Review Verdict: The Changan CS75 Plus is an awesome compact crossover that provides quite a lot of bang for your buck. Its premium interior, solid driving dynamics, supple comfort, and all the other little things easily make it one of our top choices within the segment. If we had to nitpick one little thing, it would be the software.

Pros

• Interior is a nice place to be
• Comfortable cabin
• Incredible value
• Decent powertrain and efficiency

Cons

• Wonky software, no Android Auto or Apple CarPlay
• Safety features not as advanced
• Volume controls on the wheel again

Changan is still a relatively new brand to the country, but we were so impressed with the smaller CS35 Plus that we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to test its larger sibling out. Does the Changan CS75 Plus in this review still carry that winning formula, or was it all just a fluke?

Exterior

To put it bluntly, the Changan CS75 Plus is a looker. You don’t need to read a review to find that out.

Its LED headlamps and DRLs stream across the front to form a singular line, emanating an air of modernity to its design. This has somehow become the brand’s signature look even with the newly-refreshed CS35 Plus. Underneath the lights is an expansive grille that reminds us of luxury brands out there. The diamond patterns add some complexity to its front fascia.

The red accents found all over the vehicle emit an aura of passion amidst the professional grey tones. We all know that red is an emotional color designed to stir us up, and this bleeds into the car’s personality. If you think it doesn’t have enough red, get back to us after finishing this review (especially the interior).

The Changan logo is proudly located at the very center, forming a V-like shape that will surely become a household symbol one day.

Meanwhile, the design elements continue onto the rear. They remind us of multiple car brands’ aesthetic philosophies meshed together. Think about it: Lexus, Hyundai, and other forward-thinking manufacturers. Do you see it? Despite the resemblances, they’ve only taken inspiration, but there is still a unique Changan twist to it that is indistinguishable. No car company doesn’t look at its competitors anyways.

Another interesting detail is the carbon finish rear spoiler. It reminds us of a stingray for some reason, with its two little bumps for greater aerodynamic efficiency and aggressive styling. Mostly the latter, but hey, it looks cool!

Interior

Enter the cabin and you’ll be greeted by red everywhere you look. It’s the type of deep red that exudes a luxurious vibe rather than a shouty, gaudy tone. It definitely adds a ton of class to the interior. Another thing to note is the abundance of soft-touch materials on all points within reach. Changan made it a point to ensure that everything is soft and comfortable to touch, which is admirable given the segment this vehicle competes in. Stitches in the leather also symbolize handcrafted upholstery, although we highly doubt this is the case.

The flat-bottom wheel here is easy to grip and hold. We may prefer the wheel design in the CS35 Plus but its larger size does fit its stature as a more sizeable vehicle. Controls are mounted on the sides and are extremely easy to press and get used to. After a bit, we no longer saw the need to take our eyes off the road to toggle these buttons and switches. The window and lock buttons are typical as well, with the driver’s side having the auto function.

The mirror adjustment knob does take some time to get used to. It has four settings: left, center, right, and bottom. The left corresponds to the left mirror – so the rightmost should do the same for the right side mirror, are we correct? Nope. Rotating to the center is as expected, but moving it to the rightmost setting folds the windows. There were mishaps of us accidentally folding the mirrors shut while driving, which isn’t the safest thing on the planet.

Reading your speed and other vital information on the cluster feels very familiar. After all, Changan’s design language has been pretty eccentric and unique all throughout. Themes can be switched here depending on what you choose in the settings, but we stayed with the Sporty Red/Orange to match the rest of the interior. You’ll see another option above. Controls to the left of the cluster include headlight levelling and others.

The seats are undoubtedly refined, plush, and comfortable. No complaints here whatsoever, no matter how long the road trip may be. However, taking corners at high speeds may be a slight issue since even the side bolstering itself is soft.

Checking out other accommodations for the driver and front passenger, the airconditioning vents are machined in a metallic finish that streams all the way to the other side. Found on the climate control panel is the Start/Stop button, as well as A/C controls. They’re simply touch-detecting panels but was accurate and convenient to operate in our time of use. They give off a satisfying vibration letting the user know that the touch has been registered. The leftmost A/C button automatically opens up the full panel on the display.

Speaking of the 12-inch touchscreen display, it comes with Changan’s in-house UI as well as an option to install an app that resembles Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – but we weren’t taking our chances. We believe this is the Achilles’ heel for the vehicle. This is where you’ll find hints of its early origins – after all, there is no such thing as a perfect UI, even for companies that have invested millions into it. Still, the Changan CS75 Plus in this review could use a lot more polish on the software end. You still can’t adjust the volume via a knob or the screen (at least, we couldn’t find it), the driver has to fix this via the steering wheel controls. If a passenger wanted to adjust the volume, then he’d have to scoot over to the driver’s side, ask the driver to do it, or adjust it on the source device.

Correct all the grammar issues, glitches, translation errors, and make the UI look less like an early Android skin, and you’re good to go. It does have some interesting features though, like a music light show mode that plays with the lights and speakers to put up a nice trick. We’re optimistic that these can be updated over the air for users who are more tech-savvy, making this a flaw that can be fixed over time.

Underneath all these is a charging port and power source, as well as a convenient cubby hole for storage. You may think that the control knob you see is for navigating the screen, but it’s only for changing drive modes which we’ll explore later on.

