Chery J2 Swag

Chery has recently released a special edition of the J2 and they have called it the Swag. Far be it from us to ask why but that is the name they chose to indicate that this isn’t just the base model with some trinkets but rather a budget car with some street cred.

Exterior

The Chery J2 does have some cookie cutter lines in that it looks like many of the hatchbacks that we are so familiar with. The exterior of the Swag sees the addition of 17 inch wheels, a branded stainless steel exhaust tip and SWAG stickers which does make it a little easier to look at as the standard release of the J2 is a rather boring affair.

Interior

The interior has also seen something of a refresh with the addition of leather seats and an aftermarket infotainment system from Telefunken. The fit and finish of the interior is on par with similar vehicles in the sub R160 000 category with painted panels and hard plastic surfaces.

There are a few fitment issues with some of the panels and one can see that certain surfaces are not going to age well but this can always be expected from vehicles in this category.

Engine and Drivetrain

The J2 is propelled by a 1.5l, four cylinder, naturally aspirated petrol engine that is coupled to a five speed gearbox. The combination delivers 77kW and 140Nm and will return an average of 7.4l /100km but these numbers all seem somewhat optimistic. The engine seemed strained at highway speeds and the vehicle seemed to bog down in city driving, with the J2 seemingly having to push its weight around, we barely managed to get the economy down to 8.5l /100km.

Verdict

The Chery J2 offers a lot in the way of space and extra bits and bobs but you really should take a look at other vehicles in this class even if they don’t offer some of the niceties that the J2 does.

Coming in at R 159 995 the Chery J2 is priced to compete with its Japanese and European rivals and offers a 5 year / 150 000 warranty and a 2 year / 30 000km service plan.