A car the size of an Octavia with a four-cylinder, solid equipment and a price slightly above 400,000 CZK? The Chinese are on a rampage again, Aeolus Shine has arrived in the Czech Republic – Garáž.cz

It was only a matter of time before Chinese car importers started rolling in affordable models as well. It was enough to look at the first successes of MG Motor, which, among other things, recently reduced its bestseller ZS below the price of CZK 400,000, which only helped sales.

But some people have had enough of the SUV fashion, which means they haven’t even caught it. And just for such a clientele, Romanian Dacia had a sedan named Logan. However, he had to pack up and there was nothing left on the market to replace him. That is, until now.

Welcome the new kid in town. Its name is Aeolus Shine, it comes from China and its parent is the Dongfeng car company. With dimensions of 4,660 x 1,812 x 1,490 mm, the attractively slung sedan boasts unconventional shapes, dominated by halogen lamps with LED daytime running lights and a grille that would make a BMW jealous, while stylish diode lamps take their place at the rear.

Although the side lines are reminiscent of a liftback, the 454-liter trunk can only be accessed through a small lid. The wheels are 16-inch, cast, shod with 205/55 tires, so no low profiles or balloons.

The five-seater interior is all-plastic, but, unlike the Dacia, it is upholstered in artificial leather. The same material is also covered à la sports seats. The steering wheel is foam (PUR), or rather “something like foam”.

The dominant feature of the model is the central 13-inch touch screen, from which you manage all of the car’s settings and interface. There is bluetooth connectivity, radio, mobile phone mirroring and a few options.

It is worth noting the basic equipment, which also includes keyless entry and start, automatic switching of dipped/main beam lights, two airbags, parking camera, cruise control, electric parking brake, automatic climate control, digital instrument panel, central control with remote or perhaps electric windows and mirrors with warming up.

Under the hood of the car, there is a naturally aspirated 15-liter gasoline engine with the designation DFMC15DR. According to sources in China, it is a newly developed (2023) four-cylinder engine using direct fuel injection and dual variable valve timing technology. Structurally, the unit is based on its sister turbocharged variant C15TDR.

In any case, the maximum engine power is 86 kW (116.9 hp) and the torque sent exclusively to the front wheels through the five-speed manual is 158 Nm. Considering the car’s weight of 1.2 tons, the ride is not as tragic as it might seem. Thanks to direct fuel injection, the engine will be more difficult to convert to LPG, but it will still be able to perform decently for relatively reasonable consumption. Theoretical.

Dongfeng Aeolus Shine can now be ordered at a promotional price of CZK 419,900, which, according to the importer’s flyer, is valid until the end of this year. If there is no action after that, the model will probably jump to the list price of CZK 449,900. As part of the price, the three-year warranty is limited to 100,000 km on new vehicles, while it applies to 80,000 km on demo cars.

We have already received the car for testing (approval piece), so we will soon bring you exclusive first driving impressions. For now, we will reveal that the car does have a few bugs and some unnecessary extra equipment that we would exchange for another, but the ride is not a bad ride at all. And when it comes to design, we can’t even count the number of times someone has taken pictures of us while driving…