Chery Windcloud (A11): which version to buy — 1.6 MT vs 1.6 AT
If you are choosing a Chery Windcloud (A11), the catalogue gives one generation (1999–2006), one body (Sedan), and two versions: 1.6 MT and 1.6 AT.
If you are choosing a Chery Windcloud (A11), the catalogue gives one generation (1999–2006), one body (Sedan), and two versions: 1.6 MT and 1.6 AT. They share the same 1596 cm³ Gasoline engine, the same 94 hp / 69 kW at 5500 rpm, the same 132 Nm at 3000 rpm, the same FWD layout, the same 1050 kg kerb weight, the same 1425 kg gross weight, the same 125 mm ground clearance, the same 55 L tank, and the same 172 km/h top speed. The buy decision is therefore not “which engine” and not “which generation.” It is gearbox arithmetic: a 5-speed Manual on 1.6 MT versus a 4-speed Automatic on 1.6 AT.
0–100 km/h, city / highway / combined fuel use, CO2, eco class, wheel sizes, rear suspension, compression ratio, bore × stroke, fuel grade, and engine placement are not measured on either version. Those gaps apply equally, so they do not rank one car above the other.
Specs that are identical — what extra money does not buy
On paper, 1.6 MT and 1.6 AT are the same car with a different gearbox. Power is 94 hp (69 kW) at 5500 rpm on both. Torque is 132 Nm at 3000 rpm on both. Displacement is 1596 cm³ Gasoline on both. Cylinders are 4, layout is Inline, valves per cylinder are 2, boost is No, feed is Distributed injection (multi-point). Drive is FWD. Front brakes are Disc, rear brakes are Drum. Front suspension is Independent, spring. Rear suspension is not measured.
Kerb weight is 1050 kg on both, so the Automatic does not add a measured mass penalty in this dataset. Gross weight is 1425 kg on both, so payload is 1425 − 1050 = 375 kg on both. Ground clearance is 125 mm on both. Tank is 55 L on both. Top speed is 172 km/h on both, so the 4-speed Automatic is not recorded as slower at the limiter.
Power per litre is 94 ÷ 1.596 ≈ 58.9 hp per litre on 1.6 MT and on 1.6 AT. Weight per horsepower is 1050 ÷ 94 ≈ 11.17 kg per hp on both. There is no second engine, no restyle split, and no higher-output trim in the data.
What extra money cannot buy here (prices themselves are not in the data): more horsepower, more torque, more displacement, another cylinder count, boost, AWD, a different body, a later generation, a larger tank, more clearance, or a higher measured top speed. If a listing asks more for 1.6 AT, the only specification it can be paying for in this catalogue is Automatic versus Manual.
Generations: there is nothing later to wait for
The Windcloud (A11) has 1 generation in the data: 1 generation, start 1999-01-01, stop 2006-12-31, body Sedan, 2 versions. There is no restyling listed as a separate generation and no second generation after 2006 in this dataset.
You cannot choose “later Windcloud (A11)” for more power, more gears, or more clearance: those numbers do not exist as a later row. The comparison is inside one generation: 1.6 MT against 1.6 AT, both dated 1999-01-01 to 2006-12-31.
Engines and specs (both versions)
| Version | hp | Nm | cm³ | Fuel | Cylinders | Layout | Boost | Gearbox | Gears | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.6 MT | 94 | 132 | 1596 | Gasoline | 4 | Inline | No | Manual | 5 | FWD |
| 1.6 AT | 94 | 132 | 1596 | Gasoline | 4 | Inline | No | Automatic | 4 | FWD |
The engine block of the choice is empty: 94 hp, 132 Nm, 1596 cm³, Gasoline, 4 Inline, 2 valves per cylinder, No boost. The only columns that change are Gearbox and Gears.
1.6 MT is Manual with 5 gears. 1.6 AT is Automatic with 4 gears. That is one extra ratio on the Manual (5 − 4 = 1) and a different transmission type.
Peak power rpm is 5500 on both; peak torque rpm is 3000 on both. The Automatic is not specified with a different power peak.
