Brilliance's M2 (aka BS4 or Huachen Junjie) three-car is a car that can be said to be "unique." Yes - because it was not realistic to find another similar sedan "almost business class" of decent quality for half a million rubles on the Russian market in 2008. Of course, the "attractive price" is not surprising for a Chinese car, but Brilliance M2 is good not only for the price ...
By the way, this model surprisingly quickly (for the "Chinese") entered the Russian market - in 2007 the production of this sedan started in China, "he" immediately began to "conquer" European markets, and in 2008 he reached Russia ... Well, by 2010, he had a slightly refreshed appearance.
In fact, it bears little resemblance to the "typical products" of Chinese car manufacturers. The M2 sedan looks very serious and very impressive - probably due to the fact that this car was created at the same plant that produces BMW cars for the Asian market. But Brilliance M2, as is often the case with Chinese cars, is not a "parody" of any popular car - it is a completely independent development.
Well, if you do not consider that the exterior design here was not done by Chinese specialists, but by the designers of the Italdesign studio. And I must admit that the Italians did not work badly - the sedan turned out to be solid and pleasant.
The Chinese manufacturer also reinforced the external solidity with solid build quality - the paint is "on the level", the gaps are "ideal", and parts prone to corrosion (for example, the rear wheel arches) have additional protection.
The interior of the Brilliance M2 sedan is quite consistent with the exterior. But here you can already "recognize the Chinese style" - and not at all because the salon is decorated in a "Chinese distinctive spirit", but in the sense that the Brilliance M2 salon is very reminiscent of the BMW salon produced "on the next conveyor".
Although, it must be admitted that the salon was not quite "stupidly copied" - rather, they borrowed the "contours" and gave the interior "recognizable and coveted by many" features. All in all, a good marketing move.
But being “visually similar to BMW” and being “in everything similar to BMW” are different things. In the case of Brilliance M2, the quality is also at a high level. There is no "ringing" plastic with the smell of phenol (even some "Americans" can envy the materials and the quality of the interior decoration of this car).
Although, of course, they did save on some things. For example, on the paint that is written on the CD-receiver - you can see that it will wear off over time. And near the volume control knob, it begins to disappear immediately after the start of operation. However, these are still little things to which you can close your eyes, because "they do not affect the speed."
But the steering column switches are not very well located - too far from the steering wheel (you have to reach for it).
Otherwise, there are no complaints about ergonomics.
The level of equipment in which the Brilliance M2 is offered is quite good. Even the basic equipment here is almost the maximum and includes "everything you need": from power windows with door closers to stabilization systems.
For a test drive, we took the Brilliance M2 with a 1.8-liter licensed Mitsubishi engine with 136 hp. We can say that such a motor copes with its tasks tolerably - its power is quite enough to feel comfortable in the city traffic (but it will not be possible to “light it up”). At the bottom, the engine pulls well (but "without enthusiasm"), and in order to switch to the "full power" mode, you have to turn it right up to 4000 rpm (and this engine can reach its peak torque only at 5000 rpm) ... It's a pity of course as the suspension setup shows that the Brilliance M2 could handle more power while remaining well-controlled.
The chassis of the sedan is also borrowed from Mitsubishi (in principle, it is very similar to the eighth generation Galant suspension, which is targeted at the US market, with the only difference that in the M2 it is tuned for a more dynamic ride than for comfort) ... But this does not mean that the Brilliance M2 cannot be comfortable - you only need to choose smoother roads (and then you can feel real pleasure, supported by an unsurpassed budget, because today there is no alternative to the M2 in terms of the combination of the level of the car, its price and equipment) ...
In terms of reliability - it's hard to say objectively here, but a two-year warranty (or 50,000 km) - already says something.
Prices for the Brilliance M2 of the following order: at the start of sales in Russia, the cost of the M2 1.6MT Comfortable was ~ 455,000 rubles, for the more powerful M2 1.8MT Comfortable dealers asked for ~ 500,000 rubles, and the M2 1.8MT Deluxe was offered for ~ 540,000 rubles ... in 2017 this car is no longer officially presented in the Russian Federation, and on the secondary market it can be purchased at a price of 150 ~ 300 thousand rubles (depending on the year of manufacture and the condition of the car).
Specifications (1.6MT / 1.8MT).
- Engine:
- Engine type - Gasoline, with multipoint injection and electronic control, Euro 3
- Number and arrangement of cylinders - 4, in-line
- Number of valves - 16
- Fuel type - Gasoline AI-92
- Working volume, cm³ - 1584/1834
- Maximum power, hp / rpm - 100/6000 / 136/6500
- Maximum torque, N.m / rpm. - 133.4 / 4500 / 165/5000
- Body:
- Body type - Sedan
- Number of doors / seats - 4/5
- Length, mm - 4648
- Width, mm - 1800
- Height, mm - 1450
- Trunk volume, l - 430
- Suspension:
- Wheelbase, mm - 2790
- Ground clearance, mm - 180
- Suspension front / rear - Independent, multi-link
- Front / rear track, mm - 1565/1560
- Front brakes - Disc, ventilated
- Rear brakes - Disc
- Tires - 195/65 R15, 205/55 R16
- Curb / full weight, kg - 1390/1780 / 1415/1805
- Maximum speed, km / h - 180/185
- Fuel consumption, l / 100 km (manufacturer data) - 6.0 / 6.2
- Fuel tank capacity, l - 74
- Transmission - 5-speed manual transmission
- Drive - Front
