2020 Chery Arrizo 5e - Not Your Usual Compact Sedan

Several vehicle models with electrified powertrains have recently been introduced left and right and are gaining some attention in the Philippine market. We have the Toyota Corolla Altis and Corolla Cross, the Geely Azkarra and recently introduced Okavango which both have mild-hybrid powertrains, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, and many other models, mostly from luxury carmakers. The thing is, all these models have electric powertrains paired to gasoline-powered engines. We don’t really have that many fully-electric models in the market yet.

One of these fully-electric vehicles is the Chery Arrizo 5e, introduced in August this year as the most affordable fully-electric vehicle in the market.

Exterior

Looking at the outside of the Arrizo, it’s not your typical electric car. Really nothing much sets it apart from your standard sedan which helps it not stand out too much from the crowd. Some people will like the way it is styled. What does tell you that it is in fact an electric car is the front grille, or the lack of it. Instead, you’ll see a cover for the charging port located behind the Chery logo which is also in blue, a color that isn’t green that represents anything eco-friendly.

Standard equipment on the outside are Xenon headlights which surprisingly aren’t LED’s, LED daytime running lights, a nice set of 16-inch two-tone alloy wheels shared with the Tiggo 2 crossover, and LED combination taillights.

Also good to note that the Arrizo 5e’s side profile have no indications whatsoever of its powertrain other than the “e” badge on the rear and the stickers around the vehicle which of course won’t be on the vehicle when you buy one, don’t worry.

Interior

While the exterior of the Arrizo 5e leans toward the understated side, the interior is a completely different story. Open the door and you are welcomed by a very premium interior with a two-tone color combination of black and brown. The overall design while rather simple is still very sleek and modern looking, with a touch of luxury as well. The whole dashboard is covered in soft materials, both plastic and leather.

It is noteworthy that the guys at Chery Auto Philippines did mention that the Arrizo 5e’s interior is composed of 65% leather materials. We’re not sure how to see if it really is that number but just by feeling the surfaces we can definitely say that it might be true. The seats in the Arrizo 5e are also of course covered in leather, brown quilted to be exact, which elevates the premium feel even more.

Storage

Storage in the Arrizo 5e is quite decent, especially for an electric car. You still get a good amount of cargo capacity inside the trunk which is pretty much the average among other vehicles of its size. This means you won’t have any trouble loading items into this vehicle. Storage spaces are also plentiful inside the cabin, giving you enough places to put stuff like your phone, a pen, wallet, and other stuff.

Technology and Safety

Being an electric car, we probably expect a tech-filled cabin and the Arrizo 5e does not disappoint, at least for me. In the center of the dashboard is a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system. The system is very responsive and clear and easy to use and is also very well integrated into the dashboard in addition to its excellent graphics. The gear shifter is also very modern. Instead of the usual gear lever, the Arrizo 5e comes with a selector knob similar to what you’ll see in Jaguar and Land Rover models.

As expected, standard is an electronic parking brake with auto brake hold function. The climate controls are also touch-sensitive and while some may not like it, it is quite responsive, even better than some Japanese cars.

Safety features on the Chery Arrizo 5e are quite plentiful. These are dual front airbags, side curtain airbags, electronic stability control, anti-lock braking system with electronic brakeforce distribution, emergency brake assist, brake override system, brake assist, traction control, hill descent control, hill start assist, tire pressure monitoring system, and ISOFIX childseat anchor points.

Powertrain

Under the hood of the Arrizo 5e is a Permanent Magnet Synchronous electric motor that produces 90 kW of power and 250 Nm of torque at 0 RPM. It is paired to a Ternary Lithium-Ion Battery with a 53.6 kWh capacity.

This powertrain can be charged in two ways with different charging times. Fast charging through the front charging port can bring the vehicle’s charge level from 30 to 80% in just 30 minutes. Using the regular charger provided and through a regular home socket will take 7 to 9 hours.

Driving and Comfort

I would be lying if I did not say that first driving the Arrizo 5e was not weird. Hitting the push-start button gives no feedback whatsoever except for a beep and a light that says the vehicle is ready. This is given as there is no gasoline engine running. Once you get moving, all you’ll be hearing is a whining sound from the powertrain which actually sounds quite amazing. Now in terms of acceleration, being a fully electric car, all power is sent to the wheels at 0 RPM, this means that this is a fast car. Pushing the pedal to the floor will have your passengers scream from surprise as the vehicle surges at speed. It’s an amazing experience to say the least and definitely made driving the Arrizo something that you cannot not enjoy.

Steering feel is just like on other Chery models we’ve driven, light but not too light and also not heavy. You won’t feel disconnected to the road at all and given that this vehicle accelerates quite fast, actually works very well with it. Ride quality is okay, it could be better while NVH insulation could also be improved. The fact that you don’t have an engine means there isn’t any extra noise to hide noise from the road and wind. This is something that this vehicle could really improve on.

Fuel economy is of course, zero. There’s no fuel so there is no fuel consumption. The stickers on this demo unit do say that the Arrizo has a driving range of 350 kilometers, Chery says it’s as much as 400 km. The car arrived at my place with 386 km of range. I returned it around 5 days later and it still had around 340 km left. That’s surprising considering I kinda abused this car’s powertrain because it was so enjoyable. Looks like you won’t always have to worry about charging.

Conclusion

While hybrids are starting to become more and more available in our market, electric cars sadly still have a long way to go. The Chery Arrizo 5e is available for Php 1,900,000 but only by indent order. This does make it the most affordable fully electric vehicle in the Philippines but you won’t find it in dealer price lists. The Arrizo is more of a show car for Chery I guess but in a good way. It shows what the company is capable of doing and how they’re doing it.

Given that we do not have many choices when it comes to fully electric vehicles, I could say it would still be nice to consider an Arrizo 5e as long as you’re willing to wait and spend a bit more. Plus, even if it’s not part of Chery Auto PH’s mainstream lineup, it still comes with their industry-leading 10-year 1-million km powertrain warranty, 5-year 150,000 km vehicle warranty, and 3-years of free preventive maintenance service.

We love our combustion engine cars and want them to stay, but we’re also excited for the future of electric cars. Let’s see them together on Philippine roads.