Forthing T5 EVO

While the aerodynamic look of the exterior of the Forthing T5 Evo wins hearts, the SUV appeals to many even more with its futuristic and elegant-looking cabin. Full marks go to Forthing for making the cabin layout look distinctive, without going overboard with the design and elements in the entire cabin.

The driver’s cockpit of the Forthing T5 Evo welcomes one with its wide full-TFT housing, which stretches towards the centre console and accommodates 10.25-inch full-TFT screens for the instrument console and touchscreen infotainment system. This screen housing has tapered lower edges and is placed behind a well-styled three-spoke multi-functional steering wheel with silver accents on the spokes. The cascading lower central console and the corners of the dashboard get rotary-styled rounded AC vents.

The cabin of the Forthing T5 Evo also gets a few more youthful and premium features like powered front seats, panoramic sunroof, ambient lighting, leather upholstery, push start-stop button, automatic climate control, 6-speaker audio system, rear AC vents and 60:40 split rear seats. However, for a cabin which looks this modern and eye-catching, it could have had a few more contemporary features.

Chinese car makers are revolutionizing the automotive market with new ground-breaking design languages, and the Forthing T5 Evo is a prime example of it. The T5 Evo has a lot of curves flowing throughout its profile from front to rear, which makes it look as aerodynamic as a coupe-SUV.

At the front, the Forthing T5 Evo features wide front fascia, which is positioned slightly lower below the end of the curvaceous hood. This wide fascia comprises a gloss-black curved grille with vertical slats within its entire width. The grille is flanked with inverted L-shaped headlamp housings, which come with LED projectors arranged vertically within them. The central bottom part of the front bumper comes with a sleek-looking trapezoidal air dam.

The side profile of the Forthing T5 Evo impresses with its curvaceous appeal, which is evident in the look of the front bonnet and curves flowing through the front and rear fenders and door panels. The Forthing T5 Evo has a good stance, courtesy of the 19-inch sport-machined alloy wheels and a decently high ground clearance. The door-mounted rearview mirrors and blacked-out finish for the alloy wheels and slim roof rails further enhance the sportiness of the look of the T5 Evo.

At the back, the Forthing T5 Evo features an equally appealing design, with the SUV having a raked windscreen to go well with its overall aerodynamic persona. The sleek LED combination lamps on the sides of the boot lid are joined by a thin LED connecting light bar, while the windscreen gets a sporty-looking spoiler with an LED brake lamp at the top. The blacked-out diffuser spread over the rear bumper gets dual exhaust ports on either side of the license plate housing.

The Forthing T5 Evo is an entry-level midsize SUV, so it doesn’t come with premium and sophisticated driving aids usually offered in premium offerings. However, the SUV feels easy to drive with the light steering setup, while the suspension setup has been tuned for a comfortable ride quality. The large 19-inch wheels with 235/55 R19 tyres offer a decent amount of stability on flat stretches, with the SUV feeling composed in most of the situations.

Forthing offers the T5 Evo with a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine as the sole powertrain option, which here comes mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission as standard. This powertrain develops a maximum power output of 200 PS and a peak torque output of 285 Nm. Forthing claims a maximum fuel efficiency of 15.15 kmpl and a 0-100 kmph timing of 9.7 seconds for the T5 Evo.

The Forthing T5 Evo has been equipped with all the essential safety features expected from an SUV of this size, such as six airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control, traction control, hill descent control, electronic parking brake, tyre pressure monitoring system, front and rear parking sensors, 360-degree parking camera, brake assist and blind spot detection system.

The Forthing T5 Evo might not be setting new benchmarks in performance and driving dynamics, but it has come across as a well-designed SUV which catches one’s attention and offers a decent experience to the occupants with good space and features.