Let me set expectations, because most of what gets written about this vehicle online comes from people who have never loaded one. The Changan Star 5 is not a car. It is a working tool, built by Changan Kaicene since 2012 and sold in some markets under the Chana badge or as the Esemka. If you are an importer looking at light commercial volume, it deserves a serious look. If you want a lifestyle vehicle, close the tab and save us both the time.
Exterior
Start with the shape, because the shape is the argument. And the Changan Star 5 does have an unusual one. Narrow and tall is the honest description — 1,600 mm across, 1,890 mm to the roof, which works out at a body standing almost three-tenths of a metre taller than it is wide. Length varies with the body you order, somewhere between 3,980 and 4,005 mm, and the wheelbase that carries it all is 2,560 mm. Look at the height-to-width ratio for a second and then picture it on a wet roundabout. A box this narrow and this tall will lean in crosswinds and feel unsettled in a way a broader van simply does not. I would not hide that from a fleet buyer, because they will find out on delivery day anyway, and a surprise is worth less than a warning.
Bodies on offer cover the working uses: van, window van, single-cab truck with a dropside or box bed, and a double-cab pickup. The cab-over layout puts the engine under your backside and cuts the front overhang to almost nothing, which is a genuine advantage in tight urban delivery work where every centimetre of turning circle turns into minutes saved across a shift.
The design is whatever the job needs and nothing else. Steel wheels, plain halogen lights, black plastic bumpers that survive scrapes without looking ruined. Cab doors are big and swing wide. Where it gets genuinely interesting is the load bed on the truck versions, which runs longer and lower than the footprint suggests, and takes a standard pallet on some variants. That is the detail that closes fleet deals.
One quality note I’d flag, and I would insist on this before any order. Paint thickness moves between batches, and panel alignment on the rear doors of van versions is not consistent. Inspect a physical sample unit before you commit to a container. Nobody should pretend the finish matches a European van at this price point. But the structure is honest, the panels are thick where it counts, and with basic care it will still be earning in ten years.
Interior
Reset your expectations again when you open the door. The cab is simple: a basic instrument cluster, a small central screen on most versions, a heater that works hard, and ventilation that is barely adequate in a hot climate because of all that glass. The driver sits on a flat bench-style seat with limited adjustment, and long stints behind the wheel are tiring. That is the segment, stated plainly, and no amount of trim work on the Changan Star 5 changes it.
What works in its favour is that the controls are all physical. No touchscreen menu standing between you and the headlights. Run a fleet where drivers are hard on equipment and that matters more than any connectivity feature you could name, because a knob does not fail after three years of abuse. Storage is better than you would guess: a glovebox that is genuinely a decent size, and door pockets that swallow a litre bottle.
The cabin gets loud. The engine sits under the seat, there is minimal sound deadening, and at highway speed you will raise your voice to be heard. Around town at delivery speeds it is acceptable. If your customers plan long inter-city runs in this thing, tell them to budget for extra insulation — or sell them something else and keep the relationship.
Air conditioning is optional on some variants, and worth insisting on rather than leaving to chance. The Changan Star 5 uses vinyl or basic fabric for its seats, both easy to wipe down, which is the right call for a cargo vehicle. Three people fit across the front bench in the sense that three people can be physically present. Nobody will be comfortable, and I would not pretend otherwise to a fleet buyer who has to put crews in it every day.
Powertrain and Chassis
One engine, one gearbox, and no alternatives worth discussing. That engine is a 1.4-litre naturally aspirated petrol unit making 76 kW, or 103 PS, bolted to a five-speed manual. No diesel. No automatic. No electric. For some markets that is a limitation, and I will not dress it up. For others — particularly where diesel is expensive or banned from city centres — a simple petrol engine with no turbo and no particulate filter is genuinely easier to own and cheaper to keep alive.
NEDC consumption is quoted at 6.5 litres per 100 kilometres, and you should treat that as the best case. Loaded, in traffic, with the air conditioning running, expect considerably more, and build that into whatever running-cost figure you put in front of a customer. The counterweight is that the engine is simple, parts are cheap, and any competent mechanic in any market can work on it without a laptop. That is a total-cost-of-ownership case a modern turbo-diesel cannot always answer, and in emerging markets it is often the whole sale.
