Changan Alsvin Review: Impression Made!

Changan Alsvin is here.

Changan Automobile, in association with MAW Vriddhi, has made its official entry with its first premium offering. While the launch date has been set for February 2022, we had an opportunity to test it out early.

Is this premium sedan ready to take on the heavyweights? And, does it bring anything new to the overcrowded table?

After completing a rigorous three-day of testing, here are the results.

Before starting the review, let’s talk pricing.

Changan Alsvin price in Nepal is set at Rs. 42 Lakhs. Moreover, it will be available in a single.

With that out of the way, this is the Changan Alsvin full review.

Changan Alsvin Review

Luxurious Styling

Changan Auto redefines luxury with its first-ever sedan.

While the competition is occupied with a compact sedan, Alsvin presents a different proposition.

It ditches the compact aesthetics for a more symmetrical styling. It presents itself as a premium sedan with matching premium styling.

Interestingly enough, you can easily identify this after taking a quick look.

The bonafide creases and sharp lines align with its contemporary theme. Moreover, the aggressive front section helps maintain a subtle yet noticeable modern aesthetics.

Sharp Exterior

How? Let’s take a quick dive!

The front section comes with a sporty Dual Beam Projector headlamp with sleek LED DRLs. The headlamps maintain a good position, whereas the LED DRLs are pushed to the diffuser.

Interestingly, these are yellow-colored headlamps that are height-adjustable. Nevertheless, the nighttime visibility is nice.

Alsvin sports a large “butterfly grille” at the center of it all. The grille styling is inspired by a Lexus sedan. However, it sports a chromed line to elevate the overall look.

Furthermore, the Alsvin ditches the traditional bumper for a more stylish diffuser.

Looking at it from the side, it is kept simple.

Changan has opted for subtle crease lines here and there. Overall, it sports a simple yet streamlined aesthetics.

Compared to the front section, Alsvin tries to keep things simple here.

Nevertheless, there are two interesting elements to improve the premium feel: 15-inch alloy wheels and chromed border at windows.

Unfortunately, you do miss out on chrome-door handles.

Similarly, the rear section also gets a simple styling.

There are large rear halogen lamps along with 3D emblems. Moreover, Alsvin goes for a more uniform look with the body-colored bumpers.

Overall, the entire profile feels simple, clean, and elegant.

Premium Interior

Moving to the interior, you come across a similar luxury theme.

Alsvin tries to emphasize luxury while considering the budget restraints.

As an example, the dashboard. It is made out of high-quality plastic. However, Changan tries to give a premium feel with stitch-finishing.

Surprisingly, that works!

Other notable elements include leatherette seats, a flat-bottomed steering wheel, and a futuristic infotainment system.

Additionally, Changan Alsvin is available in two different colors: White, and Blue.

Changan Alsvin Design Highlights

• Contemporary Sedan Styling
• Unique Butterfly Grille
• Dual Beam Projector Headlamp with LED DRLs
• Large Halogen Headlamp with 3D Emblems
• Sporty Flat Bottom Steering (with Mounted Controls)
• Premium Leatherette Seats
• 15-inch Alloy Wheels
• Body-Colored Bumpers

Mileage Focused Performance

Changan Alsvin is powered by a 1.4L in-line 4-Cylinder, DOHC Blue Core Petrol Engine. It can generate a max power of 100.61PS and a max torque of 135Nm.

Moreover, it is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission with a 40-liter fuel tank capacity.

As stated in our first drive article, Alsvin claims an energy-efficient engine that reduces exhaust emissions and improves fuel consumption effectively.

Upon testing, it does exactly that.

Based on our testing, Changan Alsvin proudly claims a mileage of 18-22Kmpl.

Interesting Feature Set

Changan Alsvin puts most of its focus on its exterior styling and interior premium feel. Unfortunately, that puts the feature set in danger of cost-cutting.

While Alsvin does not take that to the extreme, it does miss out on a few features.

Features like Keyless Entry, Cruise Control, and Push Start-Stop Button are absent. Nevertheless, Alsvin tries to console that with other interesting features.

Dashboard

Starting with the Dashboard, there are subtle hints of a premium feel.

It comes across as modern and stylish. Moreover, the AC controls and overall buttons are well-placed.

Changan tries to spice things up with an HVAC Digital Display, which displays AC information. Furthermore, there is a fair amount of stain finish to maintain that premium feel.

Touch Infotainment System

Staying on topic, it comes with a 7-inch Touch Infotainment System.

