FIRST DRIVE: Omoda 5 EV, just biding its time

Disclosure: Omoda & Jaecoo Philippines invited me to an all-expense-paid trip to China to attend the Chery User Summit in Wuhu. All opinions written here are all my own and were not reviewed nor approved by Omoda & Jaecoo Philippines.

Much has been written about the Omoda 5 in the last few months ahead of the brand’s official launch in the country. 

Since we’ve been used to getting the bulk of our information about foreign brands even before they arrive in the country through the Internet, it is quite shall we say, different, that Omoda, one of Chery International’s newest global brands, is playing the brand building exercise alongside its product development. 

ALSO READ: "We are not nobody," Marco Chen, Omoda & Jaecoo Philippines

You see, since the start of the year, Omoda & Jaecoo has been feeding us information about the their soon-to-be-launched models, the Omoda 5 and the Jaecoo 7. With a ton of photos and wordy details from the local Chery International-run company, you would think that the vehicles are just amassing at the border ready to be sold. 

Interestingly though, this is only partly true. 

The one-year old Omoda brand is actually an offshoot of the Chery Omoda 5-seater crossover model that’s being sold in other countries around the world. But since Chery has grander export plans, it has decided to create Omoda as a standalone brand. Its target market - the young and vibrant urbanite who’s more focused on fashion and sense of style. 

This is why Omoda has a distinct look that is apart from what Chery offers today. More cutting-edge exterior styling, stylized light pieces, and a sloping profile that kind of reminds you of the Citroen DS5 in a way. 

With the Omoda 5 as its first product, the brand will arrive in the Philippines in the first quarter of 2024 with a 1.5-liter GDi engine under the hood. But given China’s thrust on New Energy, the Omoda 5 will also be sold in the Philippines as an Electric Vehicle at the same time.

Is it any good?

On our last day at the Chery User Summit in Wuhu, China, Omoda and Jaecoo Philippines gave AutoFun Philippines and Visor.ph exclusive access to the Omoda 5 EV.

In terms of overall design, there’s nothing really much different between the EV and ICE versions. Both look chic with their hatchback-like proportions. 

But if you look more closely, the EV has a few functional and styling tweaks done to it. First the front bumper is a new design.  Gone are the myriad of holes and bumper cutouts at the front found in the ICE version.

With the Omoda 5 EV, aerodynamics is key to better range and power efficiency. The front bumpers have been redesigned to divert air to the sides and the top of the vehicle. No engine to cool anyway. This is where the charging AC and DC charging ports are located too, with the front flap of where the grille ought to be just covering them.

The Omoda 5 sports CCS2 and Type2 charging by the way, ready for European markets and the Philippines’ as well. With this charging standard, you'll be able to top up the charge at Shell's DC charging-equipped stations.

The wheels, although they are still 18-inches in radius, now have that typical aero sealed-off look to reduce the air turbulence and pressure accumulating in the wheel well. The brighter two-tone wheels looking more at home with the overall design of the car than the ICE's blacked out alloys. 

And of course, no more exhaust system and tailpipe for the EV.

Feels good

With our limited driving access, we were able to feel its properly weighted steering wheel, another sign of the Omoda 5 lineup’s global intentions. Some China brands have overly light steering operation, making them easy to maneuver in slow speed, but will require higher driving attention and concentration when on highways.

Another notable design cue is the location of the exterior light controls as a separate switch panel near  the lower left knee and the use of the right steering column stalk as the drive selector. Very European!

But it’s the drive train we were really interested in.

After taking a few extra seconds locating the drive selector stalk, I was able to finally toggle it down to Drive. As an EV, the Omoda 5 got rid of a physical start and stop button. Instead, the car just turns itself on with the key in your pocket and you will just wait for the driver’s display to say “Ready” before you select Drive.

Right off the bat, the Omoda 5 EV did not feel laggy in terms of acceleration. Its 400 Nm of torque instantly propelled the car forward with hardly any complaints. A faint hum could be heard while we were driving it around the parking lot, yet another US and EU regulatory requirement.

In the cabin, there isn’t much of a difference with the ICE Omoda 5. Black leatherette seats front and back with power adjustments, a large central infotainment screen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, haptic buttons on the steering wheel, and wireless phone charging are standard. 

The interiors are quite classy nonetheless. There's leather stitching all around, event the center tunnel isn't leather-deprived.

Say, “Hey Omoda,” and the Omoda 5 EV’s voice assistant wakes up ready to do a bit more than just dial a friend’s number. It can open and close the windows and sunroof, adjust the air conditioning fan and temperature, and then some. 

The front passenger has a special lit graphic on his side of the dashboard, to signify that the car is an EV. But aside from the special blue interiors of the Omoda 5 EV which we saw on display at the Chery Technology Conference, both versions of the crossover remain largely similar.

Is it worth the wait?

Omoda & Jaecoo Philippines says it plans to price the Omoda 5 EV lower than two million pesos. At least it will try to.

Given the increasing competition among Chinese brands in this space - we have the high-end MG4, the BYD Dolphin, the Nissan Leaf is still there, and soon the BYD ATTO 3 with its similarly targeted two million range, Omoda might just end up with the last laugh if it can undercut or at least be at par with the competion in terms of specs and pricing.

The Omoda 5 EV is a smudge smaller than the BYD ATTO 3, but it is longer, taller and cozier than the MG4, and it is more modern than the Nissan Leaf. With a reported range of 450 kilometers, it wouldn’t hurt the consumer if the Omoda 5 EV were cheaper than, or within striking range of all of them. 

Chery International executives who spoke at the brand’s User Summit in Wuhu, China said that the brand is listening to its customers. We hope they will listen to our market when the time is ready to reveal the Omoda5 EV's price.