The chassis is a ladder-frame-derived layout with leaf springs at the rear on the cargo versions — exactly what you want if you are actually going to load it. Empty, the ride is harsh over bumps and it improves noticeably once there is weight in the back. Brakes are discs at the front and drums at the rear on most versions. No surprises in any of that, which is the point of a commercial vehicle.
Payload figures vary by variant and by whatever your local certification rules allow, so take the manufacturer’s number as a starting point and verify what your authority will actually register before you quote a fleet. Set against all of it, the Changan Star 5 is not a fast vehicle, not a quiet one, and it will never impress anyone at a dealership launch event. It will start every morning, carry more than it looks like it should, and cost very little to keep running. That is the entire proposition, and for the right buyer, it is enough.
FAQ
What actually is the Changan Star 5 — a van or a truck? Both, depending on the body you order. It is a mini van and light commercial vehicle from Changan Kaicene, in production since 2012, offered as a van, a window van, a single-cab or double-cab truck, and sold in some markets under the Chana or Esemka names. Pick the body to suit the job, not the other way round.
What engine does it use, and is there a diesel? A 1.4-litre naturally aspirated petrol unit at 76 kW, or 103 PS, driving through a five-speed manual. There is no diesel and no automatic anywhere in this range. Quoted NEDC consumption is 6.5 litres per 100 km, and that is the best case — loaded and in traffic it will be higher.
How much can it carry? Payload depends on the variant and on what your registration authority will approve, so verify against your market’s rules rather than trusting a single number from a brochure. The rear leaf springs are specified for loaded work, and the ride improves once there is weight over the axle. Get the certification answer before you quote a fleet operator.
Can the Changan Star 5 be imported into our market? Yes. Where there is no certification requirement it ships directly; some regions require type approval. We confirm whether the specific body style and specification you need can be supplied with the certification your market demands. As the importer of a commercial vehicle, check payload and emissions rules early, because those two items set your launch date.
How do you supply it, and how do we start? We are a China-based vehicle export company. We source from the manufacturer and manage the export process end to end: documentation, ocean freight, and delivery to your port. Most of our buyers are overseas dealers and fleet importers who need dependable volume, plus a few private buyers. Send us your market, your target volume and the body style you want, and we will come back with availability, shipping and the full document list.
| 2022 Changan Star 5 1.4L Value Edition Bus JL473Q3 | 2022 Changan Star 5 1.4L Value Edition Van JL473Q3 | 2022 Changan Star 5 1.4L Classic Bus JL473Q3 | 2022 Changan Star 5 1.4L Classic Van JL473Q3 | 2021 Changan Star 5 1.4L Manual Basic Van National VI EA14MR | 2021 Changan Star 5 1.4L Manual Basic Bus National VI EA14MR | 2021 Changan Star 5 1.4L Manual Standard Van National VI EA14MR | 2021 Changan Star 5 1.4L Manual Standard Bus National VI EA14MR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Information | ||||||||
| Availability | 2022.07 | 2022.07 | 2022.07 | 2022.07 | 2021.04 | 2021.04 | 2021.04 | 2021.04 |
| vehicle class | lightweight construction | lightweight construction | lightweight construction | lightweight construction | lightweight construction | lightweight construction | lightweight construction | lightweight construction |
| Length*Width*Height(mm) | 3980*1600*1890 | 3980*1600*1890 | 4005*1600*1890 | 4005*1600*1890 | 4005*1600*1890 | 4005*160 0*1890 | 4005*1600*1890 | 4005*1600*1890 |
| Type of energy | gasoline | gasoline | gasoline | gasoline | gasoline | gasoline | gasoline | gasoline |
