adminalways bugs me is having to share a shuttle bus with a whole bunch of people speaking different languages.
Most frustrating is having to want some peace and quiet on a 45-minute drive to the airport and have people speaking Jub Jub which is irritating just because you had to share a shuttle bus.
Well no more, because Chery has introduced the Yoyo, your ultimate shuttle bus. No more sharing with the Jefferson family on your way to the airport because this is a seven-seater MPV which will accommodate just you and the family. Fully air-conditioned with state-of-the-art entertainment sitting pretty on a one-litre engine, it’s luxury straight from China.
When you travel to Asia, almost every hotel, resort or lodge uses one of these little funky shaped buses to ferry guests to activities and to the airport. Travel agents, tour operators and companies too use them as stuff busses.
The seven-seater Chery Yoyo might not have the Lilliputian proportions (or cuteness) of its five-seater sibling, the Tiggo. But it has a long wheelbase that has legroom nearly on par with most full-sized SUVs and sliding doors that make it easier for passengers to get in and out, so getting in and out will be easy ingress and egress is seamless for most people.
It has no robust mechanicals like the Tiggo but it sure will carry more people with comfort and a gentle speed. Definitely not for long distances but for delivering people from one point to the other in sheer luxury.
The engine being a one-litre is perfect in these times of soaring fuel prices. The fuel-injected, four-cylinder engine promises good fuel economy of around 8,1 litres/100km though its performance is unexceptional.
The engine output of 50kW/6000rpm guarantees sprightly acceleration for a vehicle its size. Please be gentle, no off road activities with this vehicle.
With a 40-litre tank and also green conscious, you will cruise for a while before going to fill up again.
Boasting 145mm of ground clearance, aided by attack/departure angles of 38/32 degrees, the seven-seater Chery should avoid snagging over broken terrain and not suffer cosmetic damage when traversing typical grade 1-2 off-road routes.
When Nicci Macklin from Quest took it for a drive, it sailed smoothly on the Harare roads which in some parts are almost non-existent because they have potholes and haven’t been fixed in forever.
We survived and made it back with no dent on the vehicle or a messed up suspension . . . so it can handle a few bad roads. It has central locking, power steering and other goodies that come standard with this vehicle.
Although the market for a seven-seater is hard to rationalise, I can come up with a few industries that definitely need one in their fleet.
Here goes, a big African or Indian family needs one . . . why? Because we have extended families that 90 percent of the time stay at our homes . . . ha ha ha. I put us under industries because we are many and we run economies . . . then hotels, airports and generally every service industry needs a few too. They carry seven people comfortably.
It’s also not for speedsters because it just does 115km to 120km per hour maximum speed. It being great on fuel and maintenance makes it the best buy for any service industry.
So for those of you who are looking for a vehicle to use for your service industry business or just for that big family, this might be what you are looking for.
Quest Motor is open to take you on a test drive so that you can have a feel of this seven-seater. With US$16 000,00 you can be adding to your fleet a brand new vehicle with no hassle since there is a service centre to give you all the after-sales service that you need.
So pop in and they will best advise you on the various finance options that are available to you.
Till next week, be safe.
l Fact Jeke is a motoring enthusiast who has attended auto shows, rallies and has written for various publications in the region for the last decade. She can be contacted via email on [email protected]
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter