2023 Changan Uni-T Review

Changan’s lineup is strong, so it came as a bit of a surprise for us when the brand brought in the “Uni” models, the Uni-K and the Uni-T. These two crossovers looked great when they first launched, but Changan is selling these two models side-by-side with the rest of the CS lineup of crossovers, so there appears to be a little redundancy in the lineup. 

To answer our questions, we needed to review at least one of them to see where they fit into the lineup. So this is the 2023 Changan Uni-T, the smaller crossover in the 'Uni' lineup, that’s compact in size, but big on the features and the style. We will admit, this early on, that Changan has something special here, and we’re kind of hoping that the brand would have made this their main lineup of products, paired with the same exceptional value that the brand delivers. So let’s dive into it. 

The design of the Changan Uni-T is anything but boring. It’s pretty impressive to see a crossover like this deliver so many curves and lines that not only look right, they also break some molds when it comes to crossover design. In some ways, it kind of looks like a concept car, but it isn’t. Some people even thought that it was an electric car, or a hybrid at the very least. Spoiler alert, it isn’t, but it’s kind of all the better for it. 

You get a full suite of LED headlights taillights, and fog lights for starters, a grille that leads somewhere, but it looks like it’s actually closed off thanks to Changan’s one-piece bumper and grille design. It has to be said that this car is unlike any crossover we’ve seen before. Manufacturers often make their gasoline-powered cars and their electric-powered counterparts distinct from one another, with a clear line of design separating the two. In Changan’s case, they decided to tread that line very carefully, in a way that makes it still functional to accommodate all the air that you need for a gasoline engine, but with the futuristic style of a car of tomorrow. 

The model further displays hints of concept car in its design, with the biggest wheels we’ve ever seen on a crossover of this size, coming in at 20 inches. We know, the ride could have taken a hit—spoiler alert it didn’t. However, the chief concern here would be that the rubber you’d have to purchase if the high-end OEM tires wears out will cost you a pretty penny at your tire dealer. However, the tradeoff is an absolutely gorgeous stance that we really fits the vehicle’s aesthetic. If this were our car, we definitely wouldn’t go for a smaller set of aftermarket wheels, and that’s a bit funny considering the performance of this car on the road. 

At this point, you’ve probably sat in a Changan already, either that or you’ve seen some of the reviews and might have been mildly to majorly impressed. Drawing comparisons from the Changan lineup, the CS55 Plus is a similar car, but take that model and elevate it further and you get the Uni-T. The interior of the Uni-T features a new and improved aesthetic that uses new touches and materials to create a rather dynamic interior. The steering wheel is a flat bottom, the dashboard flows (almost) uninterrupted with a silver piece of trim spanning the entire length of the dash, and highlighting the interior’s features and lines up front. There is also a nice LED strip in the front nestled in its own pod that pulses and blinks as if the car is alive and trying to tell you something. It’s all really enticing and engaging. 

That is, until you really get into the nooks and crannies of the vehicle. There is one gap under the gauge cluster that doesn’t exactly spark joy for us, and with a “premium” brand experience like this, we dare question why didn’t Changan equip it with a auto dimming rear view mirror. Everything else is otherwise complete as you get an ample number of AC vents for the front and rear passengers, you get premium seats that are quite dialed in for comfort and a bit of spirited driving and there are a ton of storage spaces that you can take advantage of. It’s also worth noting that the space inside the cabin is more than enough for small to large occupants, and adequate for the extra large. The rear cargo area is a little short for a crossover, mainly brought about by the extra aggressive fastback roof design (which we absolutely love, by the way). On te topic of roofs, one thing we’ve noticed with most panoramic roof designs is that there is usually a gap between the rear and the front section, to allow the roof to double as a sun roof. Well, in the case of the Uni-T, instead of opting to be everything at once, the glass is a stunning one-piece part that doesn’t try to be a sunroof. While it may seem like a con, it’s actually a good thing 

There are a few chinks in this Uni-T’s armor here. From the outside, we have little to no complaints, but it appears that Changan might have overlooked a few details in pursuit of an extremely interesting design. Fundamentally speaking, however, nothing’s really wrong with the interior, just a few missed opportunities and oversights never really made a car unsellable, right? 

Speaking of which, we were able to stretch our legs in the rear of the car with no problems. Whether it was Caco, Jack, or myself, the Uni-T did well to accommodate a wide array of people sizes. Following that, you have the actual drive around town, in which the Uni-T, even on 20-inch wheels, did exceptionally well. Bumps, humps, and potholes were all handled nicely, however, the car did manage to produce a loud thud in the event that we were going a little too fast over a speed bump we didn’t see or a pothole that was otherwise covered by some water.

Highway stability and comfort were also great and it’s one extremely quiet automobile. Even going at the speed limit, noise and also tire noise from the expensive OEM set was a non-issue. We tried to pick at the model further by testing the jerkiness of the throttle and picking the bumpiest parts of EDSA and C5, but that didn’t phase the Uni-T, surprisingly. To think that all of this was happening in a car on 20-inch wheels was unheard of, or perhaps the fully-independent MacPherson and Multilink front and rear suspension setup is to blame here. In which case, good job Changan. 

Knowing Changan vehicles, the length of the spec sheet is something to be proud of. There are a lot of things to cover, but perhaps like the interior, there are a few kinks that we feel need to be ironed out. More related to the driving portion, we feel that this is something that needs to be addressed and will set the theme of this section. The gear lever seems a little uninformed about how the rest of the industry executes a digital shifter. To get from park to drive, you actually have to pull it twice in order to get to the ‘D’ position in the selection. There were several times when we’d actually rev up the engine for no reason, only to discover we were neutral. The same also rang true when we wanted to shift from reverse into drive or vice versa. We’d always have to go through neutral first instead of going to the gear that we actually wanted. This would have been easy to solve if the selector had two steps up and two steps down, but it doesn’t so it’s a double pull every time we go from ‘D’ to ‘R.’ 

