This $9,000 Chinese SUV Is Big, Boxy, and Exactly Why US Buyers Are Frustrated
· Yahoo AutosThe Wuling Starlight 560 SUV betrays the same impression of China’s car market playing by a completely different set of rules. Then you see the price. In China, this midsize five seat SUV starts at the equivalent of about $9,000.
That number alone is enough to make most US shoppers take up arms against regulators who insists these bargains stay overseas. It doesn’t help the feeling when you realize this isn’t a tiny city runabout but a 4.7-meter-long family SUV with ample rear legroom and modern electrified options.
The Starlight 560 is essentially the budget friendly sibling of the Wuling Starlight S. The S is already known for delivering a lot of space for very little money. The 560 trims costs further with simpler hardware and tougher, boxier styling that leans into the SUV look Americans tend to appreciate.
Think less suburban crossover, more upright and utilitarian. It is still a proper five-seater, and that length translates into a back seat that borders on comical for the price.
The $9,000 Trade-Off
Rear seat space is where this Wuling really punches above its weight. At nearly six feet tall, the reviewer in the video still had room to stretch out. In China, that puts it in the same conversation as the Aion Y, a benchmark for budget cars with limo like rear legroom.
That is high praise, and it hints at why vehicles like this dominate ride hailing fleets overseas. If every Uber in a major city suddenly looked like this, passengers would not complain.
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Take the front seat, and the cost cutting becomes more obvious. The dashboard looks familiar if you have seen the Starlight S, but materials and details take a noticeable step down. The center screen is just that, a screen. There is no built-in navigation, no onboard data connection, and no native apps. Instead, Wuling leans entirely on phone mirroring.
In China, that works well if you use Android phones from brands like Xiaomi, Oppo, or Vivo thanks to Huawei HiCar and similar systems. iPhone users, however, are out of luck here since there is no Apple CarPlay support in this domestic version.
Climate control is also old school. You adjust fan speed and temperature manually rather than setting a number and letting the car handle the rest. Ironically, luddites in America already tired out by all the screens will appreciate the manual operation.
Many are elated by VW’s return to buttons in the ID. Polo. Wireless phone charging is missing from the Starlight 560, and even the clever cable pass through found in the Starlight S is gone. None of this is shocking at this price point. If anything, you’d appreciate the transparency of knowing where the money was saved instead of wondering about the unknown.
The $2,300 Upgrade That Changes Everything
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Mechanically, the Starlight 560 offers a choice that matters. The base version uses a 1.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine with a CVT. On paper, 177 horsepower sounds fine. In practice, especially in hilly terrain, it reportedly struggles. The plug-in hybrid version is the one to have.
For roughly $2,300 more in China, you get a nearly 200 horsepower electric motor and a 20-kWh battery. Electric only range is rated at 125 km on China’s test cycle, which is closer to about 60 miles in real world terms.
That hybrid upgrade transforms the SUV. Throttle response improves, power delivery feels smoother, and overall refinement jumps dramatically. The reviewer went as far as saying it feels like a much more expensive car once electrified. Even noise and vibration levels from the engine are better than some plug-in hybrids that cost more than twice as much.
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The final verdict is neither here nor there. If you care most about interior quality and features, the slightly more expensive Starlight S still makes sense, especially after discounts. But if your budget is tight and you want maximum size for minimum money, the Starlight 560 stands alone. The most important thing is that, in today’s global market, there is simply nothing new, this large, with a warranty, anywhere near this price.
The Starlight 560 is not about what you can buy today in the US. It is about perspective. This is what $9,000 to $12,000 buys in the world’s largest car market, and it raises uncomfortable questions about how much we really need to pay for basic transportation at home.