New Chinese Off-Roader Looks Like A Cross Between A Land Cruiser And Defender
The craze isn't limited to the US, though. Chinese automakers are getting in on the retro SUV craze, particularly a brand called iCar. The brand is also known as iCaur (yes, really) in some markets, and it's a subsidiary of Chery. It recently revealed a third model called the V27 in Dubai, and, as the headline suggests, it really looks like a blend of Land Cruiser and Defender. Based on iCar's other offerings, though, this isn't a big surprise.
Details On The V27
We wouldn't call the V27 a totally shameless copy of any SUV in particular, but it's clear it has taken inspiration from some of the big names. The round running lights set in square housings would look just as at home on the aforementioned Land Cruiser and Defender as they do here. The same goes for the contrasting roof, fender vents, and general boxy shape. The two square taillights on each side also pull heavily from the Land Rover. Despite not looking the most original, it's still an attractive-looking SUV on the whole. It's also surprisingly large. It's nearly 5 inches longer than the American-market Land Cruiser and about an inch longer than a Defender 110, though its width and height is closer to the others than the length is.
The V27 is also being offered just as a range-extended electric vehicle to begin with. The other two models iCar sells are smaller, with the 03T being offered as both a pure EV and with a range extender, and the V23 is EV-only. We'll talk about those more in a little bit. According to Australian car news outlet CarExpert, the V27 will combine a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with either a single motor in the rear, or two motors, one at each end. The most powerful dual-motor model will make 449 horsepower, and maximum electric range will be around 124 miles on the generous Chinese (CLTC) range test.
The Rest Of The iCar Range Is Similarly Boxy And Borrowed
As we mentioned, iCar has a coulple other models, and they're just as boxy as the V27, just smaller. Some of them also seem to lift looks from other classic off-roaders. The V23 has the most obvious inspirations, with the front end looking just like that of the dearly-departed Toyota FJ Cruiser. The rest of the SUV, though, looks like a scaled-down version of the new V27. It's available with two different powertrains. The base one uses a single permanent magnet synchronous motor at the rear, and it comes with a 59.9-kWh battery pack. That single motor makes just 134 hp and 133 lb-ft of torque. The dual motor adds an AC asynchronus motor at the front to bring output to 208 hp and 215 lb-ft. It also gets a bigger 81.8-kWh battery pack. It's quite small, too, falling somewhere between Hyundai Venue and Hyundai Kona in length.
The iCar 03T is larger. It's longer than a Kona, but shorter than a Tucson. It's also probably the most unique-looking vehicle in the range. It's boxy, but everything is sharp, crisp, and angled. It also has modern, slim, rectangular headlights. It also offers the most powertrain variety. The EV can be had with either a single motor and rear-wheel-drive, or dual motors and all-wheel drive. The single-motor version makes 181 hp and 162 lb-ft, and it comes with a 65.7-kWh battery. The dual-motor model (using two permanent magnet motors, unlike the V23) makes 275 hp and 284 lb-ft. It also has a 69.8-kWh battery. As for the range-extended version, iCar doesn't list the engine specifications, but it uses an AC motor at the front and permanent magnet motor at the rear. It's the most powerful variant with 422 hp and 372 lb-ft. It has a more modest 34.3-kWh battery, but of course it has an engine to make up for the smaller battery.