Unfortunately, it misses out on Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. However, Changan has included Bluetooth Connectivity to counter that.

The infotainment system is simple. Plus, it includes additional options to configure the sedan (DRLs, Speaker Settings, AC, Radio, etc).

Sporty Steering Wheel

The steering wheel should get the attention it deserves.

In contrast to normal steering wheels seen in this segment, the Alsvin features Flat-Bottom Steering. As expected, it takes the whole driving feel to the next level.

Changan tries to make it functional with mounted controls, which include Radio and Phone controls.

Leatherette Seats

Changan Alsvin tries to improve the driving feel with the seats as well. These are leatherette seats, featuring a soft-touch feel with stitch-finishing.

However, there are front and rear seats tell a different story.

The front seats contain enough cushioning for a comfortable driving experience. Whereas, the rear seats lack proper thigh support.

Plus, the tall riders might not feel comfortable in long drives.

Moreover, the rear passengers do not get as many features as the front ones. It includes ISOFIX but no USB Charging Ports nor Arm Rest.

Nevertheless, both the front and rear seats sport spacious cabin, especially with enough legroom and headroom.

As a bonus, Alsvin includes a headrest, typically absent in this segment.

Storage Space

Interestingly, the storage space also shares the same thing.

The glove box, door pockets, and center arm storage have large storage space. However, the spot below the USB charging port feels small for a standard smartphone.

While Alsvin has done well in allocating deep storage pockets, it would have befitted to include a few more.

Other Interesting Features

Besides this, Changan Alsvin also includes decent safety features. It comes with Anti-Locking Braking System and Electronic Brake Force Distribution as standard.

Furthermore, it includes Electronic Power Steering, Proximity Alarm, Defrosting, Central Lock, among other things.

While the feature set might feel a bit barebone, the price point should be kept in mind.

Changan Alsvin Features Highlight

• 1.4L Petrol Engine
• Sporty Flat Bottom Steering (with Mounted Controls)
• Premium Leatherette Seats
• Analog-Digital Instrument Cluster
• HVAC with Digital Display
• 7-inch Touch Infotainment System
• Bluetooth Connectivity
• 15-inch Alloy Wheels
• Rear Parking Sensors
• Rear View Camera with Dynamic Lines

My Experience

On-Road Performance

Initially, the Changan Alsvin has set certain expectations. Fortunately, it managed to surpass that in every other way.

A sedan is supposed to maintain a luxurious driving experience while maintaining comfort and refinements.

As expected, the Alsvin does just that… but not in a way you might think.

Alsvin tries to maintain mileage, but it does not go far enough to affect the overall performance.

There is a slight buildup after pressing on the accelerator. After that, the performance becomes more liver than ever.

Interestingly enough, the sedan does not struggle to go and maintain higher speeds. It is stable, where the driver remains in control.

Furthermore, the engine does not produce any loud noises thanks to the aluminum alloy and engine bay cladding.

Other driving elements like gearshifts, cornering, suspension setup, and braking are tuned for comfort.

So, no complaints there.

Reliability

Being a new brand in a highly-competitive market is difficult.

So, Changan Nepal tires to go a step further to improve their reliability. The company has already established a working Service Center at Sitapaila alongside a brand new state-of-art showroom at Naxal.

“We have already brought the required spare parts and planning to bring in more of our spare parts. We can assure our customers that they won’t have any difficulty when it comes to the availability of the spare parts.”

Being a part of the MAW family will bring that expertise and experience.

Their aim to be the “Top Automobile Brands of Nepal” isn’t easy.

However, the additional focus on attractive premium offerings and responsive customer service is definitely on the right path.

Shortcomings

That being said, there is a small issue with the Changan Alsvin: Ground Clearance.

Unfortunately, this is a known problem in the sedan segment.

While this does not affect the driving experience in the city, it might be affected in rough roads and off-roads.

Competition

Changan Alsvin competes against Proton Saga and Honda City.

Comparing the specs with one another, the Alsvin comes out on top with better performance, more mileage, and attractive pricing.

Alsvin could have included more features to be more enticing. Nevertheless, it has done enough all things considered.

Conclusion

Changan Nepal has chosen Changan Alsvin to make their first impression on the Nepali market.

If this is their first impression, I am very excited to see what it has stored for us in the future.

Will the Changan Alsvin finally redefine the sedan segment in Nepal?

Well, that remains to be seen.

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Finally, here is our Changan Alsvin Full Review video!