We can’t just move to the back seats without discussing the expansive panoramic sunroof. It’s covered by a piece of fabric that manages to block the sun on hot days to a reasonable degree, but you totally get those summer vibes with the glass revealing the outside world.

The center console still has some nice feeling materials on it, but the most interesting part is what you can find inside the dual-doored compartment. Inside is a cooler that can funnel air from the airconditioning system to keep your drinks and iced treats cool. This is a feature we’ve only seen on a few exclusive cars, including the Toyota Land Cruiser and Nissan Patrol. Those models cost three times more than this one at the very least. What a shocker!

Facing the rear passengers are two A/C vents and a USB port to keep your iPad kids and tech gear topped up at all times. A tiny cubby can also store miscellaneous items.

The rear seats are just as well-appointed as the fronts, with not much of a transmission tunnel to be found. That provides adequate legroom for not just four but five passengers in the cabin. Headroom is also spacious especially with the sunroof fabric opened. Passengers can also rest their arms on the door panels, which are also padded with the same materials you’d find for the driver/front passenger. Lights can be found on either side instead of just one at the center. Our only gripe, albeit a small one, is the lack of cupholders in the center armrest.

Open up the compartment area and you’ll find a multitude of space – 620L to be exact. That’s perfect for shopping and grocery-getting. It’s also nice to have for trips that require passengers to bring luggage. We even took it on a shopping trip to IKEA! Underneath is an emergency toolkit as well as other items you may need for unforeseen events.

It’s nothing less than a nice place to be.

Comfort and Driving Dynamics

When it comes to the suspension setup, it’s easy to pick out the stat sheet and find the Changan CS75 Plus in this review has a MacPherson setup in front and multi-link at the rear. How does it perform in the real world though?

The CS35 Plus was amazing but bottomed out on harsh bumps. We’re glad to say that its bigger brother takes these in stride. The ride isn’t pillowy like, let’s say, a Maybach, but it’s definitely on the more comfortable side of things. It’s a splendid combination of damping tuned towards comfort more than anything else, as well as the supportive seats mentioned earlier. We had four passengers in the vehicle, one of which has a very sensitive body to rattles and only rides high-end vehicles as a result. She was satisfied with the ride quality.

Equipped in the Changan CS75 Plus in this review is a 6-speed automatic, instead of the DCT in its little brother. Despite its older technology, shifts were still relatively smooth and quick for everyday use. It doesn’t feel nearly as peppy due to its heavier weight but on its own, it still outclasses a lot of the competition. Getting this up to highway speeds and even overtaking other vehicles going over the speed limit should be no problem.

For the more spirited drivers out there, a knob right at the center allows you to change drive modes from ECO, NORMAL, and SPORT. Further controls can also be toggled within the vehicle’s menu. As we’ve seen and experienced before, these controls DO make an impact on the car’s driving characteristics and aren’t just for show. We’re elated to see the transmission shifting much more quickly and the steering gaining a more direct feel in the most aggressive settings. Turning the knob to SPORT also gives you a great launch due to sensitive throttle control response manipulation. When it’s time to chill, put it back into ECO or NORMAL for a less jumpy ride.

These are features we didn’t expect somehow made it here and work at the same time. Color us impressed! However, an improvement we would recommend is to automatically set the transmission and steering to Sport if the user toggles the mode through the knob. That should be the default since it can be a hassle having to activate everything individually. If a user wants sporty throttle response and shifting but with lightweight steering, then the Custom mode should be more easily available as well.

We brought the Changan CS75 Plus to some light twisties during our review, and it fared rather well. There is an expected amount of body roll due to the comfort-oriented suspension settings, but it was still confidence-inspiring either way.

Under the hood is a 1.5L Turbocharged Gasoline Direct Injection engine producing 178PS, which is approximately 175 horsepower. This is a healthy amount that doesn’t invite worry about performance when the cabin is loaded with passengers and baggage. With 265Nm of pulling power, questions like “Can it climb steep hills fully loaded without struggling?” are out of the equation. In fact, that should be the standard for most modern vehicles nowadays.

Onboard safety features include a six-airbag system, cruise control, a 360-degree panoramic camera, ABS, brake assist, traction control systems, and Hill Hold/Descent controls. Buyers miss out on a bit of Changan’s latest active safety suite, but most wouldn’t mind.

We were impressed by the car’s performance and wouldn’t require any changes whatsoever.

Wrap Up and Conclusions

The Changan CS75 Plus in this review is almost perfect. It has an attractive exterior with an equally captivating interior. Additionally, form meets function since the vehicle is amazing for any trip; whether than be a long journey or a quick drive around the city.

It would be an ideal daily driver that punches above its weight and makes you arrive in style in the process. It would have been a no-brainer purchase, but our small slivers of uncertainty definitely come from the software kinks here and there.

Regardless, it’s still an amazing package that represents the brand excellently and competes intensely against others in its segment. Other brands that were getting complacent have now received a stern wake-up call. Changan isn’t here to play around.

Changan CS75 Plus Review Philippines Price

This stunner retails for PHP 1,379,000. It’s a value at that price, but sometimes brand discounts see this number lowering to the PHP 1.2M range. At that point, it’s an absolute steal. Check it out on the official site here.