Among connoisseurs of Chinese car brands, opinions are often expressed about the high quality of models produced by Geely. One of the key factors behind this statement is the acquisition of Swedish automaker Volvo. This significant step, carried out in 2010, allowed Geely to enter the global automotive market and gain access to technology and a premium brand.
The purchase of Volvo was not only a strategic move for Geely, but also a confirmation of their desire for recognition on the world stage and high quality products. Today, under the leadership of Geely, Volvo continues to successfully develop innovative and safe cars, maintaining its Scandinavian identity and appeal to the global market.
The Geely brand is widely known among car enthusiasts around the world. It was founded in 1986 by Li Shufu, who managed to transform the company from a small refrigerator manufacturer into one of the leading automakers in China.
Geely stands out among other Chinese car brands for its quality and innovative technology. One of its main advantages is the constant desire for improvement and development, which allows us to create cars that meet global standards of safety and comfort.
Geely's subsidiary brands Zeekr and Lynk & Co also give the automaker additional credibility, representing not only automobile brands, but also true sources of innovation and modern design.
The Zeekr brand, introduced by Geely in 2020, symbolizes the future of electric automotive technology. The Zeekr 001 has in many ways become a benchmark in the electric vehicle market thanks to its innovative design, high quality materials and advanced technologies used in its creation.
Lynk & Co, part of Geely, symbolizes innovation and a progressive approach to car creation. The Lynk & Co brand offers unique mobility solutions such as long-term car rentals and online purchasing platforms.
Thus, Geely's subsidiary brands — Zeekr and Lynk & Co — not only continue the tradition of high quality and innovation inherited from the parent company, but also set new standards in the automotive industry.
The compact urban crossover Coolray is one of the most successful models on the market. In 2023, about 40 thousand Coolrays were sold, which is almost four times higher than in 2022. This is almost half of all models sold by Geely on the Russian market.
The success of Coolray was natural: among the model’s competitors were cars such as the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos and the more “off-road” Renault Duster — the most popular cars until 2022. After the departure of Korean and French models from the domestic market, the need for compact urban crossovers did not disappear, and Coolray already enjoyed some popularity. In 2021, 11 thousand cars were sold, which, overall, was a good result for the Chinese brand.
The history of the model began in 2018, when Geely introduced a car with the body designation SX11. In its native Chinese market, this car is sold under the name Binyue, in Malaysia — Proton X50, in Belarus — Belgee X50, and in Russia — Coolray (together with Belgee).
- Length / width / height / base 4380 / 1810 / 1615 / 2600 mm
- Trunk volume: 330 liters
- Curb / gross weight: 1432 / 1732 kg
- Gasoline engine , in-line four, 16 valves, 1499 cm³; 108 kW / 147 hp at 5500 rpm; 270 Nm at 2000-3500 rpm
- Acceleration time 0-100 km/h: 8.1 s according to the passport
- Maximum speed: 195 km/h
- Fuel / fuel reserve: recommended AI-95 / 45 l
- Fuel consumption: city / highway / combined cycle 7.2 / 5.5 / 6.1 l / 100 km
- Front-wheel drive transmission ; 7 stage robot
BMA platform
The platform for this machine is B-Segment Module Architecture (BMA), which Geely developed independently. However, it could not do without borrowing, and the company's engineers took a number of solutions from the Compact Module Architecture (CMA) platform developed jointly with Volvo, which underlies the Volvo XC40, Geely Tugella, Monjaro and the new Atlas. Therefore, Coolray and Volvo XC40 already have interchangeable elements such as front suspension and engine parts.
Coolray can easily be called the most European car from the entire diversity of the Chinese automobile industry. The credit for this goes to the automobile designer, whose work we have seen on the roads for decades — the British Peter Horbury. It was he who at one time transformed Volvo cars from “suitcases” into elegant modern cars. From late 2011 to 2021, he was responsible for Geely's signature design.
