Lifan X60

The production of Chinese cars is now in full swing, as evidenced by the increase in sales volumes and the continuous expansion of the model range. Therefore, a new crossover Lifan X60 with a front drive, which will be assembled in the city of Cherkessk at the factory “Derways”, was demonstrated to Russian motorists in Moscow.

This SUV is one of the most popular Chinese-made vehicles on the Russian market. But everybody understands that the automotive market does not stand still today, and in order to maintain their own positions the companies have to renew their cars. This has not bypassed the crossover from the Celestial Empire either. Restyling touched on the exterior and interior, new equipment and a new gearbox. The whole model range is Lifan.

Car history

The Chinese Automotive Corporation Lifang was founded in 1992. The company has been producing sedans, hatchbacks and microwaves for a decade, the appearance of which was often copied from popular Japanese-made cars. When the second decade of the 21st century began, the company’s management decided to increase its own model range with a crossover. As a basis we took Toyota RAV4 of the 3rd series, which was very popular with Chinese car makers. As an example, we can recall his clone – Chery Tiggo.

The design staff of the company has changed the appearance of the exterior. The conceptual version was demonstrated in 2010 at the Shanghai Motor Show. For the sake of justice, it is worth noting that the Chinese model will be rightly called a “universal with increased road clearance”, because it has more versatility than the resources to develop off-road. However, in reality it is a “SUV CD”, which is technically read as an “illegal copy” of Toyota.

Exterior

If you look at the Lifan X60 literally for the first time, you can easily see the same qualities as the famous crossover from Japan Toyota RAV4. And this is exactly so, because the appearance of the Japanese and his body shape liked quite a lot the design staff from China.

Besides, not only Lifan decided to use Toyota as an example, but Chery, for example. However, unlike Cherie Tiggo, the exterior image of the Lifan X60 crossover shows the qualities inherent in American and Korean cars. Generally speaking, the exterior of the car cannot be called repulsive, but it is not unique either.

The arches of the wheels are rather relief and provide the crossover with thoroughness and athletic qualities. The car headlamps have additional settings, with the help of which excellent visibility is increased. The chrome-plated grille is slightly narrowed and looks quite effective together with the piercing optical lighting system.

It’s strange that an auxiliary lighting unit is located at the usual place where the fog lights are installed, while the fog lights are the lowest. This is not a successful action, as there is no additional plastic protection against chipping on the body.

It is logical that you can find various defects in the paintwork, which is very minimal, when driving on the gravel. Side mirrors of rear visibility have a large shape and do not require auxiliary settings when changing the person who controls the machine. The rear part of the car Lifan X60 looks good due to the light-amplifying optics in which the LED system is mounted, which forms a trapeze.

If you look more carefully at the car, you can see the skewed parts of the body, as eloquently evidenced by the different thickness of the slots. The exterior of a Chinese SUV has trends that mark the production of crossovers. The car differs from even its “kin” by the presence of streamline and swelling.

Interior

The interior of the inexpensive SUV has a moderate comfortable accommodation for 5 people, which includes a driver. The instrument panel consists of three deep wells and does not stand out due to its informative nature. The panel installed in front has two levels and a massive central console, on which the simple music and the knobs of the ventilation and heating system settings are located.

If we talk about finishing materials and quality of interior assembly, each person will have a different opinion. For example, if you move to a Chinese crossover Lifan X60 with VAZ 2106, the driver simply does not look forward to it, and if the driver sits down from the same SUV Toyota RAV4, he will find a lot of already known elements in the cabin of Lifan, but these details will be made with a very different quality, which is inherent in the Chinese assembly.

 

It is worth mentioning that being in the cabin of the car, you can smell cheap plastic, though not phenolic, but still. It is also worth mentioning the turmoil in connection with the presence of bad door seals made of rubber, poor sound insulation of the interior and engine department, shortcomings of assembly – all this is present in the normal order. The minimum distance between pedals, which are installed with a significant difference, leads to risky operation of the machine.

If we talk about flaws, the glove box for the driver has a fairly small volume and is often able to open itself for no reason. The three passengers who are sitting in the rear seats feel the space and location available. Interestingly, the backrest of the second row of seats has a tilt adjustment. I was surprised by the amount of free space in the legs of passengers – as if you were in a large sedan.

Even taller passengers will be comfortable enough to sit and their knees will not feel uncomfortable. A nice detail will be for the rear passengers – adjustment of the angle of inclination of seats and armrest. If you sit behind the steering wheel of the car, then, unfortunately, you feel that there is no proper side support, although the seats are quite comfortable, but you cannot sit comfortably in relation to the “lamb”.

