Dongfeng Philippines seems to have taken a different approach with their lineup. While others introduce one car at a time, they opted to launch 5 cars in one event last year and see where the market will react. The same goes for the drive they invited me in.
Instead of focusing on one car, they had nearly the whole lineup in tow. They have everything from cars with internal combustion engines (ICE) to hybrids and full EVs. Only, I cannot drive them all in the allocated time. You’ve already heard of the Nanobox hatchback which is a sub-million peso EV. That’s why I decided to focus on their other enticing items – the Aeolus Mage crossover and Forthing U-Tour MPV.
Both of these are ICE models. The Aeolus Mage is priced at PHP 1,248,000 while the Forthing U-Tour is at PHP 1,558,000 (but it has a lower variant at PHP 1,358,000). Can they hold their own against their established rivals in the market?
Aeolus Mage
It may not have the ‘Huge’ in its name but the Aeolus Mage is big for its price point. It’s sized like a compact crossover ala Ford Territory, but has the price of a subcompact. There are faint design cues from Peugeot in the exterior of the Aeolus Mage, but distinct enough not to be labeled a rip-off.
It has a very sporty rear section. It has a twin-vertical third brake light at the spoiler, faux diffusers, and design-only quad exhausts. It also has hidden door handles which are surprisingly not present on the more expensive and hybrid Aeolus Huge.
The cabin is nice but oversimplified. The dashboard and door panels have a diamond design accent that reacts with your viewing angle and light. There are very few physical buttons as most are housed in the big 13.2-inch portrait touchscreen or on the steering wheel which increases the learning curve (at least for me). It also doesn’t have native Apple CarPlay or Android Auto and instead, utilizes CarBitLink which is a separate Chinese app you’d have to install. DongFeng says this would come with a dongle though so you can mirror your smartphone but that’s still a notch down from AC or AA.
At the back is a generous and comfortable space, but bogged down by the single air vent and single USB-A charging port. It’s not a problem though if you’re not going to open the panoramic sunroof up top.
Under the hood of the Aeolus Mage is a 1.5-liter turbo gas engine that makes 204 PS and 305 Nm of torque, paired with a 7-speed dual clutch transmission. On paper that sounds good but out on the road, it needs a lot of work. There’s a significant turbo lag with the car, giving you less oomph than you’d expect with the power figures. The 7-speed DCT is also sluggish, feeling like a CVT if you try to eke out more from it. With two people in tow, the Aeolus Mage was finding it tricky to navigate the mountain roads of Subic and Bataan. I was also frustrated with the lack of manual override in the transmission or paddle shifters as engine braking was weak when we needed it.
Steering was also very arcade-ish. It’s too light, lacks precision, but has a lot of feedback from the road. It’s like playing a racing game with feedback on high.
I can see its appeal though. I mean, Geely has proven that the lack of Android Auto and Apple CarPlay isn’t really detrimental to a car. Its driving dynamics, despite its lackluster performance, isn’t a glaring downside to someone who’s new to driving. If one is looking for a crossover that stands out, is quiet, very spacious, comfortable, and has a good suite of safety features, the Aeolus Mage is right up their alley.
Forthing U-Tour
The name ‘Forthing’ is a fascinating one as I keep imagining a car bubbling up the grille. However, the root word is ‘forth’ as in forward in time. The car isn’t really expressing that though.
The Forthing U-Tour is DongFeng’s entry to the ever hot arena of MPVs. The one we had was at the middle of the pack, to contend with the likes of the Hyundai Custin, Toyota Innova, and other more premium MPVs in the market given its P1.5M price point.
I’m 50-50 towards the front face of the U-Tour. I don’t like its overall shape and the bulbous headlights which reminds me of Blue Eyes White Dragon. The upside to that is it makes the U-Tour appear smaller than it actually is. When you see the numbers, this is bigger than an Innova and even their latest MPV, the Zenix. I also respect the illuminating logo at the grille which is activated by unlocking the car and is steady once you’re moving.
The rear is also very fine, reminiscent of German crossovers and SUVs. Open up the tailgate and the size of the U-Tour makes itself apparent. Even with the third row up, there’s generous space for a small and even medium sized suitcase depending on the recline of the third row seat. There’s also an undertray compartment for organizing smaller items which is a welcome option.
There’s a lot of comfort at the second row of the U-Tour, but is again, bogged down by the rear air vent. There’s a panoramic sunroof up top, joined by 2 captain seats with powered adjustment, heating, and cooling options. That’s great. Only the air vents (2 of them this time) are behind the center console. If there’s a person on the third row, you can’t really push your seat back and so the air will be blocked by your knee. The third row also has an awkward vent placement – by the windows. On a really hot day, your face will be cool but your body will be sweating. They made up for it by having a separate fan control for the second and third rows but still, the cooling falls short of being comfortable.
But if there’s no passenger on the third row, the second row is a great place to be. You’ll surely love the butterfly headrest of the captain seats which keep your head in place, even if the U-Tour was going through curves. I know I did. The air blowing out of the little vents are strong enough, and the seats are very supple to not give you any fatigue. I also activated the cooling function for the whole 3-hour return trip to Pasig and it was perfect. I didn’t end up with a wet back despite the leather upholstery.
Weirdly enough, driving the Forthing U-Tour is a bit better than the Aeolus Mage. It also has a 1.5-liter turbo gas engine but has lower figures at 197 PS and 285 Nm of torque, also mated to a 7-speed dual clutch transmission. Yet, it feels more spritely than the Aeolus Mage ever was during our time with it, with the same 2 passengers and cargo. I also appreciated the manual override on the shifter.
The only drawback on the Forthing U-Tour is the throttle pedal. It is so light, as if hanging only by a thread. One would need to restrain their foot in order to get a smooth acceleration out of it from a stop. But if you’re the kind who doesn’t really drive and mainly a passenger, the Forthing U-Tour is worth a look.
There are other interesting offerings from DongFeng. What piqued my attention was the Nammi which is a small EV hatchback. It’s a tad bigger than the Nanobox, but still small for city driving. There’s also the Rich 7 pickup which has a top of the line model that has a 5-link suspension at the rear but only priced at PHP 1.7M. With more people now open minded about Chinese cars, it won’t be surprising if one of these models comes out as a hit in the Philippine market.
