The Changan CS95NEW crossover, the largest model of the Chinese brand, was announced for our market at the end of 2023, but in fact, live cars arrived in the country only at the beginning of 2024. I’ll say right away that we tested a version of the car for the UAE with all the features: complete absence of warm options, more powerful air conditioning and a media system with functions relevant only to their region. But already at the end of summer, Changan presented us with a separate modification CS95NEW, specially adapted for the Russian market. Unfortunately, such a car had not appeared in the company’s press park at the time of writing, so for now let’s quickly go through the crossover for the Emirates.
Externally, the Changan CS95NEW immediately reminded me of the Ford Explorer, and after talking with guys from the auto industry, I realized that I’m not the only one who associates a Chinese car with its American counterpart. The CS95NEW has a slightly swollen body, which with its lines only emphasizes the dimensions of the car. An elongated hood with a large radiator grille and raised, classic-shaped and generally good LED headlights. The rear part of the body is voluminous, and the only newfangled solutions here are combined, also all-LED optics. There is a thin skirt made of unpainted plastic along the entire contour of the body, and for some reason a silver trim was stuck on it in the door area (Ford has the same one). In general, the appearance of the CS95NEW by Chinese designers turned out to be somewhat Americanized, although for a full-size crossover this may not be a bad thing.
The interior of the Changan CS95NEW also turned out to be not quite typical, and it doesn’t even smell of newfangled trends. The front panel is large, even somewhat bloated, without any tricky elements or transitions, but it still looks stylish. In addition, the panel also flows into a large central tunnel, which looks very interesting. The displays are recessed into the front console, and even the media system screen is designed this way, which is a little surprising, because few people have been doing this lately. But at the same time, both screens have visors on top, which allows you to safely read information from them in any lighting. In addition, the manufacturer left convenient climate control knobs on the panel, for which special thanks to him. The latter are not only comfortable, but also look attractive, fitting harmoniously into the interior.
According to the interior materials of the CS95NEW, everything is fine; most of the visible parts are covered with artificial leather, which looks and feels “expensive and rich.” Well, hard plastic panels can only be found at the bottom, and even then the quality of the plastic used is not satisfactory.
The crossover has wide seats, which were too loose for me and lacked more pronounced lateral support. But the seats have a full range of electrical adjustments and position memory, a lift in the front and rear of the cushion, as well as adjustable lumbar support and massage. I will also note the good length of the CS95NEW chair cushion, otherwise the Chinese usually strive to make it as short as possible. But here another problem appeared: the steering wheel’s reach is not adjusted enough, so you have to either move closer or drive with your arms outstretched. But in general, the driving position of the crossover is comfortable, and the seats themselves are moderately hard and have the right profile. By the way, I would also like to note good visibility from the driver’s seat; the pillars here are thin and do not block the view, and the mirrors are large and are also equipped with a blind spot monitoring system.
The model presented on our market is a seven-seater, but, as usual, the third row is suitable only for children or short adults. And landing in the gallery is available only from the right side, where the second-row seat not only moves forward, but also rises slightly. But if you do not use the third row of seats, then you get at your disposal a simply royal second row with an adjustable backrest and longitudinal adjustment of the sofa. Even with a height of 187 cm, I sat comfortably behind me, fortunately there is a lot of legroom, there is a folding center armrest, and the roof does not press, even despite the presence of a huge panorama with a curtain. Also, rear passengers have access to their own climate control control unit, which can be blocked if, for example, children are sitting there. And the air ducts here are not located in the center, but on top above the doors. The only thing that surprised me was the presence of only one USB-A connector, and even in the area of the floor itself. A very strange solution for a modern family car. I’ll also note that the seating position in the second row is not the most comfortable; the reason here is the high threshold and the sofa moved to the center. If in the summer there are no particular problems with this solution, then in the winter it will not be very convenient to shake off your feet before settling into the cabin.
I couldn’t find any figures for the volume of the trunk, but with the third row folded it turns out to be large, and if you fold the backs of the second row of seats from the passenger compartment separately, it turns out to be huge. But, as usual, if we use all the seats in the crossover, then we are left with trunk volume for several bags from the supermarket, and that’s all. The luggage compartment lid is electrically driven and can be opened without contact.
The car’s media system received a 12.3-inch IPS touch display with HD resolution. The screen is quite responsive, and the oleophobic coating is generally good. The menu is standard for Changan cars, with quick access sections on the left side. On the sides of the display there are additional touch keys for accessing the same all-round camera closer to the driver and adjusting the volume on the passenger side.