In presence there is a good stock of options for seats that will allow to choose a required landing, however the fact that there are no options of a steering wheel, slightly worsen impressions. The interior leather finish is also not the trump card of this car. If you look at the front panel of the car, you realize that you have already seen it somewhere – again, Toyota Pav4. Although the Chinese again copied the salon of the famous crossover, but to say that it is a full copy, it is impossible.

The designers still managed to show a little imagination and add some of their moments. What is the front panel worth? I would like to say about the fifth door, in order to open and close which, it is necessary to make a great physical effort. The algorithm is not thought out, you can open the luggage compartment door with a button from the inside or press the key, and the external handle is simply not provided.

The luggage compartment has at its disposal 405 litres, which in general is quite a good result. However, this is not all, if necessary, you can increase the useful space up to 1,170 liters, depending on what will be the position of the second row of seats. If you load the car under the ceiling, you will get 1 638 liters. Features of the Lifan X60 engine are described below.

Specifications

Powertrain

No choice of power pack. This is the only engine with a capacity of 1.8 liters that produces 128 horsepower and is able to work on AI-92. It has four cylinders, 16 valves and variable valve timing. The given engine was developed together with English engineers of firm Ricardo.

The engine meets the European standard of CO2 emissions – EURO-4. For this very reason, the dynamic component of the Chinese-made Lifang X60 SUV is mediocre. The most significant disadvantage of driving is the beginning. Due to the unsuccessful adjustment of the accelerator there are constant tripping at the start of the movement.

As officials assure, the first hundred crossovers overcome in 11.2 seconds, but in reality this result is more than 3.3 seconds. The speed limit was set at 170 km/h.

At low revolutions the engine is practically not felt, it comes to life only at the speed gain. The company officially announced fuel consumption per 100 km – 8.2 liters in combined mode. The Lifan X60 engine clearly needs improvement or new engine variants.

Transmission

Despite its brutality, Lifan X60 does not have the necessary off-road potential. The main culprit is only the presence of front wheel drive. Only the front-wheel drive model is going to the automotive market of the Russian Federation. There are two gearboxes: five-speed manual gearbox and stepless CVT variator. The gas pedal is electronic.

Suspension

Speaking of the suspension, Chinese engineers used a McPherson rack in front of the truck and a time-tested multilever system on the rear wheels. The knocked down suspension works perfectly with all kinds of drawbacks on the road.

When hitting a large potholes, small shocks are transmitted to the interior of the car. Though the car does not possess high road clearance, but at turn the car a little lurching.

Rail steering

But the way in which the hydraulic power steering and braking system functions is simply an unpleasant surprise. When you turn the steering wheel, the wheels themselves respond very late, resulting in low levels of information and handling.

Brake system

In order to brake effectively, the brake pedal must be depressed fully, which is not good. By the way, the braking system on this vehicle is represented by disk mechanisms on all wheels.

When this happens, there is a feeling that there is a problem in the braking system. Also, the warranty period of the main assemblies and units of the machine, which is equal to only 1 year or 30,000 km, is very worrying.

Dimensions

Chinese off-road vehicle Lifan X60 is 4,325 mm long, 1,790 mm wide and 1,690 mm high. The wheelbase is 2,600 mm and the ground clearance level is 179 mm, which is not a good result in principle, although not bad either, given the quality of our roads.

The car is equipped with 16-inch steel or light alloy wheels. Among the body paint variants there are six color variations. As a standard is the presence of white, and for painting silver, gray, blue, cherry or black will have to pay extra. Weighs Lifan X60 1 330 kg.

SUV Restyling

Chinese car company Lifang is probably the world champion in restyling frequency of its own cars. This also affected the popular front-drive crossover X60, which only in the summer of 2015 underwent minor changes that affected the appearance and technical performance. Only a year later, the company launched the new Lifan X60, which entailed changes in the exterior and interior. Interestingly, for the Russian market, cars of the 2017 model year began to be sold in December 2016.

Exterior Restyling

In fact, Leafan X60 2017 has not changed dramatically. The vehicle received the replaced grille and new bumper. However, thanks to this, the crossover now looks more modern and attractive. There are broken lines, which added to the appearance of the parquet flooring brutality.