In September 2021, Stefan Sielaff became vice president of global design for the Geely Auto Group, replacing Peter Horbury in this position. With more than 30 years of experience in automotive design, Sielaff leads the Geely Auto Group portfolio of brands. Previously, he worked in the design centers of Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen Group, and from 2015 to 2020 he served as design director at Bentley Motors.
If we talk about the reasons that prevented the model from becoming the absolute leader in sales among cars of foreign brands, then perhaps the only one is the price. Ultimately, it turned out to be quite high for a front-wheel drive crossover in the B segment.
Exterior
Geely Coolray is a car that attracts attention with its unusual design. Sharp headlights and a massive grille give it a dynamic look, while stylish cutouts on the side panels add originality.
The rear of the car is also designed in a modern style with elegant lamps.
The dimensions have changed slightly: the length has increased from 4330 to 4380 mm, and the width from 1800 to 1810 mm, but all this is due to the body kit and the changed shape of the bumpers.
The wheelbase remains unchanged: it is 2600 mm, as is the ground clearance — 180 mm.
The sporty character is emphasized by sharply defined, muscular front arches and a sharp break in the side surface, stretching from the front door handles to the rear lights, and the gently sloping roofline adds elegance to the appearance. The dynamic appearance of the car is emphasized by four exhaust pipes, a rear fog lamp in the center of the bumper in the style of Formula 1 and a large spoiler, in the Flagship configuration — a two-story one.
It turns out that Geely's previous Coolray sought to attract a more conservative audience accustomed to the more classic designs of European cars. Now the company has decided to become more daring and appeal to a youth audience.
Although the updated Coolray remains a restyling and not a completely new generation, its appearance has undergone significant changes.
The front of the car is now designed in the new Geely style, which is called “Energy Storm” within the company.
The head optics and daytime running lights have been completely redesigned. It is still fully LED, starting from the basic configuration, but no longer lensed.
The headlights create a bright beam of light with a clearly defined upper limit, which rises on the sides to better illuminate the roadsides, and lowers in the center to avoid dazzling oncoming and oncoming drivers. The light is pleasant to the eye, white and close to the color of sunny daylight.
Now running lights can be presented in two versions. In more expensive trim levels, vertical LED lights are added to the usual ones, integrated into the bumper and resembling burning “fangs”.
At the rear, in keeping with modern trends (as seen, for example, in the recent Li or Kia Sportage models), there are narrow lights connected by a thin LED strip. This design move is becoming increasingly popular as it increases the car's visibility and visually expands it, which is different from the previous model. From the side, the silhouette of the car has remained almost unchanged and is easily recognizable on the roads.
The doors close tightly and fit flawlessly to the thresholds. The wheel rims in all versions are already cast, with a diameter of 17 to 18 inches. The top trim of the car is equipped with six parking sensors on each side, which are neatly integrated into the plastic bumper inserts.
On the Russian market, the updated Geely Coolray is available in four trim levels: Comfort, Luxury, Flagship and Exclusive. The basic version includes two airbags, an ESP stabilization system, heated all seats, steering wheel and windshield, remote engine start function, rear view camera, rear parking sensors, cruise control and alloy wheels with a diameter of 17 inches. The Luxury package adds side airbags, a panoramic roof, keyless entry and 18-inch wheels.
The Flagship package includes exterior decor (red brake calipers, black roof, rear spoiler), adaptive cruise control, a surround view system, blind spot monitoring, wireless charging and other options. The Exclusive package differs from the Flagship only in color options, offering two-tone wheels and a unique “lilac pearl” color.
From what we saw during the test, the Geely Coolray was presented in this particular configuration.
Roof rails give the car a stylish look. They are made of aluminum, but with plastic inserts, which does not allow the installation of rack mounts. However, they can be replaced with solid aluminum roof rails with a deeper profile, which can accommodate luggage crossbars for carrying cargo.
