Less than two years after the Geely Boyue was
launched in China, the midsize SUV has been given a facelift to keep it fresh
on the market. Chinese automotive portal autohome.com.cn has gained early
access to the new car, which is expected to go on sale in March.
Differentiating new from old is the front bumper
design, which is now sportier and more modern, with LED fog lights integrated
into the lower corners. At the rear, the tail lights have been given darker
lenses, while the bumper receives a wider skid plate, redesigned tailpipes and
vertical reflectors. The new alloy wheels are also a size larger, measuring 19
inches in diameter.
Inside, the biggest change is the new infotainment
system, which ditches physical controls in favour of touch-sensitive buttons.
The touchscreen, which now sits flush with the bezels, remains an eight-inch
item, but the resolution has been bumped up to 1920×720 pixels. The user
interface has also been redesigned, and the 360-degree camera now shows a
three-dimensional view of obstacles surrounding the car.
Other updates are functional in nature, such as four
additional USB ports (two at the front, two at the rear), plus another port in
the headlining near the rear-view mirror for installing a dash cam – a neat
feature. There are also separate controls for adjusting the passenger seat on
the backrest (Ã la Toyota Camry), a new tea brown upholstery colour, an
illuminated PRND display next to the gearlever and a Morel sound system.
Safety-wise, the Boyue receives a blind spot monitor
that also warns if a passenger is about to open the door into traffic. This
joins the list of existing driver assists, including autonomous emergency
braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and auto high beam.
Engine options remain the same before, so the Boyue
soldiers on with either a 139 hp/178 Nm 2.0 litre naturally-aspirated
four-cylinder engine or a 1.8 litre turbo mill making either 161 hp and 250 Nm
of torque with a six-speed manual transmission or 181 hp and 285 Nm with a
six-speed automatic. There’s a choice of either front- or all-wheel drive,
depending on the variant.
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