Leafan X60 has a fundamentally new face, small headlights, where there are halogen elements of dipped beam and not changeable fashionable lines of daytime running lights. The headlamps installed in front were designed in accordance with the Hawk-Eye concept.

The radiator grille has been replaced by a new one with a large horizontal bar in the middle. Just on it found a place for a label “LIFAN”. Below there is a large bumper with unusually neat “fogging”. This time, they decided to install them, finally, higher.

The parquet floor was equipped with large air intakes on the side and in the middle. Interestingly, the novelty of Chinese manufacture almost completely repeats the face part of its spacious “kinsman” Lifan Myway, but, nevertheless, the “face” is more manly and angular.

The side part has obvious changes in the form of external mirrors. By the way, the mirrors are conveniently equipped with a number of indicator strips, which have become a little thinner. Chinese specialists decided to expand the number of unique “rollers”. Now, in addition to 16 and 17-inch light alloy wheels, 18-inch alloy wheels will also be sold.

Large front wheel arches are smoothly transferred to the rounded bumper. The rear part has also been well worked on, making it more sporty and crowned with a pair of “fake” holes for the exhaust system nozzles. There are also modified lanterns “dimensions”, which were made with the use of LEDs.

Interior Restyling

Inside the Chinese vehicle, a large list of works was carried out, so the interior was transformed well. The salon has a fully improved central console, which is placed a large color display of the multimedia system, designed for 8 inches, which supports touch control, updated modules of air conditioning and audio system.

Among the finishes of Lifan X60 2017 interior decoration are materials of improved quality. Many motorists will be pleased with the presence of inserts that were made for carbon fiber. This can be seen clearly in the Lifan X60 photo.

The maximum execution of the car has received furnish of an interior with introduction of the combined skin, the colour 8-inch display with touch control and support of satellite navigating system and a back chamber. They have not forgotten about the air conditioning system, the function of heating the front seats and exterior mirrors, as well as support for electrical adjustment.

In addition, the new model has all the necessary upgrades, assistants and security systems that are present in any car today. In front of the driver, engineers have placed an original dashboard with LED lighting. It turns out that the two-story architecture of the torpedo was disrupted by the expressive console.

The devices, together with the audio interface, are highlighted in a pleasant blue color. The multimedia system supports Bluetooth, and the setting buttons are also installed on the steering wheel spokes. In general, the finishing was made of plastic of improved quality.

Already the standard version received ABS, emergency braking force distribution system, two airbags, height-adjustable steering column, electric mirror drive, electric drive function of front and rear windows, central locking and light sensor.

As a separate option, a heating and microlift function for the front seats, a parktronic, an electrically operated hatch, a rear camera, an assistant at the start of the mountain, climate control and upholstery of the interior of the leather with a double solid stitching. The company says it has done a good job of noise insulation.

Price and equipment

It is clear that one of the most important features of Chinese cars is their cost. In the market of the Russian Federation the car was offered from the very beginning with a couple of complete sets: the standard “Basic” and improved “Standart” (LX). The cheapest set of equipment with a manual gearbox is estimated from $9441,43.

It includes the presence:

• ABS+EBD;
• central lock;
• pairs of airbags;
• electric window lifters;
• audio systems;
• two-column radio;
• railings on the roof;
• halogen headlights with corrector;
• electric side mirror drive.

Complete set “Standart” is estimated from $10307,04 and has, in addition to the already mentioned, the presence of front fog lights, air conditioning, audio system (radio + CD / MP3 for 4 speakers), decorative caps on the wheels.

Later, there was also introduced a complete set of “Comfort”, where additionally there is a presence of “chrome package”, heating of side mirrors, cast wheels, protection of the power unit, leather interior, more variants of adjustment of the driver’s seat, an option of heating of the driver’s seat, parktronic and audio system with 6-loudspeakers.

Such modification is estimated from $10700,50. The top complete set “Luxury” will already cost from 699 900 rubles and includes the presence of “multi steering wheel”, the functions of heating the passenger seat and hatch installed in the roof. The most expensive set “Comfort” comes with a variator and is estimated from $11487,41.

The 2017 model will be available in 4 versions for our market: Basic, Standart, Comfort and Luxury. The basic equipment will cost from $10700,50, and the top model will cost not less than $13218,63. To install the variator, available from the “Comfort” version, you need to pay additional $1101,68).

The Basic package includes 2 Airbags, electrically powered exterior mirrors, 4 power windows, audio system, hydraulic power steering, ABS and EBD systems. The Standart version also has a heated driver’s seat, air conditioning and fog lights.

