Many people who buy cars at the lower end of the price spectrum look for functionality above all else. After all, their priorities are generally to get from point A to B, and all they need is something reliable to meet their needs.
But inexpensive cars can be fun too, as demonstrated by the Dongfeng Box, an affordable electric small hatchback that possesses plenty of character and personality.
Tell me more about this Dongfeng Box
The first impression that most people get when they come across the Box is inevitably, “How cute!”
Indeed, the Box is a car that is almost guaranteed to illicit positive responses wherever you go. There’s an obvious rounded design theme that gives the car a soft and gentle (some might even say feminine) vibe, and it helps the car stick out from the masses of automotive, erm, boxes on the road.
That attention-grabbing factor is accentuated by the fact that you can have the Box in a series of vibrant colours such as bright green, light blue, or this lovely purple shade on our test car.
You can also go for ordinary white, but then where’s the fun in that?
The cheekiness continues inside too. If you opt for the purple body colour, you can have the cabin decked out in the same shade as well, which is a bold move as you almost never see a car with a purple interior.
It certainly gives the Box a lot of personality, which is not something you can say of many cars these days.
And then there’s the infotainment screen, whose home page greets you with a scene of an animated living room featuring a cat that wishes you a good day, and inspirational messages in the form of customisable notes on the wall.
Whoever thought of this at Dongfeng is an absolute genius, because it never fails to make you smile whenever you step into the car.
Other interesting touches include a glove compartment that is designed to slide out, like a makeup tray for ladies. It sounds silly in theory, but it is actually very thoughtful, especially if you drive your passenger princess around a lot.
What about the functionality?
Beneath the Dongfeng’s funky design is a car that is surprisingly well-equipped for its price.
For $143,888 with COE (as of February 2025), you get standard features like an all-around view camera, adaptive cruise control, a ventilated driver’s seat, and wireless charging for your smartphone. It also comes with driver assistance features such as lane keeping assist and forward collision warning, among others.
But its biggest party trick is probably its extremely clever automatic parking feature, which essentially does the entire parking process for you with minimal input. It even allows you to adjust how exactly you want the car to fit into the lot.
It’s almost as advanced as what you would find on a Tesla or Xpeng, and to have it in a car at this price point and segment is pretty astonishing indeed.
For such a small car, the Box is relatively roomy inside. There’s a good amount of legroom at the back for rear passengers, which is helped by the flat floor, while boot space stands at a decent 326 litres, good enough for your average supermarket run.
Neat, but how does it drive?
The Dongfeng Box’s fun personality shines through its driving manners too.
It’s not very powerful, with its electric motor producing a mere 94hp and 140Nm of torque, but the car is pretty light for an electric vehicle (EV), measuring in at just slightly over 1.3 tonnes.
You won’t be breaking the speed limit often with this car, but it zips around with the eagerness of a puppy, bound full of energy and always excited to get you from place to place with zest and excitement.
It’s not exactly what you would call sporty, but its compact size means that it is nimble and agile enough for you to dart through traffic and navigate tight carparks with ease.
At the same time, the ride is mostly comfortable enough on smooth roads, although the rear torsion beam suspension setup doesn’t cope particularly well over larger bumps.
The car’s compact size and light weight also means it gets pretty good range from its relatively modest 42.3kWh battery too. Dongfeng says that the Box can travel up to 430km on a full charge, and if you drive it like it should (i.e. not a maniac), 400km is an easily achievable figure.
Should I buy one?
Why not?
Even just based on objective measures, the Dongfeng Box has plenty going for it. It’s well-equipped with clever features, there’s a decent amount of interior space, and it is fairly efficient as well.
But the biggest appeal of the Box is really its personality. From its design to its interior, this is a car that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and everything about the car just screams happy vibes.
It is a car that genuinely brings plenty of smiles every time you get behind the wheel, and who wouldn’t want an experience like that?
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