Performance and economy: what is measured, what is not
Top speed is 172 km/h on 1.6 MT and 172 km/h on 1.6 AT. The Automatic does not lose a recorded kilometre per hour at the top.
0–100 km/h is not measured on 1.6 MT. 0–100 km/h is not measured on 1.6 AT. You cannot pick the Manual “because it is quicker to 100” from this catalogue: that figure is absent on both.
City fuel consumption is not measured on either version. Highway fuel consumption is not measured on either version. Combined fuel consumption is not measured on either version. CO2 is not measured. Eco class is not measured. MPG searches cannot be answered with a number from this dataset.
Tank volume is 55 L on both, so range cannot be ranked without a consumption figure. Do not treat the Automatic as thirstier or the Manual as leaner unless you measure it elsewhere; here both are not measured.
Weight-to-power is the same 11.17 kg/hp, so a “lighter Automatic” or “heavier Automatic” story is not supported: kerb is 1050 kg on both.
Dimensions and weight: same chassis numbers
Kerb weight: 1050 kg (1.6 MT), 1050 kg (1.6 AT). Gross weight: 1425 kg and 1425 kg. Payload: 375 kg and 375 kg. Ground clearance: 125 mm and 125 mm. Tank: 55 L and 55 L. Wheel sizes: not measured on 1.6 MT, not measured on 1.6 AT.
If you need more clearance, more payload, or a stated wheel size, neither version in this catalogue supplies a different figure. Ground clearance 125 mm is the only clearance number; it does not change with gearbox.
Front suspension Independent, spring is shared. Rear suspension is not measured on both, so you cannot prefer one version for a different rear axle from these rows.
Which version to choose: 1.6 MT or 1.6 AT
Choose 1.6 MT if the extra gear and Manual control are the point. You get 5 gears instead of 4. Engine, drive, weight, tank, clearance, and 172 km/h top speed stay the same. You are not buying more hp (still 94), not buying more Nm (still 132), not buying a later generation. You are buying Manual and one extra ratio.
Choose 1.6 AT if Automatic is the point. You give up one gear (4 instead of 5) and take Automatic. You do not give up measured power, torque, top speed, payload, tank, or clearance in this data. You also do not get a measured 0–100 or mpg figure that would prove a penalty.
Do not choose by generation. There is only 1 generation (1999–2006), Sedan, two versions.
Do not choose by engine. Displacement 1596 cm³, Gasoline, 4 Inline, 2 valves per cylinder, No boost, multi-point injection — identical.
Do not choose by “which is faster.” Top speed is 172 km/h on both; 0–100 is not measured on both.
Do not choose by mpg. City, highway, and combined consumption are not measured on 1.6 MT and not measured on 1.6 AT.
Do not choose by weight or size. 1050 / 1425 kg, 125 mm, 55 L, wheels not measured — shared.
Arithmetic summary:
- Power difference: 94 − 94 = 0 hp.
- Torque difference: 132 − 132 = 0 Nm.
- Displacement difference: 1596 − 1596 = 0 cm³.
- Gear count difference: 5 − 4 = 1 (Manual has more).
- Top speed difference: 172 − 172 = 0 km/h.
- Kerb difference: 1050 − 1050 = 0 kg.
- Payload: 375 kg both.
- Specific output: ≈ 58.9 hp/L both.
- Mass per hp: ≈ 11.17 kg/hp both.
Reliability, typical faults, and prices are not in the launch data; this article does not invent them. Problems and reliability searches cannot be scored with a number here.
Practical buy rule
If you want the Windcloud (A11) Sedan 1999–2006 and you want to shift yourself, the matching row is 1.6 MT (Manual, 5). If you want the same 94 hp Gasoline 1596 cm³ FWD package without a clutch pedal in the spec, the matching row is 1.6 AT (Automatic, 4). Everything else in the measured columns is a tie. If a seller claims a stronger engine, a later generation, different clearance, or a different top speed for one of these two names, that claim is outside this catalogue: both versions are specified at 94 hp, 132 Nm, 125 mm, 172 km/h, 1050 kg, 55 L, FWD, Gasoline, 4 Inline, No boost.