Comfort has received crankcase protection, leather seats, heated exterior mirrors, heated passenger seat, rear parktronic, 17-inch alloy wheels, chrome door handles and a decorative overlay on the powertrain. Luxury already has a multifunctional steering wheel, multimedia system with touchscreen display and 6 speakers (including navigation system and rear camera), as well as a hatch on the roof.

Pluses and minuses

Tuning

Looking at the Lifan X60 photo there is no strong desire to tuning your car, but many motorists want to embellish their own vehicle a little, in order to distinguish it among the total flow of cars in the city. For example, it is possible to establish a protective cover in which there are overlays on a bumper, back protective arches, lateral thresholds and overlays on thresholds.

If you use wind turbines, deflectors and spoilers, you can slightly refresh your car and make it individual by adding external tuning to it. Such accessories are quite easy to install, and it does not require special training, so you can produce this procedure at any service station or in your garage. In addition, some drivers are tuning headlights, giving the car brightness and style.

Owner feedback

Drivers note that even a loaded car can easily overtake, and in the city limits the car is not lost. The salon is spacious, and on the back sofa it is possible to adjust the tilt of the back. The back seat cushion is able to tilt back, and just like the backrest, is folded in the ratio of 2/3. The floor is almost flat, so you can easily carry the load. Moreover, it is easier to organize a sleeping place.

The seat in front of the truck is tilted forward to a solid angle. Nor do they complain about the functioning of the ABS. Lighting is fully copes with the tasks, no matter what time to drive and in what weather conditions – snow, rain, fog and snowfall – the visibility is good. Mirrors well transmit all the necessary conditions on the road, as well as the entire back of the car.

The owners consider weak paintwork and metal body coating to be the disadvantages. The first pre-restyling models are famous for weak noise insulation. The noise comes literally from everything – from the wheels to the powertrain. Drivers also do not like the quality of electrical equipment, as it has an extremely low reliability, which is why everything – sensors, bulbs and so on – fails.

The model is not famous for its high reliability either. Due to the large strokes of the suspension, heavy body and high center of gravity at a sharp turn of the steering wheel, the rear outer wheel begins to behave unreliably. The quality of front seats is rather low, the profile is completely absent, ergonomics of the interior is rather poor.

We sum up

Summing up the results of the Chinese off-road vehicle Lifan X60, you notice that the company is not standing still and is constantly developing. It is clear that the car was to some extent copied from the Japanese SUV, but still, the Chinese have contributed their parts and their qualities.

In general, the appearance of the crossover has become more modern, youthful and even sporty. Though not record-breaking, but acceptable road clearance allows to cope with all the direct tasks. Although if the Chinese called it an SUV, its clearance should have been a little higher. Though the salon does not differ in quality of execution and fitting of details, but it was made much better and more qualitatively, than at predecessors of the given company.

Too bad the steering wheel didn’t get any adjustments. And the glove box is minimal. The chairs have not received proper settings and good side support. However, there is more than enough space in the interior of the car Lifan X60. This applies not only to the driver and passenger sitting in front, but also to the second row of seats.

The luggage compartment has an acceptable amount of free space, and if necessary, it can be increased by adding backrests of the rear seats. Chinese cars have always been famous for a rich arsenal of equipment, even in basic equipment. And this model is no exception.

It is nice to have a good safety system, which also includes airbags. The only bad thing is that the machine gets only one power unit, which sometimes lacks power. Also, the Lifan X60 can not be called a full-fledged SUV at all 100%, because it does not have a four-wheel drive (front drive). The moderate price policy of the automobile company acts as an advantage.

Since the last restyling, Lifan X60 New has added substantially to almost all the articles. The appearance has become more stylish and modern, especially in the front of the car. Wheels can now be 18-inch light alloy wheels. Though the back of the car hasn’t undergone cardinal changes, but at the bottom it has received pleasant “fake” holes for exhaust pipes.

Inside, the quality of the materials used has become a little better, with an 8-inch color touchscreen multimedia system display. Pleasant illumination of the central console will please the owner. The only pity is that there are no new versions of the power unit or its improved version.

Also, drivers can not still enjoy the Chinese crossover in full measure because of the lack of four-wheel drive system. Or maybe it is not needed here, based on a rather weak for such needs motor. What will happen in the future? It remains to wait, because time always puts everything in its place.

We advise you to read the article: History of Lifan Industry

Lifan X60 2017 photo

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