| environmental standard | Country 6 | Country 6 | Country 6 | Country 6 | Country 6 | Country 6 | Country 6 | Country 6 |
| motor | 1.4L / 103 hp / inline 4 cylinder | 1.4L / 103 hp / inline 4 cylinder | 1.4L / 103 hp / inline 4 cylinder | 1.4L / 103 hp / inline 4 cylinder | 1.4L / 103 hp / inline 4 cylinder | 1.4L / 103 hp / inline 4 cylinder | 1.4L / 103 hp / inline 4 cylinder | 1.4L / 103 hp / inline 4 cylinder |
| Maximum power (kW) | 76 | 76 | 76 | 76 | 76 | 76 | 76 | 76 |
| Maximum torque (N-m) | 133 | 133 | 133 | 133 | - | - | - | - |
| Number of gears | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| transmission | manual gearbox | manual gearbox | manual gearbox | manual gearbox | manual gearbox | manual gearbox | manual gearbox | manual gearbox |
| Maximum speed (km/h) | - | - | - | - | 112 | 112 | 112 | 112 |
| NEDC Combined Fuel Consumption (L/100km) | - | - | - | - | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Warranty Policy | - | - | - | - | Three years or 60,000 kilometers | Three years or 60,000 kilometers | Three years or 60,000 kilometers | Three years or 60,000 kilometers |
| body of automobile | ||||||||
| Length (mm) | 3980 | 3980 | 4005 | 4005 | 4005 | 4005 | 4005 | 4005 |
| Width (mm) | 1600 | 1600 | 1600 | 1600 | 1600 | 1600 | 1600 | 1600 |
| Height (mm) | 1890 | 1890 | 1890 | 1890 | 1890 | 1890 | 1890 | 1890 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 2560 | 2560 | 2560 | 2560 | 2560 | 2560 | 2560 | 2560 |
| Front wheelbase(mm) | - | - | - | - | 1360 | 1360 | 1360 | 1360 |
| Rear wheelbase(mm) | - | - | - | - | 1360 | 1360 | 1360 | 1360 |
| Weight (kg) | - | - | - | - | 1125 | 1125 | 1125 | 1125 |
| Fuel tank volume (L) | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 |
| Number of doors (pcs) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Number of seats (pcs) | 5 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 7 |
| motor | ||||||||
| Displacement (mL) | 1370 | 1370 | 1370 | 1370 | 1370 | 1370 | 1370 | 1370 |
| Maximum horsepower (Ps) | 103 | 103 | 103 | 103 | 103 | 103 | 103 | 103 |
| Maximum power (kW) | 76 | 76 | 76 | 76 | 76 | 76 | 76 | 76 |
| Maximum power speed(rpm) | 6000 | 6000 | 6000 | 6000 | - | - | - | - |
| Maximum torque (N-m) | 133 | 133 | 133 | 133 | - | - | - | - |
| Maximum torque speed (rpm) | 4000-5000 | 4000-5000 | 4000-5000 | 4000-5000 | - | - | - | - |
| cylinder (engine) | Inline 4-cylinder | Inline 4-cylinder | Inline 4-cylinder | Inline 4-cylinder | Inline 4-cylinder | Inline 4-cylinder | Inline 4-cylinder | Inline 4-cylinder |
| engine position | center | center | center | center | center | center | center | center |
| Intake form | naturally aspirated | naturally aspirated | naturally aspirated | naturally aspirated | naturally aspirated | naturally aspirated | naturally aspirated | naturally aspirated |
| valve train | double overhead camshaft | double overhead camshaft | Double overhead camshafts | Double overhead camshafts | Double overhead camshafts | Double overhead camshafts | Double overhead camshafts | Double overhead camshafts |
| Lubrication method | Multi-point electronic injection | Multi-point electronic injection | Multi-point electronic injection | Multi-point electronic injection | Multi-point electronic injection | Multi-point electronic injection | Multi-point electronic injection | Multi-point electronic injection |
| Cylinder material | aluminum | aluminum | aluminum | aluminum | aluminum | aluminum | aluminum | aluminum |
| fuel grade | 92# | 92# | 92# | 92# | 92# | 92# | 92# | 92# |
| environmental standard | Country 6 | Country 6 | Country 6 | Country 6 | Country 6 | Country 6 | Country 6 | Country 6 |
| Chassis/steering | ||||||||
| Driving form | rear drive | rear drive | rear drive | rear drive | rear drive | rear drive | rear drive | rear drive |
| Front suspension type | MacPherson independent suspension | MacPherson independent suspension | MacPherson independent suspension | MacPherson independent suspension | MacPherson independent suspension | MacPherson independent suspension | MacPherson independent suspension | MacPherson independent suspension |