From what we noticed, the Geely Coolray key seems unnecessarily bulky. In general, its functionality is standard, but its dimensions and shape make it inconvenient to carry in a jeans pocket. We think it would be optimal to have a key with a shape and weight similar to a regular BMW key without a screen. Such a key is always easy to determine by touch which side and orientation is top or bottom, under your fingers.
Power point
There is now less decorative plastic under the Coolray hood — and that's good. But the washer reservoir is still of the same small volume, and the oil filter can only be changed on a lift.
Comparing with the previous version of the rework, changes also affected the engine. The turbocharged three-cylinder engine was replaced with a four-cylinder unit of the same volume — one and a half liters. Torque has increased from 255 to 270 Nm, but its operating range has become narrower — from 2000 to 3500 rpm instead of the previous 1500-4000 rpm. Power decreased by three horsepower, and the curb weight of the car increased by only 17 kilograms.
Changes in nominal fuel consumption (a decrease of 0.3 l/100 km in the city and 0.6 l/100 km on the highway) and acceleration time to hundreds (a decrease of 0.3 s) can be explained by the reconfiguration of gear ratios in the preselective robot.
It is important to note that the previous engine used in the model was first introduced in 2017 on the Volvo XC40 (T3). After its introduction in Volvo, the B3154T engine was adapted for Geely and Lynk & Co. models. Adaptation means licensed production of an engine with some changes.
The engine is based on the Drive-E modular architecture, which allows cylinders of the same volume to be arranged in a row in any quantity. Thus, an engine with the index JLH-3G15TD was developed. At the same time, its cylinder block is different from the B3154T, and although the 3G15TD can be considered similar to the Volvo engine, significant changes should be noted, such as a redesign of the block and the installation of steel liners.
In 2023, Russian dealers began to discover certain problems with 3G15TD engines. One of them is a broken connecting rod, which leads to complete engine failure, especially often this happens with the third connecting rod. The second identified problem was the timing belt breaking at low mileage (up to 100 thousand km), which leads to the death of the valves. Although these problems are not widespread, there is a certain systematicity in addressing such problems.
To eliminate problems with the previous engine, a new power unit was introduced under the symbol BHE15-EFZ, developed jointly by Geely and Volvo and produced by Aurobay. The new engine replaced the timing belt drive with a chain drive. On the Russian market, this unit was derated to 181 hp. power and 290 Nm of torque, which made it possible to avoid an increased transport tax rate, starting from 150 hp.
The main characteristics of the new engine include high thermal efficiency at 43.32% (while the average efficiency of gasoline engines is 25-30%) and good economy. This motor entered the TOP 10 best motors in China at the end of 2022. It has a high compression ratio (10.5) and uses direct fuel injection, which makes it very sensitive to fuel quality. Therefore, it is recommended to use 95 octane fuel rather than experiment with 92 octane. Interestingly, under the hood you can find not only components from Geely, but also elements from Lync & Co models, such as the JFZ1317 generator.
A well-thought-out solution to hide the windshield washer fluid route under the vibration and noise insulation panel under the hood. The fastening of the injectors on the edges of the hood, in its inner part, also looks great. However, there is an assumption that at very low temperatures in some places where the route passes at the right pillar and goes into the cavity of the wing, a problem with freezing may arise.
The new engine is equipped with a 7-speed robot with two wet clutches, the same as on the previous Geely Coolray. The system demonstrates reliability without any problems, and is perfectly tuned by Swedish engineers. The preselective's response to the gas is immediate, which sets it apart from other robots. Gear modes include ECO (economical), Comfort (standard, comfortable), Adaptive (adaptive, adapting to driving style) and Sport (sports).
The Coolray motor provides sufficient traction in most situations. Even at speeds above 120 km/h, it operates smoothly and quietly, allowing easy overtaking on the highway without the need for excessive maneuvering space. However, on the highway the cabin can become noisy due to insufficient sound insulation.
As for the Coolray's dynamics, it may leave something to be desired for more demanding drivers. Although the 0-60 mph improvement of half a second over the previous model demonstrates that 147 horsepower does not always reflect the car's real capabilities.
