The Emgrand 7 sedan from Geely->ke3815 made its debut in 2009. The car was designed to be the Chinese company’s first powerful move into creating cars for the European market. If you want to make it in the EU, you need more than style and safety ratings though; you need five-doors. European nations are renowned for their love of the hatch->ke304 so in 2010, one year after the 7 Sedan deputed, Geely introduced the Emgrand 7 RV hatch.

It features the same overall styling cues, same interior equipment and the same four-star Euro-NCAP safety score, but it adds just a dash more cargo space and a rear hatch to create a machine that is better suited to families looking for enhanced space and capability in their vehicles.

With a plethora of hatches now on sale here in the United States like the Focus,->ke440 Golf,->ke164 and Mazda 3 ->ke504 among others, does the Geely Emgrand 7 RV have what it takes to sway buyers? Read more about this five-door after the break and let us know what you think.

Continue reading to learn more about the Geely Emgrand 7 RV

Exterior

The Embrand 7 RV uses the same overall style of the standard 7 sedan, but the addition of larger cargo area and behatched rear end have done a lot to improve the overall look. The new rounded back end adds a touch of sporty playfulness to what was otherwise a very ordinary sedan. Other nice touches on the exterior have been pulled straight from the four-door and include the deep sculpting on the doors and the carving across the hood.

The wheel designs include the same pairs of spoked wheels from the normal 7, including those rather attractive curved units. Special split-spoke design rims are exclusively available on the 7 RV. You can order the 7 RV in your choice of several colors that include silver, blue and red.

Exterior Dimensions

Interior

From the rear seats forward, the cabin of the 7 RV is identical to its sedan sibling. You still get that two-toned beige and black color combination with silver metallic trim. The dash, steering wheel and top of the door panels are black, but the seating, carpets and headliner are all covered in the lighter material. For a dash of extra convenience for front passengers, Geely has contracted with Lear USA to provide the Emgrand 7 RV with eight-way power seats.

Storage cubbies can be found all around the cabin, and there is a sunroof for those days when you want just a bit more sunshine on your commute.

Drivetrain

Providing the hustle for this family hatch is your choice of three engines, a 1.5-liter or two different 1.8-liter four-cylinders. The 1.5-liter is good for 107 horsepower, and it comes mated exclusively to a five-speed manual transmission. With this setup, you can reach 60 mph from a stop in about 18 seconds. Top speed is quoted at 105 mph. The first 1.8-liter unit comes with a five-speed manual as well, but thanks to its larger size, it has 131 horsepower. This cuts the 0-to-60 run down to 14 seconds, and pushes the top speed up a bit higher to 111 mph. The final engine option is also listed as a 1.8-liter, but it is slightly smaller in displacement than the other engine at 1,792cc displacement size. This motor has 136 horsepower, comes with a six-speed automatic tranny, and it sees the 60-mph run cut down further to 11 seconds.

In the US market, the 1.5-liter just doesn’t have enough grunt to cut it, but the 1.8 puts it in a competitive spot.

Drivetrain/Specifications

Prices

If pricing follows what we think the other models in the Geely family will, this hatch would hit showrooms around the $13,000 if it hit North America. That is enough to undercut every major competitor in the segment. However, Geely would need to focus a lot of resources on upgrading th equipment and technology to really stand out.

Competition

Ford Focus

The Ford Focus has been flying off showroom floors since it first arrived. The newest-generation car finally reunites the U.S. and EU markets with a single product, rather than the split production models seen over the last decade. This new Focus looks better than any that came before, is one of the most technically advanced cars in its class, and is available with a varied collection of engines that include the bonkers 2.3-liter EcoBoost from the Focus ST.

With a starting price of only $16,810, Ford has ensured that the new Focus is competitively price. So much so, that even an invasion of small and affordable hatches form China would have a hard time swiping sales.

Nissan Versa Note

If you want to talk about cheap ways to get into a five-door model, you could do far worse than a Nisan Versa Note. With only 109 horsepower coming from its 1.6-liter engine, the Versa Note isn’t exactly quick, but with a base price of only $14,180 it nears our projected price of the Geely, and it offers great standard equipment like Bluetooth and air conditioning. It is also one of the largest cars in its class providing outstanding versatility.

If you really want to stretch your wallet, for $18,750 the Vera offers NissanConnect, SiriusXM traffic and weather, the class-exclusive AroundView Monitor system, navigation and more. That is a lot of equipment, and a well-known and trusted badge on the nose, for only a tiny amount of cash. The Emgrand 7 RV will have quite a fight on its hands to snag sales from this segment stalwart.

Conclusion

When it comes to a straight comparison against larger hatches like the Ford Focus, Volkswagen Golf and Mazda3, the Geely Emgrand 7 RV holds an incredible pricing advantage. It offers near equivalent space, and equipment and quality appear to on par with the rest of the industry. It does fall well under the competition in regards to power and performance, however, and this could hinder its sales. If all you want is a cheap five-door, the U.S. market has plenty of fine machines that will vie for your hard earned dollar. The Ford Fiesta, Mazda2, and Nissan Versa Note are all great cars that fall within range of our projected MSRP for the Chinese car.