Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
The Chinese automobile industry is quickly catching up to its Japanese and European counterparts, and the FAW Besturn X80 is further proof that the market is making giant strides to win over the hearts of drivers.
When I picked up the model from the Mohammed Jalal & Sons showroom in Khamis, I did so with high anticipation after previously testing vehicles under this marque’s umbrella.
Yet again, I had a great experience with the X80 and I’d confidently say it was a better car, both visually and to drive, than many of its more established Western counterparts.
If preconceived notions are left at the door and you go in with an open mind, there’s plenty to love.
After the friendly staff at the showroom showed me the ropes, it was time to test it out. Typical Thursday afternoon traffic gave me plenty of time to examine all of the car’s cool features while I was sitting still grumpily on the busy highway.
While some marques over-complicating their designs with intricate touchscreens and trackpads, it was nice to get back to basics with clearly-defined buttons and dials. I had no problem ratcheting the AC settings up to the max to fight off the early summer heatwave, nor did I encounter any issues cycling through settings, tuning in to various radio stations and hooking up my phone with the USB interface.
Once I finally found an opening amongst the slow crawl and got on to open road, I shifted into Sport mode and pushed the engine. While the responsiveness to the throttle was instant, I must admit that the acceleration was underwhelming even accounting for the expected lethargy of a two-litre engine. Nevertheless, once up to speed the X80 was nifty enough to manoeuvre through the lanes and the brakes were particularly strong, leaving me with a strong sense of safety when traffic once again inevitably caused me to slow down.
As anyone who has been to Exhibitions Avenue can attest to, parking in this area next to the GulfWeekly offices can be a nightmare. Thankfully, with an army of sensors and bleeping alarms, I was able to reverse park with particular accuracy.
The interior design is stylish and classy, which came as a pleasant surprise at this entry price point. Seats have a neat stitching finish and the dashboard and side-door elements are well crafted and solid. No cheap plastic here!
The X80 is an especially pleasing car to look at on the outside too, with its aerodynamic lines and smooth curves. It’s clear that great steps have been made to ensure that it looks just as eloquent as more expensive competitors in its class and doesn’t look out of place on the road.
In fact, when photographer Honey Sharma and I drove the short distance to the Bahrain National Museum for a photoshoot, we caught a few people in more well-known marques casting envious glances our way!
By late afternoon, as the first fingers of orange sunset creeped along the blue canvas, I returned the car to a warm debrief and expressed by delight at my opportunity with the X80.
The car is a solid, stylish build with a raft of features. Plus, who can argue with a price of BD6,800 with three years’ or 100k warranty, plus insurance and registration?
Besturn, founded in 2006, is an automotive marque owned by the FAW Group and its products are based on older popular Mazda sedans.
For more information, visit the Mohammed Jalal showroom in Khamis or call 17252606.