For a calmer ride and control of the car, it is recommended to use the adaptive mode, which automatically adapts to the driving style and changes the algorithm of the transmission. This allows you to avoid sudden reactions to pressing the gas pedal in city traffic jams or blurred reactions when overtaking on the highway.
The Coolray's suspension has been heavily reworked in terms of handling, creating a more balanced and controlled on-road behavior. When cornering, the crossover exhibits stability, concentration and good grip, but on the highway it may require greater control precision, especially in the near-zero zone.
LingLong is one of the leading players in the tire market in Asia, but Leao all-season tires are not always successful. Although models such as the Ice I-15 Winter Defender can be used all year round, according to user reviews, during the winter this is only true for certain European countries and the Southern Federal District of Russia. In conditions of severe frosts and heavy snowfalls, they may not provide sufficient effectiveness.
In this case, already at a temperature of -8 degrees Celsius, the tires caused the front wheels to slip on dry asphalt, and performance on ice was assessed as insufficient.
Opponents of studless tires may claim that this is typical behavior for such tires, but this is not true. On the same route as the Coolray, the BMW liftback and crossover used Michelin and Pirelli studless tires and were much more predictable.
Most likely due to the installed winter tires, the acceleration time to 100 km/h on dry asphalt in adaptive mode was 10.5-11 seconds.
Activists who advocate turning on the “sport” mode when taking measurements should explain that in this case the front wheels will “grind” the asphalt longer, which will lead to even worse results.
The Geely Coolray is not the only example of how you can achieve predictable behavior on asphalt even at high speeds and precision in fast corners using a budget semi-independent rear suspension. We have no complaints about the suspension tuning at all. At the same time, Coolray copes well with bad roads. As a result, the suspension can be described as quite rigid, but energy-intensive. To overcome it, you will have to make serious efforts.
The car does not have all-wheel drive, as in the previous generation, so it makes no sense to talk about serious off-road use. In addition, a ground clearance of 180 mm cannot be considered sufficient even for dirt country roads. Although the geometric cross-country ability has become slightly better compared to the previous version, this does not change much.
Interior
The interior, compared to the pre-restyling version, has changed almost completely. The instrument panel now flows smoothly into the central multimedia screen through a small protrusion.
The door cards and the central tunnel also look different.
Along with this, atmospheric interior lighting appeared, which has many modes.
The new interior lacks the convenient and stylish door handle characteristic of the previous Geely Coolray model. The new pens, despite their quality, do not have the same attractive design. However, it should be noted that eco-leather seats are already included in the basic configuration. Upgraded versions add faux suede inserts on the central part of the seats.
The quality of the interior finish remains at approximately the same level as in the previous model, but there have been changes in the arrangement of materials. Soft surfaces are now located in those places where they are most needed for driver comfort — on the door panels, the central tunnel and the edge of the panel, where the driver’s body comes into contact with the cabin. The panel itself, on the contrary, is made of more durable material, although this is not immediately noticeable visually.
When you get behind the wheel of the updated Geely Coolray, you immediately feel a thoughtful stance, which is not typical for many Chinese cars. A variety of seat and steering column settings allows you to choose the optimal position for comfortable driving. The thick, textured steering wheel and good lateral support underline the sporty character of this compact SUV.
One could only complain about the lack of adjustable lumbar support, but the back profile itself is chosen very well. Although the seat cushion may seem a little short, this is not uncommon in this class.
At the same time, people who are accustomed to the previous modification will not have to relearn. The functional buttons on the spokes remain in the same place.
The shape of the ventilation deflectors has changed, and the climate control unit has lost its “knobs” and turned into a narrow strip of keys. USB ports have moved from the “underground” to the front panel.
There is still a button on the panel to control the electronic parking brake and an electronic gearbox mode selector. One of the most noticeable innovations on the console is the appearance of a block of three convenient cup holders with adjustable sizes.
