FAW Bestune Pony

The overall cabin of the FAW Bestune Pony looks very basic, but has a vibe of youthfulness to it, thanks to the choice of colours and shapes of elements used in the cabin. The two-spoke steering wheel, which has a flat-bottomed design, has a 7-inch full-TFT instrument console. This comprehensive display unit is the only trendy feature available in the cabin, as the rest of the interior looks pretty basic.

The FAW Bestune Pony has a wide and curved design for the dashboard, which has a theatre-like arrangement with sleek AC vents placed on the upper part of the dashboard. With a flat slab-like design, the dashboard has a flat surface on the top and a vertical layout below it, which houses the 1-DIN Bluetooth audio system. The lack of a proper touchscreen infotainment system can be a concern for many prospective buyers of this car.

The FAW Bestune Pony has a manual air conditioner, power windows, and a 2-speaker audio system. The cabin of this car lacks storage spaces, but the flat floor designs at the front and rear ensure that four passengers can sit in pretty decently. However, the rear seats have limited legroom and shoulder room.

The FAW Bestune Pony has compact dimensions and a quirky design language, which makes it an instant attention grabber. The overall design language of this entry-level compact electric car looks cutesy with the huge butterfly wing-shaped blanked fascia, which is finished in a contrast white theme and gets rounded trapezoidal housings for the LED projectors with gloss black surrounds. 

The front bumper of the FAW Bestune Pony also has a wide and stretched rounded rectangular white contrast garnish panel, which accommodates thin strips of LED DRLs. The Bestune Pony has a short wheelbase and 12-inch steel wheels with wheel caps, which accentuate its compact size.

This two-door car has wide designs for the door and window panels, while also having door-mounted rearview mirrors and a floating design for the rear quarter glass. At the back, the FAW Bestune Pony has a simple design for the boot lid, which has rounded trapezoidal tail lamp clusters with gloss surrounds. 

With Macpherson struts at the front and multi-link suspension at the rear, the FAW Bestune Pony has decently comfortable ride quality. The compact dimensions and very light steering setup make it a very easy car to drive, with the FAW Bestune Pony being a breeze to drive through the city traffic. However, the high-speed stability of the Bestune Pony is not up to the mark due to the nervy steering response at higher speeds and body roll due to the boxy shape of the car. 

The version of FAW Bestune Pony on sale in the Philippines has a 13.9 kWh battery pack, which claims a maximum driving range of 170 km (CLTC-claimed). The 20 kW electric motor propelling the Bestune Pony generates a maximum power output of 27 bhp and a maximum torque output of 85 Nm, giving this micro electric hatchback decent pull for low-speed mobility.

While the FAW Bestune Pony misses out on the wide package of ADAS features to keep the costs in check, this entry-level micro electric car does cover the basics, including dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, tyre pressure monitoring system, and reverse camera. 

The FAW Bestune Pony has still a long way to go in affirming its presence in the Philippines car market, but this entry-level compact car looks promising with its decent specs, performance, and comfortable driving in city conditions.