Geely Coolray Sport

Chinese cars are making a lot of impact these days, particularly in the Asia-Pacific market. They are priced less than their European or American counterparts, without compromising on features. Geely is one such company. The Coolray subcompact crossover was launched on 25 September, 2019 in the Philippines. The car is available in the Comfort, Premium, and Sport trims. The Geely Coolray Sport is the range-topping model. All three trims are available with a single engine option. The Coolray is the Hangzhou-headquartered company's latest car in the Philippines market. 

Pros

• Three-cylinder, sporty turbocharged engine
• Equipped with a lot of tech features
• Strong build quality

Cons

• Manual transmission downshifts a bit lazy
• No rear air-conditioning vents
• Not frugal, particularly in heavy traffic.

Specs and Powertrain

The Geely Coolray Sport is equipped with a turbocharged, 1.5-liter, three-cylinder petrol engine which produces 177PS maximum power at 5,500rpm and 255Nm peak torque at 4,000rpm. The motor is paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch. The suspension setup comprises of McPherson strut in the front and torsion beam at the rear. The car has a very potent engine for a crossover-hatchback.  

What is the difference between the Comfort and Sport trims of the Geely Coolray?

While the powertrain of the Comfort and Sport trims are the same, the latter has a few additional features like automatic headlamps, single-zone automatic climate control, ventilated front seats, and keyless entry. 

Is the Geely Coolray Sport available in diesel?

No. The entire Geely Coolray range is available only with a 1.5-liter petrol engine. 

Interior

The Geely Coolray Comfort has a rather minimal but tasteful interior. The cabin gets black, faux-leather seats with red stitches on the side. The dual-tone dashboard has red as the highlighting color. The gear shifter has a jet-throttle inspired design which makes it easier to grip as and when shifting is required. The dual-clutch transmission can be shifted manually via the paddle shifters located behind the steering wheel. The Geely Coolray Sport is a well-balanced car with minimal body roll. 

What extra feature does the Geely Coolray Sport's cabin have?

The Geely Coolray Sport has a 7.0-inch LCD instrument panel than can be customized according to the drive mode selected. This feature is not available in the Comfort and Premium trims. 

Exterior

The Geely Coolray Sport has handsome looks and seems poised to perform. The car comes with full-LED, projector-type headlamps. The car follows the general crossover-hatchback styling with the downward-flowing roof. The build quality is solid. It has sporty looks and the company has targeted the younger buyers with the overall design. The Geely Coolray Sport comes with an optional dual-tone exterior. The car runs on 18-inch, dual-color, turbine-inspired wheels.

What are the dimensions of the Geely Coolray Sport?

The car measures 4,330mm in length, 1,795mm in width, and 1,609mm in height. It has a wheelbase of 2,600 mm.

Drive and performance

The turbocharged 1.5-liter engine and the seven-speed dual-clutch are seamlessly mated. Despite having three cylinders, the powertrain has the highest output in its class. The numbers translate well on the actual drive. The manual downshifting by the wet dual-clutch is a bit delayed. Pickup takes a few seconds more. But once it gets into the groove, the Geely Coolray Sport becomes a spirited performer. The steering wheel is light and the car turns corners effortlessly. 

Does the Geely Coolray Sport have enough ground clearance?

The car comes with 196mm of ground clearance. It's much higher than compact hatchbacks. It helps the car negotiate potholes and bumps easily. The high ground clearance never interferes with the ride quality.

How fast is the Geely Coolray Sport?

Geely claims that the car can reach 0 to 100kmph in 7.9 seconds.

Passenger and boot space

Though it's a subcompact-crossover, the Geely Coolray Sport has sufficient headroom and legroom for five adults to travel comfortably. Even the rear row is spacious. The faux-leather seats have good cushioning. The seats have a firm construction and support the body well while driving or travelling as a passenger. The driver's seat gets six-way power-adjustability. The front-passenger seat is manually adjustable. The rear seat offers good back support for long-distance travelling. The windows are big and make the car feel roomy. The car comes with 330 liters of boot space   

Comfort and entertainment

The Geely Coolray Sport has a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with a floating-type design. It seems like a tablet in the center of the dashboard. The icons are crisp, immediately responsive, and easy to operate. The infotainment unit comes with Geely's QD link but Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration would have been better. The air-conditioning cools the cabin fast.

What extra features does the top variant have?

The Geely Coolray Sport comes with cruise control which is very useful during highway driving,

Safety features

The Geely Coolray Sport comes with antilock braking, engine immobilizer, stability control, lane-departure warning system, blind-spot detection, active park assist, and hill start assist. It's one of the best equipped cars in terms of driver-assist features and safety apparatus. The car has got a 5-star rating from the ASEAN NCAP. 

How many airbags does the Geely Coolray Sport have?

The car comes with four bags. Addition of knee airbags would have made the car safer.

Fuel consumption

The Geely Coolray Sport returns a fuel economy of 8kmpl on city roads and around 11kmpl on highways. Fuel efficiency is not the car's forte.

Value for money

The Geely Coolray Sport has a starting price of ₱1.299 million. The car comes with a 5-year/150,000km warranty. The Geely Coolray Sport is among the most well equipped cars in its segment. That makes it a compelling buy.   

How dependable is the Geely Coolray Sport?

The car comes from the same company that owns Volvo. This has allowed Geely to absorb the technology and engineering strength of the Swedish brand into its own vehicles.

Verdict

Crossover-hatchbacks are finding a lot of favor, particularly among those who don't want to spend more on an MPV or a midsized SUV. The Geely Coolray Sport offers the best of both worlds, the handing of a hatchback and the reliability of an SUV. That aside, Geely is all set to open new dealerships next soon and that will make spare parts more available.