Dongfeng South Africa has confirmed the arrival of its Forthing sub-brand with a compact crossover called the Friday.
Better late than never
Reportedly arriving soon, the Friday is in effect a reworked version of what is known as the Forthing T5 Evo that went on-sale in China six years ago.
The Friday itself then premiered at home in 2023 as an EV-only. However, conventional combustion engines and a self-charging hybrid is offered in other markets.
Dongfeng also confirmed that a range-extending electric powertrain will be availed, but stopped short of providing any other details.
Dimensions
Dimensionally, the Friday is as follows:
- Length: 4 600 mm;
- Wheelbase: 2 715 mm;
- Height; 1 680 mm;
- Width: 1 860 mm
Power options
Combustion
On the power front, the European-spec combustion-engine Friday uses a development of the 1.5-litre 4A91 Mitsubishi engine that powers the Xpander and Outlander Sport on local soil.
Fitted with turbocharger, and renamed 4A95TD, the unit develops 130kW/285Nm and is mated to either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
Hybrid
For the self-charging hybrid, the Friday uses a different 1.5-litre turbocharged engine reportedly leveraging off of Dongfeng’s long standing partnership with Citroën.
As such, the HEV develops 125kW/280Nm on petrol power alone, with the 2.0-kWh battery pack and single electric motor outputting 55kW/300Nm. No combined outputs are known.
As with the combustion Friday, power goes to the front wheels but this time through a Dedicated Hybrid Transmission (DHT).
EV
On the EV side, a choice of two battery packs are offered; a 57.8-kWh and an 85.9-kWh, both powering a single electric motor on the front axle.
While both produce 150kW/340Nm, the former has a claimed range of 430 km on China’s CLTC cycle and the latter up to 630 km.
Supporting DC charging up to 80 kW in the flagship model will require a waiting time of 45 minutes from 30-80%. Using a household socket will take between eight and 12 hours from 0-100%.
Spec
In terms of specification, the Friday has the following as standard, depending on the market and trim level:
- 19-inch alloy wheels;
- LED headlights;
- folding electric mirrors;
- electric tailgate;
- imitation leather upholstery;
- keyless entry;
- push-button start;
- climate control;
- 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster;
- three USB ports;
- six-speaker sound system;
- 10.25-inch infotainment display;
- cooled glovebox;
- electric, heated and cooled front seats;
- wireless smartphone charging pad;
- panoramic sunroof
The infotainment system, meanwhile, supports Apple CarPlay, but not Android Auto as this is augmented by the Carbit Link app.
Standard is a drive mode selector with three settings; Eco, Normal and Sport.
On the safety and driver assistance side, the Friday is furnished with the following:
- eight airbags;
- front and rear parking sensors;
- 540-degree camera system;
- tyre pressure monitor;
- auto lock/unlock doors;
- Adaptive Cruise Control;
- Forward Collision Warning;
- Lane Keeping Assist;
- Blind Spot Detection;
- Lane Departure Warning;
- Auto High Beam Assist;
- Lane Centring;
- Traffic Jam Assist
More soon
Likely to be called Dongfeng Forthing Friday and not simply Forthing Friday, an announcement regarding local spec and pricing is expected within the coming weeks.
