Mini EV matchup: Wuling Gameboy vs. Jetour Ice Cream

Despite being around for a while now, electric vehicles (EV) are mainly a new means of mobility for many Filipinos. That said, we’re going to take a look at two of the most viable options for those who want to try out electrified cars.

The Wuling Gameboy and the Jetour Ice Cream are today’s most affordable EVs, making them ideal for car buyers looking to see if forgoing internal combustion engine-powered vehicles would suit their lifestyle, budget, and motoring needs.

If you find yourself in the same market category, then join us to see which nameplate would emerge as the victor in the mini EV matchup.

Weigh-in

The Wuling Gameboy measures 3,061 millimeters (mm) long, 1,520mm wide, and 1,659mm tall. Its wheelbase is at 2,010mm.

As for the Jetour Ice Cream, it has an overall length of 2,980mm, an overall width of 1,469mm, and an overall height of 1,637mm. The length between its front and rear wheels is 1,960mm.

At a distance, both lightweight cars appear to have nearly identical dimensions. However, the Wuling Gameboy — upon close inspection — appears as the larger vehicle between the two. It also has a longer wheelbase so, it is expected to offer a better ride quality than the Ice Cream EV.

Exterior

Outside, appointments offered by the Wuling Gameboy include a pair of headlamps with a luminous Wuling logo and a through-type light strip. It also gets LED daytime running lamps (DRL), LED taillamps, rear fog lamps, and a high-mount stop lamp.

It also gets a cool-looking front lip spoiler, side skirts, and roof rails that bear the same design. Its two doors have body-colored handles and body-toned side mirrors.

The Wuling Gameboy rides on 12-inch steelies wrapped on 145/70 R12 rubbers.

The Jetour Ice Cream, on the other hand, uses halogen headlights, LED DRLs, halogen cornering lamps, halogen-type taillamps, rear fog lamps, and a high-position brake lamp.

It wears body-colored door handles and side mirrors and also sports two doors. There are no cosmetic lips or skirts nor does it have roof rails.

The Jetour Ice Cream rides on 12-inch steel tires shod in 145/70 R12 tires.

For this round, we give the win to the Wuling Gameboy. Not only does it look more aggressive — thanks to its squarish headlamps — but the addition of cosmetic kits helped give the small EV some level of utility, protection, and a more serious city car character.

Interior

The Wuling Gameboy has an interior design that matches the look of its exterior. On that note, its would-be owners can get sporty-looking seats finished in a mix of fabric and leather, a simple yet modern-looking dashboard, a standard steering wheel with electric power steering, as well as a small color LCD instrument cluster.

It also has an air conditioner and a heater.

In the same way, the Jetour Ice Cream’s cabin is reflective of its exterior design. Soft and delicate appointments designed to look cute and user-friendly can be found in its interior. These include modern-looking seats trimmed in fabric, a multi-functional steering wheel, a simple yet sophisticated dashboard, a small instrument panel, and a tiny infotainment screen.

The Jetour Ice Cream also gets an air conditioner and a heater.

While we do love the interior appeal of the Wuling Gameboy, we want to give credit where it’s due and give the win to the Jetour Ice Cream thanks to its infotainment system and its futuristic, multi-functional steering wheel.

EV powertrain

The Wuling Gameboy is powered by a permanent magnet synchronous motor that produces a maximum power of approximately 40 horsepower and a maximum torque of 110 Newton-meters (Nm).

Its motor sends power to the rear wheels and gets its energy from a 26.5-kilowatt-hour (kWh) lithium-ion battery. The battery comes standard with heating and intelligent thermal insulation features.

Jetour gave the Ice Cream a similar setup with a permanent magnet synchronous motor but is paired with a battery with a smaller capacity at 13.9kWh. On that note, it makes as much as 26 horses with pulling power of 85Nm.

The Jetour Ice Cream is also a rear-wheel-drive car with its battery offering the same heating and intelligent heat preservation technologies.

Based on the said numbers, we’re giving this round to the Wuling Gameboy EV.

Safety

When it comes to safety, the Wuling Gameboy comes with features like anti-lock braking, electronic brake-force distribution, low-speed pedestrian warning, and tire pressure monitoring.

Upping the ante, the Jetour Ice Cream offers similar safety technologies but adds things like a rear reversing radar and a reverse camera.

Winning this round is the Jetour Ice Cream thanks to its more complete safety features.

Verdict

With equally won numbers of rounds, we’re going to call this mini EV matchup a tie. On that note, choosing between the Wuling Gameboy and the Jetour Ice Cream will be a matter of preference as the two are equally capable and reliable.

Photos from Wuling Philippines and Jetour Auto Philippines

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