So therein lies the theme of the Uni-T’s tech. It all works relatively well but with a few flaws in execution. While the adaptive cruise control settings are a plus to have in every spec sheet, the system is a little “young” and in need of a few more updates. Accelerating and decelerating on cruise control wasn’t exactly smooth, with the system getting a little confused because of the close-proximity driving here in the Philippines. While the roads were open, ADAS worked well, but if a car were to stop abruptly, it’ll be better to retake control of the accelerator. It does the slowing down a bit well, but speeding back up isn’t as smooth or as consistent. 

However, overlooking that, the tech package in the Uni-T is rather exceptional but not without a few cons. The 10.3-inch infotainment system is good minus Android Auto only. Changan continues its streak of including Apple CarPlay but leaves Android users out of the pairing party. Bluetooth is still fine, and the wireless charging pad is enough to fit even plus-sized phones with only the largest of Android devices snagging on the lips of the tray. Apart from that, however, we appreciate that Changan’s screens are clear, their cameras pick up a lot of light, and the 360-degree functionality definitely is one of our favorite things to use inside the car. Lane Keep is also better now, and it allows users to fine-tune the system’s response, whether it be a vibration or a correction. The steering wheel can also be adjusted based on the user’s weight preferences, and there are also drive modes that you can enjoy that’ll affect the driving experience. Even with a few imperfect features, the Uni-T still did a lot to satisfy our needs whenever we weren’t using cruise control. The thing is, the equipment is all there, but perhaps with a few tweaks to the software, it could be one heck of a fully-featured vehicle. 

On the note of the safety systems, you’re getting the full package. Up to six airbags, ABS with EBD, traction control, stability control, and the aforementioned Advanced Driver Assist System (ADAS), which includes Blind Spot Detection Warning, Lane Keeping Assist (LKA), Automated Emergency Braking (AEB), Integrated Adaptive Cruise Control (IACC) with Traffic Jam Assist (TJA), Electronic Stability Control (ESC); Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Front Collision Warning (FCW) and Rear Cross Traffic Alert.

As package, the Uni-T displays a great option in the market for those that are conscious about preventing an accident. Top marks for the systems on board, a few points off for the execution of some of the ADAS features as previously mentioned. 

Perhaps this is the best part of the Changan Uni-T apart from the exterior design. The driving experience is a step up from the other Changan models whereas the engine, the transmission, and the suspension all feel like they’re upgraded and refined over the standard CS family of nameplates. 

The engine has 177 hp, which is quite a lot considering that it comes from a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that’s very smooth and engaging at the same time. Paired with the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT), you get a lot for your money in terms of powertrain performance. On top of that, 300 Nm of torque doesn’t hurt either, and it allows the DCT to remain rather smooth whether in traffic or on the highway. We did notice that the Uni-T didn’t have that characteristic lunge when in stop-and-go traffic. The transmission appears well-tuned in this regard, and it was also a decent performer at speed. The inspiring engine performance made us want paddles inside the car, but unfortunately, that’s not present and neither is a manual mode due to the gear selector situation. To make up for that, sport mode did come in handy if we wanted the engine to hold the gears a little more and return better response through the accelerator. 

Handling-wise, apart from the surprising amounts of comfort, the chassis is stiff when cornering, and held a line nicely with spirited driving. What this means is that the Uni-T will feel confident and stable on a drive. The wheels return a surprising amount of feedback while the frame feels like a cut above Changan’s other offerings, with less wallow and more confidence. Moving into the city, the Uni-T works best with the lightest steering setting. Again, even with the 20-inch alloys, the steering was light and the fact that we could always dial up the weight in the settings later on was a great selling point in our experience, the only question we have was “Why didn’t Changan just link the steering wheel setting with the drive modes?” Still, handling is very competent and surprisingly fun for a crossover of this size. 

City traffic got us about 8 km/L, then 11 km/L when traffic eased up. On the highway we got 13 km/L with some stints of acceleration and traffic, while all clear and ready to go, we were able to get about 16 km/L. An on-highway reset would have returned better figures and we did that to achieve roughly about 18 km/L, though that did include a lot of coasting and frankly a not-so-fun drive. 

As far as context is concerned, the Uni-T is relatively efficient for what it is, especially in city runs where we expected the crossover to perform worse. It’s about par with its non-hybrid competitors, so that’s something to be proud of on Changan’s part. 

All things considered, the Changan Uni-T brings a lot of new next-generation styling, features, and, driving to the market, and it does so without losing the fundamental qualities we’ve come to expect from Changan, minus a few minor complaints. Improvements all around compared to other crossovers in the Changan stable are welcome with the design and the powertrain being some of the most impressive aspects of the car. 

However, not everything is perfect. As mentioned, there are a few kinks that need to be ironed out. The ADAS suite needs a touch-up, that one gap in the interior needs to be filled, and an auto-dimming mirror needs to be added. Now, you might feel that we’re being a little too harsh on the Uni-T but that’s because we’re rooting for it and we want to really tell you ‘Y’ it’s so worth the P1,679,000. The drive is great, the handling is great, but there are just some things that you might have to put up with just in case you’re really considering this car. For that price, we’re expecting a lot, and we certainly hope that’s fair to Changan. We also hope that some of the complaints can be addressed through minor touches and software updates. 

Although, as a car itself, considering just the fundamentals and the overall engineering and design, we feel that Changan is on to something, on the right track, and on the way to really earning its worth with the “Uni” series of products. As a value proposition, it’s a great drive for a decent chunk of change with a decent amount of features and with a few quirks.