THOSE of us old enough to remember the 1970s will recall a seismic event for the British car industry – the first mass market Japanese cars had arrived.
While most motorists struggled along in Austins, Escorts or Vivas, worried if their motors would start for work in the morning, Mr Smarty-pants at number 17 would smugly get into his Datsun 120Y knowing it would start… and he could even listen to The Bee Gees or Rod Stewart on his factory fitted radio on the way!
The writing was truly on the wall for the British car industry – as has been proved by the decades since – even though a few years later it turned out rust proofing was an alien concept to the Japanese.
Now I am not saying we are in as serious a situation and there is no longer a truly British car industry to decimate but the arrival in great numbers of Chinese motors feels very similar.
Yes many cars are still made here under foreign ownership but I bet that famous phrase from Dad’s Army – “we’re all doomed Captain Mainwaring” – will have been whispered in car company boardrooms across Europe.
No doubt cheaper, filled with kit and appearing very well put together my first proper test of the new kids on the block was a Geely Starray EM-I MAX, a mid-sized SUV with hybrid power and lots of it.
At around £30k this is a whole lot of car for the cash and undercuts equivalent European rivals by several thousand pounds – so where is the catch?
Well I have to report that over a week of very mixed driving I think I am with the “we’re all doomed” camp as our mid-range MAX Starray was very well appointed, well put together with quality interior materials and good to drive with over 80 miles possible (depending on battery size) on electricity only and a range of up to 500 miles using its traditional PHEV set up.
A 1.5-litre petrol engine and electric motor are both located under the bonnet while the drive battery is under the front passenger’s seat. Power is sent to the front wheels via a single-speed ‘E-DHT’ gearbox.
The 98bhp petrol engine and 214bhp electric motor combine to deliver a system output of 258bhp. The electric motor takes care of most driving duties while the non-turbo petrol engine acts as a back-up when extra power is needed at motorway speeds or when the battery is low on range.
Highlights include that long list of standard equipment with things like a power tailgate, adaptive cruise, 360-degree camera system and heads up display on offer plus some quirks such as indicators which sound through the left or right door speakers and seat headrest speakers for the sat-nav which whisper in your ear (very disconcerting at first but a good idea) but probably hardest to get used to is no conventional key.
When you approach the car with a small plastic fob in your pocket it not only unlocks but is ready to set off, just select drive on the column mounted shifter and away you go. Similarly when you park up just get out, close the door and walk away while the car shuts down and locks itself – which feels very odd at first.
Now Geely are not newcomers globally as they are one of China’s biggest car makers and already own Volvo, Polestar and Lotus.
The Starray has a choice of two battery packs (18.4kWh and 29.8kWh) and there are three trim versions – Pro, Max and Ultra – with the latter being the only one with the larger battery. Pro kicks off at just under £30,000 with the Ultra model around £35,000. Similarly priced competition all comes from China with the likes of BYD, Chery and MG.
The smaller battery pack offers a longer range than many PHEV rivals. When fully charged in mild weather, our test car’s 18.4kWh battery had a predicted range of around 50 miles.
Both batteries can be charged relatively quickly – the 18.4kWh battery can be boosted from 30-80 per cent (around 25 miles of range) in 20 minutes while the 29.8kWh battery can be charged from 30-80 per cent in just 16 minutes to add around 40 miles of range.
One feature of the Starray that isn’t commonly found on plug-in hybrids is vehicle-to-load capability. Plug in a special adapter and you can use the charging port to power external devices.
On the down side there’s a shortage of buttons with everything but climate control done via the large 15.4-inch touchscreen (even opening the petrol cap) which takes time to get used to and is not the most intuitive set-up to use.
All versions of the Starray feature electrically adjustable seats while higher-spec cars have a memory function and front heated seats are upgraded with ventilation.
The opening glass panoramic roof and low window line help the Starray to feel bright and airy inside, and the cabin is wide, delivering plenty of elbow room. Back-seat passengers get air vents and twin USB ports for charging devices
With the arrival of a number of new Chinese car makers comes question marks about their reliability and dealer service but Geely offers the longest new-car warranty on the market, with eight years and 125,000 miles, while the battery has no mileage limit and there’s also four years roadside assistance and two years free maintenance.
The Starray EM-i is only the second car from the Geely brand to arrive in the UK with the first model to land here being the all electric EX5, which we will be testing shortly. Both cars share a conventional five-door, five-seat SUV body shell and are based on Geely’s Global Intelligent New Energy Architecture so share a many features and lots of equipment.
See www.50plusmagazine.co.uk/category/motors or future editions for our EX5 test.
By Motoring Editor Steve Howarth