The gear selector has also undergone changes: instead of a T-shaped handle, which was not always comfortable on the Coolray and was reminiscent of throttle controls on airplanes, there is now a curved joystick at hand without unnecessary buttons. The parking mode activation button is located at its base.
In addition, the console now has a wireless charging feature for mobile devices.
Controlling the transmission requires some getting used to. To start moving forward or backward, you need to pull the joystick towards you twice or, accordingly, move it away from you. This is due to the fact that switching between modes D and R occurs exclusively through neutral gear. The car's developers believe that such a system, together with an intelligent transmission control unit, prevents accidental gear shifting while driving, which can lead to serious damage. Those who are switching from a car with a classic automatic will need time to get used to this feature.
The first Coolray implements the same scenario, but to change gears you also have to hold down the button on the side
We repeatedly, out of habit, pulled the selector towards us and heard the howl of the engine with the car stationary in “N” mode.
It is also worth noting that the car, which has a sporty image and a number of features emphasizing its energetic, dynamic character, has lost the ability to manually change gears. In our opinion, this is not too great a loss. Drivers practically do not resort to this mode very often, with the possible exception of “traffic light racing” situations, which, however, are not the safest activity on city roads.
The second row of the Geely Coolray is dominated by hard plastic. When trying to take a seat there, as a driver, some difficulties arose, and my knees almost touched the back of the front seat.
Short trips around the city in this position are quite acceptable, but long trips on the Coolray as a rear passenger were clearly not a delight. However, the child who was in the back seat during the trip to Kaluga felt very comfortable.
In addition, for the convenience of passengers, there are separate air ducts, a connector for charging devices, heated half of the rear seat and a center armrest with cup holders. Naturally, not all of the listed options are available in the basic Coolray package.
Short trips around the city in this position are quite acceptable, but long trips on the Coolray as a rear passenger were clearly not a delight. However, the child who was in the back seat during the trip to Kaluga felt very comfortable.
In addition, for the convenience of passengers, there are separate air ducts, a connector for charging devices, heated half of the rear seat and a center armrest with cup holders. Naturally, not all of the listed options are available in the basic Coolray package.
The Chinese, by tradition, did not provide factory tinting of the rear windows in any configuration.
Trunk
Coolray's convertible trunk remains unchanged compared to the previous version. There are still 330 liters of volume available here. However, Geely still does not indicate the volume with the rear seat folded.
There is no 12V socket, no hooks for packages, and under the simple floor cover the usual “dock” is broken.
Difficulties may arise when transporting large cargo. Even when folding the rear seats, the Coolray doesn't provide a completely flat bottom of the trunk, making this task more difficult.
The electric rear door is a very convenient function, but a problem arises with the gas shock absorbers of the fifth door. They constantly jump out of their fastenings due to freezing even at normal winter temperatures of about -8 degrees. This leads to damage to the body's paintwork, and the situation can only be corrected by heating the interior or placing the car in a warm place. Unfortunately, when frozen, the shock absorber cannot be adjusted at all.
A Geely representative who took the car for a test drive mentioned that this was a “feature of the model.” However, it is unclear whether this problem is specific to this model or is widespread. Geely's official comment on this issue is as follows: «Today, customers who purchased a car and encountered a similar problem can contact official Geely dealerships and the problem will be resolved under warranty.»
Multimedia system
Despite upgrades to the electronic entertainment options, there hasn't been much progress. There is no built-in navigation system, and the capabilities for interacting with Apple and Android smartphones (with the exception of the inconvenient qDlink for smartphones based on Android OS, and even then not for everyone) still remain only on paper.
Right before the article was published, Geely Motors informed us that CarPlay support in the car is already available. New Coolrays supplied to dealers already contain support for Apple software in the multimedia system; other cars will require an update at the next maintenance.
Enlarged from 10.5 to 12.3 inches, the appearance of the multimedia system does not leave you indifferent. Neatly drawn menu sections with excellent graphics and good performance give it a special charm.
