A compact SUV just for city driving
Renault Samsung’s QM5 City. [JoongAng Ilbo]
Renault Samsung’s QM5 City, designed exclusively for urban driving, makes these slightly more tame experiences pleasant with a touch of luxurious style. Where the compact SUV excels is in how smoothly the vehicle travels on the road.
The CVT (continuously variable transmission) makes the smooth ride possible. The transmission system allows the gear shaft to maintain consistent velocity. This allows the vehicle to run at the most efficient speed, increasing fuel efficiency.
A certain amount of power can be felt even when driving down the street, unless the SUV is driven at an extremely high speed. And the shift from gear to gear is hardly felt, which contributes to the vehicle’s overall comfort.
The strong suspension system also contributes to the pleasant driving experience. Renault Samsung vehicles are known for suspension systems that outperform their competitors, including Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors.
The strong suspension of the compact QM5 City not only helps to reduce the vibration when driven at high speeds, it also balances the vehicle as it turns and reduces the unpleasantness over speed bumps as the powerful suspension absorbs the impact.
Fuel efficiency is another of the vehicle’s features. The QM5 City travels 11.2 kilometers on a single liter of gas (26.3 miles per gallon). This is low compared to diesel-fueled SUVs such as Hyundai Motor’s Tucson, which has a fuel-efficiency rating of 14 kilometers per liter. However, the QM5 City has a higher fuel-efficiency rating when compared to the gasoline-fueled version of the Tucson, which gets 9.8 kilometers per liter.
Considering that the vehicle is a SUV, which is known for loud engine noise, the gasoline-fueled engine takes out such disadvantages.
Whether the vehicle is cruising the streets or stuck in traffic, there’s hardly any disturbance from engine noise, which is a feature sure to relax drivers sensitive to noise. When traveling at high speeds, the usual swooshing sound of the wind is deadened by the silence of the vehicle’s interior.
This vehicle is more than an SUV. Though a compact model, it is filled with high-tech gadgets similar to those found in larger, luxury sedans. It has a keyless starting system, cruise control, an automatic speed limiter that prevents the car from racing downhill, a parking alarm system, an air-conditioning system that allows both the driver and passengers to adjust the temperature according to their individual preferences and a wide sunroof.
The vehicle’s audio system is a jaw dropper. The Bose technology installed within the vehicle provides outstanding hi-fi quality sound.
The other bonus? Sitting in the vehicle feels very much like traveling in a spacecraft.
By Lee Ho-jeong [ojlee82@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)