This Retro EV From China Is the Coolest Off-Roader You’ve Never Heard Of

It was a crisp morning in Wuhu, China – the kind where the fog rolls lazily over the Chery campus, and everything feels like it’s buzzing with new ideas. I was wandering through a display hall lined with futuristic prototypes when something unexpected stopped me in my tracks.

It wasn’t the sleek hyper-EV concepts or the digital dashboards glowing in neon blue. It was something simpler. Boxy. Adorably rugged. The Chery iCar V23.

A compact all-electric SUV that looked like it had just driven out of a vintage adventure film, but under its skin was a world of state-of-the-art tech. It was the kind of vehicle that made you smile before you even got close enough to see the charging port.

When Retro Meets the Algorithm

The iCar V23 doesn’t try to reinvent the SUV – it just reinvents how it feels. Round headlights. Smoked grille. Squared-off fenders that can literally detach and swap out for off-road versions. Even the rear door swings sideways, just like old-school 4x4s, but hides a 3.2-cubic-foot “backpack” trunk for tools or tech gear.

Chery’s designers told me their mission wasn’t just to copy nostalgia. It was to digitize it. Everything about the V23 feels like it’s been reinterpreted through the lens of the modern EV era.

Inside, you get a clean, modular layout: minimalist white panels, clever storage, and a 15.4-inch 2.5K central display powered by a Snapdragon 8155 chip. It’s fast, intuitive, and crisp—almost tablet-like in its responsiveness. For something that starts at just $13,700 (when directly converted), it feels shockingly advanced. It’s the meeting point between your dad’s boxy 4×4 and your smartphone.

Driving the Future, Silently

Taking it out on the roads of Wuhu felt like stepping into a time warp. On the outside, it looks retro. But once you’re behind the wheel, it’s all instant torque, digital displays, and silence. The dual-motor AWD setup delivers 211 horsepower, good enough for a 7.5-second 0-62 mph sprint, and a real-world range of up to 311 miles under the CLTC cycle.

It’s not trying to be an off-road monster but with 8.3 inches of ground clearance and healthy approach and departure angles, it’s perfectly at home on gravel trails and city detours. The steering is light, the ride is smooth, and the personality? Effortlessly cool.

Inside, space feels thoughtfully designed. Fold down the rear seats, and you unlock up to 26.3 cubic feet of flat cargo room, plenty for a weekend’s worth of gear or a full load of groceries.

A Global Player, With One Notable Exception

Chery says the iCar V23 will be sold wherever the brand has a presence, from Asia to Europe and even emerging markets in Africa and South America. It’s a global product built to connect with modern, design-savvy buyers everywhere. Everywhere, that is, except the United States.

Between strict homologation rules and the current state of China–US trade relations, the odds of seeing an iCar V23 on American roads are slim to none. And that’s a shame – because this feels like exactly the kind of electric SUV that could shake up the mainstream market there.

While Everyone’s Looking at the FJ…

Right now, car fans everywhere are losing it over the new Toyota Land Cruiser FJ, and I get it. It’s cute, boxy, and dripping with nostalgia. But let’s not ignore the reality check: underneath all that retro charm, the FJ sits on a generations-old platform, powered by a 2.7-liter gasoline engine — yes, the same one from the Toyota Fortuner (the 4Runner’s aging counterpart outside America).

Meanwhile, Chery is taking the same design inspiration and reimagining it for the electric era, clean, quiet, and digital-first. While Toyota looks back, Chery’s iCar brand is looking forward.

The World is Missing Out Big time

As the day ended, I stood watching the iCar V23 charge under the fading Wuhu light. Its LED rings pulsed softly, reflecting off the wet pavement. And that’s when it hit me, EVs can look and feel fun after all.

That the future doesn’t have to erase the past – it can upgrade it. EVs can also feature designs that can be playful again. And that innovation doesn’t need to shout; it can just hum quietly, like a well-tuned motor under an old-school shell.