Yue Loong Feeling – First Driving Test – From the Old Box

There seems to be a veritable tidal wave of Chinese brands heading this way. After previous failed attempts to sell Chinese cars here, think of Landwind and Brilliance, it seems to be really serious this time. We have known newcomers from countries that have yet to make a name for themselves in Europe. Also think of the rise of Japanese and later South Korean cars. However, there was also another Taiwanese entry called Yue Loong Feeling. A valiant effort, but that’s about it.

30 years ago we were able to experience the efforts of the Taiwanese when we set out with the Feeling. Despite its bodywork adapted on many fronts, the car immediately made a somewhat familiar impression at first glance. Yue Loong had used the Nissan Stanza (T11) as a base. This also meant that the 80s were still present in the smallest holes in the car that would appear on the Dutch market in 1992. That cast a bit of a shadow ahead.

When we went out with it, it was especially hard to look around the outdated things to discover positive things. The Yue Loong Feeling allowed itself to be steered comfortably over the country’s roads from a complete, but no longer contemporary cockpit. The road holding suited us very well and the Nissan borrowed 1.8 also did its job well. However, the four-cylinder engine above 4,000 rpm was very well audible in the Feeling, something that was undoubtedly related to moderate sound insulation and not so much to the engine itself. The gearbox had quite long shifts and didn’t feel very refined, if a complaint about the technique had to be made.

At the end of 1991, there were already big plans on the table for the Dutch market, which we could already see at that time. At the beginning of 1992, the Yue Loong Feeling would come on the market in three versions: a 1.6 LS, 1.8 LSX and 1.8 GTX (the car we drove). An automatic gearbox was also available. We were curious whether it would appeal to the Dutch buyer, but foresaw a difficult story: “The Feeling is a car that will not have it easy on the Dutch market. It is in a class where the competition is fierce. A lot will depend on the final pricing. Our first impression is that the base price of about 30 mille expected by the importer is too high for what is offered. Our thoughts are more towards a base price of about NLG 27,000.”

The fear of Yue Loong was fulfilled not long after. 130 came to the Netherlands and only 122 copies were sold. These were bought back by the importer not long after the sale, partly because of a complete lack of parts for maintenance. Customers received the full new price back and could buy back another car from the portfolio of importer Abemy (including Mitsubishi, Hyundai and FSO). Officially, all 130 Feelings registered in the Netherlands would have gone back to Taiwan, although there is also a rumor that the Dutch Yue Loongs ended up in Africa to serve as a taxi. As far as is known, one Yue Loong Feeling has remained in the Netherlands (from photo 4), which we were able to see in person in 2015. It is still registered, but it currently does not have a valid MOT. If you ever spot it again, it’s definitely worth a submission to ‘In the Wild’!