A Roewe RX3 crossover SUV, seen in front of a Roewe dealer in Beijing in November 2017. The RX3 was brand new and painted in a very tasty shade of red. The heavily chromed grille was a good shiner in the early winter sun.
Roewe is a brand under SAIC, established in 2006. The name was inspired by the British brand Rover. SAIC purchased the rights to the Rover 25 and Rover 75 from bankrupt MG Rover in 2005 but they failed to get the Rover name. So instead they went for Roewe, or Rongwei (荣威) in Chinese. Roewe’s first car was the Roewe 750, based on the Rover 75. Subsequently, SAIC added a whole lot of new cars to the Roewe lineup, including this RX3.
The Roewe RX3 launched on the Chinese car market in 2017. It was succeeded by the Roewe RX3 Pro in 2021. When I was at the dealer that day, the RX3 was indeed a really new car, and there was a lot of interest in it at the time. And why not? It was a nice looking little crossover with a lot of standard stuff for a decent price.
The interior was luxurious for the segment, with a 10 inch touch screen, semi-sporty dials, a thick-rimmed steering wheel, and faux-leather seats.
In 2017, the RX3 was available with two engine options: the 1.6L with a 1.6 liter four with 135 hp and 158 Nm, and the confusingly names 18T with a 1.3 liter turbocharged 3-pot with 163 hp and 230 Nm. The 1.6 was mated to a 5-speed manual or a CVT, the 1.3 turbo to a 6-speed automated manual.
The red car we have here today is a 18T, with a 2017 base price of 125.800 yuan. It is specced to the max with gray trim on the doors, gray roof rails, chrome window frames, and pretty double-five spoke alloy wheels.
I love red badges. There was a time that almost every Chinese automaker had their engine badges on turbocharged cars in red. Not sure who started the trend but it was ultra cool. The RX3 has 18T in red, a shade a tad darken then the car itself.
The front had quite a complex design with lots of shiny and black lines and trim. But it all somehow worked out nicely.