The little Chana that can (and the little Chana van.)

Next to Google, the Swiss Army Knife, and the iPod, the automobile must be one of Man’s most invaluable devices. Babies are made, sometimes even born, in the automobile. Wars are fought over oil, the lifeblood of automobiles. And if there were no such thing as motorsport, we would be watching Senate inquiries “in aid of legislation” for entertainment. We love cars, yes, and are prepared to invest significant amounts of time and money to bring home the 4-wheeled automobile of choice.

But let’s be realistic here: not everyone can immediately afford a Honda Accord, or even an excellent “starter” vehicle like the Jazz. Neither does everyone necessarily want copious amounts of horsepower, space for 7, or even the prestige of a well-known badge on the grille. Heck, for a lot of people, they just want a decent, tidy little car that will take them from Point A to Point B, and which will save them a lot of money because they have a lot of other things to spend for.

And this is where the Chana Benni comes in, a 5-door hatchback with some of its Suzuki genealogy poking through its perkily styled skin, and at a price that undercuts even value-for-money players like the Kia Picanto and Hyundai i10. A day of urban and highway driving in the Benni proved it was not an altogether unpleasant experience; in fact it was pretty good considering where it’s coming from.

Let’s be honest here: coming from years of driving and owning Japanese cars anyone would be skeptical of a car made in China. Yes, China, the land of rip-off Nikes, unsafe kids’ toys, and Maling luncheonmeat. But waitaminit here, Maling is pretty good IMO. I’m not really sure about the lead content, but I like it, dammit. And China makes plenty of other good stuff, too. Like cellphones (check yours if you don’t believe me). Or the iPod. I don’t know where the Swiss Army Knife is made, though. I used to have a Red Army Knife but it was just a cheap giveaway...

Anyway, to drive a Chana (or at least the Benni) is to harken back to the basic priorities of an automobile. It must be reasonably comfortable. It must have more than the velocity of molasses. And it must feel safe. As a five-door, compact hatchback, the Benni’s jellybean-like shape lends itself well to urban transport. Most Asians less than 6 feet in height won’t have a problem with the headroom or legroom. The backseat has a surprising amount of kneeroom too. The cockpit has a fairly conventional design, and the silver instrument panel is particularly striking at night. Bonus points for the stereo’s AUX jack, yippee!

In the old days we would have been happy for any entry-level car to just have an engine, but today even the Benni can’t do without fuel injection or a multi-valve head. Displacing 1.3 liters, the little motor reaps 84 horsepower at 6,500 rpm, a range you probably won’t explore too often because the thrashing and booming noises commence at around 4,500. Anyway, peak torque of 11 kg-m is reached at 3,500 rpm, so there’s really no need to rev it higher unless you are taking off from a heist. Frequent rowing of the 5-speed is required if you want to go places quickly, and here the cable shift linkage shows its Suzuki lineage. It has that vague, rope-a-dope feel I remember so well from the Aveo. I would recommend the 4-speed automatic instead.

With four adult passengers, terminal velocity is just 120kph, a limitation that may not be all that important to all the city buyers who will never venture past 100 on EDSA. At urban velocities, the Benni is quite comfortable and stable. It doesn’t feel as easily bullied as a Chery QQ or a Chevrolet Spark while still possessing that point-and-squirt feel of a hatchback. The electric power steering has good on-center feel, while the soft suspension loses its wallowy feeling once you load up with passengers. Rare for an inexpensive car, it also has ABS and a driver’s side airbag.

As for the overall build quality, it’s better than you might expect. While some details like the wiper stalks and door handles feel chintzy, the fit and finish of the car is not an embarrassment. It’s not a Jazz, but it’s not an owner-type either. And did I mention it has some pretty fun color choices too like “Dazzling Gold”, “Free Green”, and “Dreamlike Blue”?

With a sticker of less than half a million for the stick shift, a figure that becomes even more compelling with aggressive financing, few people should bet against the Benni. Chana may not be a household name yet, but the cheerful little Benni is bound to end up in more than a few garages. – Andy Leuterio

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With that nice little preamble from Andy, I guess you have a pretty decent understanding of where we’re coming from with this double review. Yes, we’ve driven some fantastic vehicles in our day (almost a decade’s worth of motoring journalism can do that to a person) – but perspective is still something we have in spades. Not that we don’t love driving Porsches, Benzes and Bimmers, but sometimes it really is a matter of simply getting from Point A to Point B in relative comfort and safety. For the beginner new car buyer, it’s most likely a matter of function rather than form, after all.

When the good folks at Focus Ventures, Inc. (distributors of Chana vehicles in the country) gave us the chance to drive their vehicles all the way from their showroom in Mandaluyong to Clark in Pampanga and back, they were at least honest in their stand. “We’re not yet at the level of Japanese refinement, but we’ll definitely vouch for our vehicles’ reliability and safety,” said Focus Ventures president Stephen Sy. Believe in him we did – thankfully so. Because through an entire day of driving around city streets and wide highways, we were at least able to discover for ourselves…considering their price points, that these affordable alternatives aren’t half-bad at all.

Anyway…cutting to the chase… While Andy merrily took on the scrappy little Benni right before take off, this writer found himself behind the wheel of a Star II – which is a minivan in the truest sense of the word. The real estate saving six-seater may not be the prettiest or roomiest people carrier in town, but it certainly doesn’t look as outdated as a Tamaraw. In fact it’s kind of endearing in a cute kind of way. Think Suzuki APV kid brother and you’ll get the drift.

The Star II’s 1.3-liter SOHC petrol-fed powerplant develops a decent 81ps @ 6,000rpm. It won’t win any drag races, true. But it’s enough to pull the vehicle up to speed in decent time, given that it’s got a 5-speed manual that’s short on the throws. Best of all, despite the modest numbers, you’ll be glad to find out that it’s Euro-3 compliant, making it a gem for earth-friendly car nuts.

The STAR II’s 2nd and 3rd-row seats fold and tumble as any self-respecting people carrier’s seats ought to, allowing for a bevy of seating and baggage carrying configurations. It’s quite ergonomic, given its petite frame. The fabric and vinyl finish of the interior upholstery, meanwhile, is very utilitarian and is not necessarily jaw dropping, but it’s not the kind you’d hide your head in shame over, either. And, as Andy astutely pointed out, despite having a modest sound system, it’s at least updated for the times in that it has the requisite MP3 player input jack. Plus points for the thoughtfulness, we say.

All seats have the necessary safety belts, but there are no airbags in this little people carrier. Thankfully, side impact beams come standard. There is a ventilated disc-drum combination that is ably assisted by a hydraulic power-assist set-up to take the vehicle to a standstill. The suspension set-up up front is the requisite Independent Macpherson Strut while at the rear there are sturdy leaf springs. The entire safety and ride convenience set-up proved to be decent and comparatively convenient, especially once you consider the size of the Star II.

My bottomline assessment of the Star II is pretty much similar to Andy’s take on the Benni. The Star II may not win any beauty contests or drag races soon. But it doesn’t claim to be able to achieve all these in the first place. Where getting one from Point A to Point B is concerned, given the amount of money you’d need to shell out for it, the Star II is a smart alternative to used cars. I’d imagine small families with the occasional side business finding much use for it. It’s not a great vehicle. But it’s not a bad vehicle, either. It’s a good start – both for the Chana brand, and for the budget-conscious first car shopper. – Dong Magsajo