A Crossover Worth Considering
For the most part these days, the ‘sportiness’ of your typical crossover is all but a marketing spiel. Fancy body kit here and there, red accents, ‘lightweight’ wheels and all. But when you get on with flooring the accelerator all that fades back into the sad reality that you do, in fact, just have another run-of-the-mill car. The Geely Coolray S has all this kit, but in its segment we’re happy to report that there’s more to back up the edgy sports aesthetic.
Geely's Nice Surprise
For a 1.5 3-cylinder turbo, the Coolray surprises with perhaps its most distinguishing trait behind the wheel - a sudden surge of boost. With this thing you’re going to have to acknowledge that the days of turbo lag are long and gone. In normal and sport mode, boost comes in at a fairly early ~2,000rpm. Like a diesel, but it goes all the way up to 6,000 with enough grunt. At 177Hp and 255Nm of torque we can’t exactly liken the Coolray to a sledgehammer in terms of power figures, but the way the boost comes in will be sure to remind you of a similar object - perhaps a mallet would be an appropriate similie. At the very least, the power plant further presents a case for the Coolray’s sporty ensemble.
The interior offers a variety of mixed leather materials and brushed aluminum panels that remind you that you’re not in something bland and gray. Pair that with all the tech and the digital cluster behind the wheel and you get a very modern air about the Coolray. Speaking of air, the greenhouse of the cabin lends very well to visibility to match the car’s compact dimensions. Although that’s good for safety, it’s not particularly good for your skin as the sunroof and large windscreen all let heat into the cabin. This vehicle ought to benefit from a good set of tint for sure.
All told, the Geely Coolray is definitely worth considering if you’re looking for a spritely drive in the compact crossover segment. The fact that it’s been styled somewhat aggressively also lends itself to some proper dress up parts like wheels or suspension too - all of which we can help you find here on PartsPro.ph!
The Good Parts:
- Boost for days. Loads of torque down low. Can go toe to toe with diesels in terms of acceleration.
- Drive modes actually work. Eco mode makes boost roll in slowly while sport mode is pretty much “Gusto mo ng boost? AYAN BOOST.”
- Suspension is firm, but in a very positive way that feels as if the dampers are in control of the body. But of course, if you're not satisfied with the stock suspension, you can always reach out to guys at PartsPro.ph to help you out! Check their Facebook page here.
- Excellent greenhouse matches portable body dimensions with great visibility.
- Cargo space has depth to it, certainly enough for groceries or the odd trip out of town.
The Not So Good Parts:
- Excellent greenhouse also meant my bald head was scorched under the sun. Sunroof needs proper panel to cover instead of a cloth piece. Big windscreen also meant sun reached my knees, this definitely needs to be tinted. “Di mo sinabing maluluto ako dito nag-sunblock sana ako.” - wife's comment. You might want to consider reaching out to guys at Jame's Car Care to help you install tints that could reduce this issue. Contact them via their Facebook Page here. Watch here as one of our customers rave about how awesome ceramic tints are!
- Native apps are not really intuitive in terms of integration. With all the other gizmos and tech in place in this car you’d have assumed Apple CarPlay/Android Auto would be standard by now. If you're planning on getting one, might be best to replace this with the likes of Nakamichi or Growl head units. PartsPro.ph carries these too among other mods.
- I don’t know if our parking spaces are to blame but I couldn’t get the self parking to work properly throughout the weekend. That said, the car is very easy to park anyway
- Sporty impression of the car does not translate to steering feel. I would be nitpicking but I would like some more weight to the electronic power steering. Otherwise this is ok for the average consumer looking for a crossover.
Au's Recommendation
I would recommend this to: The odd 20-something that’s looking for a lively car to drive in the compact crossover segment. It’s surely a car that doesn’t make you feel dead inside like the rest of the white, beige, and gray traffic.
Notice how I didn’t say anything about this being a China car? The quality is good enough to set the stigma aside to say the least. We would like to extend our thanks to Geely Cars PH for this experience. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram, too.
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