Geely Cityray. Simple Exposure Effect

All other things being equal, people choose familiar things, even if there are no other objective reasons for this. This is how one can describe the mere exposure effect, which is one of the basic principles in the field of marketing. With each next contact, the thing begins to seem more convenient and understandable than before, so we think less and less about alternatives. You don’t have to be smart and simply call it addiction – one way or another, the Geely Cityray, consisting of many minor inconveniences and roughnesses, is repulsive only at first, but after a week it already seems like a completely normal car.

But before you fall in love with it, you will be surprised at how difficult it is to move off smoothly and quickly in this car at the same time – the robot will first think about the command given by the right pedal, and then, like a student, will abruptly release the clutch. Gently adding traction in a traffic jam is also a problem until you figure out to switch to the eco-mode of the power plant. But why is the basic “comfort” so uncomfortable that passengers nod their heads like dummies while driving in a barely crawling traffic jam?

Cityray is a hybrid of Atlas and Coolray. Under the body and interior in the style of the older model are the BMA platform and units from the younger one. Dimensions – approximately in the middle
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Having escaped into open space, you will experience new difficulties in order to easily and accurately set the trajectory with the steering wheel. Even if this trajectory is just a straight line. On the one hand, the electric booster provides a viscous and unnatural resistance to rotation, and on the other hand, it almost completely dissipates feedback from the wheels. We have to evaluate how and how much to turn the steering wheel mainly with our eyes – without the usual feedback from the chassis towards our tactile-muscular perception.

Vyacheslav Krylov

Of course, the scale of these roughnesses is small. They have virtually no effect on the safety or driving capabilities of the vehicle. But the lack of mutual understanding with the driver at some deep, basic level reduces a person’s trust in the car and leads to more stress than desired while driving. After all, it could be different: while the Suzuki Fronx in this sense is perceived as practically an exoskeleton with wheels, the Geely Cityray is very far from this.

Despite the common chassis with the Coolrey, the rear suspension is multi-link, and not “semi-independent” on a beam, like the younger model
Vyacheslav Krylov It’s unlikely that this design feature gives the Cityray any interesting handling, but the ride smoothness here is definitely higher than Coolrey’s
Vyacheslav Krylov

At the same time, it has a suspension that is normal in terms of energy intensity, albeit a little harsh; good engine thrust and adequate robot behavior in most modes, with the exception of standing start; There are also no obvious handling problems. Just having experience with other cars that have been tuned more carefully and cleanly, it is impossible not to compare. But the more time you spend with Geely, the more familiar its reactions and mannerisms seem and the less reflection you feel about the car’s settings.

Due to the commonality of the platform with the Coolray, the drive here can only be front-wheel drive
Vyacheslav Krylov But in winter conditions, well-tuned traction control helps – the stabilization system does not interfere with driving actively and at the same time safely
Vyacheslav Krylov

With everyday matters, everything is a little more complicated. The salon is visually interesting, but tactilely uninviting. There is neither traditional comfort nor the charm of expensive high-tech here – instead, it is mostly a mindless imitation of premium brands. For example, many basic functions – like controlling the panoramic roof or even heating the rear row – are hidden in the depths of the disproportionately large display. And even to select driving modes, they spared a physical switch – welcome to the Tesla-like tablet.

“On” EPB when off engine.” — did the screen stretch as much as 13.2 inches diagonally for such a design of menu items?
Vyacheslav Krylov There are as many as 72 backlight shades here – more than the older Atlas. But there is only one climate zone, and don’t be fooled by the duplicated temperature control “controls” on the screen. The climate works, like many “Chinese” ones, not without complaints – sometimes it’s cold, sometimes it sweats, sometimes it blows in the wrong direction
Vyacheslav Krylov

The interface of the multimedia device is slightly confusing: the location of some functions just needs to be remembered, rather than trying to be guided by intuition. And secondly, with the huge size of the screen, a significant part of its area is simply empty in many places. Because of this, sub-submenus are multiplying, to navigate to which you have to make extra taps. But on the way to the desired destination, admiring the colorful “wallpapers” and illustrations.

The salon is similar to the design space of the older Atlas. But it differs in the steering wheel with four spokes versus three; a separate tidy screen rather than integrated into the panel; traditional contour lighting against original vertical marks; finally, simpler chairs without a cushion extension
Vyacheslav Krylov The seats look sporty, but that’s where the sportiness of them and the entire car ends. The profile is quite normal and does not cause discomfort, but the pillow is traditionally short
Vyacheslav Krylov There is significantly more space in the back than in the cramped Coolray – according to this indicator, the Cityray comes close to the Atlas
Vyacheslav Krylov

The few physical controls are also gimmicky. Over time, you can learn to use the mocking power windows without errors, the keys of which are inverted and, in addition, have some kind of unstable, seemingly variable sensitivity. But you will still touch the button of the adjacent window from time to time, so don’t be surprised by the windows slightly open on a car left in the parking lot. Next up for analysis is the transmission selector.

