More precisely, its strange braid
The official premiere of the Oting Paladin frame SUV (this is a slightly modified Nissan Terra) in Russia took place yesterday, and now new details have emerged. So, during the first acquaintance with the car, journalists paid attention to its steering wheel.
There was some kind of strange and sloppy leather braid on the steering wheel, partially extending even to the switch on the spoke. “ Such options are usually made by drivers themselves when they don’t want to bother with re-tightening, buying a universal braid complete with threads. And here the steering rims were “tightened” on all the cars on display that I saw. It is not clear why, but this decision looks at least strange, because, judging by the configurations, they are already covered in leather. Or is it plastic? “- writes the columnist of “Chinese cars” Sergei Zakharov.
There are also complaints about the leather upholstery of the seats: it does not fit tightly to the inside of the chair. There are also bends and waves.
It turned out that in the basic versions (two out of four) there is a regular instrument panel with dials for the speedometer and tachometer, and it is readable better than the virtual “tidy” with a 7-inch screen in the more expensive versions. Also, the two initial versions have a media system with a horizontal 10-inch screen, and the two more expensive versions have a 12-inch vertical one.
The car has a heated steering wheel and three-stage heated front seats, but there is no height adjustment of the passenger seat (given the peculiarities of seating in a frame car, such a simple function would be useful to many), and even in the top version the front passenger seat is adjustable in only 4 directions – and only hands.
The Dongfeng Paladin in China has a 7-seater version, but only the 5-seater will be supplied to Russia (at least at first). Passenger capacity is a minus, but trunk volume is a plus. By the way, the tilt of the rear seat back can be changed.
In general, Oting Paladin has its own characteristics, which you will need to study before purchasing. Real sales will start on January 15, 2024.