While the established brands in our southern African market fight for dominance at the top end of the double cab market, Changan has just arrived with this affordable and refreshing option…
You should know: The vehicle you’re now looking at is a 2025 Changan Hunter D/C 2.0 4WD A/T CE in what the ZA website simply refers to as… Red. And what you almost certainly want to know about this noisy cluck-cluck double-cab is that it comes in two trim levels and currently costs between R450,000 and R570,000.
More info: This is the top-spec 4×4 Automatic CE and the cheaper option is a 2WD Manual CS. Both use a 1.9L TD four pot, from which Changan claims maximum outputs of 110kW or 350Nm. They also allege an average of 7.1 to 9.1L/100km from the 80L tank but offer no performance claims. Our best 0-100 time was a leisurely 13.3 seconds.
Right. What else? Spec-for-spec, the two-wheel drive Manual offers a 10-inch infotainment system, premium fabric seats, four airbags and four loudspeakers, cruise control, a few powered and remote goodies, ABS with EBD and brake assist, ESP with traction and hill controls, roof rails, a couple of cargo hooks, as well as snazzy 17-inch alloy wheels with 265/65 tyres.
Pay that extra R120,000 and, besides the automatic gearbox and an extra drive axle, you also get a smart key and keyless access, auto headlights and wipers, a rear window demister, leather seats with front power adjustments, two more airbags and speakers, quite a bit of exterior bling, 12V socket in the load bay, 18-inch alloys with 265/60 tyres, plus a rear diff lock.
Why you shouldn’t: All of that for just 570k sounds like an absolute bargain, yet I can already hear the pained questions by most buyers. “Can I have the cheaper one but as an automatic?” Or “don’t you have a 4×4 manual?” Sadly, the answer to any of that is (currently) no, but here’s hoping that Changan finds their customer base and quickly reacts to desired specs.
Why you should: It’s also jolly noisy, especially at idle, but I’m not the only driver who found that quite charming; and very fitting of an affordable turbo-diesel double cab bakkie. And I have to add that I fully expected this red bakkie would be stodgy and wobbly, while smelling of glue and floating all over the road. But the only rattle I perceived was that agricultural motor.
To start summing up, the Changan Hunter D/C 2.0 4WD was surprisingly planted to drive and fairly easy to live with. Each new one is sold with a 5-year/150,000km warranty and 5-year/90,000km service plan. Oh yes, and if you would like lots more information, please look for our full review of this vehicle on Youtube.
FULL SPECLIST
| Engine: | 1,910cc i-4 turbo-diesel |
| Transmission: | 6-speed Auto, 2WD/4WD |
| Max. Power: | 110kW |
| Max. Torque: | 350Nm |
| Avg. cons.: | Claimed 9.1L/100km |
| 0-100km/h: | 13.29s (no claim) |
| Top Speed: | No claim |
| List Price: | R569,900 |