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The joystick lacks clear feedback, and this causes fuss in handling it. Traditionally, for Geely, you can move from D to R and back only by inevitably stumbling over N. And in a hurry (for example, during a turn), it is much easier to pull the lever several times than to count “clicks”. But among the original solutions, there are also harmless ones: for example, turning on the turn signal causes a clicking sound from the speaker exactly on the side that is activated. True, speakers are only suitable for this.

The layout of the data on the device cannot be changed. Therefore, the speedometer readings will always be lost at the top edge of the screen, leaving most of the screen area for displaying a colorful splash screen and assistant animations. The composition of the latter relative to Coolray has been expanded due to several additional systems from the arsenal of the older Atlas
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It will be difficult to get used to the sound of an audio system, the quality of which in a car costing three million does not even reach that of a decent portable speaker: regardless of the genre, the music is reproduced muffled and pale. But the tweeters in the corners of the front windows are illuminated exactly like similar tweeters in the top-end Bowers & Wilkins BMW speakers. The “not to be, but to appear” approach is in all its glory: we haven’t figured out the main thing yet, but we’ve already screwed in the secondary.

The trunk is well designed thanks to a two-level floor, a convenient compartment shape and the presence of side pockets and a curtain (the latter is increasingly becoming a luxury in Chinese models)
Vyacheslav Krylov

But at the same time, Cityray has many things that owners of some basic Passat and BMW third series only recently dreamed of: a panoramic roof, a dark ceiling, extended interior lighting, digital instrumentation, a full-size display, LED optics all around, or even a daring body kit with four pipes in the center of the rear bumper (Flagship Sport version). But at the same time, the Geely crossover lacks what even the most banal ten-year-old Karoka or Golf has. Namely, the consistency of all systems and the feeling of ease and naturalness when driving a car.

To quickly distinguish the Shichiray from the Atlas, you need to know where to look: if the headlights are Y-shaped, then this is a younger model (it has two letters Y in its name), and if it is sickle-shaped, then it is an older one
Vyacheslav Krylov There are only three body colors: white, gray, blue. Coolrey and Atlas have wider palettes – five shades each
Vyacheslav Krylov Wheels are 18 or 19 inches in size, depending on the configuration. For Coolray it is 17/18, and for Atlas it is 19/20
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But the effect of simple exposure does its job. After a week of test driving, I stopped noticing most of the Cityray’s shortcomings. Okay, not to notice, but to react sharply to them. I am sure that in a month I would have become almost completely friends with the crossover, as has happened more than once before. This suggests that our claims to cars are often exaggerated, and manufacturers practically do not make obviously unsuccessful cars.

https://quto.ru/geely/cityray/i/suv5d

Therefore, if this or that model has leaked through your funnel of criteria and inputs, but is objectively far from ideal, do not be discouraged. Make up your mind, start using it, and before you know it, you’ll get used to it. This idea underlies the loyalty of car owners to their familiar car brands, when we choose models from a well-known brand again and again. By the way, according to this indicator, Geely is the leader among brands represented on the Russian market, according to data from the Autostat company.

The difference in price with a Coolrey of similar configuration is only 50-100 thousand rubles. Therefore, choosing between them becomes a matter of priorities and preferences rather than money. Atlas at the same time plays in its own, much more expensive league
Vyacheslav Krylov

But no matter what you call addiction – whether it’s so straightforward or an abstruse “effect of simple exposure” – I will always be close to the words of my colleague Kononchuk from the material about Chery Tiggo 9: “I’m convinced that good ergonomics is when you sit down and use it, and don’t get used to it.” and adapt.” There are no and cannot be guarantees that you will endure and fall in love, so at the selection stage it is always better to clearly know what you want and what you do not accept. /m

Car Geely Cityray Likes Design, equipment, suspension comfort Dislikes Interior oddities, power plant tuning, sound of audio system Verdict Looks like an Atlas, drives like a Coolray Engine 1499 cm³, petrol L4 turbo, 147 hp, 270 N∙m Transmission RKP-7 Figures 8.9 s; 190 km/h Weight 1545 kg

Detailed technical specifications

Geely Cityray Engine type petrol L4 turbo Displacement, cm³ 1499 Max. power, hp /rpm 147/5500 Max. torque, Nm/rpm 270/2000–3500 Drive type front Gearbox robotic, 7-speed Front suspension spring McPherson Rear suspension spring multi-link Dimensions (LxWxH), mm 4510x1865x1650 Wheelbase, mm 2701 Curb weight, kg 1545 Trunk volume, l 571 Acceleration 0–100 km/h, s 8.9 Max. speed, km/h 190 Fuel consumption (combined), l/100 km 6.5 Fuel tank volume, l 51 Price, rub. from 2,854,190 GAC GS3 and Jetta VS5 New Haval H3: brutal and musical Suzuki Fronx – Lotus in the world of crossovers