The content of the media system seems to inspire optimism, but in fact many things, the same navigation, do not work in our region. But there is support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, everything is only wired, but that’s good. True, for some reason CarPlay sometimes fell off for me, apparently due to some difficulties with the software, which, hopefully, the manufacturer will fix with an update.
The Changan dashboard is smaller, 10.25 inches, also with HD resolution. Unlike multimedia, it is not localized, which, in general, is not scary, since only on-board computer data is displayed from additional information. The dashboard has three types of information display, but I chose the classic option, since in the other two, part of the image was animated, which, frankly, was distracting.
For charging gadgets, there is also only one USB-A connector available in the front part of the cabin, which is very limited these days. But in front of the front armrest, even partially below it, there is a platform with 15 W wireless charging, on which the iPhone 14 Pro Max stood almost end-to-end. There is also a small niche in front of the automatic transmission lever where the phone can be placed, but it is not very convenient to use, although when the device is connected by wire, it is better to place the device there.
As I wrote above, the car has three-zone climate control, the settings of which are accessed either from convenient dedicated knobs and keys, or through the media system screen. The air conditioner, of course, in our case was great, it instantly cooled the interior in hot weather, correctly set the airflow intensity and did not require adjustments during the process. But how the climate system will behave in cold weather remains an open question; nevertheless, the installation is designed more for hot climates. Of the additional options, in our case, only three-level ventilation of the front seats, or more precisely, their cushions, was available.
As for driver assistants, the Changan CS95NEW has them in sufficient quantities. Thus, there is adaptive cruise control, which is complemented by a tracking and lane keeping system, as well as a blind spot monitoring system. The cruise works very well, maintaining even a short distance from the vehicle in front and seeing cars changing lanes in advance. The only thing, for the first time, I encountered the fact that cruise control only allows you to let go of the steering wheel for 10 seconds, and if after this time you do not take control, it immediately turns on the emergency lights and begins to slow down the car. Usually the cruise makes several more attempts to reach the driver and only then begins to stop. Here it happens right away, but perhaps this is due to the peculiarities of the UAE rules for which the crossover was intended. It was also surprising that the lane keeping system does not center the crossover, but keeps it closer to the right markings. Does not allow exit, but always keeps to the right. But there are no questions about the operation of the blind spot monitoring system; it detects interference in advance and signals it not only on the mirrors, but also in a clear graphical form on the dashboard.
In addition, the crossover is equipped with an all-round camera with an image that is not the best in quality, but still helps when maneuvering. In addition, cameras on the mirrors can turn on together with the turn signals, giving the driver additional visibility. Also, all-round cameras are used here as a recorder, but since they are all publicly accessible on the body, in bad weather they will quickly become dirty and useless.
In Russia, the Changan CS95NEW is available only with one 2-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine producing 226 hp. and 380 Nm of torque, which comes in conjunction with a classic eight-speed automatic transmission (Aisin TG-82SC). The engine-gearbox connection is perfectly tuned here. The engine power is more than enough both in the city and on the highway, and the gearbox shifts through gears quickly and smoothly. Let’s add good feedback on the steering wheel and we get not a driver’s car, but a very decent crossover that is pleasant to drive. The operation of the all-wheel drive from BorgWarner is carried out electronically, and the driver can only select driving modes depending on the type of surface. In general, the CS95NEW is quite possible to drive off the road, but without fanaticism, after all, its ground clearance is 190 mm, and the front and rear overhangs are not that short.
But still, Changan CS95NEW is not a car for getting into the dirt, but a roomy, comfortable car for the city and long journeys. It is quite quiet, and on the highway only a little aerodynamic noise makes its way into the cabin. The suspension (MacPherson strut at the front, multi-link at the rear) copes well with small and medium-sized uneven surfaces, only giving the cabin a slightly rough impression when hitting protrusions and potholes with sharp edges.
At the same time, I would like to note that fuel consumption is very acceptable for such a large car. So, in the city it consumes around 11-12 liters per 100 km, and on the highway – about 8.5 liters per hundred.
The price for the new Changan CS95NEW in Russia starts at 4,179,900 rubles, and for the maximum version you will have to pay about 400,000 rubles more. At the same time, the car is now subject to special marketing promotions from the manufacturer, which allow you to save up to 220,000 rubles on purchase.
Source: mobile-review.com