Once you start getting to know it, it becomes obvious that finding and activating certain functions takes time and skill. Try, for example, to find and turn on the heated steering wheel without prior preparation. This feature is hidden in a menu that can be called up by swiping from top to bottom on the LEFT side of the display.
In general, there is also a general trend in Coolray, which is especially noticeable in the example of Jetour Dashing: they try to hide all settings and activation/deactivation of functions in the multimedia settings.
Need hill assist? On the menu for you. Need to disable ESC? Back on the menu. Want to adjust your headlights? Well, you understand...
The Coolray instrument panel has been transformed into a 10.2-inch tablet. As standard, the display offers only a monochrome image, like a black-and-white movie, but colors and animations, such as shooting stars, are only available from the Luxury version.
In the new Coolray version, the background color of the dashboard no longer changes depending on the selected driving mode such as Eco, Comfort or Sport, as was the case previously. Now it remains light gray during the day and black at night.
The transmission mode indicator and the gear used is shown by a letter of the corresponding color above the corresponding indicator.
Why the developers did not introduce the ability to select different dashboard design options for the driver remains a mystery. This seems like a simple and logical solution that could be implemented without additional production costs. However, for now, you can only change the appearance of the tachometer, which now has an analogue view with an open circle turned into a vertical bar.
Geely traditionally includes a CarBitLink package in its cars, which allows you to duplicate the screen of your smartphone and thus replace Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.
It is worth noting that, judging by user reviews on the Internet, this application is very demanding on cable quality. The three different cables we had did not meet the requirements of the system, and we were forced to use the navigator in standard mode on a smartphone installed in the holder.
The quality of the installed all-round cameras can be described as “decent”. They're significantly better than the Haval M6 and slightly superior to the camera quality of the Dashing we recently tested.
The picture displayed on the display is clear and legible even in an underground parking lot with dim artificial lighting.
The automated parking assistance system can be considered useless in most cases. In a relatively difficult situation, the car cannot always correctly assess the possibility of parking. And under simple conditions, it’s actually much easier to park yourself in such a compact car.
The car has a convenient and important function, like, for example, a fashionable and, to some extent, prestigious Tesla. Namely, the use of installed cameras as a video recorder.
Apparently this is a simple and elegant solution: if you have a camera, if you wish, you can also use it as a device to record everything that happens on the road. To do this, you just need to install a memory card.
However, here lies a mysterious solution, the meaning of which even Geely could not explain. The process of installing the camera is as inconvenient and mysterious as possible. You will not find a detailed description of this process in the user manual. You will have to inconveniently and incomprehensibly pull out the front passenger seat, bend back the pocket of the floor covering, which is fixed with Velcro, look for the recorder unit, and already on it — a small plug. The implementation of this function raises questions about its logic, although the function itself is certainly useful.
Bottom line
The manufacturer provides a standard warranty of 5 years or 150,000 km, whichever comes first.
The basic version of the car will have only two airbags, but in more expensive versions their number increases to six. In addition, the car is equipped with various electronic assistance systems such as ABS, EBD, ESC, TCS and others.
One of the noticeable improvements over the previous model is the double-sided galvanization of the body, with the exception of the underbody and roof. The lower part of the new Geely Coolray is protected by aerodynamic plastic shields, which is rare in the B-class segment. Such care for the body is usually typical for models positioned as “light SUVs”, for example, the Suzuki Vitara and SX4. The Chinese manufacturer has also improved the paint quality, which has a positive effect on the thickness of the paintwork on the new Coolray.
We did not discuss fuel consumption in the article, but, in our opinion, it is quite significant for a compact crossover: 8-9 liters of 95 gasoline per 100 kilometers (taking into account half the mileage on the highway to Kaluga).
Despite the fact that the gas tank flap indicates the possibility of using 92-grade gasoline, dealers strongly recommend refueling only with 95-grade gasoline.