| Rear suspension type | Non-independent suspension with leaf springs | Non-independent suspension with leaf springs | Non-independent suspension with leaf springs | Non-independent suspension with leaf springs | Non-independent suspension with leaf springs | Non-independent suspension with leaf springs | Non-independent suspension with leaf springs | Non-independent suspension with leaf springs |
| Steering assist form | unassisted | unassisted | electric power assist | electric power assist | electric power assist | electric power assist | electric power assist | electric power assist |
| Wheels/Brakes | ||||||||
| Front/Rear Brake Type | Disc / Drum | Disc / Drum | Disc / Drum | Disc / Drum | Disc / Drum | Disc / Drum | Disc / Drum | Disc / Drum |
| Front Tire Specification | 165/70 R14 | 165/70 R14 | 165/70 R14 | 165/70 R14 | 165/70 R14 | 165/70 R14 | 165/70 R14 | 165/70 R14 |
| Rear Tire Specification | 165/70 R14 | 165/70 R14 | 165/70 R14 | 165/70 R14 | 165/70 R14 | 165/70 R14 | 165/70 R14 | 165/70 R14 |
| Wheel Material | steel (chemistry) | steel (chemistry) | steel (chemistry) | steel (chemistry) | steel (chemistry) | steel (chemistry) | steel (chemistry) | steel (chemistry) |
| Active/passive safety features | ||||||||
| ABS anti-lock | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| Brake force distribution (EBD/CBC etc.) | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| Tire Pressure Detection Device | ● Alarms | - | ● Alarms | - | - | - | - | - |
| Seat Belt Reminder | ●Principal Driver | ●Principal Driver | ●Principal Driver | ●Principal Driver | ●Principal Driver | ●Principal Driver | ●Principal Driver | ●Principal Driver |
| ISOFIX child restraints | - | - | - | - | - | ● | - | ● |
| Auxiliary/Manipulation Configurations | ||||||||
| parking radar | - | - | ● Post | ● Post | - | - | - | - |
| External/anti-theft configurations | ||||||||
| Key Type | ● Mechanical key | ● Mechanical key | ●Remote key | ●Remote key | ●Remote key | ●Remote key | ●Remote key | ●Remote key |
| Central locking in the car | - | - | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| Internal Configuration | ||||||||
| Steering wheel material | :: Plastics | :: Plastics | :: Plastics | :: Plastics | :: Plastics | :: Plastics | :: Plastics | :: Plastics |
| seating | ||||||||
| Seat Material | :: Fabrics | :: Fabrics | :: Fabrics | :: Fabrics | :: Fabrics | :: Fabrics | :: Fabrics | :: Fabrics |
| Integral adjustment of the main driver's seat | ●Before and after | ●Before and after | ●Before and after | ●Before and after | ●Before and after | ●Before and after | ●Before and after | ●Before and after |
| ●Backrests | ●Backrests | ●Backrests | ●Backrests | ●Backrests | ●Backrests | ●Backrests | ●Backrests | |
| Passenger seat overall adjustment | ●Before and after | ●Before and after | ●Before and after | ●Before and after | ●Before and after | ●Before and after | ●Before and after | ●Before and after |
| multimedia | ●Backrests | ●Backrests | ●Backrests | ●Backrests | ●Backrests | ●Backrests | ●Backrests | ●Backrests |
| Number of audio speakers | uncharted | uncharted | uncharted | uncharted | ||||
| illumination | ||||||||
| low beam (headlights) | ● Halogen | ● Halogen | ● Halogen | ● Halogen | ● Halogen | ● Halogen | ● Halogen | ● Halogen |
| high beam (headlights) | ● Halogen | ● Halogen | ● Halogen | ● Halogen | ● Halogen | ● Halogen | ● Halogen | ● Halogen |
| Adjustable headlights | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| Glass/Mirror | ||||||||
| power window | - | - | ●Forward | ●Forward | ●Forward | ●Forward | ●Forward | ●Forward |
| Air conditioners/refrigerators | ||||||||
| Air conditioning control method | ○Manual control | ○Manual control | ○Manual control | ○Manual control | - | - | ●Manual control | ●Manual control |
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