Went to the Eastern Motors' showroom on Jail Rd today to look at the Geely CK I've been lusting after these past few days, and (everything else being equal to my expectations) it's like a corolla, only.... smaller!
Seriously folks this thing looks like a 4/5 scale model of a corolla knock-off; which helps explain the 650k price.
Here are the rest of my impressions of the car:
Exterior build quality is very good (better than the best pak assembled sedans available today)
Interior materials and assembly quality is about on par with the Suzuki Cultus or Changan Kalam van (if you've seen it you'll understand what I mean).
The trunk space is good with the 55l cng cylinder installed, and extremely good without the cylinder.
The seating height is fairly low, if you're used to a Civic you'll feel quite at home.
Interior space has been utilized very well, to provide a roomy atmosphere.
The rear seating is slightly higher than the front seating, to add to the feeling of roominess for the rear seat passengers.
Rear seating leg room is perfectly fine ( I checked because earlier posters have said it's inadequate).
Everything about the car's dimensions has been scaled so well that (until I saw it in person) I'd thought it was the same dimensions as the current Corolla; actually it's about the same size as the current Liana.
Gear shift knob and steering are chunky and well padded, adding to the feeling of luxury and capability in the car.
Ceiling height clearance is very good, providing adequate room for folks who are up to 6' tall.
The engine and associated confectionery looks a little dated but very serviceable and solid.
Buyers only get 4 alloys and a full size spare steel wheel now (they've deleted the 5th alloy for some reason)
The 1.5l model in the showroom has a beautiful red color and beige leather seats.
The car has an aggressive downsloping stance that makes it look like it's crouching down to spring forward.
In summary, I think it's an excellent value package at 650k. Personally I would get the 1.3l because the 1.5l is just overkill in a car this small (unless you want to mod it to be a pocket rocket, which should be fairly easy considering that the engine is more or less a 95 Corolla model).
The Pakistani public deserves more choices in the car market and I applaud Geely for giving us a great value proposition.
The nearest competitor is the Liana, but the price difference is very much in the CK's favor.
Prime, Soneri and Crescent Bank's are financing purchases of the CK.
I hope to see a lot of CK's on the road in the near future.
Regards,
Vadvaro
