One of the newest brands to land in the country is Chery’s electrified iCaur SUV brand. The initial lineup comprises the V23 BEV and the large V27 range-extender, which we focused on last time. For this edition of our comparo, we’ll be focusing on the subcompact electric V23, and we’ll be pitting it against the very popular Suzuki Jimny 5-door, which, in contrast, is a very traditional ICE SUV.
The V23 measures 4,220mm long, 1,915mm wide, and 1,845mm tall, making it 235mm longer, 270mm wider, and 125mm taller than the Jimny 5-door. Note that the Suzuki’s overall length includes the door-mounted spare tire with a hard case. The V23 rides on a long 2,735mm wheelbase, 145mm greater between the axles than the Jimny 5-door. As for ground clearance, both SUVs sit 210mm off the ground. The small iCaur rolls on 30.4-inch-diameter 265/45 R21 rubber, which is 3.1 inches taller than the 27.3-inch-diameter 195/80 R15 tires of the little Suzuki.
Here’s a quick overview of the two main featured vehicles: The V23 subcompact BEV SUV is the smallest model in the iCaur lineup. Although it has a unibody construction, it was built to venture further off the pavement than the usual crossover SUV. As expected of a modern BEV, it has independent suspension all around. The dual-motor AWD version featured here produces a total system output of 209hp and 292Nm of torque. It comes with an 81.76 kWh battery and has a NEDC range of 430km.
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The Suzuki Jimny 5-door needs no introduction; this is the longer, more practical sibling of the popular Jimny 3-door. It’s a traditional 4×4 body-on-frame SUV with rigid front and rear axles. Its 1.5-liter gasoline mill squeezes out 101hp and 130Nm of torque.
Official Philippine pricing for the V23 has not yet been announced as of this writing. However, based on how it is positioned in neighboring countries, it will likely hover around a similar price range as the Jaecoo EJ6, which interestingly started life as an iCAR 03. Note that the brand spelling without the ‘u’ is the Chinese-market spelling of the brand. This theoretically puts it in the same ballpark as the Jimny 5-door, which is priced from P1.698 million to P1.749 million.
Here’s a bonus comparison: The V23 is 390mm shorter, 60mm wider, and 105mm lower than the Land Cruiser FJ VX. Despite being a more compact SUV, the small iCaur rides on a 155mm longer wheelbase than the rugged Toyota SUV. The V23’s ground clearance is 35mm less than the body-on-frame Land Cruiser FJ.
What do you think of the new iCaur V23? Would you consider it as an electric alternative to the gasoline Jimny 5-door? Let us know in the comments.
