2022 Binrui Cool: Geely's turbo answer to Civic RS

Geely has a Honda Civic rival in China

It's only been a few weeks since Geely PH launched the Emgrand, but we already find ourselves thirsting for their newest offering in China.

We're talking about the Binrui Cool, Geely's sporty-looking sedan built on the same modular platform as the Coolray and the Emgrand. However, it won't be competing with the Vios or City, as Geely sees this as a contender in the higher compact C-segment class against Corolla and Civic. Actually, we think it's going to be more of the latter, and in RS Turbo trim.

There are a lot of cues that support that statement. For one, Geely calls the design philosophy for the Binrui Cool as “Racing Storm” (incidentally, also "RS"). Clearly this one looks more aggressive as the sharp lines and huge vents dominate the front fascia together with the orange trim accents.

The Binrui Cool has a sloping roofline complemented by a crease line that starts over the front wheels up to the door handles and ends in the taillights. Furthermore, the finned side skirts and brightly painted calipers contrasting the black 17-inch wheels show that this is indeed a sporty Geely.

The rear end gets a spoiler and smoked LED taillights connected by a horizontal black trim piece with GEELY on it. Once you look down, you'll notice the dual oval-shaped exhausts sticking out of what looks like a rear diffuser.

You'll be greeted with a black, green, and orange interior once you step inside the Binrui Cool. Geely did a nice touch on the design accents of the car, mainly on the front seats that look like they were scratched by Wolverine, and the seatbelts colored in orange that adds to the sporty appeal. Also, the “F” logos near the door handles and gear lever signify that this car is a step higher than the Binrui F Sport.

The Binrui Cool's dashboard is predominantly black with green and orange trim accents, which features a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and an even bigger 12.3-inch touchscreen head unit. Like the Emgrand, the Binrui Cool also has a flat-bottom steering wheel.

Here's the most intriguing part about the Binrui Cool – the engine. It features a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 181 PS and is mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission driving the front wheels. To put that into perspective, the Binrui Cool's power output has 3 PS more than the new Honda Civic. Its torque output, however, was not revealed.

We like the thought of seeing the Binrui Cool go toe-to-toe with the Civic, which we'd love to call the battle of the cool tito cars. But as of the moment, there are no indications if the Binrui Cool would make its way here.

The only question is: what in the world will they name this for export markets like us?