7 Plus is undoubtedly a Changan. Made to meet the same look and feel of a crossover from the CS series, the X7 features the same familiar and stylish elements that help it set itself apart from the competition. In keeping with current Changan design tradition accent colors are used throughout the car and to good effect. It’s not that tacky once you get up close given that the model uses a matte finish on these pieces to accentuate the lines and create a contrast from the glossy paint of the panels. Following that, other shiny textures like on the grille and definitely on the paint, glisten in the light with metallic elements embedded. While other Chinese brands are also steering heavily into future-forward designs, there’s something rather sporty and sharp about the X7 Plus that isn’t typical of a seven-seater, and it is a nice refreshing take for the segment that is deemed to be so practical.

More power, more practicality

One thing that we often find ourselves complaining about in the seven-seater category is the lack of power. While more “standard” models will be left with a naturally-aspirated 1.5-liter engine or an under-powered 1.5-liter turbo engine, the X7 Plus ups the ante with a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine with a turbocharger that pushes out up to 185 hp and 300 Nm of torque. That horsepower figure is more than let’s say the Mitsubishi Montero with about 170 horses under the hood, and its torque figure is quite high. It is a crossover, however, so the added power will better translate to a more dynamic drive compared to the standard PPVs out in the market today. Lower to the ground, a uni-body chassis, paired with the smoothness of a gasoline mill make it a worthy consideration if you’re looking for a seven-seater with the power and torque to keep up.

Practicality and power? Why does more power mean more practicality? Or did we mean capability? We’re sure you know that the heavier a car is, the more its engine has to work, and the weaker an engine is, the more taxed it will be when all seven people are loaded up in the car. We got to test a similar motor in another Changan, the CS55 Plus, and that was able to carry us up the mountains of Baguio and back with no issues and no power starvation. Putting that capable motor in the X7 Plus and then loading it with people will bring about more enjoyment compared to standard 1.5-liters such as the one in the Mitsubishi Xpander perhaps? It’s hard to argue with power, and the fact that you get over eighty horses more than other basic seven-seaters is worth a thing, and perhaps worth a jump in price.

Not as expensive as you think

There was a time when seven-seaters were priced under a million Philippine pesos. However, at the time of writing, the market has jumped a few hundred thousand pesos and is now well over the seven-figure mark. There are still a few holdouts, but the majority of the market has already moved up in price.

Changan, however, seems to have stayed quite true to its value proposition. Namely giving the X7 Plus a rather affordable price tag of P1,580,000 at the time of writing. Given its capabilities, it can be more expensive than some seven-seaters out there like the Nissan Livina, or Honda BR-V to name a few in their top-of-the-line trims. However, if you want to be able to afford a more capable engine but don’t want to pay midsize SUV prices, then this should be a good value proposition. Right in the middle of the two segments, Changan presents a stylish and well-equipped model that is about as capable as an SUV, minus the grittier features like 4x4 and added ground clearance, but a better city crawler and road trip machine compared to the entry-level models that seat seven. As an in-between-er in the market, and for those who want something that’s a break from the average, this model could be the one for you.

Icing on the cake

You might wonder what is Changan’s deal with the “Plus” in its model names. You have the CS35 Plus and the CS55 Plus, so what’s the deal? The Alsvin doesn’t get a Plus, while the Uni-K and Uni-T are both sitting in their own bubbles. Is there something weird about Changan’s naming scheme?

If you break it down and look into it a little more (as we have), the Plus would be a good indicator of the features that its models pack, and perhaps the positive impact that owning a Changan will bring. Considering that the 55 and the 35 are both good crossovers with a good amount of features like adaptive cruise control, smartphone pairing, and a better-than-average engine, it seems that Changan is on to something. If we look at the Uni series of the brand, we’ll see a few things that are zanier compared to the standard crossovers in the lineup, marking this line with premium design but still the same great feature set that we get with the “Plus” models.

What does Plus get you? It’s not like you have a choice here because the model will be offered in one variant, but you are assured that the model will have pretty much all the tech that you could want. The 12.3 touchscreen display is great, and it is backed by smartphone pairing features for Apple and Android. You also get a 360-degree reverse camera, other nice to haves like follow-me-home lights, and then you have safety gear like a tire-pressure monitoring system. There are a lot of ups (or pluses) when it comes to the X7 Plus, and the model lives up to the name. Spacious, well-equipped, and decidedly more capable of driving than what is common in the market, only time will tell if seven is Changan’s lucky number in the category. The X7 has a lot going for it, and it is a rather niche vehicle on top of that, so it’ll be interesting to see how this model will contend in the market.

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Changan X7 Plus 1.5 DCT
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