A Chery Amulet class C passenger car is manufactured by the Chinese state-owned company Chery Automobile Co., Ltd in Wuhan and is a slightly modified version of the first-generation SEAT Toledo (launched in 1991). The first car of this brand was in 1999, the model Chery Wincloud. Since then, it has been repeatedly updated and changed its name (other names - Quiyun, Flagcloud, Fulwind). Since the fall of 2005, the upgraded Flagcloud began to be sold in Russia under the name Amulet (Chery A15). Since March 2006, Chery Amulet began assembly at the Avtotor plant in Kaliningrad. Basic equipment offers fabric interior, power steering, fog lights, air conditioning and audio package.
For an extra charge, power windows, electric heated mirrors, central locking, 14 inch alloy wheels, dual airbags, ABS, radio cassette player or CD player with 6 speakers. The appearance of the car without obvious designer blunders and retains the features of the "progenitor» Toledo, albeit with a significantly redesigned front end. Build quality and painting is quite decent. The gaps between the body panels are even and small. Doors close easily. The front seats are wide with a large range of longitudinal adjustment, comfortable enough for the driver to grow up to 180 cm.
The ergonomics are not bad, everything is in hand, the lever of the mechanical 5-speed gearbox switches easily and fairly clearly, though you have to reach slightly into fifth gear. The steering wheel is height adjustable. The levers for adjusting the backrest are located between the front seats and not on the side of the doors, as on most cars. Minus-bulging windows buttons that you can accidentally push with your elbow. The quality of the interior is quite decent for a car in this price category. All plastic parts fit together.
The rear seats are quite spacious for a class C car, though the third one here will be superfluous; but the knees of the remaining two will not rest against the backs of the front seats. The interior as a whole is cozy and inviting, only the light color of the fabric upholstery of the first lots of machines is not quite practical. The body liftback (pseudo-sedan) is convenient for loading dimensional things into a luggage compartment with a capacity of 420 liters. The back of the rear seat folds in parts, forming a flat, without a step surface; As a result, a medium size refrigerator can be placed in the trunk.
The model comes with a single 4-cylinder 8-valve engine SQR-480 of 1, 6 liters and 94 hp, manufactured under license from Mitsubishi. A torquey engine pulls well from the bottom and quickly grows. In the first gear, it is easy to slip the front wheels on clean asphalt. When paired with a very “short” transmission, it gives good dynamics. Acceleration to 100 km / h takes 11.5 seconds, while the maximum speed reaches 172 km / h.
It consumes up to 11 liters of AI-92 gasoline in the urban cycle and 8.5 liters in the mixed. In operation, such an engine is reliable enough, durable and maintainable. In China and several other countries, a version with a more powerful 1.6 liter DOHC 116 hp is offered.
Russian amulets are aggregated by a 5-speed manual gearbox. For surcharge, starting in summer 2006, the ZF variator is offered. The level of smoothness and efficiency of the brakes (front ventilated disc and rear drum) Amulet is comparable with the VAZs of the “tenth” family. Easy due to the steering booster is not informative enough at high speed.
ABS on this front wheel drive car works sharply and noisily, but predictably and allows you to maintain directional stability when maneuvering on a snowy and slippery surface. Good handling, trajectory predictability and minimal rolls are largely due to a stiffer suspension, which consists of MacPherson strut with cylindrical springs in front and a torsion all-in-one rear axle. However, in the complex with good sound insulation, an acceptable level of comfort is achieved. The fact that Amulet is widely used as a taxi at home, speaks about sufficient reliability of this brand.
