Dongfeng Box Review: Unwrapping Joy

What we like:

Competitive price

Funky execution

Decent to drive

What we dislike:

Exterior design can be a bit dull in other colours

The Box doesn’t have legacy on its side, but what it does have is loads of style and substance, which are precious commodities especially at its price point.

Dongfeng is a Chinese state-owned car company and originates from Wuhan, China. Although not really recognised in Singapore, it is already a few steps ahead in its execution. The Box is cute and comes in very fetching colours, especially this purple/white combination on the test car that just reminds me of my favourite ice cream flavour - yam. It gets frameless windows too, a pointed move towards glamour rather than cost. All this helps to liven up an otherwise non-descript exterior, but it is all that’s needed to make it far more appealing than the typical economy EV.

It is on the inside where the Box gets more interesting, with a solid infotainment system replete with an onboard feline. You can pin notices on the screen’s ‘living room’ and do all manner of fun things with it. There’s a built-in tyre pressure monitoring system, the full suite of safety assistance systems, a 540-degree panoramic camera, automatic parking and an electric and ventilated driver’s seat.

The interior materials feel premium and soft to the touch where it matters. The front glove compartment is pretty funky too as it opens up like a make-up tray. Clearly, some input from women has been sought for the interior and it is indeed refreshing.

Aside from the trimmings, the Box is surprisingly spacious too despite its deceptively compact proportions. Legroom and headroom are generous for all passengers, and five can definitely sit comfortably. There’s 326 litres of boot space, and 945 litres if the rear seats are folded down.

For a Cat A COE car with 94 bhp and 160 Nm, the Box is zippier than expected, not leaving you wanting for more. It’s also comfortably sprung and leans towards plushness rather than harshness. That said, the torsion beam rear suspension does let in the occasional upset or two from the road to rear passengers.

A 42.3 kWh battery gives around 430 km of range, and during the test I could comfortably hit close to 400 km. Via AC charging, the Box achieves a charging speed of 6.6 kW and 88 kW with DC charging.

Overall, the Box is a ball of fun and immensely likable, more so than I first expected. Unwrapping this box is simply pure joy.

Photos by James Wong

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