Apparently the modern SUV has two choices: look like a melted computer mouse or arrive square enough to frighten a set of parking sensors. The new iCAUR V25 has chosen the second path, and it commits with the enthusiasm of a child drawing their dream off-roader using only a ruler and a coffee mug.
Round headlights, flat sides, short overhangs and a full-size spare wheel on the tailgate give it the familiar visual vocabulary of an old-school 4×4. There is no point pretending the ingredients are new. What matters is whether iCAUR has used them to build something useful, or merely dressed an urban crossover for a weekend it will never have.
The first evidence is encouraging. Chery’s iCAUR brand says the V25 has more than 20 interfaces for accessories and modifications, can tow 1.8 tonnes and provides up to 6kW of external power. Those are proper lifestyle-car numbers rather than a catalogue of decorative skid plates. If you want to run camping equipment, carry awkward gear or personalise the thing without attacking fresh bodywork with a drill, the design appears to have started with that brief.
The square shape has earned its keep
Boxy SUVs are everywhere because ruggedness now sells as effectively as sportiness once did. The danger is that designers copy the stance while forgetting why traditional 4x4s were upright in the first place. Straight edges can create a more predictable load space, large windows can improve visibility and short overhangs can help away from smooth roads. Without those benefits, the look is just hiking boots worn to the supermarket.
The V25 at least wears its shape with purpose. iCAUR describes the proportions as close to a one-to-one relationship between width and height, which explains the planted, almost toy-like appearance. Its official Australian page promises a flat roof and the rear-mounted spare, while right-hand drive is already part of the pre-production specification for that market. Australia is due to receive the car in 2027, subject to local approval and supply.
That right-hand-drive programme makes the V25 relevant to British enthusiasts even though a UK launch has not been confirmed. The engineering hurdle is being cleared for another market that drives on our side of the road; the commercial decision remains the missing piece. Given the appetite here for compact SUVs with oversized personalities, ignoring Britain would feel like setting the table and then refusing to serve dinner.
A range extender could suit the character
iCAUR says the V25 uses its Golden REEV range-extender system and intelligent all-wheel drive. In simple terms, a range extender lets electric motors do the driving while a combustion engine generates electricity when the battery needs help. For a vehicle sold on city use, towing and outdoor escapes, that combination has an obvious appeal: quiet electric running for ordinary journeys without making a remote weekend depend entirely on the next rapid charger.
The manufacturer has not yet published the figures British buyers would need to judge it properly. There is no confirmed UK price, range, charging speed or trim structure, and Australian charging data is still going through homologation. That missing information matters far more than another heroic photograph on damp rocks. A clever silhouette cannot compensate for slow charging, poor efficiency or an ambitious price.
Even so, the underlying pitch is more coherent than much of the current rugged-SUV theatre. A 6kW external supply could turn the car into a useful mobile power source. A 1.8-tonne towing limit opens the door to trailers that carry more than garden waste. Factory-planned mounting points invite owners to change the vehicle without relying on dubious internet brackets and blind optimism.
Personality is easy; credibility is the test
iCAUR is also leaning heavily into customisation, with the V25 appearing alongside modified V23 and V27 models at its international user summit in Wuhu, China. That could produce a lively ownership culture, although car makers love the word “community” almost as much as technology firms love “ecosystem”. The test will be whether accessories remain affordable, available and genuinely interchangeable after the launch confetti has been swept away.
Auto Express brought the V25 to our attention, but the more interesting story is not which famous 4×4 its styling recalls. It is whether a new brand can turn familiar shapes into honest utility at an accessible price.
The V25 already has more substance than a cosmetic adventure pack. Now iCAUR needs to confirm where it is going, what it will cost and how well its powertrain stacks up. Bring it to Britain with sensible numbers and those square shoulders could carry real credibility. Price it like a fashion accessory, and the only rugged terrain it will conquer is the kerb outside a coffee shop.
Sources
- iCaur V25 is a new low-budget baby Land Rover from China
- One Day to Go: Four Core Highlights of the 2026 iCAUR International User Summit
- iCAUR V25 Australia
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