Change
Furuida K21 And K22 Mini Pickup Trucks
Change is moving into the booming mini pickup truck market with the single cab Furuida K21 and the
double cab Furuida K22. They cost next to nothing. Price starts at 36.900 yuan and ends at 40.900 yuan. Power comes
from a tiny 1.2 liter four-cylinder petrol engine. Output is 88 hp and 112 nm.
Gearbox
is a five-speed manual, sending horses to the rear wheels. Claimed top speed is
90 kilometer per our for both versions. Interestingly, the extra two doors make
the K22 only 96 kilo heavier than the K21. Curb weight for the K21 is 1200 kilo
and the K22 weights 1296 kilo.
Fuel
consumption of the K21 is 8.3 liter per 100 km, and the K22 drinks a tad more
with 8.6.
Size
K21: 5280/1760/2065 mm, and wheelbase is 3190 mm.
Size K22: 5450/1760/2120 mm, and wheelbase is 3400 mm.
Size K22: 5450/1760/2120 mm, and wheelbase is 3400 mm.
The
most important parameter for pickup trucks is the size of the bed.
Size
K21: 3200/1560/360 mm.
Size K22: 2550/1560/360 mm.
Size K22: 2550/1560/360 mm.
The K22
wins the extra doors, wins overall length, but looses lots of bed length. Sadly
Changhe has not released a number for the maximum load, which is odd in one
way, because it is important, but not odd in another way, because nobody will
care. Comparable pickup trucks have a mx load of 450-600 kilo.
This
kind of vehicles are rather simple, but that is for a reason. They have to be
cheap to run, cheap to maintain, cheap to repair, cheap to crash, and every
village mechanic has to be able to fix the engine. Above that all they have to
be strong because every buyer will overload it whenever he can, and rush it
over the worst roads at top speed.
The
interior is simple too but not bad for the segment. The hand brake lever looks
a bit flimsy. The center console is dressed up with a fake wood panel.
More
wood around the instrument binnacle. There is a heater and a fan. There is a
radio with an aux port. And, very important for the target audience, a clearly
marked cigarette lighter. Note how the center console is located off-center,
almost entirely in front of the passenger seat, which is.
The K22 is classified as a five-seater, presumably with two up front and
three on the rear bench. The front-passenger seat however seems large enough to
seat two. And in reality, that is what it will do. It is not uncommon to see
these vehicles with up to eight people in the cabin, all smoking.
A truck
so basic it is almost beautiful, and there is a large market to sell it to.
However, the segment is getting a bit crowded with over twenty vehicles of
various brands available.