iCaur V23 iWD review: Cutesy RETRO

Here she is, the iCaur V23 iWD. We’ve already tested its cousin 03T, which we liked very much. Ultimately what we enjoyed most about that was how there were no identifiers on it whatsoever. Bizarrely, this drew so much attention to it …

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However, the iCaur V23 takes a different approach. It’s like the Chery Group went all-in on the styling of this alternative EV. Pricing wise, the R669 900 V23 iWD tops a two-model range. A rear-wheel-drive-only version is quite a bit cheaper at just R519 900. And while it’s not a comparison, purely for context, the top-of-the-range 03T costs a stitch more at R699 900.

ICAUR V23 IWD

The V23 appears to have a compact middle section wrapped in a sort of exterior exoskeleton of bumpers and wheel brows. Pretty cool design. Image: Ray Leathern

Both cars sit on Chery’s i-MS platform. That’s the shared architecture behind the whole iCaur family. There’s no real difference in the architecture between them. What does differ is the tuning and capacity. The 03T is slightly bulkier and quite a lot more powerful, and you can feel that as you go along. 205 kW and 385 Nm of torque. A zero to 100 km/h sprint in 6.5 seconds.

Meanwhile, the iCaur V23 has the following numbers in its spec column: 155 kW and 292 Nm, a zero to 100 km/h hustle in 7.5 seconds. An 81.8 kWh battery delivers a claimed NEDC range of 430 km (closer to 330 km in the real world). Interestingly, the baby in the range two-wheel drive only gets 100 kW and 180 Nm from its smaller 59.93 kWh battery, rendering it more of a typical city EV. With a DC fast charger, both will top-up to 80% battery in just 30 minutes.

BADGE ROULETTE

Wheels at each corner of the structure, with a pretty compact footprint. Image: Ray Leathern

When Chery launched the project, our understanding is the iCaur V23 was always destined to wear that badge. While, allegedly, the iCaur 03T was destined to be badged a Chery in most markets. In China, however, the 03T actually sells as a Fulwin X3. And India will launch the same car soon, wearing a JSW badge, not iCaur at all. So, its genealogy is confusing enough to drop altogether.

Nevertheless, the iCaur V23’s styling borrows heavily from an old military off-roader from the 1960s in China – the Beijing BJ212. It shows in the low, narrowly positions round headlights. Round rear lamps sit above a boxy rear cable housing. The retro-looking one-piece steel wheels and old-school wheel brows haven’t been copied by anyone else yet. It’s a smaller, tidier take on off-road cosplay. Known as ‘modular design’, there are more than twenty factory mounting points for roof racks, fender flares, side ladders and auxiliary lighting, too.

INSIDE THE BOX

In minimalist interior with maximum screen space. Note there is no display in front of the driver. Image: File

Standard kit across the range includes a 15.4-inch touchscreen with wireless CarPlay and Android Auto. Leather upholstery and electrically adjustable, heated and ventilated front seats come standard, too. A high-quality seven-speaker sound system is fitted throughout. Boot space is 372 litres, but the rear seats don’t fold forward beyond a few degrees, which makes loading bigger items tricky.

Both iCaur V23 derivatives get six airbags, ISOFIX anchors, stability control and traction control. AWD adds automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection. It also gets adaptive cruise control, traffic jam assist, lane departure warning and blind spot detection.

THE ICAUR V23 VERDICT

Time will tell if the iCaur appeal strikes a cord with South African buyers. Image: Ray Leathern

At its price tag of R669 900 there are no real rivals to the iCaur V23 for cutesy retro off-roader city-city EV appeal. Yes, we appreciate that’s quite a narrow niche, but we think it’s one worth exploring nonetheless. It’s kind of like the EV equivalent of a Suzuki Jimny. A car that is inherently capable, even if it might never leave the asphalt roads of the suburb it lives. It’s deliberately silly, fun and new. And for the money, there’s plenty of tech and quality on offer …

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