Isn’t this actually a kind of new Smart? The Dongfeng Box is actually a kind of adopted orphan for Mercedes-Benz. Because after the German brand said goodbye to subsidiary Smart, the cute Dongfeng Box seems to be the ideal model to banish the ’empty nest syndrome’ of Mercedes. Not least because of the high cuddly factor and the visual similarities with Smart. Although Mercedes has nothing to do with Dongfeng, the brand is sold here via a large number of Mercedes dealers and the Box thus perfectly fills the gap at the dealers that Smart left behind when it comes to real city cars. Because with its compact dimensions, its cool appearance and favorable sales price, the model shows many similarities with the models of Smart, which is now 50 percent in Chinese hands. Does the Dongfeng Box also drive like a Smart? In terms of driving, the similarities are fortunately small. Because where Smarts have always remained somewhat uncomfortable bouncy boxes, partly due to their short wheelbase and hard chassis, the Box surprises with a silky-smooth suspension. This is not really surprising, since the bad roads in China require a forgiving chassis, but the end result feels very comfortable. The downside of this story is that you will not find a speck of sportiness in the driving experience. The acceleration of the 95 hp (70 kW) strong Box is at most ‘sufficient’, but given the fact that the sprint time from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour is supposedly not known, this probably means that Dongfeng is not really proud of it. Feels like it is around ten seconds. The steering offers little feeling and in the bends you do not really feel what the chassis is doing, but the result is that bumps in the road surface are effortlessly absorbed. Its top speed of 140 kilometers per hour means that you can also keep up well on the highway. So small on the outside, is it also cramped on the inside? The really big plus point of the Dongfeng Box is however its interior space. The front seats are already comfortable, but the rear seats offer above-average legroom for a car in this segment, meaning that even small families can get by with the Box. The interior looks luxurious and stylish, and the Box can also be converted into a living room. For example, the driver’s seat can be converted into a flat bed, for a nap during your lunch break, for example. You can do this by folding the backrests of the front seats backwards, so that they form a double bed together with the rear seats. The large amount of leather with large diamond stitching creates a luxurious atmosphere, especially in combination with design ideas such as the belt buckles on the glove compartment and a drawer in the dashboard that can also be used as an integrated picnic board or as a mini desk for a laptop. The boot has a volume of 326 to 945 litres. However, the loading sill is quite high and the loading floor is not flat when the seats are folded down. A five-inch screen shows the speedometer and the like, and a relatively large 12.8-inch touchscreen houses the infotainment system. Is this what we are waiting for? According to Kjeld Riegen, CEO of Voyah Benelux, the interest in the Box is already overwhelming. “The orders are pouring in, even though we haven’t done any marketing yet. The first batch of cars is on its way and will appear on the road this year. The Box can now be ordered as a Launch Edition with a 360-degree camera, an electrically adjustable driver’s seat with ventilation and heating, adaptive cruise control, V2L functionality and a range of 310 kilometers.” How far does the Dongfeng Box go? When it comes to the drive, there are two battery sizes with 31.4 kilowatt hours (kWh) and 230 kilometers WLTP range or with 42.3 kWh and 310 kilometers – but only the large one comes to the Netherlands. The Box should charge from 30 to 80 percent in 30 minutes, which doesn’t really sound spectacular. Speaking of energy: the Chinese small car can also be used as a power source for household appliances (V2L). How much does it cost? The introductory price of the Dongfeng Box, including costs for making it ready to drive, is 23,400 euros. The price for the Style Edition, which can be ordered later, is 22,400 euros. Lease drivers benefit from the low fiscal value of 21,990 and 22,990 euros respectively. In addition, this year you can still benefit from the SEPP subsidy of 2950 euros, which allows you to get in for less than 20,000 euros. At the moment, only the Dacia Spring is actually cheaper, but that is a less mature car.
Source: www.autoweek.nl
